The new Target store at Shopper's World Danforth
If retail’s your thing there was only one place to be on Thursday — the soft opening of the new Target store at Shopper’s World, located at the corner of Danforth and Victoria Park.
The store was jammed with casual shoppers, bargain hunters and the simply curious who wanted to see for themselves what the American retailing giant is offering Canadian customers.
We spoke to a dozen shoppers and the overall reaction was very positive.
“I think it’s great, it’s beautiful,” said Kim Robinson. “It’s a definite positive change from the Zeller’s that was here before. I think the cleanliness and the way that it’s stocked and the courtesy of the staff is great.”
Trendy merchandise
Many customers were impressed that the merchandise seemed more modern and trendy than what’s available at the same price point in more established Canadian stores.
In this neighbourhood, I think they’ll do great,” said Christie Forsyth, who does all of her shopping at Shopper’s World. “At Zellers it was just basic stuff. They seem to have a more updated decor. They have better choices for bedding and housewares. Definitely more fashionable. I like Nate Berkus and they have him online and here as well.
Her opinion was echoed by Shannon Stanojevic who admitted to having “a Target thing” and has been to three of the 19 new stores that opened in Toronto this month.
Shannon Stanojevic shopping with daughter Poppa Walker
“I think other stores should be doing what they do. If you’re going to make stuff for cheap, why make it ugly-looking? Like some of the stuff in Sears…is straight out of the 80s or 70s. Why don’t you do something that looks contemporary?”
Prices higher than US
When it comes to the prices, opinion was mixed.
Most customers said the prices are definitely higher than Target in the US and several said they’re higher than Walmart.
“They (prices) seem to be OK,” said Kim Robinson. “I’d say they’re on par if not a little bit higher than what I’ve seen at Walmart, if I was to compare to a large retailer.”
“I was impressed, especially with the make up,” said Kristylea Rogers who was putting together a bridal basket for a girlfriend. “It’s a lot cheaper than other stores in the area, so I was really impressed with that.”
No deals on food
The biggest disappointment in terms of prices seemed to be with the cost of food.
“They’re pretty comparable to most of the stores – Metro, Loblaws, Freshco,” said Gail Selmack who was grocery shopping with husband Walter.
Christie Forsyth said she’s been hoping the competition from Target might bring down the prices at Metro, but noticed that the food at Target didn’t seem to be any less expensive.
“Modern and edgy” clothing
Girlfriends Faria Anis, 22, and Saiya Yasmin, 20 were more interested in the clothes than the food. They said they knew ahead of time from reading blogs that the prices would be slighly higher than Walmart and say it’s a fair trade-off for better style.
Faria Anis (left) and Sadiya Yasmin
“It’s very, very modern, very contemporary – it’s very trendy,” said Yasmin. “And I think that’s what’s going to make it a big hit, especially in this area. A lot of the time when you look at discount retailers it’s very kind of sophisticated and classy. This is very modern and edgy. It’s going to bring out a younger audience.”
“I think it’s really nice. I think there’s a lot of things here that we’re looking at and it seems like you’d find it at Forever 21 and H & M, the popular stores for our generation,” said Anis.
Another customer noted that some of the clothes seemed like exact knockoffs from Anthropologie for about one-third of the price.
Exceptional service so far
One thing everyone could agree on was the excellent service. The folks dressed in red were literally everywhere.
Target staff
“There’s a lot of people working here,” said Anis. “Any time you need something they’re very quick to respond and help you out. I think it’s a very good thing to have that kind of customer service.”
Shannon Stanojevic said she’s noticed that the lineups are much shorter at Target because they staff almost all of the cash registers.
“I hate Walmart when they have a whole wall of cash registers and they have like two of them open and people are lined up. I’ve been in busy Target stores and have the cashes all manned. I’ve never had to line up very long. Hopefully that goes beyond the opening.”
Have you had a chance to check out Target? Feel free to scroll down and leave a comment.
