Generally I’m a Target guy, but it annoys me that they’ve banned the Salvation Army bell ringers from their stores, based on a strict “No Solicitation” policy. I don’t mind not being hasseled to buy M&M’s by roving packs of children, but I support the Salvation Army.
Yeah, but for some people, the converse is true. I don’t mind buying Girl Scout cookies, but I do mind the noise pollution from a Salvation Army bell-ringer.
In any event, if this were a local organization that didn’t solicit donations elsewhere, I could see the outrage, but at Christmastime, I see lots of bell-ringers, so it’s not hard to support the SA.
I just see Target’s policy as sauce for the goose and all that.
Robin
Right, where I don’t mind, oh lets say the Humane society, but those bells drive me nuts.
It is a good policy. It is fair and equal. Allowing some and not others would be worse in my book.
Jim
That study (which I admittedly haven’t finished yet) seems to confirm what I’ve always thought, which is that WalMart is not really Target’s prime competitor (although the reverse may be true). Target is more competitive with, for instance, Kohl’s.
I remember reading something that struck me as very true, which was that Target is for people who’d shop at Nordstrom if they could, whereas WalMart is for people who’d consider buying their wedding rings at WalMart.
Cluricaun, I like that they ban **all ** solicitors. I’m indifferent to both the Salvation Army and the local Pop Warner cheerleaders, but if one of them is to be banned, so should the other, and I applaud Target for not discriminating.
I like the new WalMart commercial (pop song in the background, all the scenes look like smiley faces). No damn way will I shop there, though. I’m not claustrophobic at all, but that place could make me change. Everything stacked so high that it looks like it’s about to topple over, aisles just a little too narrow…
Target has something right now called Global Bazaar; they had it last year as well. I went to a Target last year to check it out, and it was actually very nice. I bought some Italian ceramic pots, and some cruets for oil and vinegar. Not for everyone, but worth checking out.
That’s cool! Props to Target for doing that and more props for me having never heard of it! yellowval is right; if Walmart had been doing this, I am sure it would be in their ads.
Excellent post! I had long tought something to this effect, but never had the stats to lend my hunch credence. Thanks for the link.
Geese don’t need sauce. Don’t you know that they’re very greasy? 
I still shop at Target, and I support them in that it’s their store and they’re free to ban anything that they choose. I suppose that it’s fair, but I guess I don’t put the SalvAl in my definition of “solicitation”. They’re not asking me to buy popcorn, or cookies, or M&M’s or raffle tickets. They’re asking for a donation, and they don’t even vocalize a request. I’ll agree that the bell can become infuriating, but they don’t stop you, they don’t ask you to participate. If you choose to make a donation or not, it’s completely uncoerced.
If, however the SalvAl decided to have me swarmed by small children wearing their Officially Approved Recreation Time Costumes, then I’d say to hell with them too.
Wal-Mart prefers the MacGiver approach to crime fighting.
They sell paperclips, chewing gum, duct-tape…
I have always been a big Target over Wal-Mart guy, and I have switched my wife (from a hard-core Wal-Mart clan) over as well.
The biggest difference for me is when you check out. I invariably have to wait in line at Wal-Mart, which wouldn’t be all that frustrating if there didn’t seem to always be 4-6 cashier-types joking around at the Manager station. There are never enough check-out people on duty. Meanwhile, I almost always buzz right through at Target, which also provides a more pleasant (or at least less-bothersome) shopping experience with novel concepts like wide aisles, well-spaced check out lanes and a lack of the general ‘crowded’ feeling at Wal-Mart.
The only time we Wal-Mart it anymore is for the handful of items one can get there instead of Target, as our local Wally is one of those UberCenters w the groceries and whatnot.
I don’t particularly like Wal-Mart either, but y’all might be interested to know that one of Sam’s boys is very heavily invested in photovoltaic solar cell research. He owns a really good-sized chunk of this company: www.firstsolar.com
Wal-Mart carries more pan-n-scan DVD’s than does Target, so you may mistakenly grab one of those “half-movies.” Even worse, Wal-Mart sometimes offers versions of books and movies which have been specially bowlderized for their shelves.
Yeah, but…
Hate Wal-Mart,
Like Target,
Luuuuuuuuurve Anderson Cooper! 
I feel dirty walking into a Walmart. Dirty and confused.
And while sometimes those are pleasant sensations, not so much when you’re shopping.
Although Walmart is slightly cheaper, Target is a much more relaxed atmosphere – I know how to get more money, patience is a much more valuable comodity –
I love Target. They actually have attractive clothes and shoes for everyone. I bought a sweet Rolling Stones tshirt there the other day for 10 bucks. I buy pretty much all my toiltetries there too, DVDs, gifts, etc.
I live in a college town that has like 8975897563 Wal-Marts. I never go to them. Hate 'em. I can never find anything, they are always messy, staff is weird, long lines, etc. The Target here is nice and organized, nice staff, well stocked. And it’s connected to the MALL which is super awesome. I’d never seen a Target connected to a mall before.
I’m going tomorrow.
For most of the reasons already mentioned: wider aisles (less cramped feeling), better lighting, friendlier/better trained staff, better organized/managed, and cleaner.
I think Target has most of the same merchandise as Wal-Mart, but I think Target carries a few more “upscale” (compared to Wal-Mart) items of better quality.
I like Target’s clothing selection better, too. Wal-Mart’s is a little too “Monster Truck Rally Redneck” and “Jock Casual” for my tastes.
Living in the St. Louis Metro, it’s about 50/50 as far as which is more convenient to get to, so I usually shop at Target, stopping in at Wal-Mart only if I remember something at the last minute as I happen to be driving by on my way home already.
Target has better clothes.
Where did you get that sweater?
Oh, this? It’s Targé. (pronounced Tarshjay)
Yes. But Walmart.com, the very same site I was buying from, says that the book has been released already and is “in stock.” Plus, I believe I’ve seen the paperback version in stores too, although I could be wrong.
Also, the hardcover is listed as costing only about half as much as the paperback. Somebody messed up muchly, it seems.
Bingo. I also like Target’s kids’ clothes-especially boys.
I won’t go in a Walmart for love or money. The one here is dirty, shelves are messy, and I find myself counting the missing teeth of both the customers and the help.
The only things I don’t like about Target is the prevalent REDness of the stores and the policy of calling me a “guest”. Guests don’t pay for stuff–they are offered it for free… 
bolding mine.
Speaking as someone with a 21inch neck and a size 15EEE foot, I’d argue that.
But, then again, Wal-Mart doesn’t carry my sizes, either.