Odd self-checkout setup at Target

[Super S]

I went to visit a friend in Gresham, Oregon today, and on the way home stopped at the Target there (Wood Village). This location has not been upgraded in the current remodel wave yet and still retains the old capital letters logo. But there are several containers on the side of the parking lot hinting that a remodel may be coming soon.

What was weird about this one was the self-checkout. I have never seen this layout. Instead of the typical layout (the service desk is where self checkout typically is, and was probably due to adding Starbucks) there is ONE self checkout register, and it's up against the front wall and away from the main bank of checkouts. It almost looks like they added this as an afterthought. Are any other Targets set up like this?

[storewanderer]

The self checkout appears to be more for a grab and go food display near it, than for actual store customers.

Still very odd they would install one self checkout in a full size store like this. I wonder who monitors it/clears errors?

Given Fred Meyer has had heavy use of self checkout in OR for decades now, it seems like it would be a customer expectation in the Pacific Northwest even moreso than some other regions.

[ClownLoach]

I was in that store a while back. It is a super low volume store. Those "super low volume" stores typically don't have any self checkout at all and have combined checkout and service desks. Most of the time the store only has one cashier and they have to handle both returns and checkout at the same register. The photos on Google show this setup, registers 1-3 say "Checkout and Returns."

Most Target snack bars have removed the dedicated staffing as they really are just soda fountains, beverage cases and a popcorn machine, and replaced the cashier with a self checkout. Most of these snack bars get removed and replaced by Starbucks when the store gets remodeled but I have seen a few where the snack bar downsizes and remains across from the registers and adjacent to Starbucks. I am not sure if this self checkout is programmed to only sell the product from the snack bar.

Having said that, the area of Gresham and really all the perimeter cities around Portland are exploding with residential growth as the city itself collapses. People are fleeing from Portland city proper and everything around the city now is under construction as new residential. So this store probably has outgrown this setup and will get remodeled to the newer setup as it seems all the Portland market stores are receiving updates.

The homeless situation I saw two weeks ago was as bad as skid row in LA. Basically Portland tried to clear all the homeless out of Downtown and it backfired - they're all spread out to the East now including the riverfront by the airport, the US-30 bypass is miles of tent cities and RVs - and it looks like the homeless population has tripled in less than a year. This is pushing people to move out of the very expensive city and into the suburbs.

[SamSpade]

1) Minor detail. This store is in Fairview though it is hard to tell that city, Troutdale, and Wood Village apart from one another.
2) I have been in that store's parking lot but never went in. I see the photo online with the consolidated service counter. Interesting!
3) Most online photos of this store are showing out of stock issues. Oof.
4) This store isn't really visible from the arterial that comes in from I-84.
5) I have always liked the nearby Wood Village Fred Meyer, though Fairview has much more of a walkable town center feeling, which is probably part of why this store was opened at this size.

[babs]

You can checkout at the self checkout stand in the snackbar. I've seen employees send people over to checkout. Use it, if you can!

The Fairview Target is an odd location. I was working for Target when they were planning this store. They expected the new downtown style urban area around the store to become the next hot spot so they thought it was an obvious choice for a new store. That area never fulfilled its potential. They would have been better off placing the store right on I-84 or in a major street in Gresham.

[storewanderer]

1) Minor detail. This store is in Fairview though it is hard to tell that city, Troutdale, and Wood Village apart from one another.
2) I have been in that store's parking lot but never went in. I see the photo online with the consolidated service counter. Interesting!
3) Most online photos of this store are showing out of stock issues. Oof.
4) This store isn't really visible from the arterial that comes in from I-84.
5) I have always liked the nearby Wood Village Fred Meyer, though Fairview has much more of a walkable town center feeling, which is probably part of why this store was opened at this size.

Wood Village, I always enjoyed going to that Fred Meyer, not entirely sure why. Nothing outstanding going on there in their fresh departments or anything. Just something about the atmosphere.

Something looks a bit off about the Target. My guess is the Target is underperforming and they are hoping development will send some more traffic their way. Between the nice Wood Village Fred Meyer then for folks who want a scary experience the Troutdale Wal Mart (which are many- that store is booming even at 10:30 PM), I can see how Target is basically stuck in the middle and lost. The Target also strikes me as having a poor location with poor access.

[Super S]

1) Minor detail. This store is in Fairview though it is hard to tell that city, Troutdale, and Wood Village apart from one another.

That is correct. I keep forgetting that it is technically a separate city, with the Wood Village Fred Meyer so close.

You can checkout at the self checkout stand in the snackbar. I've seen employees send people over to checkout. Use it, if you can!

The Fairview Target is an odd location. I was working for Target when they were planning this store. They expected the new downtown style urban area around the store to become the next hot spot so they thought it was an obvious choice for a new store. That area never fulfilled its potential. They would have been better off placing the store right on I-84 or in a major street in Gresham.

If I remember right, at one point it was called "Fairview Town Center" and certain features of the store were designed for the development, including old-looking post lights in the parking lot. On this visit I noticed that those have been replaced with more conventional LED fixtures.

It does strike me as an odd location that is somewhat hidden, and something that would appeal more to locals than those who are passing through. It kinda reminds me of the location in Federal Way before they built a new, more visible store at The Commons. I could potentially see the same thing happening here eventually.