New offerings off-Target for this shopper
By Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
Updated Thu July 12, 2012
I might have to break up with Target.
It's no big surprise, really. From the moment I heard they planned to start offering groceries, I figured this day would come.
My breaking point came last week, when I got stuck behind a woman with a full load of groceries and a huge coupon organizer file. And just for the record, it was a bunch of processed, packaged goods (I am guessing Target grocery shoppers are about as "foodie" as Walmart's). I expect this at the grocery store. I accept it. But I consider grocery shopping to be sheer drudgery, a task that must be done.
But Target. Ah, Target. I always associated Target with fun, hip and admittedly, often useless goods for the fun and hip consumer. Oh, and good prices on my favorite cleanser. While the grocery store is, for me, a get in, grab it an get out experience, I have ocassionally wandered the aisles of Target admiring fun dishes, colorful shower curtains and funny greeting cards. Milk and cereal? Not so much.
One of our August Smart Talk columns talks about the importance of defining your target (no pun intended) market. Who is your ideal customer? That applies to any business or service. In the case of HME, it helps garner referrals, repeat customers and cash sales—all good things and something I believe providers are getting ever savvier at.
Of course, Target does this as well. You can count on it. Unfortunately, these days, Target's preferred customer appears to be something other than me.
Theresa Flaherty
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