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Target vs. Walmart
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 10:20 am
by PAmedic
carrying this over from another thread.
I am a Target guy (Chip Ganassi racing notwithstanding. Though I do like Juan Pablo Montoya for the obvious physical resemblance

)
What has converted me from a Kmart/Walmart/Jamesway (SCAR remember those?)/Ames/Woolworth guy?
Obviously good prices, the stores are clean, well-lit, and the clientel is a wee more upscale. Yes, I'm a snob.
Kohls is a close second, but their stores tend to be a mess.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 10:32 am
by TIMSCAR20
Thanks Medic for starting this thread. As I said in the other thread I am a Target guy. Yes I remember Jamesway and Ames too. I don't like Walmart because it is always congested, the clientel is not as upscale (I am a snob too Medic) and the rows are always cluttered with extra junk at Walmart. Plus their stores are a little too big sometimes. I like Kohls too but I don't know if it is in the same category as Walmart/Target. I see it as more of a true department store like Strawbridges, JC Penny's, Macy's, Hudson's etc.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 10:42 am
by PAmedic
sir, you are correct in every way.
Genius.
(see what people agreeing with me does for my disposition?)

Posted: November 29th, 2006, 10:44 am
by Fumblerooskies
Target; however nothing beats the clientel at Wally World at 3 in the morning...
...and few things beat being there at 5 in the morning when the donuts come out fresh.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 10:53 am
by LUconn
sure, who wouldn't prefer to be at Target? But the prices at Walmart are just unbeatable. I'd rather wait in line with Jed, have to park in th back of the lot, not be able to fit my cart down the aisle and be greeted at the door by someone who couldn't handle a job with any more responsibility than just that than pay the prices catered to wealthy middle aged soccer moms (and apprently snobby philadelphians).
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 10:54 am
by PAmedic
ouch.
but thats the difference between me and you
no, I'm not a middle aged soccer mom. See the "porn star 'stache"
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 10:56 am
by LUconn
hey, you called yourself snobby. But seriously that's who their going after and they have caught you in that net.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 10:59 am
by LUconn
Also, this may seem strange, but I support walmart because of their business practices. They're in business to make money and they don't pretend to be anything else. They flip the bird to government pressures and will go so far as to close down a store if it even thinks about getting unionized. I love it. If you don't like it, shop somewhere else. This is the way capitalism is supposed to work.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 11:02 am
by TIMSCAR20
Honestly, Walmart USED TO BE cheaper but for the items I buy with the exception of body lotion (you know brotha's get ashy...If you don't know what that is, you don't have a ghetto card). I hate how stores now charge you more for buying in bulk. Has anyone noticed this? Everyone assumes that if you get the bigger product that you will save money. Not true most of the time these days. If you take the time to do the math as MRS SCAR Always does, you will see that the bigger items are more per unit a lot of the times. Perception vs Reality. Walmart has created the perception of being cheaper but in recent un-scientific studies on various news reports, there is very little difference overall and Target has some stuff cheaper and Walmart has some stuff cheaper.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 11:10 am
by PAmedic
SCAR wrote: ...there is very little difference overall and Target has some stuff cheaper and Walmart has some stuff cheaper.
again, dead on my brother (brotha)
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 11:10 am
by bigsmooth
target....period! yeah im a snob, and i do not like going to wally world and running into a bunch of fat people who look like they have not bathed in a week. i think wal-marts are dirty too. just my opinion.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 11:13 am
by TIMSCAR20
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 11:15 am
by LUconn
I think it depends on what you're buying. I'm one of the more cheap people you'll ever meet, and I do the math on certain products once in a while (more out of curiousity than cheapness). With your brandname products there is sometimes no difference and if you can catch stuff on sale at target, it's usually a pretty good deal since both stores can normally purchase in the same large quantities. But when it comes to walmart brand vs anything else, get out of town, nobody is cheaper and it's every bit as good.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 11:15 am
by bigsmooth
yeah, its the truth though. i also find it hard to find things at wal-mart whereas target is very easy to find stuff, plus the lines at wal-mart are ridiculous!!
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 11:19 am
by LUconn
bigsmooth wrote: plus the lines at wal-mart are ridiculous!!
That's the truth. Did you know that Target has a policy that if any line has more than 2 people behind the person that is currently checking out they'll open another cash register? It doesn't always work out staffing-wise, especially during christmas time, but it's pretty sweet when you're ready to get out of there.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 11:20 am
by bigsmooth
it depends on the item, and yes the "sam's choice" brand or "equate" or whatever it is is cheaper, and if you are totally a price shopperm then wally world it is. but SCAR is right on the price comparison reports, bith stores are very comparable on most products. keep in mind the target in lynchburg does not have a supermarket like wal-mart. when i used to live in raleigh we had targets with grocery stores, and the prices were pretty close with wal-mart, and the stores are cleaner. something about a clean store makes me want to buy merchandise.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 11:21 am
by bigsmooth
did not know that LUconn...it is a good policy to have.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 11:26 am
by jcmanson
Luconn, I normally agree with the majority of your posts, but I have to disagree with you here. I worked at Target for 4 years, and my wife still works there. She is the head of the pricing team there, and she has a group of employees who constantly go to wal-mart and other stores, to make sure that Target has the same price if not better. Sure, there are some items, clothes for example, that Target is more expensive, but your everyday items are the same prices.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 11:58 am
by LUconn
hmm, well, I guess I really can't dispute that since it is your wife's job but I do know that in my orientation (I worked at Target for a little bit) they stated that they couldn't keep up with Walmart and their prices but they didn't care. They're going after a niche in the market and they're very successful at it.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 12:06 pm
by jcmanson
You are correct about their policy of having people in line. The policy is the 1+1 policy. If you are waiting on 1 person, and there is 1 person behind them, that is fine. But, if there are more than that in line, you are to call for back-up.
It is true that they aren't trying to beat Wal-Mart because they are going for a bit of a different group of people, but they know that if the everyday items are priced higher than Wal-Mart people won't come in.
Target's clothing department, housewares, bedroom items, furniture, etc. are more expensive than Wal-Mart, and some of it much more expensive. That's because they get contracts with certain designers that make stuff, and only Target will carry it i.e. simply shabby chic, Thomas O'brien, there are some others that I can't name off the top of my head.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 12:45 pm
by PAmedic
this topic is HOT HOT HOT
2 pages in 2 hrs.
glad I could contribute. MrsPA agrees, cleanliness is the key here. And that "little rascals" dog
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 1:02 pm
by LUconn
no no, isnt the dog actually Spud McKenzie, the beer drinking party dog?
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 1:13 pm
by Hold My Own
Have any of yall ever heard about the science Wal-Mart actually puts into it's organization....I mean it's crazy, if they know it's gonna be a heat wave they'll overstock water where needed...and other things like that...they got the logistics down to a science, and I guess thats why not many can compete with their prices
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 1:14 pm
by ALUmnus
Walmart = Reagan; Target = Gorbachev
It's that simple, Walmart's bigger, better, and American.
And it's only a matter of time before Target becomes the new Marshalls, oh, wait, no, that fate has bet saved for Kohl's.
Posted: November 29th, 2006, 1:25 pm
by Rocketfan
SCAR wrote:Thanks Medic for starting this thread. As I said in the other thread I am a Target guy. Yes I remember Jamesway and Ames too. I don't like Walmart because it is always congested, the clientel is not as upscale (I am a snob too Medic) and the rows are always cluttered with extra junk at Walmart. Plus their stores are a little too big sometimes. I like Kohls too but I don't know if it is in the same category as Walmart/Target. I see it as more of a true department store like Strawbridges, JC Penny's, Macy's, Hudson's etc.
First Jamesway jumped off the page at me, haven't heard that name mentioned in quite sometime.