target posts

There's been a lot of talk about lately about limiting the number of products sold at retail, with stores trimming assortment and dropping national brands in favor of lower priced private label products. But that doesn't mean retailers are totally lacking in innovation.

Target Stores may be opening a mere 10 stores this year, but it is remodeling 350 to expand fresh food departments and make it easier for shoppers to get most of their necessities at Target. The format is called "PFresh" and adds about 1,500 sq. ft. of perishables including produce, meat and dairy to typical discount store.

It's not quite a full grocery store assortment or the size of a SuperTarget or similar supercenter, but it's a significant change for Target. And an attempt to get its customers to visit more often.

Target shoppers frequent the store less than Wal-Mart's customer base, and spend less on food items. Target's own success is partly to blame. By making itself a destination for cheap and chic home goods and apparel, consumers don't consider it as much of a source for daily items as other stores that carry food.

So PFresh represents a pretty significant investment on Target's part. The company says it will spend about $1 billion to remodel stores this year and will continue into 2011 and 2012. This follows the conventional wisdom in retailing, but whether this gets customers into stores more often and spending more on food remains to be seen.

Whether you like them or not, gift cards remain an incredibly popular gift idea, which is why the new Target Mobile Gift Card program is incredibly cool. The new feature allows you to convert any Target gift card into a digital barcode that can be used from any Internet connected cell phone -- no extra fees involved.

Turning your plastic gift card into a digital barcode is a snap, just visit Target.com from a mobile browser, register for an account with your phone number and a PIN, then key in the information from your plastic gift card and you're done.

Now, instead of adding yet another gift card to your wallet, you'll have those cards in your cell phone. (just don't forget your phone.)

Having your gift cards in your phone is cool for more than one reason. For example, when you add a gift card, you can label it so that you know who you received it from. You can also pull up multiple gift cards at the store with no fumbling. But, perhaps the best part about the way Target chose to use mobile gift cards is that there's no app to download, no iPhone required, all you need is an Internet connection.

Given the estimated $30 billion "unredeemed gift card economy" having your gift card with you instead of taking up space in your sock drawer is a huge convenience.

In the great game of trying to gauge the direction of the economy (it's up! No, it's down!), retail sales are considered a key indicator. And sales numbers released this week indicate a recovery is, indeed, on the way. If only it were that simple.

Retailers across product categories reported higher than expected sales in January, beating Wall Street expectations and in some cases, the retailer's own projections. Wholesale clubs BJ's and Costco had particularly strong showings in January, with sales of stores open at least a year rising 8.4% and 8% respectively.

I need a new lightbulb. Do you? Right now you can get a GE Energy Smart Light Bulb, which sell for about $2.99, for free. Here's how:

Clip the $2 off one GE Energy Smart Light Bulb Target coupon in the Jan. 10 SmartSource coupon insert. You did save it, didn't you?

Print this online coupon for $1 off one light bulb. Use both coupons to get the bulb for free!

Thanks, Freebie Blogger!

In the race for discount store dominance, who's winning? Target or Wal-Mart? If the sole criteria is YouTube popularity, Wal-Mart is coming out ahead.

The retailer's latest commercial is enjoying the spotlight, with just under 40,000 hits and climbing, and it's No. 2 on the Unruly Media's Viral Video Chart. Even finicky bloggers, WalletPop's included, are taking a shine to the 30-second bit. Warning: If you suffer from Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, you probably don't want to watch this.


As for Target, in spite of the numerous awards the retailer and advertising agency have won for campaigns and commercials over the years, the retailer hasn't had one shared on YouTube in the past year. Unless you count this little number, posted by the proud parents of the little boy in the ad.

Target is focusing on "strategic growth" in 2010. This is how public relations puts a positive spin on an otherwise negative issue. In fact, Target has slowed new store growth and is looking to existing stores to push through to next year when the economy may improve.

The retailer held a conference call this morning to discuss plans. Product suppliers have been buzzing for months now that Target was shutting down store growth for next year and today, managements announced it would open no more than 10 new locations in 2010. Most of those have likely been in the works for some time and difficult to table without substantial penalties.

The aisles of Target are rarely, if ever, criticized for their diminutive nature. But until recently, shoppers who prefer to buy in packages so large that they can't help but save money had to wander the even bigger aisles of warehouse stores like Costco and Sam's Club. Not anymore.

For the next seven weeks, Target will offer big bulk items like extremely large packages of paper towels in its seasonal aisles (typically used for post-holiday merchandise markdowns in January and February), says company spokesperson Jana O'Leary. Target is calling it the Great Save Event, which will go through February 21 at all of the company's 1,740 stores.

On Sunday, Dec. 20, Target will release one of the more exciting installments of its GO International franchise: a collection by Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the duo behind Rodarte.

The GO capsule collections have lost a little steam over the past two years. As the cheap-chic mashup concept aged and more retail chains got into the game, Target's once-groundbreaking offerings have become less buzzworthy. (Remember Tracy Feith for Target? Didn't think so.)

But Rodarte for Target will bring back some of the luster. First of all, it's a huge collection -- 55 pieces in all. And the collaboration is timed perfectly -- the Mulleavy sisters are at the top of their game, so Target customers are getting designs that are perfectly on-trend and fashion-forward. (Just check out this Vanity Fair gallery devoted to Hollywood starlets who worship the Mulleavys' work).

Most importantly, though, several Rodarte pieces represent a quiet step forward in terms of Target's fashion offerings: they're staples, rather than flashes in the pan. You can wear the lace cardigan ($29.99) and the swiss dot dress ($39.99) forever. But you can't buy them forever. The items will be in-store through Jan. 31 -- but could sell out well before.

Shoppers at a Target in Winona, Minn. were witness to an odd and frightening scene Saturday as a man entered the store and began smashing HDTVs with a hammer.

The incident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. when 39-year-old Jerome Eberle entered Target and started destroying HDTVs, cameras and other merchandise in the Electronics section of the store, causing a panic which emptied the store, according to police.

Seasoned Black Friday shoppers know that the best way to save during this all-important shopping day is to plot out a course of action ahead of time. That means knowing what you want and where to get it -- at the lowest possible price, of course.

Such planning entails scouring the Black Friday ads and comparing prices and selection. To help ease the load, WalletPop has done some of the legwork for you. We've combed through the ads that have been released so far and dug up the best deals on everything from high-definition TVs and Blu-ray players to tools and sweaters.

I never knew there were so many coupons for Target!

Print multiple quantities of hot coupons using AFullCup's Target coupon generator. There were almost 100 to chose from when I last checked. Only catch is you have to register on AFullCup.com to print the coupons.

Here are some of the Target coupons I found when I checked the generator recently. Many are great for Christmas presents.

• $1 off family sized Dorritos
• $5 off Lego Toy Power Miners Cave Crusher or Space Police
• $5 off Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway Coal Loader Set
• $10 off Blu-Ray copies of both Up and Monsters Inc.
• $10 off LeapFrog Tag Reading System
• $10 off two Xbox, Wii/DS, or PSP games (don't think you can mix and match)
• $25 off PlayWonder Dollhouse
• 20 percent off Scooter or Pocket Rocket Hot Wheels Folding
• Free Our Generation Deluxe Doll Outfit with purchase
• Free Monopoly Deal or Scrabble Slam Card Game with purchase

Expiration dates vary. Remember to read the fine print so you don't bring an expired coupon to the store!

The ads are in! While this info is gathered in a lot of places, we thought you might like a handy list of where you can find the actual circulars from your favorite stores. So peruse away!

Time for Friday Freebies - my top five free things I've come across this week!

Snag a free issue of Get Married magazine, a new monthly for savvy brides. Expect tips on wedding trends, planning tools, and giveaways.

Get 50 free photos when you join CVS Photo, which is separate from its normal retail site. Signing up requires you to share your name, email and create a password for the site.

Black Friday freebie! Pick up a free reusable tote bag at Target starting a 4 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 27, 2009. Each store will only have 500 bags so they will run out quickly. You can also get a $10 gift card if you spend $100 or more on Black Friday, the mega shopping day that follows Thanksgiving and marks the traditional start of the holiday shopping season.

Download a free 24-page road trip activity booklet from RadRoadTrips.com to keep the kids entertained while you drive to Thanksgiving. Especially useful if your minivan does not have a DVD player the kids can zone out in front of.

Lastly, head over to Nordstrom and get a free sample of Lancome's Absolue Precious Cells SPF 15, courtesy of Vogue. Yes, please!

The Walmart Black Friday ad leaked out to many deal collecting sites earlier this week, but until yesterday they kept it offline under threat of legal action by the mega retailer. After the OK was finally given, the entire Walmart Black Friday ad has been posted and it contains a lot of deals. Best of all, you won't have to wait outside for any of the savings since Walmart will be open all night over Thanksgiving -- although you will have to wait until 5 a.m. to make your purchases.

Walmart's biggest Black Friday deals: