Friday, April 12, 2013

I wonder if he's using the same wind we are using?

I can't quite put my finger on what it is about Target that makes it so compelling.

There's something particular, however. Whoever figures out these Targets knows what they are doing.

Because it taps into the same place that was triggered when as a kid, I would visit the grocery store when we were in the US in the summer. I'd be dazzled - literally dazzled - by the vast array of choices. In the cereal aisle alone!

So many options! So many colors! So much snap crackle pop pretty shiny sparkly!

And! There were SO MANY MORE AISLES just like it!

(Related: Have you ever read the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver? Oh, I loved that book.)

Anyway, if you ever went to giant theme park like Disneyland when you were young, that feeling of stepping into a semi-unreal kingdom of overabundance and magic is kind of like what going to the grocery store in America was like for me for quite some time.

I mean, it wore off well before adulthood. It's not like I get goosebumps every time I walk into Safeway.

And actually, I find most grocery stores kind of overwhelming. There is just too much, well, too much everything. It's all in my way while I'm trying to find my some things. They make me not hungry. They make me annoyed.

(And! Also! Have any of you looked for full-fat sugarless yogurt to feed your kids? Nearly impossible to find! It is all zero-fat fake sugar crap! We are a nation of overweight people eating scads and scads of fat-free sugar-free yogurt! OK. /rant)

But Target.

Somehow, Target is different. Target seems all fraught with delightful possibilities. I really need baby formula, but ooh! pretty scarf! And such cute thank-you cards! Hey! Lip gloss! And do I need neon turquoise capris? (Um, no. But the possibility exists! And maybe they could change my life!)

Now, Target does do those fun collaborations every so often (their Liberty of London one still being far and away my favorite), and they have some cute, affordable clothes, but for the most part, it's not like you can't get your deodorant, toothpaste, baby stuff, etc. elsewhere.

Plus the Columbia Heights store has a worse bathroom than Amtrak. Hand to God.

And it's not like these stores have roller coasters or cotton candy.

So what is it that pulls me back, makes me happy about a Target outing, and then prevents me from leaving the store until I've spent $100, at minimum?

I do not know.

10 comments:

  1. I'm with you 100% regarding Target. Except I haven't been to the store in Columbia Heights but I believe you.

    I'm terrible at analogies but Target is like a perfectly designed website. You may not know what you need or even imagined that you needed it and Target (or a good website) just leads you there. Magic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, that's a fantastic analogy. Because you start with something you're looking for, and you get led all kinds of other places, and it's all rather seamless!

      Delete
  2. http://crappypictures.com/shopping-at-target/

    I'm sure you've seen this, but next to LG, it's my favorite blog. Funny shit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't seen that - so awesome! I saw one of her posts that made me laugh, but I've been terrible about blog reading lately. She is hilarious!!! And I need to get back to my (terrible) drawing. I love it so.

      Delete
  3. Nothing is better than Target. "Except for an MLT - Mutton, lettuce, and tomato? Where the mutton is lean, and the tomatoes are ripe... that is SO perky, I love that!"

    Also, for me, it's the makeup and personal care sections. So many choices! So shiny! Maybe I'll look as pretty as the store!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! Nothing except for an MLT! Hug you!

      And yes again - sooo many lovely choices! So shiny! So much makeup that I want, even though I wear so little.

      Delete
  4. I miss Target so much. These Brits do not know how to do discount department stores well. The closest thing is Asda, which is Walmart, which we all know isn't the same.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't been to Asda, but I do like Marks and Spencer, and I like Woolworth as well. But no, they don't match Target.

      Oh! And I like Sainsbury's! And love Boots!

      Delete
  5. Nobody can get out of Target for less than $100. and what is the deal with full-fat sugarless yogurt? Where is it? We compromise on full fat with sugar becasue right now we need the calories... but the sugar!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is seriously driving me crazy. I can get full-fat plain Fage at Whole Foods, but they don't sell it in their largest size. Trader Joe's has a good one - also in a not so big size. The dairy that we order our milk from doesn't make sugarless yogurt at all.

      Delete

Tell me about it.