Target tries to add "in store pickup" by the holidays...

According to the Star Tribune, Target is aiming to add a service that allows consumers to pick up online orders in stores, something already readily available at Walmart and Best Buy. Target wants to roll out the service, known as "Buy Online, Pick Up in Store" (BOPS), to all of its 1,800 stores in the United States by the time Black Friday rolls around in late November. But with less than three months left until the start of the holiday shopping season, The Bullseye is furiously playing digital catch-up.

“We continue to invest to further integrate the shopping experience across channels,” CEO Gregg Steinhafel recently told analysts. “We will begin in the Minneapolis market before expanding the role to other markets. We expect to complete the role to all stores by the holiday season.”

Later this year, Target also plans to have its employees test whether they can retrieve digital purchases in stores the same day they bought them. The company also is exploring whether shoppers can buy something at one store and pick it up at other locations.

But some analysts doubt whether Target can effectively offer even the basic BOPS service by the holidays. Under the plan, shoppers place orders on Target.com, which then identifies the closest stores that carry the merchandise. A store employee then plucks the product off the shelf and leaves it for the customer to pick up at the guest services desk. The company declined to disclose additional details but said some products - such as special sale items - will be excluded.