crunchtastic Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 My point exactly. The models I'm sure are almost identical. Target just puts an extra coat of polish on their turd, charges 10% more and presto, its' inner-loop "yuppie" approved.Ha. So true. I can't believe how many people fall for the marketing and advertising. Target's business model is no different form WalMart's. It's all about margin. For all the WalMart haters: do you think Target has a higher ratio of full timers with benefits to part-timers? You think hourly wages are uniformly better than Wal-Mart? You think store managers don't try and squeeze extra unpaid work out of everyone they can to pad their own quarterly bonus? You think health insurance is any more affordable for a Target employee than a WalMart employee? Think again. Those clever designer-y summer dishes or the cute retro 70s top you just bought at Target were still made by third world labor, and the person who bagged your purchase is no more making a living wage than person at Wal-Mart. Shop wherever you want, but quit being so damn gullible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieMay Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Ha. So true. I can't believe how many people fall for the marketing and advertising. Target's business model is no different form WalMart's. It's all about margin. For all the WalMart haters: do you think Target has a higher ratio of full timers with benefits to part-timers? You think hourly wages are uniformly better than Wal-Mart? You think store managers don't try and squeeze extra unpaid work out of everyone they can to pad their own quarterly bonus? You think health insurance is any more affordable for a Target employee than a WalMart employee? Think again.Those clever designer-y summer dishes or the cute retro 70s top you just bought at Target were still made by third world labor, and the person who bagged your purchase is no more making a living wage than person at Wal-Mart. Shop wherever you want, but quit being so damn gullible.If I were perfect, I'd raise all my own food & make my own clothes. Or purchase everything from Organic Yurt Dwellers. In this real world, I prefer Target to WalMart simply because it's more pleasant to shop there. Besides, they just built one in my neighborhood--& the customers are pretty diverse. But I know that Target discourages unionization as much as WalMart does. You are pro-Union, aren't you? Which retailers are better in that respect?(Back on topic: I'm not one of those surprised that Sears on Main is a functioning store. Just haven't shopped there as much since I left the neighborhood.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtownWxBoy Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 For all the WalMart haters: do you think Target has a higher ratio of full timers with benefits to part-timers? You think hourly wages are uniformly better than Wal-Mart? You think store managers don't try and squeeze extra unpaid work out of everyone they can to pad their own quarterly bonus? You think health insurance is any more affordable for a Target employee than a WalMart employee? Think again. I think Target is a better store... it's more appealing to walk through... it has better quality products and is kept more clean than Wal-Mart... it has far less the number of undisciplined, screaming kids running around jumping on everything b/c their parents don't know how to raise them than Wal-Mart does... the lighting doesn't give me a headache... I go there at night and don't feel like I am going to get mugged... all in all it's just a more pleasant shopping experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Chenevert Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I can drive into a Target parking lot and not feel like I am going to get door dings from other cars that cannot park in between the lines.At target, people can somehow park in between the pretty yellow lines.... nice and orderly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I can drive into a Target parking lot and not feel like I am going to get door dings from other cars that cannot park in between the lines.At target, people can somehow park in between the pretty yellow lines.... nice and orderly...LOL. i can show you a nice sideswipe i got a target. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I think Target is a better store... it's more appealing to walk through... it has better quality products and is kept more clean than Wal-Mart... it has far less the number of undisciplined, screaming kids running around jumping on everything b/c their parents don't know how to raise them than Wal-Mart does... the lighting doesn't give me a headache... I go there at night and don't feel like I am going to get mugged... all in all it's just a more pleasant shopping experience. For the same items, though, Walmart is generally cheaper. I buy my dog food at Walmart. It is several dollars cheaper. Even Kroger is cheaper than Target. I wouldn't go out of my way to shop at a Walmart, but since I drive by no less than 4 on my way home, I do stop there for things that are no different at any other store. And amazingly, at 4 in the morning, there are no screaming kids! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20thStDad Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 It's all tolerance and diversity with some people, at least until you throw Walmart into the discussion. Then the uppity comes out in full force. People can love a dirty, imperfect, cheap bar but not so much retail? Doesn't that give it character too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieMay Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 It's all tolerance and diversity with some people, at least until you throw Walmart into the discussion. Then the uppity comes out in full force. People can love a dirty, imperfect, cheap bar but not so much retail? Doesn't that give it character too?Nope, I prefer retail outlets--especially the ones selling food--to be clean & pleasant. Most people do--even the non-white ones. The folks at my neighborhood Target are pretty diverse. I'll gladly drink at an unpretentious bar, but the ladies' rooms at The Island & Emo's are bits of the past I don't miss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtownWxBoy Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 It's all tolerance and diversity with some people, at least until you throw Walmart into the discussion. Then the uppity comes out in full force. People can love a dirty, imperfect, cheap bar but not so much retail? Doesn't that give it character too?No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 It's all tolerance and diversity with some people, at least until you throw Walmart into the discussion. Then the uppity comes out in full force. People can love a dirty, imperfect, cheap bar but not so much retail? Doesn't that give it character too? I prefer to shop at Big Lots over a suburban Walmart. Now, how uppity does that sound? I grocery shopped at the (white) Pearland Walmart one time and one time only. Get me out of here! I'm not sure what it is about Target, but the one on South Main is highly mixed with black, brown and white, but everyone seems to be more civilized. I had a flash on what the makeup of a Midtown Target would be like. Hmmm. Seedy bars are completely different, because you generally go well after dark thirty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20thStDad Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 I was just joking by the way. But I do find it funny how poor people get used both ways on excuses by people here. They have to have somewhere to live, displacing them with rising property values is wrong!! Oh, and I hate shopping when they are there with all their badly behaved kids!!Walmart is cheaper, they win. Shopping is annoying no matter how nice they try to make it, so who cares if one is slightly worse when you are spending less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 I was just joking by the way. But I do find it funny how poor people get used both ways on excuses by people here. They have to have somewhere to live, displacing them with rising property values is wrong!! Oh, and I hate shopping when they are there with all their badly behaved kids!!Walmart is cheaper, they win. Shopping is annoying no matter how nice they try to make it, so who cares if one is slightly worse when you are spending less.I know you're kidding, Dad. The time I shopped at WM in Pearland, this woman had about 6 screaming kids with her and no matter how I tried to reroute, they always ended up right near me. Sure enough, I get to the register and they pull up right behind me. Then, the cashier was this strange religious woman with a bun in her hair. I could not wait to get back to the COH. When I worked down there, I no problem during the day going to pick up items, as the rugrats were out being edgumacated (we hope). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Umm...maybe Niche knows about this rumor, eh? Or is he "not able to disclose this" as usual? I saw this thread pop up many times, but consistently ignored it until it made it to seventy-something posts because it lacked any semblance of plausibility. I eventually figured that there must be something to it on account of its popularity. I regret that conclusion. What I did not anticipate was a thread about Wal-Mart veiled in Target clothing. I shop at Wal-Mart somewhere in the vicinity of ten times more often than I shop at Target, even though Target has always been more convenient to me in terms of location relative to where I live. I like to take road/camping trips, and Wal-Mart is consistently easy to find in most small towns, has everything that I'd ever dream of needing, and is an affordable alternative to mom-and-pop stores. The layout is predictable, I am indifferent to children (and frankly, would rather be in the vicinity of children to blue collar parents than to white collar parents), and I've observed that Wal-Mart often serves as a focal point not only for socialization within the community but as a venue within which fat people get exercise, what with all the walking involved. As far as my needs are concerned, Target could never compete even if it were next door to every Wal-Mart ever built. Having said all of that, I know what not to buy at Wal-Mart; these are things I typically would also not buy at a Target. Anybody who thinks that Target doesn't engage in the same practices as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, and most other high-volume big box stores with respect to product quality is drinking the marketing Kool-Aide, and I have no respect for them as human beings. They may die and I shall shrug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Snobbiness over where one purchases plastic goods mass produced in China and over-processed food full of cancer causing chemicals. There must be a statement about American consumer values in there somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 I grocery shopped at the (white) Pearland Walmart one time and one time only. Get me out of here! I'm not sure what it is about Target, but the one on South Main is highly mixed with black, brown and white, but everyone seems to be more civilized. I had a flash on what the makeup of a Midtown Target would be like. Hmmm. The ultimate rejection of racism is indifference. It shouldn't matter what the colors are of those who shop there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Having said all of that, I know what not to buy at Wal-Mart; these are things I typically would also not buy at a Target. Anybody who thinks that Target doesn't engage in the same practices as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, and most other high-volume big box stores with respect to product quality is drinking the marketing Kool-Aide, and I have no respect for them as human beings. They may die and I shall shrug.Good post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtownWxBoy Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 I prefer to shop at Big Lots over a suburban Walmart. Now, how uppity does that sound? I grocery shopped at the (white) Pearland Walmart one time and one time only. Get me out of here! I'm not sure what it is about Target, but the one on South Main is highly mixed with black, brown and white, but everyone seems to be more civilized. I had a flash on what the makeup of a Midtown Target would be like. Hmmm. Seedy bars are completely different, because you generally go well after dark thirty. I just moved back to my condo in the med center so that's the Target I go to... it's definitely a mix of everyone and a great Target. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Having said all of that, I know what not to buy at Wal-Mart; these are things I typically would also not buy at a Target. Anybody who thinks that Target doesn't engage in the same practices as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, and most other high-volume big box stores with respect to product quality is drinking the marketing Kool-Aide, and I have no respect for them as human beings. They may die and I shall shrug.*shrugs*There are some things I'd get (and have recently purchased) from WalMart, of course...sorta like you stated; basic sporting goods, etc, along with certain other goods that Target does not stock. However, I have had firsthand experience with certain off-label products from WalMart and Target, of which the Target ones were found to be superior, with a minimal price difference anyway. Other than that, it is obvious that a lot of the items are still made with the same sweatshop practices and the like. That fact itself isn't major to me, and I still prefer Target due to the less rowdy crowds and the less depressing lighting/store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 ...as the rugrats were out being edgumacated (we hope).it is probably just safest to say that they were in school... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniepwils Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Snobbiness over where one purchases plastic goods mass produced in China and over-processed food full of cancer causing chemicals. There must be a statement about American consumer values in there somewhere.This is the best quote EVER!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 As an "outer-looper", I had no clue this Sears was even open, and I drive by it at least three times a week. I find this statement... insulting. You should move to the inner loop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totheskies Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 I couldn't care less which one comes to the Midtown area (if either one ever does), but I DO care about the design of the store. Midtown is now too small of an area to be able to put something like a typical Target or Wal-Mart in. We don't need another sea of surface parking and traffic hazards in Midtown. So if they want to build in that area, they're going to have to design an "urban store" that has a decent parking garage (preferably with some additional retail space) and incorporates some semblance of walkability. In Midtown you have to deal with pedestrians, so the store will need to keep them in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 My bike was stolen, so I went shopping for one over the weekend. I went to Super Target and then two different Walmarts. OMG, it's like night and day. I will most likely never set foot in one (Walmart) again, unless I'm in a small town and that's the only thing available. At any rate, I did not find the bike that I wanted and just ordered it from Walmart online. Then I thought damnit, Sears is right there on Main. I keep forgetting that store is open. They need to advertise or something.Has anyone ever been to an urban Target with a parking garage, etc.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 So are they going to build this thing or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 My bike was stolen, so I went shopping for one over the weekend. I went to Super Target and then two different Walmarts. OMG, it's like night and day. I will most likely never set foot in one (Walmart) again, unless I'm in a small town and that's the only thing available. At any rate, I did not find the bike that I wanted and just ordered it from Walmart online. Then I thought damnit, Sears is right there on Main. I keep forgetting that store is open. They need to advertise or something.Has anyone ever been to an urban Target with a parking garage, etc.?I've been to urban style Targets in Atlanta and in DC. In both cases, though, the stores were in near suburbs but were two stories built over garages. The one in DC was part of town center type development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 So are they going to build this thing or what?according to the poster's inquiry, no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trymahjong Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I've been to urban style Targets in Atlanta and in DC. In both cases, though, the stores were in near suburbs but were two stories built over garages. The one in DC was part of town center type development.[/quotethere is a target store in the bronx about 225 & broadway on the A(?ithink) subway ? it is only one story but a lot of it is underground and the parking is on the roof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtticaFlinch Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Whatever! I roll into Spec's with the baby all the time. I figure bringing her into the liquor store is WAY better than leaving her in the car.Same here. Nothing says "classy" quite like strolling through a giant liquor store with a baby seat propped up on the shopping cart.I had lived here for 2 years (in midtown) before I realized it was open. It really doesn't look like it.I've lived in the loop since I had returned to Houston two years ago, I pass that Sears all the time and this thread is what finally enlightened me that it was open. I seriously thought hobos squatted in it. Go figure.As far as Walmart goes, when I'm forced to go to Walmart, I shop at the location on Dunvale. That place is just plain gross, and there's no way to sugarcoat it. I go there when the alternative is too expensive or because I need so many items that shopping elsewhere would require several stops. I doubt anyone would be foolhardy enough to suggest Target is better than Walmart on a business ethics level, but in comparing pleasant shopping experiences, Target is in a different ballpark. Walmart, especially the Dunvale location, is absolute bedlam; kids screaming, garbage everywhere, shelves out of stock, crowded narrow aisles, employees who don't even pretend to mask their apathy... You don't get that in the two Targets within the loop. A third one in Midtown would be a welcome addition and could help spur further growth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Dunvale used to be decent when it first opened, however, it is now grotesque. Still, Meyer Park has it beat on the gross scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 I just go to the target off of I-10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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