When did Target start carrying nicer stuff?

I went to Target for the first time in quite a few months. When I wandered in, I would head straight to the pharmacy section, get what I needed and wander out. This afternoon, my wife and I stopped there to get a comforter. While she looked at some home stuff, I wandered to the men’s section. The clothing is actually nice. They had some suits that looked pretty decent. They looked like they would fit the bill nicely for casual day at the office. The shirts looked nice as well. I ran it by my wife, who has much better taste than I do, and she agreed. Quality wise, it seemed decently made, similar to H&M. The clothing was even somewhat trendy.

When did this happen. When I was younger, places like Target, Wal-mart and K-mart were places where you could get some stuff like kitchen towels cheap but where you would never buy clothing if you could afford anything better. Hell, the stuff at the thrift shops were usually better. What happened.

Target has been a notch above KMart and Walmart for a long time, I think.
I’m not much of a shopper, but Target is one of those stores I can trot into for one little item, and emerge an hour later with bagsful of stuff, having wallowed happily in consumerism heaven.
I have a friend who refers to a Target (you have to pronounce it all French-like) shopping trip as having a targasm.

It seems like they began to focus on “designers” about two years ago. They got Michael Graves to do housewares, Isaac Mizrahi to do clothes and now housewares also, the Shabby Chic woman, and a supposedly highbrow line of cosmetics.

They’re running commercials about it all now. I have even bought cashmere sweaters (albeit bad ones) there.

When stateside I go to Tarzee-boutique for my big shopping trips. Their underwear from Merona is quite nice quality - a step above Fruit of the Loom, a step below the Gap. Lucky for me their Merona size L collared shirts fit me perfectly and have a decent thread count. Belts and ties are nice, and their black/work sock collection is the best in town. Their pregnancy clothes are awesome - stylish as all get-out. Women no longer need to look like a baby when they are having them. And their kids clothes? Great deals all the time. They carry Dora the Explorer stuff that is good quality and seems quite inexpensive to me for something designer.

All this for 75% of the price of other stores.

-Tcat

My local Target finally started carrying shoes in a size 11 Wide. You wouldn’t believe how tough it is to get shoes at a low price, in size 11 Wide.

I bought a $14 pair of sneakers on that I’ve gotten – literally – half a dozen compliments on. My shoes are not generally not things I get compliments on, but these are really nice (black suede with a white swirly swoosh type design).

When I was in San Diego in the Mid to late 80’s. Target was actually crappier and a little cheaper then Kmart. (Kmart has since gotten worse).
By the time they migrated East to New Jersey they had already upscaled quite a bit. I guess this was the late 90’s.

Jim

The Tar-zhay in my town has been open for exactly 36 minutes.

I need to get dressed and go. I, uh, need new socks. (Yeah, that’s it!)

Robin

Target remade its image in the early 90s. It is really one of the great re-branding stories of our time (if you, uh, give a crap about ideas like re-branding, that is). Target is so successful that its one-time parent company, Dayton-Hudson, changed its name to Target Corporation.

I read somewhere that their internal branding statement (a sort of motivational motto separate from their official slogans) is “Mass with class.” Pretty much says it all. :slight_smile:

I love shopping at Target. Sure it is hit or miss to some degreee but I’ve gotten some of my favorite dress clothes (blazers, skirts and shirts) there, and never paid more than $20 for an item.

But to answer the OP, in my opinion the early to mid 90s is when the image and product mix really started to turn around.

I’ve bought a couple of casual bags and some costume jewelry at Target that I’ve gotten lots of compliments on. I also buy a lot of my daughter’s clothes there, they have a great junior’s department. But the housewares is what really keeps me coming back. All of my dishes, glasses, and flatware are from Target, and they’re really cute and funky, winning compliments galore. The desk I’m sitting at right now is from Target, and it’s attractive (if small, which is what I needed), good quality, and was crazy cheap. I love me some Target.

Yep. Mid-90s is the way I remember it. We hit Target just about every week for something. Our last trip yeilded a bedspread, several things for the kitchen, feminine supplies and a lamp. One-stop shopping at its best.

I pretty much furnished my apartment from Target. Their clothes are hit or miss. I’m not a fan of their styles (too bohemian chic for me) but I can occasionally find a nice shirt or cami. Same with lingerie - and I love the boyshorts with funky cartoon characters on them.
I was there yesterday and I tried on a few bikinis. I was not impressed, but I can’t tell if it’s just my pickiness or if their quality is lacking. Anyone else go for their bathing suits recently?

Do any of you have Super Target, with the supermarket attached? Boy, is that a great shopping experience! The quality of the fresh foods (bakery, deli, meat, produce) is as good as whatever your “nice” local supermarket chain is, and often a bit cheaper. They have neat things in the frozen food case our other grocery stores don’t have, surprisingly good ethnic selections (particularly Mexican and Asian), REALLY cheap prices on staples like pasta, canned tuna fish, and tomato sauce and paste, and their Archer Farms store brand is absurdly good (and often cheap), for things like chips, salsa, cookies, pasta sauce, and more. As much as I love Target, it’s hard to top Super Target.

And as for regular Target: you gotta get some jersey sheets, these sheet sets made out of super-soft cotton T-shirt material. They sell 'em for $19.99 (and sometimes less), and you get the flat sheet, fitted sheet, and two pillowcases in a drawstring bag of the same material, in a variety of colors. I’m a guy who sleeps alone, and I’ve never cared about sheets before, but these are so light, and so comfortable, and you can’t beat that price whatsoever.

Another thumbs up from me…GF and I shop there all the time, I generally get work out clothes there, but sometimes they have funky button up shirts they are great for clubbing…she gets work clothes there, and jeans to bum around in.

Target clearance deals are amazing, as they will “reset” a department, and clear out the old merchandise…they typically follow one of 2 schedules, 15/30/50% or 30/50/75% off, with each level occuring in sequential weeks. Seasonal items go one step farther, to 90% off. I saw a HP Printer/Scanner/Fax/Copier that retailed for 300 on clearance for 75 last week. They even apply it to LCD tvs…last year saw some 26" LCD TVs for $300. Usually a week after Christmas, toys go…we got around $400 worth of toys for our nieces and nephews for $100 this year to use as BDay gifts.

Today I went shopping for my GF’s new house and got a silk shower curtain for $10(regular 40).

There is a running thread on fatwallet.com that tracks the clearance schedule and items on it.

I got an Isaac Mizrahi bathing suit from them last year, and love it.

Target is my friend, but it is just waaaaay too easy for me to get lots of stuff that I “need” (more or less) and suddenly I’m spending more than I expected.

I know, I went to buy new pots and pans, and wound up with a digital camera.

I also like the fact that the stores are clean and well-lit. At Kmart they tend to dump pallets of merchandise in the middle of the aisle, so it’s difficult to move the cart around. Target doesn’t do that, and I think they deliberately plan a “racetrack” that loops around the store so you can get anywhere quickly.

With the exception of the nasty buttered popcorn smell in the Alexandria store, the stores are wonderfully laid out. I like that I can get to things quickly, that the store isn’t claustrophobic, and that

There is only one Walmart even remotely near me, and the times that I have been there have always been depressing. The aisles are small. The store is dingy, there is stuff everywhere and there isn’t anything there clothing wise that I would consider buying. K-mart is much the same.

I love love love Target. It’s like crack.

Their stuff gets better and better, too. They just released a new baby bedding line that is ADORABLE - it’s like grown-up baby bedding instead of cartoon characters. LOVE it, and it’s on the inexpensive side, too.

ElzaHub won’t let me shop there by myself anymore :smiley: - at least if he’s with me, I keep myself in check. Otherwise, I come home with “OMG, look at this great clock I just got for the mantle and check out this vase and look we can watch 30 Minute Meals on DVD!”.

E.

I noticed a while ago that their stuff was getting much better designed, when they started the Michael Graves line. I was really surprised just yesterday, though, when I went to get a cheap TV stand, to see that they now have a very substantial line of stylish furniture made out of actual wood, not laminated particle board. Lots of different designs and stain color choices. Unfortunately, a short, wheeled TV stand was not among those options.