The long goodbye...

The title of my post refers to the fact that I've been meaning to write this farewell note for a long time. This is probably obvious by the fact that I haven't written a regular blog post since early November. I started this blog a dozen years ago because I was passionate about "Tar-jay", their products, and their ability to spark joy with the products they sold. However, over the past couple of years, that joy has dramatically waned. And if I think about it, the last product I bought that brought me any "joy" was that leopard belt I got last Fall. Since then, I've mainly purchased household necessities and groceries at Target, and have been truly disappointed by their product offerings.

I still miss Merona and Mossimo, and never really took to A New Day, JoyLab, Auden, Knox Rose or any of the other newer women's brands. Who What Wear has been hit or miss over the years, and rumor has it that this brand will also be phased out - just as C9 by Champion (another of my faves) was recently dropped. They eliminated the Nate Berkus line, which I sorely miss (and yes: Mr. Berkus still lends his name to their in-house label Project 62, but the quality and style isn't the same). Don't even get me started on them dropping the annual designer collabs; I miss looking forward to them and planning what to try to buy before they eventually sell out. Even Target's ability to keep basic items in stock - like bratwurst or guacamole the day before the Superbowl - is failing. I know this as I went to not one but TWO Target stores looking for these items this morning, and both stores had run out.

My mantra for 2020 is to keep (or start) doing things that spark joy for me or for others. And at this point, I have no joy in going to Target anymore. While I used to look forward to my trips to Target (sometimes visiting multiple Target stores a week!) I  now find it a chore. I'm in and out as fast as I can, and I no longer linger or browse as there's nothing interesting to look at. Target is - dare I say it? - pretty BORING these days. Perhaps I've aged out of their demographic, as I hear they're doing well financially. I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. All I know is that I'm spending less time and less $ there, which begs the question: why, then, should I keep blogging about something I don't really care about anymore?

So with that, dear readers, I bid you all a fond farewell. Thank you for hanging with me throughout the years, for all your comments, tips, insights, opinions, etc. It's been an honor to have shared a bit of me with you, and for you to follow along and listen to what I had to say.

Sincerely,
Mia Bard
(aka The Target Addict)

New at Target: Cupcakes & Cashmere Planners

While walking through Target the other day, I noticed a new endcap for 2020 Planners by lifestyle blogger and influencer Cupcakes & Cashmere. In cute prints (like Dalmatian dots and sporty stripes) these fun and functional planners are just $7.99 - $13.99 each, available in select stores and online on Target.com. You can also click here to discover some of C&C's favorite things to buy when she goes on a Target run.

The Target 20 collab hits the clearance racks...

If you've been waiting for the Target 20 collab to go on sale, now's the time. Yesterday I noticed the clothing (as shown here) crammed on a rack with a 'clearance' sign, but none of the price tags had markdown stickers on them yet so I wasn't sure what the discount was. Then I went to a different Target store today... same situation (in that the tags weren't marked down) but when I scanned the tags, the markdown was 30%.

I noticed very few housewares left; the bulk of the leftovers seemed to be the Harajuku Mini kids' clothing, several Lilly Pulitzer and Isaac Mizrahi dresses, a smattering of Missoni, and the Phillip Lim trench coats and leopard print items. I didn't find anything I wanted/needed, but will keep my eyes open for deals before this collab disappears from stores.

Fab Find: Universal Thread Leopard Belt

I picked up this stylish belt at Target the other day. I love that fact that it's not too skinny, yet not too wide. It'll be the perfect "pop" of leopard for my Fall outfits without being too overwhelming (as I sometimes feel when wearing animal-print clothing). Best of all, it's just $16.99, in stores and online.

The Target 20 returns are trickling in...

Did you miss out on a coveted item in the recent "Target 20" designer collab? If so, check your local stores, as the returns are trickling in. Actually, in some stores I've noticed them flooding in, like the rack shown here that was "sold out" of most items one week then fully packed the next.

Another thing... have you noticed that the quality/fabrications have changed this time around for some of the items? I purposely fanned out the Jason Wu Cat Scarf here because this is definitely one item that I can tell the quality has gone downhill. I have the original scarf, which is made of a soft polyester that mimics the look/feel of silk. The new version of this scarf feels rough, scratchy and cheap. I also don't recall the Patchwork Missoni Sweater Dress having a "sheen" to it, and I have noticed in stores that this item (plus the matching cardigan) seem to snag really easily.

And as we approach the one month mark since the debut of this collab, I wonder how soon the leftovers will hit the clearance racks - ?

Target ditches Simply Balanced & Archer Farms...

The other day I was bummed to discover that my fave Simply Balanced brand sparkling water (at Target) has been replaced with a new in-house brand called "Good & Gather". While G&G offers most of the same flavors I've grown to love (like this Ginger Peach variety) I'll miss the tall, elegant can from Simply Balanced.

That led me to some Googling, only to find that Target is in the midst of replacing both Simply Balanced and Archer Farms with their new flagship food brand Good & Gather. According to the Star Tribune, this new line will be Target's largest in-house brand across its store with more than 2,000 products to be rolled out over the next 18 months.

With Good & Gather, Target expects to increase its overall penetration of private-label sales in the grocery aisle. The new line, which has been in the works for a couple of years, will be free of artificial flavors and sweeteners, synthetic colors and high-fructose corn syrup. Some of the products will be similar to their Archer Farms and Simply Balanced counterparts, with some will be upgrades. For example, the lime flavor in the Simply Balanced sparkling water was allegedly reformulated to taste better in the Good & Gather version. Other products are completely new and are aimed at better addressing the changing tastes of today's consumers, such as avocado toast salad kits (with the mini-toasts serving as croutons) and beet hummus.

The downside to all this? With the expansion of Good & Gather in Target stores, some national brands might get less shelf space in the process.

Fab Find: "Not to be trusted..." Tee

Calling all Target fans! Check out this adorable tee I saw in stores last week. From Fifth Sun brand, now you can show your love for Tar-shay with this tee proclaiming "Not to be trusted alone at Target". Just $14.99 online and in select stores.