It was one of those marathon spring days in early June. Hour upon hour of activity – all good and fun stuff, but hardly a minute to spare. My son had a Bar Mitzvah to go to (morning services and evening party); my daughter had a softball game and softball tryouts; and my son also had a baseball game in between all of it.
Between one kid’s baseball game and the other kid’s softball tryouts, I needed to squeeze in an errand to buy my son shoes for the evening party. He had squashed his size 6 foot for the morning service into a size 4 shoe – sorry, bud. He required the right-sized shoe to get his groove on for the evening party! I’d head to trusty ol’ Target. It’s virtually 2 minutes from my house and my “go-to” for everything. I’ll make a bee-line for the shoe section and grab a pair of size six boys’ dress shoes.
Mama’s got this down pat. Just enough time to complete my quest. I enter Target, and as I walk by the dollar bins on my right, I spot the junior girls’ clothes in front of me. Wait – that’s where the handbags and accessories are supposed to be. What’s going on? It’s like I’ve never been here before! My eyes gear left, and there are those handbags and accessories. Confused and slightly dizzy, I stroll down that first hallway on my hunt for the shoes. And…no shoes. What the? What is going on here?
This is out of control! They changed the layout. Oh my, I do not have time for this! Automatically, like any other crazy busy suburban mom in crunch mode, I open Facebook on my phone and tag myself in Target, needing my fellow local parents to chime in to commiserate.
In no time, many local moms commented on my post. Here’s what they had to say:
Thank goodness for the validation. Knowing that I wasn’t alone in my angst was a good feeling. The mom tribe was supportive of my situation. But seriously, WHERE ARE THE SHOES??!
I backtracked a bit and turned down one of the side aisles. At last, I stumbled upon the shoe section and located the boy shoes. Luckily, there was a pair of size six dress shoes that would work perfectly. And I also grabbed a couple of slip-on sneakers (think Vans) – just in case he wanted something more comfortable.
But why is the shoe section here now? It made no sense. Whose bright idea was this? Still questioning this, my walk out of the shoe section brings me into the boys’ clothes section. Oh, that’s pretty convenient. I grabbed two short-sleeved button-down shirts for my son. Also, for the premise of upcoming Bar Mitzvahs, of course. Then, I circled around to the girl’s section and selected two bathing suits for my daughter.
Since I’m already headed in this direction, let me grab detergent and a couple of other household cleaners. I might as well pick up milk and associated staples, too. Ah, the time is ticking! But I may have darted back to the women’s section for that cute little skirt that is “so me,’ which I eyed when looking for the darn shoe section in the first place.
PS – And $177 later, at least I found a Coke Zero with my name on it!
Change is Rough!
Now, Target, it’s difficult enough to head into a store like yours and purchase only what you planned to. I’m at a loss if I can’t count on you to help with timing and routine. Target – how could you? I’m a busy parent and rely on your consistency.
Before your selfish redecoration, Target, I would have put my blinders on and made it my destination within your store within my time limit. I’m a mom on a mission – and that, in and of itself, is enough to know that I would make this work. To the shoes – Grab the shoes – To the register – Out of the store. All before the sand ran through the hourglass.
You’re my go-to BFF store. I thought we had something special. Can’t you warn a gal before you do something drastic? How can I ever trust you now?
Why Target, Why?
In the spirit of needing to know everything, my brain was in overdrive with questions! Target, did you feel that you needed to redecorate to keep us all interested? There was no need – honest. We love you just the way you are. Were there too many quickies in and out of the store? Did you feel the need to spice it up a bit?
Was it something we did? Did you think we were becoming complacent? Sometimes complacency is good, Target! You’re the reliable one, Target. We can always count on you.
Could it be a ploy to hit up areas of the store that we don’t normally visit? All resulting in a longer stay and more money spent? If so, your plan was a success, Target. I spent $177 due to walking into and by sections of the store that I didn’t plan on. And made it to softball tryouts by the skin of our teeth.
I was headed in to buy one pair of shoes. ONE. Quick in. Quick out. Good job – I hope you’re happy.
Hunting for the Truth
Some joked:
Could this be the answer? Maybe Target rejigged their layout for us? We needed it. There is no need for further second-guessing, overthinking, and analyzing as I say THANK YOU. I’m happy to realize that it had little to do with making the store more appealing to increase sales.
All you were trying to do was change things so we could find new hiding places in Target! Brilliant!
Oh, Target, I knew you only want the best for us suburban moms, “aka” your biggest fans. I was a little thrown on this shopping trip, but a little uncertainly and discomfort IS good for the soul. I should have known better than to question your motives.
I’m being bold, but I will speak on behalf of my fellow local moms here. Thank you, Target, for knowing what we need even before we do. You can count on us to be back – over and over and over again.
