Target: Online vs In-store experience

Discussion in Stores Reviews, Comments & Complaints started by JenVarsity • Mar 30, 2012.

  1. JenVarsity

    JenVarsityMember

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    I have NEVER had a good Target In-store experience. However, I have not ever had any trouble shopping online.

    I live in Wisconsin, the stores here are dirty and severely unorganized. When they say they have an item in stock, especially clothing, they usually cannot find it. WASTE OF TIME.

    I can order the same item online and it takes a fraction of the time and usually a fraction of the cost if I can find a discount from DontPayFull.

    Does anyone else have similar experiences?
     
  2. Dude

    DudeMember

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    Really? I have had a quite different experience. At least where I am, their stores are large, clean, well staffed (with friendly people), and honestly kind of fun to be in. :)

    I don't really like shopping online...it's just easier for me to go to the store and browse rather than order online.

    I know that driving to the store is costly with gas, but shipping prices for ordering online keep going up... :p Unless you have a Target credit card! Then I believe it's free, correct me if I'm wrong.
     
  3. dashboardc33

    dashboardc33Active Member

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    I also had a very different experience. While I usually love shopping online, Target is probably one of my least favorite websites to shop at online. I felt the actual Target store was very clean and organized in my town. The employees were very helpful and friendly as well. I greatly disliked shopping online because of the high shipping costs. It also seems as if there aren't as many choices on the Target website as in the store.

    I'm sorry your experience wasn't the best. I hope you have a better experience at the next Target store you visit.
     
  4. dissn_it

    dissn_itActive Member

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    Our local Target is a really nice one and I usually shop for quite awhile in it when I go there. They just have such a good variety of items in the store. I am not too happy with the speed of their website but it may be my old computer. I get pretty frustrated and usually give up on the website after looking at just one or two items. I usually just use the website to check store availability on a certain product. If it is in the local store, I will stop by and get it the next time I go into twon.
     
  5. JenVarsity

    JenVarsityMember

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    It very well could be your internet speed. We pay a ton to have fast download/upload speeds. I cannot do a thing on my in-laws computer, I get way to frustrated and their speeds are a fraction of ours.

    I haven't had trouble with Target about 60+ miles from here. But our local one's are terrible. I put an item on hold once and one of the ladies from fitting room told me that the other associates get grumpy when things are on hold and just put them back into the return baskets. It took us over 30mintues to find my daughters swim suit.
     
  6. Kina

    KinaMember

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    LOL it is funny about Target. When I grew up on the East Coast there were no Walmarts, only Targets and Kmarts, then I moved to the East Coast an there were only Walmarts and Kmarts. So as I grew up Targets started opening up on the East and people started going there more because they were "fresh clean and new" and the Walmarts were old and dirty. It was completely visa verse for the West Coast. The Targets were the old thing and Walmart were the "NEW".

    And Kmarts are still the old dirty stores they have always been across the country.
     
  7. btatro

    btatroActive Member

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    I have to say, I absolutely LOVE Target. Which one do you go to? I always use the one on KK in Appleton.

    I have noticed that most stores, Target included do not have most of the things in stock in the store that they offer online. I recently bought a bike trailer and every place I looked at online had 5-10 different options. When I called the store to see what they actually had, it was either one or none, and usually not the one I wanted. I am not a big online shopper so this was frustrating for me.
     
  8. Gonzalo

    GonzaloActive Member

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    I prefer buying things online rather than going shopping, just like you.
    In my opinion, it's easier and faster to look for the product I want to buy though the Internet. I don't need to get out of my house, I can buy everything I want in a couple of minutes from the comfort of my home.
    Furthermore, the main advantage of ordering my items online, it's the price. I'm not a cheap person but I don't like wasting my money either.
     
  9. addicted_buyer

    addicted_buyerExpert

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    Shopping online > Shopping in stores. Prices are most of the times lower, you have MUCH great variety, and you don't have to feel threatened or intimidated by sellers (staff) bothering if they can help you all the time when you just want to look at stuff :p

    Also, you will find many things online that you didn't even know existed where you live. International brands as well.
     
  10. hummingbirdee

    hummingbirdeeMember

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    My husband is from Minnesota and they love Target there. We did not have a Target by us and I was always envious of those who did. When Target finally came out West, it was not the big deal that I thought it would be. It does not always have the best prices. I like shopping other stores for clothes and for food. I only visit Target once in a while. During the Christmas season, I ordered online at Target and received my items quickly.
     
  11. Randomhero

    RandomheroMember

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    Well I live in hawaii and we just opened a new target here, its huge, lots of staff and their all friendly. I dont have to ask them for much help because I usually find what I'm looking for right away. Their prices aren't too bad either. I think its just probably your town and those people are giving you a bad experience.
     
  12. dkramarczyk

    dkramarczykMember

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    I'm fine with either. I do run into the issue that whenever I go to target, it's either really busy or they don't have many cashiers. I'm sure they save money by having people sit in lines forever, but they can really lose a lot of customers that way. I don't really care for ordering things online though because I hate having to wait for something that I already paid for. I prefer when I can have what I have bought right away.
     
  13. Gonzalo

    GonzaloActive Member

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    I think this is one of the best things of buying online, apart from the prices. There are so many products I didn't know they existed until I started buying through the Internet. Moreover, if you need to buy a very specific item, it's more likely to find it on the Internet than at local stores.
     
  14. btatro

    btatroActive Member

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    Yup, there is always a much bigger variety in items. Shop when the company is offering free shipping, and you can't go wrong. Most large stores will take returns of any online item even if they do not carry it in the store.
     
  15. Parker

    ParkerWell-Known Member

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    Wow! I have never had a bad shopping experience in a Target. I have shopped in Target stores in three different states (mostly on the West Coast) and have found them to be very clean, organized and friendly salespeople. I am very surprised at your experience.
     
  16. dconklin

    dconklinActive Member

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    Oh wow, I am sorry that you had bad experiences with their stores! I prefer Target over Walmart here. Walmart has always been the worst experience here from nasty managers and customer service to not many employees helping you. Target has always been very friendly here, but all stores are different, different people working there and all. Many people do not have the same bad experiences with Walmart that we experience here.
     
  17. Gonzalo

    GonzaloActive Member

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    You are right, when the company offers free shipping you simply can't go wrong with it. Have you ever returned an order?
     
  18. dexterlablab1

    dexterlablab1Active Member

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    Well, not having a good in store experience is a human error. Every store has that issue, Target included. But online would be much better. Not to mention not having to pay shipping doesn't hurt the fact either.
     
  19. Konstantina

    KonstantinaActive Member

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    Are you talking about all Target stores in your area? Have you visited any other? I only have an online experience but they were fairly neat
     
  20. Gonzalo

    GonzaloActive Member

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    Yes you are right, I agree it's a human error. That's why buying online is usually better. Have you ever had a bad experience in a store?