This is now my second frustrating experience at this Target in less than two weeks, and both visits…read morehave had the same underlying issue: poor communication, lack of organization, and making simple purchases unnecessarily difficult.
On my first visit, I stopped at the Target snack bar for something quick. There was no visible sign indicating that the food counter was not operating normally. I stood there waiting before eventually noticing a piece of paper lying flat on the counter telling customers to order through Starbucks. By then, the Starbucks line had more than 10 people in it and appeared to be staffed by only two employees. After waiting another 10+ minutes, I finally got to the register and asked for popcorn, only to be told, "We're not making it today." Apparently they were only serving the Pizza Hut items that had already been prepared.
That would have been completely understandable if there had simply been a clear sign saying what was and was not available. Instead, I wasted time waiting at one counter, then waiting in a long Starbucks line, just to find out the item was not being offered.
On my second visit, less than two weeks later, the Target food counter actually had a separate employee working it. There were even multiple bags of popcorn visibly sitting behind the counter. I asked for a large popcorn and was told they did not have any and were only serving Pizza Hut items. When I asked if popcorn could be made, I was then told the machine was not working.
So on one visit it was "we're not making it today," and on the next visit the machine was supposedly out of service. Either way, why is there no clear signage? If the popcorn machine is broken, put an "Out of Service" sign on it. If only Pizza Hut items are available, say that. If hot dogs, popcorn, Icees, etc. are not being sold, why have a full menu posted as though they are available?
During the same visit, I tried shopping the women's underwear section during an Auden 5-for-$25 promotion. The area was extremely disorganized. Many drawers were nearly empty, sizes and styles were mixed together, and I went through all three display areas, including drawers labeled for sizes other than mine, just to find five pieces I was willing to purchase.
At self-checkout, I found out that two of the five did not qualify for the promotion because apparently only certain price points are included. The problem is that none of the individual items had visible prices on them. I asked the employee how a customer is supposed to know which ones qualify without having an employee scanner. She scanned the items and explained the price limitation, but that still did not answer the real question. How is the customer supposed to know while shopping when the merchandise is mixed together, the drawers are poorly organized, and the items themselves have no pricing?
I was then told I could "just get two more" and directed back toward the same displays I had already thoroughly searched. That was frustrating because I had already spent a significant amount of time going through essentially every drawer trying to find something in my size.
Neither issue by itself is catastrophic. The problem is that customers should not have to work this hard just to figure out what food is actually available, what merchandise costs, or what qualifies for an advertised promotion.
I have shopped at Target for decades , and there are other locations that are much cleaner, better stocked, better organized, and provide a much smoother customer experience. After two disappointing visits in roughly 10 days, I am not particularly inclined to give this location a third chance.
