# When did Target start carrying nicer stuff? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 5, 2006, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109 "2006-03-05T04:37:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/21 "2006-03-06T17:29:39Z")
That “Missoni” line they carry…is it really an expensive italian designer? Suppose I started a line of fashion clothing…and called it “Versaco”-could versace sue me? ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/22 "2006-03-06T17:39:01Z")
We had our wedding registry at Target three years ago, and the stuff we got has been awesome. I’ve bought clothes there on occasion, but the housewares department is my personal stash of crack. SuperTargets are awesome, but there isn’t one near our apartment. The closest one is probably 10 miles away, which is a long way in Houston traffic. They’re building a new Target literally one block away from us now, but no word yet on whether it’s Super or regular. I hope it’s Super, since we could really use one in our area. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/23 "2006-03-06T18:10:58Z")
I like some of their clothes (got a gorgeous skirt there that was featured in Lucky magazine…I saw it in the magazine first then flipped to find where it was from and my eyeballs nearly fell out of my head when I saw that it from Tar-jay) but I’m really all about the housewares. They have these big square plates that I’ve had my eye on for a while, and another set of heavy black plates with bowls that are glazed in different, bright colours on the inside. I just can’t justify buying them when I live in a studio and I know that I’ll never have a dinner party as long as I live there. _sigh_ The best part about Target, though, is that the layout is so easy + the stores are always clean and the merchandise is where you want it to be. That and there’s a level of quality about the products. I refuse to shop at Wallhell because not only are all of these things missing but it takes 3X as long to complete the simplest transaction due to the lines, people’s issues etc… The last time I went to Wallhell it was for an eye exam and the eye exam took 10 minutes but it took me 70 minutes to pay. After that, I just couldn’t stomach the pain-in-the-ass of saving 5-10$ per transaction. I still can’t come around on Tarjay furniture, though. It still looks very flimsy to me. I actually like World Market Cost Plus better for that stuff. Oh, and WMCP is also awesome for housewares and decor if you’re an ethnowhore/trying to recreate your homeland far away type fo person like moi. Very much an affordable version of Bombay Company. This is my new coffee table that I bought this weekend-[Anokhi Coffee Table](http://www.worldmarket.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1195&Ne=1100001§ionId=2868&N=1100043&categoryId=1100043&pCategoryId=1100038&gpCategoryId=1100002&Ns=NEW_ARRIVAL_FLAG%7C0%7C%7CCATEGORY_SEQ_2894%7C0). ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/24 "2006-03-06T19:07:05Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > That “Missoni” line they carry…is it really an expensive italian designer? Suppose I started a line of fashion clothing…and called it “Versaco”-could versace sue me? I think you’re talking about Massimo. The label as always struck me as more of a knock-off generator (not that it’s a bad thing) than an original designer per se. However, Taget also works with Isaac Mizrahi, who is actually a high-fashion designer of some repute. You should check out the documentary about him (“Unzipped”) which is fairly amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/25 "2006-03-06T19:47:02Z")
> [@anu-la1979](#): > > I still can’t come around on Tarjay furniture, though. It still looks very flimsy to me. I actually like World Market Cost Plus better for that stuff. Oh, and WMCP is also awesome for housewares and decor if you’re an ethnowhore/trying to recreate your homeland far away type fo person like moi. Very much an affordable version of Bombay Company. This is my new coffee table that I bought this weekend-[Anokhi Coffee Table](http://www.worldmarket.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1195&Ne=1100001§ionId=2868&N=1100043&categoryId=1100043&pCategoryId=1100038&gpCategoryId=1100002&Ns=NEW_ARRIVAL_FLAG%7C0%7C%7CCATEGORY_SEQ_2894%7C0). I’ve never bought furniture or housewares from World Market, but they have really cool international foods. Seems to me like a cross between Pier One/Bombay Company and a swanky gourmet grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/26 "2006-03-06T20:28:55Z")
Yeah, tonnes of international food and a really great selection of wine and beer. When I lived in the Midwest I ended up getting almost all of my ingredients to make sushi there. The housewares are expensive, don’t get me wrong, but with the 50% sale the table was affordable. And it is way cheaper than Bombay Company/Pier 1 for more or less the same look. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/27 "2006-03-06T20:44:19Z")
I like Cost Plus too. The only furniture I have from them is a director’s chair, which I got on sale. I love their housewares too, and they have items that are hard to find elsewhere, like potato ricers. Spices, tea, wine, and crazy international beer and chocolate are all good things. I’ve found some unique gifts there too. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/28 "2006-03-06T20:52:32Z")
Let’s see…ramen bowl from CPWM - check. Chili sauce for ramen from CPWM - check. Jones soda with lunch from CPWM - check. Chocolate treat for dessert from CPWM - check. The ramen came from an Asian store nearby, because they have a bigger selection. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bubble\_pop\_electric](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@bubble\_pop\_electric](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubble_pop_electric)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/29 "2006-03-06T21:07:51Z")
> [@bonobo\_jones](#): > > Target has been a notch above KMart and Walmart for a long time, I think. Target \> Walmart \> Kmart. Oh yeah, and Target = love. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/30 "2006-03-06T21:49:11Z")
Target had me at: "the commercial with the cutie pie dancing in his underwear a few years ago. Love it! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/31 "2006-03-06T22:29:27Z")
> [@jali](#): > > Target had me at: "the commercial with the cutie pie dancing in his underwear a few years ago. Love it! Joe Boxer? That was KMart. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/32 "2006-03-06T22:35:52Z")
This is my coveted [square plate collection](http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_3/602-4836306-2910209?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000AQNSFI) from Target. They look so restaurantey…[these](http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_3/602-4836306-2910209?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B00011FNWS) also caught my eye. They had a cute Japanese tea set as well but I’m still on the hunt for an elephant tea set like my parents used to have until a friend in high school accidentally crashed the cabinet it used to be housed in. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/33 "2006-03-06T22:42:50Z")
I never seem to garner much sympathy, but there is no Target out here where I live. : ( When I left the mainland in the late 90s, Target seemed like another Wal-Mart/K-Mart store. Then we dropped by on a mainland trip, and did they ever improve their housewares. It’s almost like you get Pottery Barn/Restoration Hardware stuff at a fraction of the price. It’s now one of first stops when visiting the mainland. The baby stuff, especially Classic Pooh, dressed our baby. We did our registry at Target and got so much stuff from family, friends, and online. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/34 "2006-03-06T22:43:37Z")
> [@brujo](#): > > 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. About three+ years ago Target announced a strategy to essentially become a specialty discounter, where they sell higher-end goods (“higher end” as defined by the retail segment - you’re not going to fool Martha Stewart) at cut-rate prices. Part of this was pressure on manufacturers (“increase your standards or else!”), another part is redefining upward their quality goals (since you mentioned clothes, Target (IIRC) _does_ have a minimum thread/sq inch ratio needed for their clothes). Another facet of this strategy is limited-time editions of higher-end merchandise. My wife went a little bonkers (for us, anyway) when they had this Indian stuff on sale for two months last year and I myself got a $450 arcade cabinet with twelve 1980’s “Golden Age” video games. (Robotron, Defender, Joust, Sinistar, Rampage, Stargate, etc) for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/35 "2006-03-06T22:45:59Z")
> [@Hello Again](#): > > 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. 🙂 > > 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. You’re right about that. I assumed that the OP was talking in regards to the “designer” stuff that _is_ relatively new for them. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/36 "2006-03-06T23:38:23Z")
When I was a kid we never went to Target - too expensive. It was where Dayton’s shoved off all their seconds or no-sales. We went to Shopko or Zayres (anyone remember Zayres?) instead. In other words, Target was the GOOD second-class store. I don’t remember any “middle” phase. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/37 "2006-03-07T00:20:22Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > 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. Dude, the line for footwear whines starts waaaay over there, behind me (14 EE) and my father (16 EE). Try to find shoes at any price in 16 EE. I double dog-dare you. 😉 (Or, worse, fuzzy slippers) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/38 "2006-03-07T00:29:21Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > 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. Y’know what they say about a man with big feet… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109/39 "2006-03-07T03:00:56Z")
> [@chique](#): > > We went to Shopko or Zayres (anyone remember Zayres?) instead. Oooh! And Ames and Jamesway! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-target-start-carrying-nicer-stuff/347109.md?page=1)