storewanderer wrote: ↑April 16th, 2024, 1:18 am
ClownLoach wrote: ↑April 15th, 2024, 9:59 pm
Probably ran out of money gutting the mess inside and couldn't afford to fix the outside. They don't seem to have a "signature" exterior design. They just take what is there.
That is fair. Anyway I am pretty sure that store had the new prototype. But it doesn't seem to have it anymore. So I guess I did see that prototype.
I looked at the pictures and there are a few signage artifacts left, so it did open with the fancy new prototype but then they removed everything like the others. They don't have very consistent formats from store to store, so having a prototype was probably a good idea but not one that couldn't be operated profitably.
I think when Cornell went to Sam's next he tried to make the stores attract more Walmart customers. Sam's was much more business oriented than Costco at the time. So they started bringing in lower end items and doing the super discount membership. Basically the same thing that did in BB&B, lowering the quality in hopes that increased traffic offsets the lower prices. We all know how that worked, basically a lost decade for Sam's with store closures and lost members while Costco basically doubled their footprint.
Now we have Cornell ruining the culture of strong operations, fast service, and consistency at Target. Worse, they lean into distractions and announce them publicly such as very strong D&I programs which ordinarily would be fine but not when the customer sees that you're more focused on a single new product line or commercials than getting the shelves full, cleaning the store, and staffing the checkouts. To many it looks like Target gave up one for the other, and worse they relaxed accountability the same time they raised wages while Walmart did the opposite by every indication. Funny that Walmart has strong D&I programs but they're not becoming the butt of jokes and criticism from one end of the political spectrum, probably because of the otherwise competent operations.
I am convinced basket size is way down at Target. For a short time I think it was fine as their open banks of self checkouts made it easy to run in and get a few last minute items for less than the supermarket prices. Those additional shops were incremental extra sales which are now at risk due to the incompetence of Cornell and his team in handling shrink issues. Now I have to believe on top of self checkout, basket size must be down due to store execution driven out-of-stocks (wrong inventory count, recovery issue, etc.-nearly 100% of the time it's available at the other store across town). Pricing errors are far too common as they struggle to execute markups and markdowns. Clothing is always a disaster area with bad sizing and poor recovery, and there are still numerous stores that haven't reopened fitting rooms with the same lazy old COVID signs up from 4 years ago. If you want to be Costco or Sam's and say "just return it" then at least don't be lazy and demolish the rooms or wall them off, but for several stores I can name to have actually remodeled the fitting rooms but not reopened them? That is unacceptable. And let's not forget the cornerstone of Cornell, the small format Target... How many have closed now, been taken out of development, or worse are sitting there paid for and never to open (in a luxe high rise in Downtown San Diego)? If he thinks he saved the company by getting out of some low rent Zellers in Canada, how many high rent small formats has he wasted in the US?
I think they've added about $40B a year in sales under the Cornell era, and most of that is due to the ongoing collapse of malls and inflation. I have a strong opinion that the inconsistent operations and store conditions may be costing them billions per year in lost sales and additional shrink (because we all know that messy, disorganized stores are also higher shrink as they broadcast to thieves "We Don't Care Here!"). A good ex-Walmart exec could probably get those stores into shape and squeeze billions out of them without spending a penny on increased anything, just through fixing the leadership culture and reestablishing standards with accountability. Target needs a new CEO, and all that is my case that their problems do indeed stop at his desk.
Back to the thread topic after all the distraction.