what store do you prefer?

(ps: the right answer is Target. why, you ask? why? well, because Target is amazing. and Wal*Mart...is not.)

Target.

TARGET

Target, let me show you it.

Where else? :lol:

Wal-Mart all the way.
BTW, nice pic. Allison. :)

:lol: love the picture allison. lol.

target! or tar-jhay. that place is like my second home. lol.

Please note the floor lamp behind me. That is also from Target. My chair (NOT from Target, sadly, altho they do sell it there) is blocking my bed, whose bedding set is also from Target. :lol:

I consider Target my second home as well. If the one I work at had a produce section there -- the thing that's stopping it from being a Super Target -- ****, I wouldn't have to shop anywhere else! We don't have a tax on food and I already get an employee discount... so I would be set. :D

yeah Target is pretty amazing to be honest. ours isn't a Super Target but it has pretty everything except for food, although we have SNACKS and stuff. my family buys tons of stuff from Target. i make my dad take me there all the time. it's just awesome :happyface

TARGET, mayne. Target rules.

i don't have much of a choice, there's no target around here.

We have 3 Targets. One mega Target in the mall and two stores. I remember back in the days when I worked at Target. Uugh!

My daughter used to work at Target AND Wal-mart. She hated both jobs.

Walmart for me....I personally think Target is a little overpriced.

Never been to Target, so I say Wal-Mart. Just curious:what is all this hatred
toward Wal-Mart that I see on Sitcoms Online?

I prefer Target a lot. But I still like Wal-Mart. Occasionally, I will do grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. Me & My parents like shopping Target a lot.

Lee, love for Target doesn't necessarily mean hatred for Wal-Mart.

That said: I greatly prefer Target. It's cleaner, the prices are actually mostly either the same or actually cheaper on most of the things I buy, the staff doesn't completely seem ready to walk off the job at the drop of a hat, the lighting is better, the quality of the products are better....I can keep this up for a while.

The problem with being home for the summer is that it moves me squarely away from ANY Target locations - from the house the nearest Target is 90 miles away. The nearest Wal-Mart is "only" 20. Eeep.

When in Lexington, meanwhile, the pecking order is about like this:
Target --> Meijer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meijer) --> Wal-Mart, with Kroger being about even with Meijer for groceries.

Well, Wal*Mart is like our city's DisneyWorld and we don't have a Target so that...but I do love Target for different reasons. Wal*Mart for food and convenience stuff and Target for like...clothes and random other things.

T-A-R-G-E-T = They're Are Really Great Employees There

W-A-L-M-A-R-T = Where Associates Linger Mainly Around Restroom Toilets

Ok, That last one might not be entirely true but more than once I've been in Wal-Mart and needed help finding something and there wasn't an associate anywhere around. :mad:

No problems so far with Target. :)

Walmart for me....I personally think Target is a little overpriced.

I agree, Target has much higher prices, and not as much merchandise as Walmarts. I still shop at Targets, but not as much.

If you want to get technical, the reason they have lower prices (Walmart) is because they can get away with paying low wages to their employees. The employees also don't have a union.

the only thing i don't like about Wal-Mart is me and aunt were trying to find a Christmas tree for our church in Dec of last year, and we waited and waited and waited for some help. there workers aren't much. another thing, in TN when a movie came out that week, it was 14.99. They dropped that. Now it's 19. something all year around! :mad: oh, well. in KY, its still 14.99 for the week. :D
nonethess, i love me some W*M.

Target - I live right by one and go there quite often.

Never been to Target, so I say Wal-Mart. Just curious:what is all this hatred
toward Wal-Mart that I see on Sitcoms Online?
i dont hate Wal*Mart, but very few things are as great as Target in this world.

although the Wal*Mart by me is really dirty and disgusting, and has pretty much no variety.

Tar-jhay all the way!! They're only a tiny bit more (like 3%) than Wal*Mart and much cleaner! They also have a special place in my heart as I got my entire I Love Series collection there- their prices were the lowest in the NYC metropolitan area.

Wal-Fart can suck it. A majority of the employees are rude, don't speak English, or seem awfully stupid, the atmosphere is just...cheap looking and dirty (I suppose that saves on overhead costs, but it's still ick), the people who shop there have a greater tendency to be huge lowlifes who crawled out from under rocks and troll bridges, the parking lot SUCKS...

Although I do still shop there for certain things, because some things Target doesn't have, or I'm strapped for cash and WM is cheaper. But it never makes me happy. Admittedly, I have seen a couple cute tops there, but I'm not sure about their quality.

Target has a nice atmosphere, nicer employees (OMG...the difference between pharmacies was astounding as far as courtesy and knowledge), the people who shop there seem of a less caveman-like nature, their store brand stuff is better, the clothes are nice...lalalala. They may be a little higher on some things, but they have a lot of good sales. And I am willing, when I have the $, to pay extra for atmosphere and a positive shopping experience. And a parking lot I don't feel afraid to park my new car in.

Oddly enough, I used to think the other way around. This was back in the 80s, early 90s, when basically all you had was a basic WM and a basic Target. No WM SuperCenter, no Super Target. WMs were nice before they supersized them. And the only Target I knew was in the ghetto and it kind of showed. But I have now seen the light. And bigger is not always better.

target all the way

you know, i had never even heard of Super Target until a few months ago...we dont have any in the NYC area. we dont have any Wal*Mart Supercenters either come to think of it.

If you want to get technical, the reason they have lower prices (Walmart) is because they can get away with paying low wages to their employees. The employees also don't have a union.
That's why my dad wanted a Costco membership instead of a Sam's Club one. My folks had one for a year, but never used it much. I'm not sure if it was lack of merchandise, or that the Costco is pretty far away, but they stuck with Sam's Club. Oh well.

you know, i had never even heard of Super Target until a few months ago...we dont have any in the NYC area. we dont have any Wal*Mart Supercenters either come to think of it.
Wow...lucky. The last normal WM I saw was in a small town in Kansas.

i dont hate Wal*Mart, but very few things are as great as Target in this world.

although the Wal*Mart by me is really dirty and disgusting, and has pretty much no variety.
It must be universal - the Wal-Marts in my area are dingy and dirty, too.

It must be universal - the Wal-Marts in my area are dingy and dirty, too.
We have one that isn't, but it hasn't been open very long.

That's why my dad wanted a Costco membership instead of a Sam's Club one. My folks had one for a year, but never used it much. I'm not sure if it was lack of merchandise, or that the Costco is pretty far away, but they stuck with Sam's Club. Oh well.
I used to have a Sam's Club card years ago. I now have the business one for Costco.

Wow...lucky. The last normal WM I saw was in a small town in Kansas.
yeah i dont know why. we have a crapload of supermarkets here though so i guess they figure we dont need them? lol.

theres like 2-3 Wal*Marts by me and all of them are pretty crappy. Wal*Mart just feels so...unkept. everything is always a wreck. at Target everything is usually neat and nice looking. i went to one in South Jersey once though and it was actually really nice....it was new so that probably explains it lol, but yeah.

Never been to Target, so I say Wal-Mart. Just curious:what is all this hatred
toward Wal-Mart that I see on Sitcoms Online?
yeah, i've been noticing it for years. people talk about how unorganized and poorly-kept it is. i've never had any problems with it at all.

That's why my dad wanted a Costco membership instead of a Sam's Club one. My folks had one for a year, but never used it much. I'm not sure if it was lack of merchandise, or that the Costco is pretty far away, but they stuck with Sam's Club. Oh well.

costco! i love food sampling there. always wonderful. i haven't seen a sam's club around here where i live though. i think the closest one is about an hour and a half-two hours away.

Wal-Fart can suck it. A majority of the employees are rude, don't speak English, or seem awfully stupid, the atmosphere is just...cheap looking and dirty (I suppose that saves on overhead costs, but it's still ick), the people who shop there have a greater tendency to be huge lowlifes who crawled out from under rocks and troll bridges, the parking lot SUCKS...

Although I do still shop there for certain things, because some things Target doesn't have, or I'm strapped for cash and WM is cheaper. But it never makes me happy. Admittedly, I have seen a couple cute tops there, but I'm not sure about their quality.

Target has a nice atmosphere, nicer employees (OMG...the difference between pharmacies was astounding as far as courtesy and knowledge), the people who shop there seem of a less caveman-like nature, their store brand stuff is better, the clothes are nice...lalalala. They may be a little higher on some things, but they have a lot of good sales. And I am willing, when I have the $, to pay extra for atmosphere and a positive shopping experience. And a parking lot I don't feel afraid to park my new car in.

Oddly enough, I used to think the other way around. This was back in the 80s, early 90s, when basically all you had was a basic WM and a basic Target. No WM SuperCenter, no Super Target. WMs were nice before they supersized them. And the only Target I knew was in the ghetto and it kind of showed. But I have now seen the light. And bigger is not always better.

i agree with you 120%. especially on the parking structure! there's a shopping center close to my house & it has both a target & a walmart. i hate, hate, hate going to walmart because i am always afraid someone will hit my car or something while i'm inside. so frustrating! yes, target is a bit more price wise than walmart, but it's a better shopping experience & worth it in my opinion. plus, every time i go to walmart it is crowded & takes way too long to check out.

yeah i dont know why. we have a crapload of supermarkets here though so i guess they figure we dont need them? lol.

theres like 2-3 Wal*Marts by me and all of them are pretty crappy. Wal*Mart just feels so...unkept. everything is always a wreck. at Target everything is usually neat and nice looking. i went to one in South Jersey once though and it was actually really nice....it was new so that probably explains it lol, but yeah.
Yeah, our new one seems nice; I don't mind shopping there. But it's a good 20 minutes away when there's one 5 minutes the other way. That one didn't seem nice even when it was new. :( So happily they built a Target across the street. :)

Wow...lucky. The last normal WM I saw was in a small town in Kansas.
Our Wal*Mart's actually decent. It's a supercenter, so I think that makes all the difference. I've never been to a regular Wal*Mart so I guess that's what peoples is hatin onn lol

But no, go to a Wal*Mart where I live and you see everyone in the damn city. You can't go to Wal*Mart without seeing someone you know, everyone here says that. So it's not just the dingy supermarket on the corner like in most places I guess. Everyone and their mother goes there here haha. I go to college in Syracuse and they have one of the regular Wal*marts and people say it's ****...so yeah I'm guessing the difference really is whether it's regular or a supercenter.

As for Target, I have to go about a half hour away to go to one at the mall. I like it for clothes and random accesory crap. But it's not like they have food there like Wal*mart...they're not really comparable because they're two different types of stores. At least the one's I know.

Yeah, our new one seems nice; I don't mind shopping there. But it's a good 20 minutes away when there's one 5 minutes the other way. That one didn't seem nice even when it was new. :( So happily they built a Target across the street. :)
they're building a new one here too. maybe it'll actually be decent to shop at. :eek: but i will not abandon my Target <3

Our Wal*Mart's actually decent. It's a supercenter, so I think that makes all the difference. I've never been to a regular Wal*Mart so I guess that's what peoples is hatin onn lol

But no, go to a Wal*Mart where I live and you see everyone in the damn city. You can't go to Wal*Mart without seeing someone you know, everyone here says that. So it's not just the dingy supermarket on the corner like in most places I guess. Everyone and their mother goes there here haha. I go to college in Syracuse and they have one of the regular Wal*marts and people say it's ****...so yeah I'm guessing the difference really is whether it's regular or a supercenter.

As for Target, I have to go about a half hour away to go to one at the mall. I like it for clothes and random accesory crap. But it's not like they have food there like Wal*mart...they're not really comparable because they're two different types of stores. At least the one's I know.
Actually I think the supercenters are crap and the other ones are nicer, but they made all the ones around here supercenters.

Actually I think the supercenters are crap and the other ones are nicer, but they made all the ones around here supercenters.lol I guess it just depends on where you go, then

Our Wal*Mart's actually decent. It's a supercenter, so I think that makes all the difference. I've never been to a regular Wal*Mart so I guess that's what peoples is hatin onn lol

But no, go to a Wal*Mart where I live and you see everyone in the damn city. You can't go to Wal*Mart without seeing someone you know, everyone here says that. So it's not just the dingy supermarket on the corner like in most places I guess. Everyone and their mother goes there here haha. I go to college in Syracuse and they have one of the regular Wal*marts and people say it's ****...so yeah I'm guessing the difference really is whether it's regular or a supercenter.

As for Target, I have to go about a half hour away to go to one at the mall. I like it for clothes and random accesory crap. But it's not like they have food there like Wal*mart...they're not really comparable because they're two different types of stores. At least the one's I know.
well none of the Wal*Marts here have food so its comparable for me :happyface and the Super Targets have groceries too, but we dont have those either. the regular Wal*Marts and the regular Targets have the same kind of stuff, Target is just more "upscale". not that its upscale but Wal*Mart is like the bottom of the barrel.

lol I guess it just depends on where you go, then
oh yeah.

well none of the Wal*Marts here have food so its comparable for me :happyface and the Super Targets have groceries too, but we dont have those either. the regular Wal*Marts and the regular Targets have the same kind of stuff, Target is just more "upscale". not that its upscale but Wal*Mart is like the bottom of the barrel.
lulz I know but it's all we have here so it has to stay nice...except Price Chopper but I doubt any of you know what that is

I have to say I'm actually a Wal*Mart man. As much as I hate the way Wal*Mart is run and how they treat employees/customers and just about everyone/thing else...It's just flat out better than the Target around here.

Gotta say though, Meijer also > Target. Target isn't bad though.

T-A-R-G-E-T = They're Are Really Great Employees There

W-A-L-M-A-R-T = Where Associates Linger Mainly Around Restroom Toilets

Ok, That last one might not be entirely true but more than once I've been in Wal-Mart and needed help finding something and there wasn't an associate anywhere around. :mad:

No problems so far with Target. :)

The employees are actually friendly and helpful at the Wal-Mart in Ripley,
West Virginia.

The employees are actually friendly and helpful at the Wal-Mart in Ripley,
West Virginia.

Believe it or not, I've never been to Ripley but I'll take your word for it. I can only speak from my own experience not the entire Wal-Mart chain.

Wal-Fart can suck it. A majority of the employees are rude, don't speak English, or seem awfully stupid, the atmosphere is just...cheap looking and dirty (I suppose that saves on overhead costs, but it's still ick), the people who shop there have a greater tendency to be huge lowlifes who crawled out from under rocks and troll bridges, the parking lot SUCKS...

Although I do still shop there for certain things, because some things Target doesn't have, or I'm strapped for cash and WM is cheaper. But it never makes me happy. Admittedly, I have seen a couple cute tops there, but I'm not sure about their quality.

Target has a nice atmosphere, nicer employees (OMG...the difference between pharmacies was astounding as far as courtesy and knowledge), the people who shop there seem of a less caveman-like nature, their store brand stuff is better, the clothes are nice...lalalala. They may be a little higher on some things, but they have a lot of good sales. And I am willing, when I have the $, to pay extra for atmosphere and a positive shopping experience. And a parking lot I don't feel afraid to park my new car in.

Oddly enough, I used to think the other way around. This was back in the 80s, early 90s, when basically all you had was a basic WM and a basic Target. No WM SuperCenter, no Super Target. WMs were nice before they supersized them. And the only Target I knew was in the ghetto and it kind of showed. But I have now seen the light. And bigger is not always better.
Yeah, I remember Walmart & Target in the late 80's and 90's before they were supersized too. Basic Walmart was dingy and still is today. It looks and feels cheap, because they ARE cheap. (FYI, there are two Walmart Supercenters here and I've been to both... They both suck big-time.)

Target, on the other hand. They've been doing some serious revamping in the last several years. We had a, uhhhh... *thinks* 80k-100k sq ft basic Target here? I think it opened here in like 1975 and as far as I know, they didn't do much to it in terms of upgrading the look. They put in a food court when I was a kid, but I think that was it. Then when Marshall Fields in the mall here closed and was torn down in 2005, it was decided Target would move into Marshall Fields' former location and that it would be a big and better Target. It finally opened here in October of 2006... and is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the old one here was. Dayum, I tell ya.

I actually like my fellow Target co-workers and the leaders/bosses... a group of fabulous people all around. :)

Wal-Mart. I've always thought (rightly or wrongly and don't any of you take this as a 'hit' against you - it's not ;p) that Target is a place where people go who want to get the same stuff as Wal-Mart (perhaps even with a lower selection) for higher prices so they don't have to bring themselves to go there.

Then again, I've never had any bad experiences with Wal-Mart. People have told me nightmare stories about going to Wal-Mart stores but I've never encountered any problems at all. Perhaps I'm lucky (or the stores I've been to are of higher caliber, I don't know.)

I'd love to experience one of those new 'renovated' Targets you speak of PZelda. That's the other problem. The Targets I've been to seem stuck in the past and frankly I'm surprised they can even compete with companies such as Wal-Mart.

I'm not that far from Target's headquarters. :) (okay, okay! 6 hours!) Target is based out of Minneapolis. My sis actually used to work just a block away from Target Center (http://www.targetcenter.com/), one of the biggest venues in Minneapolis, if not the biggest. I've passed by it many times... it's freaking impressive.

You'd know if you walked into an updated Target - they've done away with the grey color they used for so long. Now they're really all about red and white.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/05/24/business/24shop.650.jpg

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/4/4a/280px-Targetinterior.JPG

I've only been to one Walmart in New Hampshire. I was with my sister who was buying a comforter for her bed, and a few other occasions. My sister LOVED Walmart. I don't recall being overly impressed or turned off by the store. It was just a normal store, from my standpoint. I live a stone's throw from a Target. I like their seasonal stuff for the house and the step-grandkids, like Halloween shirts and toys, Easter baskets, etc. I looked at their clothes a few times, and didn't like what I saw, for me anyway. I like certain brands, amd my clothes are mostly Nautica and Ralph Lauren that I get from Macys. They just feel, look and last longer. My better clothes I buy at Talbots and Ann Taylor. My housewares I get from Bed Bath & Beyond. Last week, I did buy my husband a portable CD player at Target for his new hobby, learning to speak Italian, lol. I think it was $39.99. It was in the electronics department, with one person working, unless someone was on break. All I know is I had to wait while the clerk finished up with another customer, who of course was buying a DVD player and had a 100 questions. I've had both good and bad experiences at Target, same as most any store.

Regarding the rap that Walmart is Satan and Target is Heaven, I've read many articles that compare the two stores which state otherwise. I'll try to find them. It's never good to just accept the given word on anything. Always a good idea to turn over a few stones to see what's really going on.

I don't really prefer one over the other.
I go to Wal-Mart more often because it is a little closer and because it is up near the foothills (great views).

The Wal-Mart is very large- bigger than Target.

I'm not that far from Target's headquarters. :) (okay, okay! 6 hours!) Target is based out of Minneapolis. My sis actually used to work just a block away from Target Center (http://www.targetcenter.com/), one of the biggest venues in Minneapolis, if not the biggest. I've passed by it many times... it's freaking impressive.

You'd know if you walked into an updated Target - they've done away with the grey color they used for so long. Now they're really all about red and white.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/05/24/business/24shop.650.jpg

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/4/4a/280px-Targetinterior.JPG

Those are some nice pictures of Target. I also like to shop Super Target too. We have Super Target from where we live at.

There are no Target stores anywhere near here so I have to pick Wal-Mart. Besides the fact that their policies suck and they ruin small business everywhere, I like the store. The prices are low and the Wal-Mart stores around here are rather organized and clean.

both but target edges wal-mart out a little bit more for me

We have 3 Walmart Super-centers in our town & one Target store. I prefer Walmart, because it's closest to my house, the prices are better, and it has a bigger selection of items.

Well, I've worked at both places and I have to say working at Wal-Mart is 10 times better than working at Target. At Wal-mart I got good hours and made $8.50 an hour, at Target I constantly had to work overtime that I never got payed for and I only made $6.25 an hour.

As far as shopping, it's still Wal-mart for me because they honor other stores prices, so you can always get the best deals.

Walmart for me....I personally think Target is a little overpriced.

That's what I was going to say. I am a Wal-Mart person, you can get everything you need for a very low price. Target is ridiculously expensive. I do go there once in a blue moon, but at Super Wal-Mart, you can actually save on your groceries.

:eek: TIED

:eek: TIED
:eek:

Target

Shopping in a Target store, you know you're not in Wal-Mart. But the differences may be mostly skin deep.

Targets are spaciously laid out and full of attractive displays and promotions. While many people associate Wal-Mart with low-income, rural communities perhaps dominated by a prison or power plant, life-size photos throughout Target stores remind you that their customers are a lively, beautiful cast of multi-cultural hipsters.

"Their image is more upscale, more urban and sophisticated, sort of a wannabe Pottery Barn," said Victoria Cervantes, a hospital administrator and documentary-maker in Chicago who regularly shops at Target. "I'm not sure if their customers really are more upscale. But that's the image they're going for. They have a very good PR campaign."

In contrast to this image, however, critics say that in terms of wages and benefits, working conditions, sweatshop-style foreign suppliers, and effects on local retail communities, big box Target stores are very much like Wal-Mart, just in a prettier package.

Of more than 1,400 Target stores employing more than 300,000 people nationwide, not one has a union. Employees at various stores say an anti-union message and video is part of the new-employee orientation. At stores in the Twin Cities, where Target is headquartered, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union Local 789 has been trying for several years to help Target employees organize, with little luck.

"People ask what the difference between Wal-Mart and Target is," said UFCW organizer Bernie Hesse. "Nothing, except that Wal-Mart is six times bigger. The wages start at $7.25 to $7.50 an hour [at Target]. They'll say that's a competitive wage, but they can't say it's a living wage. We know a lot of their managers are telling people, 'If we find out you're involved in organizing a union you'll get fired.'"

Wal-Mart has about 3,800 stores nationwide and another 2,600 worldwide, employing about 1.6 million people. Target plans to open at least 600 more stores by 2010, for a total of about 2,000 in 47 states. Like Wal-Mart, a typical Target sells a wide range of consumer goods including clothing, household items, office supplies, toys, sports equipment, furniture, art, and electronics; and the stores often have photo laboratories and pharmacies. About 160 SuperTargets nationwide also sell "upscale" groceries, as the company's website describes them, and often contain banks, Starbucks, and Pizza Hut Express outlets. Total revenue was up 12.3 percent in 2005 - $52.6 billion compared to $46.8 billion in 2004.

Wage Slaves

A survey by the UFCW found that starting wages are similar in Targets and Wal-Marts -- possibly higher overall at Wal-Marts - and that Target benefits packages are often harder to qualify for and less comprehensive. (Target's media relations department refused to comment on its wages and benefits policies; individual wages and benefits policies are not included in their annual report.)

"We know that Target and Wal-Mart are constantly checking each other out and seeing how cheap they can get by," says a UFCW statement on the website Targetunion.org, urging Target employees around the country to post their wages.

A Target employee who asked that his name and store location be kept secret said he can barely make ends meet on his salary of $8.40 an hour.

"After three years, I have received less than $1 an hour in raises. I started at $7.65," said the worker, adding that he does love his job because of camaraderie with his co-workers. "We are never compensated and rarely even recognized for meeting our goals."

The starting wage he describes would put a single parent with two kids working full time at Target just slightly above the poverty line; someone with more children or working fewer hours would fall below the poverty line.

Compare that to Target CEO Robert Ulrich, who earned $23.1 million in 2005, according to Forbes, making him the second-highest paid CEO in the retail sector. That's more than 1300 times as much as the worker we spoke to.

Sweat on the Racks?

Meanwhile a glance at labels on a few racks of stylish $20 cardigans and capri pants shows that, like Wal-Mart and most major clothing retailers, Target itself sources its products in India, Indonesia, Guatemala, Mexico, Bangladesh, Kenya, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and other low-wage, developing countries.

In October 2005 representatives of a Mexican labor federation protested outside a Bronx Target to call attention to alleged child labor and illegal worker lockouts at a Mexican factory that supplies the store's Halloween costumes.

"The way the global garment industry is, there are so few factories that respect workers' rights that there is no way Target gets its clothes from workplaces where workers' rights are being respected," said Allie Robbins, national organizer of the group United Students Against Sweatshops.

Race to the Bottom

Target doesn't differ from most major clothing vendors; you usually have to seek out small specialty companies to find union-made, American-made textiles. But as one of the country's major retailers, Target is an industry leader, fostering and profiting from the U.S.'s general culture of consumerism: We buy, buy, buy at ever lower prices in a market system sustained by very low-paid, non-union workforces in impoverished countries.

Even as American consumerism thrives, however, there is growing public awareness and critique of the problems it spawns. Wal-Mart is becoming a lightning rod for the public's increasing dissatisfaction and animosity. A recent study by the University of Massachusetts at Lowell showed that 63 percent of people would oppose a Wal-Mart opening in their community. Groups such as Wal-Mart Watch, several documentarians have harshly critiqued Wal-Mart's working conditions and its effects on communities and international labor standards.

But somehow, perhaps because of its relative small size compared to Wal-Mart, Target has largely avoided negative publicity.

In fact, it benefits from anti-Wal-Mart anger, a fact that isn't lost on company officials.

Media reports describe Target executives booing and hissing at a Wal-Mart logo during sales meetings and calling it the "evil empire." While communities often fight tooth and nail against new Wal-Marts, residents usually welcome Targets, as local governments offer the corporation generous tax breaks and subsidies to locate in their area.

That is what happened last fall in West St. Paul, Minn., where a new Target reaped $731,000 in local tax breaks, while 30 miles away, Ham Lake was fighting Wal-Mart's efforts to open a superstore. The Target in downtown Minneapolis received $68 million in public subsidies, according to the Star Tribune newspaper. In Chicago in 2004, a city-wide coalition formed to oppose two proposed Wal-Marts and the fight roiled the city council for months. Meanwhile at least three new Target stores have been built in the metro area in the last several years.

Target definitely works hard on its image. Last summer it became the first company to sponsor an entire issue of The New Yorker, with 17 pages of ads. With a 2005 advertising budget of $1.028 billion, it regularly takes out full page ads in major daily papers and magazines, promoting the company's products, and sophisticated image as well as its charity work. The company's website says that 96 percent of Americans recognize the Target logo, "more than the Swoosh or Apple." Unlike Wal-Mart's low-budget, cluttered decor, Target sports artsy, larger-than-life photos of everything from cleaning products to desserts to women in lingerie. It is the exclusive marketer of specialty items such as the Roots "retro-futurism" official gear for the 2006 Winter Olympics. Target's website notes that its average consumer has a median household income of $55,000, and 43 percent have completed college.

"It's like they're trying to be Marshall Fields or something," said Chicago high school student Stephanie Evans, shopping for a bikini for spring break. "But it's really the same things as at Wal-Mart, just at higher prices."

The first Target discount store opened in Roseville, Minnesota, a suburb of St. Paul, in 1962. It was run by the Dayton Company, which originated in 1902 with a retail store called Goodfellows owned by George Dayton in Minneapolis. Along with the discount stores, Target Corp. runs Target Financial Services, which manages the Target REDcard credit card.

Target: We Train the FBI

Perhaps Target's oddest singularity is the fact that it boasts one of the nation's top forensics labs at its company headquarters. A product of its efforts to stop shoplifting and property destruction at its stores, its mastery of surveillance and investigative technology and strategy is now eagerly subscribed to by law enforcement agencies nationwide, including the FBI. The company provides training for police and federal agents on investigation and prevention of everything from arson and robbery to smuggling.

Target does more proportionately for the community in the form of community grants and charity than Wal-Mart does, and spends considerably less boating about it. According to the company website, which says Target donates more than $2 million a week to local and national non-profit organizations. The company gives grants of $1,000 to $3,000 to community organizations, and shoppers can donate 1 percent of Target REDcard charges to a local school. The website says more than $154 million has been donated to schools since 1997. The company also runs Target House, a luxury residential facility in Memphis where families can stay while their seriously ill children are treated at a nearby medical center.

In comparison, Wal-Mart, with revenue of $288 billion in 2005, donated $200 million (or 7/100ths of a percent) to charities and organizations in 2005, according to its web site.

While many customers and employees praise Target's charity efforts, critics counter that the company would have more positive impact on communities by providing living wage, stable jobs to local residents.

Following the general trend in retail and the U.S. job market as a whole, Target relies on part-time workers. This schedule may work well for some students and retired people, but it contributes to a dearth of full-time, fully benefitted, stable employment - especially in communities reeling from the store's impact on small local businesses.

"If I needed a full time job I couldn't afford to work here," said "Rosa" a 57-year-old who works part time at a St. Paul Target near her house. (Her name has been changed because she fears retribution.) "It starts at $7.50 an hour and you only get a 50-cent raise once a year. So how long will it take you to even get to $10 an hour! You can't live on that."

Diversity Dilemma

Target's website says diversity is a core value for employees and customers. It says Target is above national averages in employing minorities, both in the overall workforce (21 percent) and managerial positions (38 percent).

But that may depend on the store. Hesse said that some of the many Somalis refugees employed in the Twin Cities stores complain about cultural insensitivity and discrimination.

"Entry level management people just don't know how to handle it, they seem to be insensitive to immigrant workers," said Hesse. "In one store, there's a lot of friction between managers and Somali workers. They hire these young white boys as managers, and then they run a crew of Somalis with a very condescending attitude."

An African-American employee at the flagship Roseville, Minn. store (who asked that her name not be used for fear of retribution), said she feels as if she constantly suffers racial discrimination. She said there are no black supervisors on the overnight shift she works. "There are a lot of Somalis working on the overnight shift, but no Somali team leader." She said she is tired of young white "team leaders" repeatedly telling her to work faster or do things differently.

"It's the same conversation over and over," said the middle-aged woman. "They treat us like we're kids. And they'll approach you in front of other crew members, not in the office or somewhere private."

She thinks she was unfairly given a document from management saying she needed to increase her work speed.

"I feel like I was discriminated against because I'm black," she said. "I talked to white co-workers who I was working side by side with, and I could see I was working just as fast as them. I asked them if they had to sign the paper [from management] saying they were too slow and they did not. The majority who got the "guidance" slips were Somali or African-American like myself."

Beat the Clock

Workers generally complain about a pressurized and patronizing work atmosphere where they are constantly pressed to work harder and faster and at the same time to act cheery and invested in the store's success. The company's website boasts that workers will respond with "cheetah-like" speed within 60 seconds to customer calls on the red phones throughout the store.

Rosa said employees are constantly exhorted to get shoppers to sign up for Target REDcards; some stores have weekly quotas. "They'll have little employee promotions, it's so ridiculous, you'll get candy or a liter of pop if you get two people to sign up," she said.

She said the store is generally understaffed and workers are expected to do numerous jobs at the same time.

"You're running around, feeling like you're being pulled in every direction," she said. "There's never enough people on the sales floor. You're getting calls to come up to the cash register, to do pulls [of merchandise] in the back room, to deal with returns at guest services, all at once. And the whole time you're constantly picking up and folding stuff, getting things off the floor. At my age it's a really hard day, on your feet the whole time on these linoleum floors. I'm aching when I get home. I have to take Ibuprofen just to be able to sleep."

John Hayden had a similar experience working in a Target distribution center near his home in Oconomowoc, Wisc. After quitting his Target job in 2002, he was diagnosed with a hernia which he blames on lifting up to 700 boxes a day.

"It was hard work," said Hayden, who was in his late 50s at the time. "We never produced enough to keep the middle managers happy. I think they plan it that way - they always want more."

Could it Be Different?

In today's market, could retail really be any different? Fair labor advocates think so. Hesse notes that in several unionized grocery stores in the Twin Cities, hourly wages hover around $13 to $17 an hour, roughly double Target's. Now SuperTarget's sale of groceries threatens the survival of union grocery stores.

Even other major big box retailers have managed to pay significantly higher wages and achieve higher employee retention. The prices at Costco Wholesale Corp., the nation's fifth largest retailer, are competitive with those at Target and Wal-Mart, but it pays full-time employees an average of around $16 an hour along with generous health benefits.

Costco pulls this off by offering fewer brands of each item, keeping infrastructure costs low and forgoing advertising; and the company also benefits financially from low employee turnover. Labor advocates also note that The Container Store is known for decent wages and good working conditions.

"We've turned into a nation of consumers, not citizens," said Hesse. "We need to make retailers and employers bring back the old social contract where if you work hard and give them full time, they have to treat you with some degree of dignity and pay you enough that you don't need to worry about your basic needs all the time."

http://www.alternet.org/workplace/35610/?page=entire

Walmart for food
Target for everything else.

I don't really shop at either one but if I had to pick...Target. I have to say though the Wal-Mart around here is spotless, in a good, clean area and is normally well organized. Also, it's not that bright blue color that some Wal-Marts are. It's in an area where the stores are sort of neutral and classic looking so it's nice on the outside as well.

I don't even have a Wal-Mart nearby, so Target it is.

In re: to the article Brian posted...Sadly, I think all retail (big box or national chains anyway) is like that. I remember started at $6/hour at Kohl's in 98 and we had to be able to do many more jobs that just in the dept we were assigned to. And my feet hurt like hell. Once they wanted me to come in at 7am when I left the night before at 10:30. Retail just kinda stinks unless maybe you're management or higher.

I perfer Walmart's, I think Target is alittle on the Expensive Side... But that's just my opinion...

Target hands down. It's cleaner, nicer, friendlier people and oh yeah unlike at Wal-Mart all the customers aren't dirty rednecks!! The only positive thing over Target that Wal-Mart has is they have cheaper stuff, so if I'm feeling very poor at the moment and I want the most cheap price I can find, I'll suck it up and go to Wal-Mart.

We just have regular Targets in my area. The closet Super Target is probably a 30 minute drive from here at least, if not more. I'd LOVE to see them build a Super Target here.

Target hands down. It's cleaner, nicer, friendlier people and oh yeah unlike at Wal-Mart all the customers aren't dirty rednecks!!
That's a stereotype, and I don't think it's true. I know many people who shop at Mal-Mart, and they are not dirty rednecks. It was my sister's favorite store, and she was anything but.

Cool Siggy Janice. :cow:


I think Wal-mart is a great store for bargains. I shop at Target mostly but if I see a great sale at Wal-mart, there I am. :seeya:

That's a stereotype, and I don't think it's true. I know many people who shop at Mal-Mart, and they are not dirty rednecks. It was my sister's favorite store, and she was anything but.
Exactly! My mom likes shopping at Wal-Mart and she's FAR from some dirty redneck.

I think it depends on the area the WM is in. We have a WM with a lot of people who sure act like rednecks, but we also have one where the people don't seem to act that way. But at the Target right across the street, I very seldom see redneck-acting people there.

But of course there are all types of folks at both stores.

I think it depends on the area the WM is in. We have a WM with a lot of people who sure act like rednecks, but we also have one where the people don't seem to act that way. But at the Target right across the street, I very seldom see redneck-acting people there.

But of course there are all types of folks at both stores.
yeah thats true, the Wal*Mart here is in a pretty shady area, so maybe thats why it gets such a bad rep.

Cool Siggy Janice. :cow:
Thanks Irene. Love your avatar. ;)

Target hands down. It's cleaner, nicer, friendlier people and oh yeah unlike at Wal-Mart all the customers aren't dirty rednecks!! The only positive thing over Target that Wal-Mart has is they have cheaper stuff, so if I'm feeling very poor at the moment and I want the most cheap price I can find, I'll suck it up and go to Wal-Mart.

We just have regular Targets in my area. The closet Super Target is probably a 30 minute drive from here at least, if not more. I'd LOVE to see them build a Super Target here.
I guess I'm a dirty redneck because that's where I shop the most.

I guess I'm a dirty redneck because that's where I shop the most.
yeah, same here. sorry i don't have much of a choice, it's the only place i can buy some things around here. no targets in this area.

http://www.ethicalshopping.com/clothing-accessories/clothes/target-different-wal-mart.html (http://www.ethicalshopping.com/clothing-accessories/clothes/target-different-wal-mart.html)

Is Target Different than Wal-Mart?

October 25, 2007 — Comparing Target and Wal-Mart seems like a relatively easy thing to do. Wal-Mart has been accused of the 'Wal-Martization' of the American economy, abusing its labor force, and selling cheap goods at low prices.

Target, on the other hand, has a reputation that glistens next to the Wal-Mart behemoth. With a 2005 advertising budget of over $1 billion, Target has connected with consumers through colorful advertisements, attractive displays, and the cultivation of a public image as the ‘anti-Wal-Mart.’ Thus, while Wal-Mart is attacked for being an ‘eye-sore’ or a blight in some urban areas, Target is often welcomed with open arms. Yet, a closer look may cause consumers to question their assumptions about the two companies and to ask if Target really is better than Wal-Mart or whether it has been given a "free ride."


Public perception has allowed Target to escape the scrutiny that seems to follow Wal-Mart at every turn. That's because Target has adopted a more upscale image than Wal-Mart, and Wal-Mart’s size means that it is an activists' primary target (no pun intended). "In some ways Target's been given a free pass because of the perception that since Wal-Mart is the largest player" said Ken Jacobs, deputy chair at the UC Berkeley's Center for Labor Research and Education. "It can dictate the market in terms of prices, pay and benefits while others simply are forced to go along."

Shifting Targets

But things may be changing. A number of activists are beginning to pay more attention to Target’s labor practices as the company strives to open 600 new stores in the U.S. by 2010. In 2005, CNN/Money raised the point that Target shares some of the attributes that cause activists to attack Wal-Mart—yet escapes relatively unscathed. Both corporations are non-union, both possess ‘super’ stores, and both are expanding in urban areas. Critics haven't been able to nail Target on the low-wage issue, but both Wal-Mart and Target claim to pay comparable wages.

Regarding the company’s anti-union stance, Target CEO Bob Ulrich stated in 2005 that Target, "Simply doesn't believe that third-party representation would add anything for our customers, our employees or our shareholders. We just do not believe it's productive and adds value.” The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) has started a web site called TargetUnion.org, where it encourages employees to post their salaries and benefits. Activists are slowly chipping away at the corporation’s image as the ‘anti-Wal-Mart.’ They are publicizing mistreatment of workers, and have even illustrated that the benefits offered by Target are more restrictive than Wal-Mart’s.


Related Links

Target Union! (http://www.targetunion.org/)
CorpWatch: Target Is Wal-Mart Lite (http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=13508)

I guess I'm a dirty redneck because that's where I shop the most.
It sounds like more people have an access to Wal-Mart than Target. So you're not alone.

So out of curiosity....what's the take on Kmart?

I used to like Kmart, but it seems to have gone waaaay downhill, at least here. I've been to Kmarts that looked like Wal-Mart's third cousin from incest. ohno: Did buy some nice Christmas ornaments there last Christmas though.

So out of curiosity....what's the take on Kmart?

I used to like Kmart, but it seems to have gone waaaay downhill, at least here. I've been to Kmarts that looked like Wal-Mart's third cousin from incest. ohno: Did buy some nice Christmas ornaments there last Christmas though.
There's one still in my area... and it's EXTREMELY ghetto now. Worse than Walmart. It used to be really nice and organized before Kmart filed Chapter 11 all these years ago. The one here is still stuck in the 1980s.

I went to Kmart just after Christmas because it was the closest store to us, to pick up cold meds... and ugh! Got out of there quickly.

So out of curiosity....what's the take on Kmart?

I used to like Kmart, but it seems to have gone waaaay downhill, at least here. I've been to Kmarts that looked like Wal-Mart's third cousin from incest. ohno: Did buy some nice Christmas ornaments there last Christmas though.
I haven't seen a Kmart in about 5 years, but the last one I was at was really ghetto.

Target hands down. It's cleaner, nicer, friendlier people and oh yeah unlike at Wal-Mart all the customers aren't dirty rednecks!! The only positive thing over Target that Wal-Mart has is they have cheaper stuff, so if I'm feeling very poor at the moment and I want the most cheap price I can find, I'll suck it up and go to Wal-Mart.

We just have regular Targets in my area. The closet Super Target is probably a 30 minute drive from here at least, if not more. I'd LOVE to see them build a Super Target here.

Yo, that's a little offensive wouldn't you say?! I love Wal-Mart, and it is not beneath me to shop there. I live near Wal-Mart and Target, I go to Wal-Mart just about every week, and Target about once in a blue moon. To me, Target is nothing but a more expensive Wal-Mart. If all customers that shop at Wal-Mart are dirty rednecks, then all Target customers are upper class snobs!

Yo, that's a little offensive wouldn't you say?! I love Wal-Mart, and it is not beneath me to shop there. I live near Wal-Mart and Target, I go to Wal-Mart just about every week, and Target about once in a blue moon. To me, Target is nothing but a more expensive Wal-Mart. If all customers that shop at Wal-Mart are dirty rednecks, then all Target customers are upper class snobs!
:clap:

Yo, that's a little offensive wouldn't you say?! I love Wal-Mart, and it is not beneath me to shop there. I live near Wal-Mart and Target, I go to Wal-Mart just about every week, and Target about once in a blue moon. To me, Target is nothing but a more expensive Wal-Mart. If all customers that shop at Wal-Mart are dirty rednecks, then all Target customers are upper class snobs!
:clap:

lol yeah K-Mart is pretty ghetto now. theyve been destroyed by Wal*Mart and Target. i dont even live in a ghetto area but the one by me is really ghetto and i never go there. in fact all the ones ive seen look pretty ghetto.

So out of curiosity....what's the take on Kmart?

I used to like Kmart, but it seems to have gone waaaay downhill, at least here. I've been to Kmarts that looked like Wal-Mart's third cousin from incest. ohno: Did buy some nice Christmas ornaments there last Christmas though.

There is also a KMart near me that looks like that. It is near my local Wal-Mart. It has been murdered by Wal-Mart. Matter of fact, when I do go in there, (which is not that often) I see more employees there than I see customers.

K-mart used to be thee store. Then Target evolved. Then Wal-mart. K-mart is good for Christmas decorations. I remember their "blue light specials"...:rofl:

Yo, that's a little offensive wouldn't you say?! I love Wal-Mart, and it is not beneath me to shop there. I live near Wal-Mart and Target, I go to Wal-Mart just about every week, and Target about once in a blue moon. To me, Target is nothing but a more expensive Wal-Mart. If all customers that shop at Wal-Mart are dirty rednecks, then all Target customers are upper class snobs!

Thats what I'm sayin! Great post!

K-mart used to be thee store. Then Target evolved. Then Wal-mart. K-mart is good for Christmas decorations. I remember their "blue light specials"...:rofl:
What is a K-Mart?:lol: :crazy:

K-mart used to be thee store. Then Target evolved. Then Wal-mart. K-mart is good for Christmas decorations. I remember their "blue light specials"...:rofl:

Yea, K-Mart used to be thee store. I don't know how many people on here remember, but when I was little, K-Mart was neck and neck with Gold Circle, if that store rings a bell.

Yea, K-Mart used to be thee store. I don't know how many people on here remember, but when I was little, K-Mart was neck and neck with Gold Circle, if that store rings a bell.
Never heard of Gold Circle. But K-mart was the place to shop for various things. I remember riding my bike to K-mart since it was so close to home. Now, it is so bad. The garden center has maybe 10 plants and is nearly empty.

Never heard of Gold Circle. But K-mart was the place to shop for various things. I remember riding my bike to K-mart since it was so close to home. Now, it is so bad. The garden center has maybe 10 plants and is nearly empty.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Circle

After seeing that link, I didn't realize Gold Cirlce was regional at the time. I thought they were nationwide. But when I was a kid, I preferred Gold Circle over K-Mart.

I know I wouldn't feel like going to the Kmart closest to me by myself. And they seem awfully expensive for looking so ghetto.

But the blue light guy is cute.

I was in Walmart today and I started thinking about some of the stuff people wrote about it on this thread. I don't know about their stores but mine is one of the Super Walmarts and it's always been neat and kept up. Even before when we just had a regular Walmart it was clean and friendly. Hell, I even know alot of the checkers from just "BS"ing with them. I am not a fan of Target. It's always been more expensive and it seems to be a little bit more towards the trendy crowd. For some reason it reminds me of the French. Kinda snotty! I guess it's just the "redneck" in me.

man, i forgot about kmart, i think i only remember about it when i'm reading nate's old posts. the one around here closed six years ago. i thought it was really trashy and poorly kept while it was in business.

Yea, K-Mart used to be thee store. I don't know how many people on here remember, but when I was little, K-Mart was neck and neck with Gold Circle, if that store rings a bell.
I've never heard of Gold Circle, but back in the 70's, here in Nashville, we use to have a store called Big K, but I believe K-Mart run them out of Business. Anyone remember Big K?

I thought Big K was the new name for K-mart?

I thought Big K was the new name for K-mart?
Yeah...we have a Big K. It's Kmart's version of Wal-Mart Supercenter, but with only maybe half the groceries.

Yeah...we have a Big K. It's Kmart's version of Wal-Mart Supercenter, but with only maybe half the groceries.
That is funny. :rofl:

I thought Big K was the new name for K-mart?

It use to be a store here in Nashville years ago called Big K. Then K-Mart come along and took all their customers and eventually run them out of business. Kinda like when K-Mart was top dog in the 80's and Wal-Mart comes along, new and different with better prices and everyone switched to them. I was a kid back then, so I'm not sure what parts of the States Big K was in if any at all other than the Nashville area.
Yes, your right, most K-Marts go by Big K-Mart now. Everytime I go by one of their stores, I remember the old Big K stores from the 70's. Damn I'm getting old.:lol: :crazy:

K-mart used to be thee store. Then Target evolved. Then Wal-mart. K-mart is good for Christmas decorations. I remember their "blue light specials"...:rofl:
Chapter 11 happened to them. ;) I wish they had just closed ALL of the Kmarts after that happened. Yeah, it used to be pretty decent. I used to live in a town that had just a Kmart and a Walmart... I shopped at Kmart way more often. I think Chapter 11 occurred in 2000/2001, right? It was right around the time that Martha Stewart **** went down. I left that Walmart/Kmart town for good in 2003 and at that time, it was still looking decent. I'm sure that's not the case now.

EDIT: Okay, I was off by a bit. The Chapter 11 thing happened at the beginning of 2002. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart#Bankruptcy

Barney, are you talking about this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuhn%27s-Big_K

Thats the one PZelda, thank you for looking that up. I never knew they merged with Wal-Marts, but I was young back then and really didn't pay much attention to stuff like that. That explains why most people here wouldn't remember them, they were only in the South East States. Thank You again.

Sorry to hijack the thread for a moment... But speaking of defunct stores, who remembers Best? Not Best Buy. It was a showroom store... kinda in the same vein as Sears, but they had a big emphasis on electronics. They folded in 1997... no more stores around anymore.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_Products

I rarely shop at either . I shop at Meijer. But between Target and Walmart I prefer Target.

Sorry to hijack the thread for a moment... But speaking of defunct stores, who remembers Best? Not Best Buy. It was a showroom store... kinda in the same vein as Sears, but they had a big emphasis on electronics. They folded in 1997... no more stores around anymore.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_Products


Years ago I did most of my Christmas shopping at Best. I always liked that store!:D

Years ago I did most of my Christmas shopping at Best. I always liked that store!:D
I'm really happy I wasn't dreaming this one. LOL! I know we got some stuff from Best, but not really sure what anymore. I think we at least got our TVs from there in the 80's (we had a Sony console TV c. 1986 and a big Zenith TV c. 1989). The Best here closed a loooonnnngggggg time ago... I really have no idea when. I actually miss it. :(

I don't believe I've ever heard of the Best Store. Must have not been around here in the Nashville area.

Never heard of Best either. But then we just, within the last 10 years or so, started getting a lot more big name chain stores.


Oh, but we did have a Service Merchandise. (i'm reading the wiki article)

you know, i had never even heard of Super Target until a few months ago...we dont have any in the NYC area. we dont have any Wal*Mart Supercenters either come to think of it.


NYC is so big I'm surpirsed there isn't a Super Target.

Never heard of Best either. But then we just, within the last 10 years or so, started getting a lot more big name chain stores.


Oh, but we did have a Service Merchandise. (i'm reading the wiki article)

Yea, we had Service Merchandice here in Nashville as well. I think they went out of Business in the late 90's or early 2000's. Or at least closed down here. They may still have stores elsewhere.

Chapter 11 happened to them. ;) I wish they had just closed ALL of the Kmarts after that happened. Yeah, it used to be pretty decent. I used to live in a town that had just a Kmart and a Walmart... I shopped at Kmart way more often. I think Chapter 11 occurred in 2000/2001, right? It was right around the time that Martha Stewart **** went down. I left that Walmart/Kmart town for good in 2003 and at that time, it was still looking decent. I'm sure that's not the case now.

EDIT: Okay, I was off by a bit. The Chapter 11 thing happened at the beginning of 2002. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart#Bankruptcy

Barney, are you talking about this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuhn%27s-Big_K
The one K-mart we have is supposed to close pemanently and be made into a LOWE'S HARDWARE store.

Years ago I did most of my Christmas shopping at Best. I always liked that store!:D

i used to LOVE going to best! i remember when i was in 2nd or 3rd grade, i dropped my desk drawer that was very heavy and filled with papers on my foot and it ripped my big toenail off. gross, but my dad took me to best that week & i got to buy my "first real gold ring." lol. i remember it cost 99 bucks and had sapphire stones. i still have it. we bought a ton of stuff from there, but the majority of it were electronics and household items. i was so sad when they closed it.

I'd just like to take the time to point out that, if you notice which color bar in the poll goes to which option, the red one goes to Target, the blue to Wal-Mart.

Yay.

I'd just like to take the time to point out that, if you notice which color bar in the poll goes to which option, the red one goes to Target, the blue to Wal-Mart.

Yay.
ooo...appropriate.

Eh not a huge fan of department stores. I don't really see the big differences between them anyway besides cleanliness and attitudes of the workers. Other than that, same **** different roof. My mom used to take me to K-mart a LOT when I was a kid since we lived closest to that. But then after a few years, it kept getting messier and dirtier until we stopped going there altogether. Then I met Nate. Lovely little history I have with this store. :)