The First Target Ever on the Las Vegas Strip.
The day before yesterday the very first Target on the Las Vegas Strip celebrated its Grand Opening (on Sunday August 16, 2020). The day after its Grand Opening, yours truly paid it a visit.
The Las Vegas Strip Target stands at the northernmost end of the Showcase Mall and abuts the Park MGM /Eataly - Showcase Mall pedestrian bridge. It is a City Target which is essentially a Baby Target. There is only one entrance off the Strip leading to this one story Baby Target that seems to be slightly larger than a Flagship Walgreens. It is so small that a directory is nonexistent. The salesfloor includes a Starbuck's that currently is only take-out, a grocery department that features some produce and freshly made sandwiches, a large alcohol section that includes a beer cave, Las Vegas souvenirs, apparel, luggage aisle, travel size items, over the counter pharmacy (there is no pharmacy), and health & beauty aids.
I have reviewed quite a few City Targets and was underwhelmed by this one. First off the City Targets that I reviewed in other cities are usually two to three levels. When I look at the exterior it looks like there are three levels just like the adjacent Hard Rock Cafe, M&Ms World, and Coke Store. It turns out that the upper levels are currently vacant vertical real estate. Second off a few of the urban Targets I reviewed have included a pharmacy. I left with the impression that this one is more on the level of a flagship Walgreens. At least a couple of the Walgreens on the Strip include a pharmacy and health clinic. My last impression was the want for a register that a real person runs. There are only self checkouts. I think that this looks greedy, especially when the Walgreens on its north border features a cue line register system with live employees. On the plus side they accept cash. To me this Baby Target's biggest problem is that the neighboring stores in Showcase Mall and the Walgreens to the north offer a better selection. For example, where this Baby Target offers an abbreviated selection of apparel; Ross and Marshall's have a larger selection.
On the plus side and I don't mean extra large clothing, this very Baby Target currently offers the largest grocery selection on the Las Vegas Strip. You can make the argument that it is the closest thing to a supermarket on the Las Vegas Strip. Additionally the prices seem to be fair. For example a can of Bang that costs $2 is & 2.09 here.
In my opinion the real star here is the Target dog mascot Bullseye. The adorable white Target dog with the red bullseye around its eye is the latest to headline on the Las Vegas Strip. Bullseye adorns the facade of the store on a Marque sized sign. Whether it is neon or digitalized it lights up at night. Bullseye certainly catches people's attention when they walk by Park MGM. At nighttime the illuminated Bullseye joins the cavalcade of neon and digitalized lights to costar with the Giant Coke Bottle, M&M bag, and Hard Rock Cafe Guitar amungst others in the nighttime extravaganza that the Showcase Mall puts on. Inside the Baby Target a large Bullseye statue greets customers.
Two days after its Grand Opening the first Target on the Las Vegas Strip is a nice edition on the Strip. It is nice to see a new business open up that provides jobs and another alternative for people to shop on the Las Vegas Strip. It is also nice to see economic life in a formerly abandoned parcel that was a haven for undesirable activity. When all is said and done Bullseye is starring in the economic development that will help bring back the Las Vegas Strip that most of us know and love. read more