Target has many competitors, but its main store of comparison is Walmart. Both stores offer extremely similar products and are both retail stores that people like to buy from.

These stores have their positives and negatives depending on what is needed to be bought by an individual, but there are also opinions of what should and shouldn’t be bought at these stores. Target seems to provide more of the upgraded shopping experience for shoppers and more premium design products. 

Since Target’s biggest competitor is Walmart, many people know Walmart has lower prices and better bargains while Target has the higher quality products and the store is neater. But Target’s strategy for the competitive advantage is to have most of their stores around more of the busier and populated areas for more customers. 

Immediately, Target shows to have a better shopping experience with the wider aisles, less crowded shelves, and more organized in general. With these positive benefits, it helps the customers feel more comfortable when shopping for their necessities. The merchandise on the shelves are then easier on the eyes for each shopper with the less harsh lighting. But not only does the lighting make a difference, the brightly lit red and white colors throughout the store helps make everything stand out.  

Along with that, Walmart is not much cheaper than Target. Although the prices may seem to be lower than Target by some, Target offers better quality items for reasonable prices. While the Walmart’s prices are cheaper, the quality of the merchandise may not be as high quality.

Target also offers a program called the “Circle Program” where if customers sign up for it, they are provided with discounts towards specific items most of the time 5% off. Another perk about it is also the 1% earning rewards that the customers receive back when you make an eligible purchase on the Redcard. Being signed up in their Circle program is a very beneficial way for shoppers to save some money who mainly rely on Target when buying their necessities. 

For one of the biggest sales throughout the year, Black Friday, Walmart seems to definitely release their discounts and stocks earlier than Target. But in spite of the fact that Walmart may have earlier releases for Black Friday than Target, when Target releases their deals, there are more drastic drops from the original prices. The discounts also include Apple products such as iPhones, iPads, and even Airpods.

Walmart has their fair share of discounts but has less of a variety of the more popular brands. Most of the discounts include the toys, Samsung Chromebooks, coffee maker machines, etc. Other than that, Target seems to have a wider variation and of more of the well liked items for their sales on Black Friday. 

Also not only does Walmart seem to be more on the messier and unorganized side, customers have a harder time finding the products they need, while Target, on the other hand, has their strategy to lure customers into buying more products with their clever marketing and the strategic positioning of the products in the store. One being the “Bullseye’s Playground section” where most of their killer dollar deals are located. This section gives the shoppers a last chance to load up their carts with the extras and cheaper items that are needed. This small section of items are normally also organized by season or the ones that are on promotion. 

Additionally, many people like to enjoy drinks when shopping throughout Target. Here’s where Starbucks comes in handy for some coffee or even the refreshing drinks for the summer. The placement of Starbucks in Target also always seems to be located right at the front of the store. This is also a strategic way for people to go grab a drink or two before their journey at Target. Since Starbucks is also a very popular drink shop, most people tend to enjoy their Target shopping experience. 

The upgraded shopping experience and higher quality products from Target provides more enjoyment for customers when shopping. Also the convenience Target delivers can attract many more customers to come shop as well. Giving Target a chance for your shopping list provides no harm but instead more advantages when buying items on your shopping list.