Pigeons, looking slightly menacing. We are watching you!
Last weekend, I took a trip downtown. I don't even remember why. I strolled through Yorkville, which is the fancy neighbourhood where you can buy a handbag for $1,000 or more. Gucci, Prada, Chanel: it's all there. I liked this display in the Manulife Centre mall, inspired by the Toronto International Film Festival. Isn't that a nifty little projector? I also like the shiny, red shoes, but I probably wouldn't be able to afford them.
This weekend, by contrast, I decided to check out the new Target in my neighbourhood. It used to be a Zellers. I have never been inside a Target before.
The parking lot at the mall was relatively deserted. There were a few cars close to the entrance, but further out the only occupied parking spot had been claimed by this goose.
I went in and toured around the store, checking prices and rubbing fabrics. It's certainly brighter and tidier than the Zellers was. Some items, like toothpaste and dish detergent, were a dollar or more cheaper than at my local supermarket. The clothes were meh. I wasn't tempted by any of their fashion items.
I bought one thing, just for the heck of it. As I approached the cash register area, a manager directed me to a young employee who was overseeing the self-check-out area. "Please help this guest," he told the employee. Guest? Oh for heaven's sake, just call me a customer. I know that co-opted vocabulary is used with good intentions, but I find it irritatingly manipulative. Anyway, the young lady who had been assigned to help me was genuinely friendly and sweet, so it was all good.
My hostess assisted me with the use of a complicated cashiering robot. Scanning the item was easy. But then I had to find the robot's mouth, to feed coins into, and then a slot to slide a bill into. My change came out of a spout in a third location, and my receipt printed out somewhere else. I think perhaps they would have been better off to stick with human cashiers. It certainly would have gone a lot faster if I hadn't had to stop and locate input and output interfaces at every stage of the transaction.
Will I go back to Target? Maybe if I'm in the area, to see if there are any good sales. But I wouldn't go out of my way to visit that store. I mean, as I said, it's in my neighbourhood, but it's not on my way home from work. It's either a very healthy walk from my house, or I'd have to wait for a bus. Plus there's nothing else in the area of the store that I'll go out of my way for. At any rate, it was a fun little exploration for the afternoon.
7 comments:
I really like Target, but agree with you about the clothes. The mens department is aimed at my Dad's age I think. I did buy a hoodie once in the boy's dept.
I quite like their home decor stuff. We had to furnish our home in AZ on a budget and we've bought some lamps and cushions and they are reasonable quality for a reasonable price.
Target and Zellars are the same except Zellars employees were lazy. Target employees are not unionized so they still have effort.
I haven't been in a Target in a million years. Cannot imagine them referring to customers a "guests". Sounds like they are trying to compete with those uptown stores and their $1000 purses.
I like Target - there's one around the corner, but like you, I don't find their clothes that appealing. They are my "go to" store for workout clothes though.
Interesting. The Target in our area isn't very attractive to me fashion-wise either, and I have to say, their prices for what you get don't excite me either. But then, we do a lot of bargain hunting and Walmart beats EVERYONE's prices, so it's really hard NOT to get sticker-shock, even in Target.
It does, however, sound like a couple of fun afternoon jaunts.
Who needs security when you have geese and pigeons watching you like that.
Can you say "fashion" and "Target" together? Hmm. I would say you are definitely more trendy than that. :) Target, like Walmart, is for people like me, who just want something inexpensive that they can throw on, and then toss is the wash. :)
I know those geese though! They pop down here to our Walmart and Target parking lots for visits too! :D
Great shot of those pigeons! I'm surprised you got that close.
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