In a suburb like Naperville, there are very limited options in terms of activities for last-minute hangouts. You could go thrifting at the local Goodwill but the clothes there are always a hit or miss, and recently, the hangers have been riddled by last season’s maternity clothes. You could go for a late night drive with your friends but you can only go on so many car rides before the costs of gas begin to pile up monstrously high. You could go to the nearest Target and just loiter with no intention of purchasing anything at all, casually meandering through the aisles and basking under the fluorescent lights. And yeah, the last one sounds like the best option.

Now, there’s a reason as to why Target has such an alluring feel to it, a real world example of positive phototaxis; as a frequent visitor of Target, I’ve deduced that there are 3 primary reasons as to why it’s the best store to ever exist.

1. The iconic Target carts

Don’t lie, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Perhaps one of the most defining aspects, the shopping carts offered at Target department stores are unique to the corporation itself. Unless you’re a shopping connoisseur, it’s nearly impossible for you to differentiate between the carts found in Jewel Osco and the ones from H-Mart. Instead of the rickety metal carts and singular functioning wheel that seems to defy all laws of physics in going precisely the direction that you’re trying not to go, Target’s sturdy and durable carts never fail to glide smoothly across the vinyl floors of the store.

Moreover, the reinforced edges of the shopping cart ensure that any product that you’re trying to purchase, regardless of how miniscule, won’t have the opportunity to slip out of the cracks. Though there are still holes (sorry to those with trypophobia), they are small enough to prevent slippage, but also large enough so that you’re still able to see what items you’ve already stored in there. These Target carts allow you to invest any extra energy into bettering your shopping experience, instead of spending that time wondering how, while you had turned away for a split second in search of toothpaste, your cart has miraculously transported all the way over to Zimbabwe.

2. The cleanliness

Shopping at Target is like walking into the precise organizational model that your mom always wanted you to adopt for your own room. Every item has a rightful place on the shelves and are lined up in an easily comprehensible manner, whether that be in terms of color or by price point. When you walk down the aisles of Target, you can clearly see every product that they are offering – there aren’t any strays hiding between random products, no casually strewn items in giant discount buckets that make your head spin as you cautiously pick through them.

Yet, it is not just the overall layout of the Target store that is appealing – the individual products that Target sells effuse a sense of cleanliness as well. Target largely sells products with clean and neat packaging, with tiny logos and bright but plain colors. Even their own brands – A New Day, Market Pantry, Archer Farms, etc. – prioritize simplicity in their graphic designs. Picking up these items makes you feel as if you’re engaging in productive shopping, in that you’re maybe purchasing something healthy or sustainable, even if it’s a 3-tier chocolate cake.  

3. The free wi-fi

Name another store that offers free wi-fi to its customers. Sure, Starbucks offers it, but it’s often clogged up by the random business people sitting in the back sipping on their plain black coffees, decked out in their suits and sitting on their video calls. But Starbucks is obligated to offer wi-fi – its whole premise is a coffee shop that offers seats for its customers to get work done. Without wi-fi, much of Starbucks would lose its appeal. 

On the other hand, Target has absolutely no obligations to offer wi-fi. It’s supposed to be a one-stop-shop center, where you go in and get out of the store with the products on your shopping list checked off. However, how many times have you realistically left Target without picking up random stray items on the side? That’s right, zero. Target’s wi-fi promotes this shopping journey as an immersive experience, elevating it into so much more than just a store.

Yes, I did just psycho-analyze my reasoning as to why Target is the absolute most appealing store to shop at. Maybe one (or all three!) of these points resonated with you, or maybe you just enjoy going to Target to see your employee-friend in their firefighter red uniform shirts. Either way, the takeaway from this blog is just a PSA to be more appreciative of the Target shopping carts.