Ah Target! A vortex of evil. Be honest, have you ever walked into Target for something like say toilet paper and came out with $200 worth of stuff or am I alone in careless spending? Or have you ever walked in and you told yourself, “Ok, gotta grab this and that and I’m out the door in two minutes”. And suddenly, two minutes to turns into 2 hours.
First off, you walk in and those dollar bins are right in your face. So, suddenly you feel this need to scavenge through them and before you know it you have ten bucks worth of really cute post it notes in your cart along with cutesy little bins that you’re sure will be great for makeup storage.
Next, comes the purses and accessories. As soon as I turn the corner from the dollar bin the purses are right there. And you know what, Target has some damn cute iPhone cases and wallets too. And always there’s some collaboration going on with Jason Wu, Lilly Pulitzer, or some other designer so, suddenly shopping Target is all about haute couture. In goes two purses, a few wallets, and some iPhone cases into your shopping cart.
A little ways down but not very far from the purses would be the makeup and beauty aisle. DANGER, DANGER, DANGER! Turn back now! Carol’s Daughter, Sonia Kashuk, even Korean brand, Laneige! It’s an array of brands that you can’t get at your typical drugstore.
Let’s not forget Method. I always feel the need to buy Method EVERYTHING when I walk into Target! They almost always have Glade exclusives too which I tend to have a severe problem saying no to especially in Fall fragrances.
So yeah, sometimes I walk into target for toilet paper but I come out with $200 worth of stuff.
It’s viscous, cruel cycle!
What’s your game plan for making it out of Target without going broke?
Disclosure: This is not an advertisement, this is a totally true story, Target was not harmed in the making of this post but I can’t say the same about my wallet.
Aw man muse, I feel you, I do the exact same thing when I go into Walmart. Anytime I come across anything, beauty related that says new on the packaging I always have to buy it, even gum, candy or laundry stuff. Being in Canada we no longer have target here but I gotta say they sold more higher end brands then Walmart and I kinda miss that!
haha yes me too with the gum/candy and I don’t even chew gum or eat candy so yeah lol! 😀
It’s a vortex – I don’t know what it is about that place. It is wild. Walmart is near my daughter’s school and sometimes I just run in to get one thing and I come out with just that one thing. Target – forget it. I go in for one thing and end up with a basket full…and as i’m standing in line, I look at my basket and wonder if what I really came there for is actually in there!!
LOL I have sometimes left the store without the items I went in for! TRUE story!
Right with you. Love the beauty, purse, shoes, accessories and the home isle. The cashiers here always ask ” did you find everything you needed”. My response is something to the effect of yes and MORE. I love me some Target.
LOL! exactly my reply!
YES! “Clearance lip gloss!? How can I say no!?” “These sweat pants are $7!!!!” I’ve gotten better though. And I’ve started buying some of that kind of stuff online to prevent me from going to the store.
haha! That’s me! 😀 Sadly, I don’t buy anything from Target’s website because the shipping sucks blows 🙁 so, I’m forced to go there and spend more money than I plan on!
Get a target redcard. 5% off all purchases at Target AND free shipping. I bought a microwave food splatter cover thingie online that cost less than $2 and got free shipping. I’m starting to use it almost as much as Amazon It’s amazing. I pay it off every month so I just get the perks and no interest.
Yeah, you described a typical experience for me. I usually go in for cat food or paper towels and then I need to look at the purses, the jewelry, is there anything interesting in clearance, what’s this new display, do they have sheets on sale, oh, how about Carol’s Daughter and SheaMoisture, and well, I can’t get some makeup brands anywhere else and the drugstore brands tend to be cheaper here … I have no idea why my husband even entertains the idea of walking into Target with me anymore!
LOL! I know this feeling well!
Yeah, it’s tough to leave Target without breaking the bank! Only if there’s some wacko screaming about trans people using bathrooms, then I’ll be out the door a lot quicker.
oh god that hasn’t happened because I’d be running for the door :-/ Jeez who cares when you gotta pee you gotta pee I don’t care who uses the bathroom with me.
Hahaha story of my life!! This happened to me on Monday. I went to return a shirt and I came out with 2 swimsuits, 3 shirts and shorts.
BAD! 😀
I don’t have a game plan because I couldn’t stick with it! Sometimes I think I should get it over with and move in there because they have everything you need. Furniture, bedding, cleaning supplies, clothing, accessories and most importantly, makeup.
It’s my zombie plague plan. Zombie’s hit, I’m sticking it out in a Target.
Your disclosure at the bottom of the article had me cracking up! I swear if my wallet could talk, it would panic the moment I cross my local Target’s threshold.
hehehe!
Definitely my “happy place”!
I can go there in a sour mood and always find something to make me smile .
The trick is to never ever take a cart!
LOL Terri! I like that trick!
My secret for getting in and out of Target: go often. That way you can buy all the extras one at a time so it doesn’t hurt the wallet so much….until the credit card bill comes in :).
ha! That’s not a plan, that’s suicide!
The struggle is real. lol Once you get toTarget you can’t not make a quick ‘sweep’ through the beauty aisles. That quick sweep always turns into something more. My trip usually looks about something like this:
Hmm, I should check out the new Pixi skincare, *grabs Glow Tonic and Melting Cleansing cloths*, walks through haircare aisle, *pick up a couple of new drugstore hair masks*, tests all the Laniege testers, *mentally puts Water BankSerum at the top of beauty wishlist, spots an unrecognized brand called Me! Bath, *decides today will be a spa night and tosses Lavender ‘ice cream’ bath bombs and Shower Sherbet body scrub into cart*, decides that a face mask is in order, * picks up Shea Moisture rose face mask*, skims through ELF products, * decides to try the raved about Under eye setting powder* . After spending almost an hour in beauty section goes to get ice cream, chips, oreos. Makes way to the cleaning aisle and get super excited by a new end-cap Method display. You gotta at least snag the limited edition scents. Drive home feeling proud of shopping trip. Gets home and remembers that you only went to Target for the two things you forgot – lightbulbs and Tide detergent.
*FACE PALMS*
LOL HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM THIS sounds like someone I know! Not me of course, someone else, a friend of a friend of another friend 😀 haha!
Haha! LOVED reading this! So true!!!!!
Omg it’s so easy to forget the two items, and find lots of other goodies. For a while, my neighbors were used to me swinging by, redfaced, asking to borrow a roll of toilet paper. Because I could never ever remember to actually buy the silly thing half the time. That and lightbulbs.
Muse, let me tell you how bad this obsession really is for some folks, myself included. Target just has this effect on people; like a shopping wonderland, it’s the happiest (retail chain) place on earth. It’s the beauty of it all, with clever marketing, exclusive designer collaborations, clean, well-lit aisles, and neatly organized shelves, it has the look and feel of a department store without the higher end prices. And when the alternative is far less glittering – I go to “Wally World” strictly for dirt cheap, utilitarian items, and this I can do rather quickly – it makes Target look like a blessing and a beacon of hope from the retail gods. I mean, the excitement for me starts when I see that big red bullseye straight ahead as I pull off the parkway and make a right turn into that enormous parking lot. And bullseye it is! I can usually find a spot close to the entrance even on a busy Saturday, where as at walmart I might have to park across the street, which sends me into waves of fury before I have even made my way in the store. The name is just perfect too, don’t we all just “target” our way to Target? It’s such a happy place to be, and sometimes I sing a little ditty about it, to the tune of Mariah Carey’s Fantasy – “whatcha gonna do when you get outta [work]? I’m gonna go to [Target]!”. And then I do, and with shopping list in hand, I peruse every wish-want-need fulfilling aisle to buy things that aren’t on it. Because at the time I made that list, how was I supposed to know that that THING was gonna be there? Shopping lists shouldn’t be a list of your limitations, it’s really just a jumping off point, so that you have your bases covered. It constantly evolves, right? So when I walk into Target, I feel free as bird, I am totally on cloud ten. Oh, and don’t let there be a “buy four, get a $5 Targ gift card” somewhere…
AMEN Ashley 😀 Well said! 😀
Oh those EBIL $5 off gift cards… The cashier always have someone bring me up my 4th thing as I shell out another $15 because “It just makes sense!”
This happened to me today! Went in for coconut water and came out with: 3 dresses, 1 sweater, 1 top, 5 pairs of underwear, body wash, beer, AND coconut water!!
Oh yeah and you always have to dig through the underwear bins because they ALWAYS have the 5 for $20 off sale. And, they have my favorite underwears.
I’ve done this so many times. At Costco, too. The best strategy I’ve found is to make a list and stick to it. Never “just look” at makeup, clothes, or jewelry if I don’t want to buy.
haha costco and sam’s club are death traps!
HA HA HA I know only too well how that works!
My game plan can be a bit of a party pooper. But it’s helped me save up for a down payment on a house during the past year!
1) prepare the list! (mostly so I won’t forget toilet paper again)
2) stick to the list. If diverted by cute shiny things, use the Diversion tactic. Calculate how long you would have to work (be it in minutes, hours or days) for the particular item. Then calculate how often you would have to use it before you get your return on investment.
3) helps if you have a meeting or an appt right after Target, in order to rush you through. Just don’t forget about that toilet paper 😉
I’m going shopping with you Dejena!
Ha, my mom calls me the world’s biggest killjoy. Last time she went shopping with me was during the Superbowl sale at Mario’s, and she wanted to buy me a deeply discounted prada coat. She’s a mix of being proud of me, and terribly pouty. It was super adorable!
Now, I will admit… I won’t hold back during the Nordies Anniversary sale. Can you believe it, it’s right around the corner! :O
EEP! I KNOW! God, Nordies Anni already! Crazy 😀 Your mom sounds adorable haha 😀
Seems like a well-documented phenomenon! My family laughs at me because when I go to visit my parents, I always want to go on a Target trip — by myself, preferably early in the day when the store is quiet. It’s such a treat for me. I always check out pajamas/loungewear, sometimes clothes, and always cosmetics! Oh, and sometimes I remember to buy the garbage bags, shower curtain liner, mouth wash, yawn . . . oh, look over there! body wash!
Can I relate???????? YES! I call Target the $200.00 Store. It’s like going to The Dollar Tree Store and spending $100.00 and you went in for a couple cans of soup. So funny……..Have a great weekend. 🙂
haha ;-D I know the feeling well! You too! Nice long one ahead yay! Enjoy!
I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to go in Target and just get “the things on your list.” I will go in there with a short list and when I come out I have bought things that were not on that list…and 2 hours in there is pretty standard for me…LOL. Gotta love Target! ♥
Ha this is me Penny 😀
I wish Canada still had Target. It was like a fancier version of Wal-Mart (which isn’t that bad in Canada). Ours had a few exclusive brands (I loved Mixed Chicks shampoo). I’d love to be able to purchase Carol’s Daughter items easily, as I’ve rarely seen them in Canada. Just once at Winners, our branch of TJ Maxx. I wish to try Laneige too.
They have Angry Birds vinyls too, according to the website. I haven’t been able to find those in shops here.
You’re narrative is perfect Muse! I’m actually picturing my store as I’m walking in and this spot on! On Monday, I snagged some good 4th of July stuff in the dollar bins. Just because. I’m right there with you too. Target is such a dangerous place. It used to be a trek to get to a Target so it was always a treat to go into one but we moved last year and now I have two almost within spitting distance of the house. One would think that I’d be less likely to fill up the cart every time I’m there, but that’s not the case at all.
haha those dollar bins are EVILLLLLLLLLLLLLL! 😀
Our local Target is fantastic. They are now selling Sleek Makeup, although it sells out like crazy. The children’s clothing range there is fabulous and I am always buying something for my grandchildren. Resistance is futile for me.
I really understand where you are coming from Isabella.
god I wish target in the US would get Sleek!
$200 seems to be the magic number. That’s always what everybody complains they spend, myself included. The last two times I went to Target I somehow managed to spend only $50 or less. I actually looked at the register confused.
I thought this was how all Target trips went☺️
haha oh it’s normal? 😀