In Canada consumers have been anxiously awaiting the opening of Target, a chain store well known in the USA.
Our family visited one of these newly opened stores recently. And we won’t be going back anytime soon.
That morning we rolled out of bed and into the van, racing down the highway to our early morning riding lesson. The kids had breakfast before we left the house, and yes, they still had ketchup on their faces. The horses don’t mind.
After the riding lesson and we fed and petted every animal in the barn, Hubby and I decided to pick up a movie for our five year old. We were on a quest for Star Wars, and our first visit to a big box store didn’t pan out. The staff suggested the newly opened Target.
As we disembarked from our minivan, empty sippy cups rolled out and the cat litter that Hubby forgot to take out the day before spilled everywhere. Clearly we are not *those people* who shop at Holts or wear red soled shoes.
We are rough around the edges, looking more like a vagabond aging rockers than the polished suburban set. And that’s just the kids. Hubby, a rock drummer himself, alternately looks homeless with a bushy beard and wild hair or like that guy from a band from somewhere. Grunge has not left our household.
Then I realized the jeans I wore had a baby-sized hand print of some sticky substance that I didn’t notice when I put them on. Clearly no glamour here. But we marched in to check out the store and search for the DVD.
Upon entering the store Hubby and the two little ones searched for the DVD while five year old Mr Sensitive and I grabbed a handy map to explore and check prices.
Mr Sensitive loved navigating the store with the map. I did not love the prices. I needed a scarf for the day (I forgot to pack one in our overflowing minivan) and we were going to a conservation area. Cringing at prices, Mr Sensitive helped me pick one out.
Everywhere we turned we saw polished suburbanites with glossy hair and pressed clothes wandering through gleaming aisles looking at brightly coloured merchandise. Popping with bright candy colours, the whole store glowed in unnatural light.
Feeling like specs of dirt on a white surface, we fled. And probably won’t be back anytime soon.
They didn’t have the DVD either.
What are your experiencing with Target? Do you connect with the brand?