Target 2022

Predicting the demise of Sears & Kmart since 2017!
Romr123
Assistant Store Manager
Assistant Store Manager
Posts: 692
Joined: February 1st, 2021, 4:26 pm
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 56 times
Status: Offline

Re: Target 2022

Post by Romr123 »

There are 3 stores nearby which I visit; two smaller/less affluent and one slightly larger/more affluent. Neither of the smaller stores is anywhere near this bad. The slightly larger store is distinctly worse than the other two (in-stocks, etc) and the clientele is unpleasant...definitely my least favored of the 3. The better of the two smaller stores was a relocation about 10 years ago from an original market-entry store (the other one is an original market store).
storewanderer
Posts: 14270
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 3:54 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 289 times
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Target 2022

Post by storewanderer »

ClownLoach wrote: September 22nd, 2022, 11:47 am

My guess is that the backroom is throwing up freight out every door except the ones that lead onto the sales floor. That store is so hopelessly behind on getting the merchandise out to the floor that they're probably missing sales plan by heavy double digits each week which means that they have to cut labor to make payroll despite the work not being done. It is in a death spiral. Then the best employees leave because they're mad that their hours are being cut due to the fact that their coworkers are lazy. The rest stand around because the managers are overwhelmed and don't know what to fix first because the whole store is broken. They are probably behind on plano grams too which means they can't even fix the freight backlog because many new items are piled up but they don't have a home on the (empty) sales floor yet. So they have to reset the empty aisles before they can stock them with merchandise. They need to fire every manager in the store and start from scratch then they have to invest a boatload of payroll to get the broken store caught up.

There is one Target near me that is not quite this bad but it is a very low volume SuperTarget, and it is obvious that they struggle to get the freight out. They're always last to set new seasonal and frequently I find markdowns have automatically posted despite the shelf labels and item stickers not being changed. It's definitely not a well run store but it doesn't look anything like this Reno disaster.

The model of "make sales or cut labor hours" has probably created more broken stores for retailers than any other recent labor practice. Retailers have probably lost more sales and profit from the resulting broken stores and cost of fixing them than they would if they just gave the stores a fixed labor budget each week and left them alone.
The store has heavy foot traffic on weekends. Typically 25-50% of the cars in the lot have CA plates since it is the only Target in Reno. There is 1 Target in Sparks also (also high traffic, again many CA plates in the lot). I went to Sparks last night. It was actually worse than the Reno Store in terms of mess level in clothing, but the home areas were a bit better stocked (let's say they had 70% in stock); the Sparks Store was also rather dirty with various stains and spills all over the floors in hardlines and around grocery/pet. Cosmetics/drug was similarly poorly stocked (probably a bunch of theft). Produce stocked but half of it should have been thrown away. My theory is these people from CA come to Reno expecting Targets like back home and what they end up with is very substandard so they buy less than planned then stop going out of their way to patronize Target going forward after a few bad visits.

Reno Target did change its Store Director in May 2022 (and that Store Director did not move to another Target...)... but the store looks just as terrible as it did before, if not even worse, at this time. Really it is no different now than it was a year ago. So the problems must be beyond the control of the average Store Director.

Many businesses are settling with employees and management now that are not executing well because they can't find anyone else. Then new employees come in and develop the same bad habits as the existing poorly executing employees and management. This is happening at various businesses all over Reno and is not limited to retail by any means.
Super S
Posts: 2680
Joined: April 1st, 2009, 9:27 pm
Has thanked: 11 times
Been thanked: 60 times
Status: Offline

Re: Target 2022

Post by Super S »

I was in the Clackamas Target today, which is undergoing a remodel. This store is across from Clackamas Town Center and was part of Target's entry into Portland in the 1980s. I have noticed some tweaks to the format they have been updating with, such as removing recessed lighting above the registers and installing many rows of new LED fixtures which hang lower, a strip of LED lighting that runs down the center aisle, and hanging department signs that are lighted. They have, unfortunately, gone to polished concrete floors with the exception of carpet in the clothing areas. I will give Target some credit for at least doing a little more thorough job of removing the old tile lines, but the floors really make the store look unfinished and more like Walmart. It also looks a little darker. The concrete just doesn't fit Target's image. I gotta wonder how long it will be before we see them removing suspended ceilings and converting to the "warehouse look" as Walmart, Fred Meyer, and others have done with big remodels.
BatteryMill
Shift Manager
Shift Manager
Posts: 410
Joined: May 1st, 2016, 12:25 pm
Has thanked: 7 times
Been thanked: 18 times
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Target 2022

Post by BatteryMill »

Super S wrote: October 3rd, 2022, 4:50 pm I was in the Clackamas Target today, which is undergoing a remodel. This store is across from Clackamas Town Center and was part of Target's entry into Portland in the 1980s. I have noticed some tweaks to the format they have been updating with, such as removing recessed lighting above the registers and installing many rows of new LED fixtures which hang lower, a strip of LED lighting that runs down the center aisle, and hanging department signs that are lighted. They have, unfortunately, gone to polished concrete floors with the exception of carpet in the clothing areas. I will give Target some credit for at least doing a little more thorough job of removing the old tile lines, but the floors really make the store look unfinished and more like Walmart. It also looks a little darker. The concrete just doesn't fit Target's image. I gotta wonder how long it will be before we see them removing suspended ceilings and converting to the "warehouse look" as Walmart, Fred Meyer, and others have done with big remodels.
Target in recent years has instituted open-truss ceilings, but only partially, such as above entrance or checkout areas. It would certainly not be surprising, and I lament all these unorthodox changes that make them more trendy than usual.
storewanderer
Posts: 14270
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 3:54 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 289 times
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Target 2022

Post by storewanderer »

BatteryMill wrote: October 3rd, 2022, 6:37 pm
Super S wrote: October 3rd, 2022, 4:50 pm I was in the Clackamas Target today, which is undergoing a remodel. This store is across from Clackamas Town Center and was part of Target's entry into Portland in the 1980s. I have noticed some tweaks to the format they have been updating with, such as removing recessed lighting above the registers and installing many rows of new LED fixtures which hang lower, a strip of LED lighting that runs down the center aisle, and hanging department signs that are lighted. They have, unfortunately, gone to polished concrete floors with the exception of carpet in the clothing areas. I will give Target some credit for at least doing a little more thorough job of removing the old tile lines, but the floors really make the store look unfinished and more like Walmart. It also looks a little darker. The concrete just doesn't fit Target's image. I gotta wonder how long it will be before we see them removing suspended ceilings and converting to the "warehouse look" as Walmart, Fred Meyer, and others have done with big remodels.
Target in recent years has instituted open-truss ceilings, but only partially, such as above entrance or checkout areas. It would certainly not be surprising, and I lament all these unorthodox changes that make them more trendy than usual.
Reno Target remodeled for what felt like a year and aside from a new floor around cosmetics, new carpet in clothing, the old white floor from the late 90's remains throughout and the same old shelving from the 90's is still there. Carson City Target got an even cheaper remodel job. It is interesting they are still doing the more thorough remodels to stores in larger areas.

How is noise level with shopping carts/wheels on the concrete floors? Previous Target carts and flooring was always designed to make the carts as smooth and quiet as possible.
Super S
Posts: 2680
Joined: April 1st, 2009, 9:27 pm
Has thanked: 11 times
Been thanked: 60 times
Status: Offline

Re: Target 2022

Post by Super S »

storewanderer wrote: October 3rd, 2022, 10:54 pm

How is noise level with shopping carts/wheels on the concrete floors? Previous Target carts and flooring was always designed to make the carts as smooth and quiet as possible.
I honestly did not notice if the carts were noisy. A typical remodeled Target has noises that never existed before, such as music (a big no-no at Target for many years) as well as floor cleaning crews working in the middle of the day with floor scrubbers, vacuums, etc (which was also a big no-no during business hours) The Target of today is relaxing many of their previous standards.
ClownLoach
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor
Posts: 2617
Joined: April 4th, 2016, 10:55 pm
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 276 times
Status: Online

Re: Target 2022

Post by ClownLoach »

BatteryMill wrote: October 3rd, 2022, 6:37 pm
Super S wrote: October 3rd, 2022, 4:50 pm I was in the Clackamas Target today, which is undergoing a remodel. This store is across from Clackamas Town Center and was part of Target's entry into Portland in the 1980s. I have noticed some tweaks to the format they have been updating with, such as removing recessed lighting above the registers and installing many rows of new LED fixtures which hang lower, a strip of LED lighting that runs down the center aisle, and hanging department signs that are lighted. They have, unfortunately, gone to polished concrete floors with the exception of carpet in the clothing areas. I will give Target some credit for at least doing a little more thorough job of removing the old tile lines, but the floors really make the store look unfinished and more like Walmart. It also looks a little darker. The concrete just doesn't fit Target's image. I gotta wonder how long it will be before we see them removing suspended ceilings and converting to the "warehouse look" as Walmart, Fred Meyer, and others have done with big remodels.
Target in recent years has instituted open-truss ceilings, but only partially, such as above entrance or checkout areas. It would certainly not be surprising, and I lament all these unorthodox changes that make them more trendy than usual.
I was in Portland and saw the Cascade Station store by the airport is also getting remodeled. I did like the new lighted department signs, surprising how much of a difference that makes. Also the removal of recessed lighting above checkout and replacement with hanging LED rail lights. But I also notice they continue to reduce the scope of these remodels. They have already backed off the massive format change where they move all apparel to center store in standard size formats (basically they were remodeling standard size stores to a mini-Greatland format), backed off the ceiling tile removal/open ceilings, and even are doing really mediocre linoleum replacement where only the old tile exposed by gondola moves is replaced. The most recent statement from Target about their latest remodels talks about how they're not moving as many items around and limiting layout change because they want the store to still feel familiar to the customer. I suspect that the massive scale remodels where they moved apparel center only, built the freestanding fitting rooms that block the view around the building, spread out home departments across the entire back wall and corner etc. were not only super expensive/took to long to remodel but they also probably deliver less of a sales increase than these new "light remodels" which still give the store a new look without alienating the customer and probably are costing much less to complete in less than half the time of previous remodels. Plus those full scale remodels were intended to expand on home decor and apparel, two categories where Target and everyone else are getting crushed right now by bad sales and bloated inventory. I think we have seen the last of the massive, months long, everything moves remodels from Target until the economy picks back up.
BatteryMill
Shift Manager
Shift Manager
Posts: 410
Joined: May 1st, 2016, 12:25 pm
Has thanked: 7 times
Been thanked: 18 times
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Target 2022

Post by BatteryMill »

ClownLoach wrote: October 5th, 2022, 9:04 am I was in Portland and saw the Cascade Station store by the airport is also getting remodeled. I did like the new lighted department signs, surprising how much of a difference that makes. Also the removal of recessed lighting above checkout and replacement with hanging LED rail lights. But I also notice they continue to reduce the scope of these remodels. They have already backed off the massive format change where they move all apparel to center store in standard size formats (basically they were remodeling standard size stores to a mini-Greatland format), backed off the ceiling tile removal/open ceilings, and even are doing really mediocre linoleum replacement where only the old tile exposed by gondola moves is replaced. The most recent statement from Target about their latest remodels talks about how they're not moving as many items around and limiting layout change because they want the store to still feel familiar to the customer. I suspect that the massive scale remodels where they moved apparel center only, built the freestanding fitting rooms that block the view around the building, spread out home departments across the entire back wall and corner etc. were not only super expensive/took to long to remodel but they also probably deliver less of a sales increase than these new "light remodels" which still give the store a new look without alienating the customer and probably are costing much less to complete in less than half the time of previous remodels. Plus those full scale remodels were intended to expand on home decor and apparel, two categories where Target and everyone else are getting crushed right now by bad sales and bloated inventory. I think we have seen the last of the massive, months long, everything moves remodels from Target until the economy picks back up.
I haven't seen much of the lighted department signs yet, but I'm not amazed by the use of rail lights above checkouts, makes the area feel darker and less in uniform to the rest of the store.

Now, since 2017 there have always been remodels of varying scales, whether it just slaps the new backlit walls and signs on, or rips the ceiling out to make those grand structures in place. I don't know when was the last time such a remodel was conducted but they seem to be more common in Supers/Greatlands. As for the remodel pause, I do know they already did so throughout 2020, but I don't know to what scale they'll be halting work this time around.


I have a related question to the overall remodel campaign that has been going on since 2017. Just 5-7 years prior Target remodeled hundreds of locations through PFresh. Besides SuperTargets that bypassed this program, why would they have done so once again? This is something that perplexed me back when the plans were announced.
ClownLoach
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor
Posts: 2617
Joined: April 4th, 2016, 10:55 pm
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 276 times
Status: Online

Re: Target 2022

Post by ClownLoach »

BatteryMill wrote: October 5th, 2022, 11:49 am
ClownLoach wrote: October 5th, 2022, 9:04 am I was in Portland and saw the Cascade Station store by the airport is also getting remodeled. I did like the new lighted department signs, surprising how much of a difference that makes. Also the removal of recessed lighting above checkout and replacement with hanging LED rail lights. But I also notice they continue to reduce the scope of these remodels. They have already backed off the massive format change where they move all apparel to center store in standard size formats (basically they were remodeling standard size stores to a mini-Greatland format), backed off the ceiling tile removal/open ceilings, and even are doing really mediocre linoleum replacement where only the old tile exposed by gondola moves is replaced. The most recent statement from Target about their latest remodels talks about how they're not moving as many items around and limiting layout change because they want the store to still feel familiar to the customer. I suspect that the massive scale remodels where they moved apparel center only, built the freestanding fitting rooms that block the view around the building, spread out home departments across the entire back wall and corner etc. were not only super expensive/took to long to remodel but they also probably deliver less of a sales increase than these new "light remodels" which still give the store a new look without alienating the customer and probably are costing much less to complete in less than half the time of previous remodels. Plus those full scale remodels were intended to expand on home decor and apparel, two categories where Target and everyone else are getting crushed right now by bad sales and bloated inventory. I think we have seen the last of the massive, months long, everything moves remodels from Target until the economy picks back up.
I haven't seen much of the lighted department signs yet, but I'm not amazed by the use of rail lights above checkouts, makes the area feel darker and less in uniform to the rest of the store.
The rail lights are probably triple the amount of light compared to any other part of the store. They didn't look good when they were also removing the ceiling above and painting the rafters dark charcoal gray, but now they're just hanging them from the t-frame ceiling. They look great.

Hopefully they've ended all experiments with removing t-frame ceilings as part of these new scaled down remodels.
BatteryMill
Shift Manager
Shift Manager
Posts: 410
Joined: May 1st, 2016, 12:25 pm
Has thanked: 7 times
Been thanked: 18 times
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Target 2022

Post by BatteryMill »

ClownLoach wrote: October 5th, 2022, 3:38 pm The rail lights are probably triple the amount of light compared to any other part of the store. They didn't look good when they were also removing the ceiling above and painting the rafters dark charcoal gray, but now they're just hanging them from the t-frame ceiling. They look great.

Hopefully they've ended all experiments with removing t-frame ceilings as part of these new scaled down remodels.
This is what I was talking about, regarding open-truss at Target. I've only seen it at a few flex-format stores, rather sparingly. The first Greatland also featured t-frame grids but with no tiles.
Post Reply