Double-Take: Mossimo vs. Mia

It's time for another double-take, where we take one item from Target and pair it up with a lookalike  - and higher priced - designer piece. Today we compare two pairs of khaki-colored flat espadrilles.  These flats are virtually identical, both sporting a rope sole, peep-toe, and fabric flower accent.  Only one of them is by Mia (available at Endless.com) and runs $39.99 a pair, whereas the other is by Mossimo (available on Target.com) and is on clearance for a paltry  $10.49 a pair.  Which one is which?  The answer appears in the comments section below.

Reader Giveaway: The Webster Earrings

Like yesterday's Wednesday's Rave, another thing I haven't done for quite a while here on my blog is a reader giveaway.  Therefore, I think it's prime time for another giveaway to say "thank you" to all of you who continue to read my blog. This time, I'm offering up these brand new, pretty palm-leaf earrings from The Webster at Target.  These silver-toned beauties are nickle-free, and retail for $14.99.

To win, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post along with your email address by midnight on Friday, June 29th. This giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only, and the winner (picked at random) will be announced on Sunday, July 1st. Good luck!

Wednesday's Rave: Mossimo's Shirred Dress

It occured to me today that I hadn't done a "Wednesday's Rave" post in quite awhile.  And sadly, that's because the Bullseye hasn't given me much to "rave" about lately.  But today I not only have one, I'm also wearing it as I write this post!

I can't say enough good things about Mossimo's Shirred Tie Dress.  It fits well, the fabric is super-soft, the v-neck isn't too low, and you can tie the sash either in the front or the back depending on your mood.  It's also reasonably priced at just $27.99.  And best of all, it comes in 9 different colors!  Today I'm wearing the Duchess Blue one, and I have both the Lush Green and Black on order.  That, actually, is my only complaint: that this dress is only available from Target.com, and not in stores.

New at Target: Kid Made Modern

Way back in January I told you that designer Todd Oldham was teaming up with Target for Kid Made Modern: a collection of art supplies and activity kits to give kids and parents fun - yet affordable - design tools.  Now the collection has hit Target stores and Target.com, including this Flashy Light Kit, which is a festive hanging paper lantern project that would look great at an outdoor party.

Click here to view the full collection of Kid Made Modern on Target.com (over 45 items in all) and here for an interview with Todd Oldham about his new collection on A Bullseye View.

Forbes' interview with Target's new CMO

Forbes published an interview today with Target's new CMO, Jeff Jones.  During the interview, a walk through the summer seasonal area of the chains busy Brooklyn store turned up one of the things Jones calls ”quintessential Target”: a special s’mores endcap display complete with marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate bars and roasting skewers. The point, he said, is to anticipate consumers’ needs and offer up packages of products that meet those specific life occasions.

Jones also revealed that during his regime “Expect More, Pay Less” will remain Target’s mantra, he says, because the retailer recognizes the continued financial pressures consumers face. “What makes us uniquely Target is that we deliver both,” he says.

Watch those Target price tags & checkout receipts!

Consumerist brings us this humorous tale of a "clearance" item on Target shelves actually being jacked up by $424%. As spotted by by Consumerist reader Victor, this tag for a pack of Windex Electronic Wipes says it was originally priced at $1.00 but is now on sale for the bargain basement price of $4.24.

After looking at prices for these wipes at other stores, Consumerist surmises that the label should say that the original price was $4.24 and it's now on clearance for $1.00. And yes, this is probably due to a simple goof on the part of a Target staffer, but if some customer doesn't see the original "1.00" in small type and assumes they are getting a good deal, they end up paying far more than they should have.

So just a friendly reminder to check both Target price tags and your checkout receipt for errors, as I had to do the other day.  You know those coupons you sometimes get at checkout?  I had taken several with me to the store the other day, adding up to about $8 in total (so not an insignificant amount).  However, my cashier was so distracted that he failed to redeem any of them, despite the fact that he did take them from me.  Which resulted in me having to find a manager, go back to that register, fetch the coupons from that drawer, and finally redeem them.  Kind of a pain in the @ss, but I wanted the $8 that was due to me.

Clearance Alert: Sonia Kashuk's Limited Edition Spring Collection

Yesterday while at Target I noticed that Sonia Kashuk's Limited Edition Spring Collection is now on clearance for 30% off (although it doesn't seem to be marked down online yet).  This collection includes Sonia's "Powerful Punch" mini nail-color set in bright, summery colors for just $6.99 (regularly $9.99) and her "Bright Idea" brush set - complete with this cute clutch - for just $10.49  (regularly $14.99).

Stylelist picks Pixi as one of their top red shades...

Finding the right red lipstick can be an arduous task. Luckily, the beauty editors at Stylelist ran a flash office poll to make it easier on us. While their top picks run the gamut of the color spectrum  - some slightly pinky, others more orangey - there's something here for everyone, including one shade from the Bullseye.

As shown here, Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm in Rosy Red (just $16 at Target) reportedly "really pops. It's bright but it's not too vixen to wear from day to night."  Click here to view the rest of Stylelist's top 10 Red Lip Colors.

Sudden departure for JCP's President (Target's former CMO)

Well that was fast!  Just 8 months after hiring Target's former CMO, JCP is cutting him loose.  In a terse statement issued late Monday, JCP gave no reason for the abrupt departure of Michael Francis, a top Target executive brought in last October to help redefine the store's brand.. As president, Francis was responsible for the marketing of a controversial new pricing plan that aimed to get rid of hundreds of sales events. He also oversaw merchandising and product development.

JCP has stated that their CEO, Ron Johnson, will assume direct responsibility and oversight of the company's marketing and merchandising functions. The surprise move comes as the department store chain is scrambling to reverse a sharp drop in customer counts and plummeting sales after JCP’s new pricing strategy – introduced on Feb. 1^st – ended up turning off customers, who are accustomed to coupons and big markdowns.

What does Walgreen's deal mean for Boots at Target?

Today's announcement that Walgreen will pay $6.7 billion in cash and stock to buy a stake in European health and beauty retailer Boots has me wondering whether the beauty brand will continue to be sold at Target.  Walgreen bought a 45% ownership stake in Switzerland-based Alliance Boots, which runs more than 3,300 health and beauty retail stores in 11 countries, in addition to selling beauty products at Target. 

The deal specifies that Walgreen also has an option to buy the rest of the company in about three years time.  Given that fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Boots starts to disappear from Target stores as it's phased into Walgreen's own drugstores.

Double-Take: One Kings Lane vs. Target

It's time for another double-take, where we take one item from the Bullseye and pair it up with a lookalike  -albeit pricier - designer piece. Today we're featuring two oversized rattan floor pillows, and while they look similar, they have very different price tags.  One pillow is from One Kings Lane, where it was well over $100 while still available (it has since sold out).  The other is from Target.com and costs just under $50... and you can get it even cheaper in stores where I saw it on clearance a few days ago for only $35!   Which one is which?  The answer appears in the comments section below.

A home makeover on a shoestring...

Today Yahoo featured a story (originally from CountryLiving.com) on how a couple remodeled their lake house on a shoestring.  Emily and Michael Knotts used their DIY skills for a complete makeover, which I noticed included several items from Target, such as this plain lampshade which Emily découpaged with dictionary pages (far left) and this shelving unit (near left) which Michael crafted for less than $100 from plywood and then outfitted with $19.99 baskets from Target.  You can read about the complete room-by-room transformation here on Yahoo!Homes.

Double-Take: Target vs. Office Max

It's time for another double-take, where we take an item from the Bullseye and match it up against a lookalike piece from another retailer.  And this one definitely deserves a second glance, because these items look truly identical, with the only real difference being the price tag.

Today we have two retro-modern, white rounded-cube side tables.  Don't they look like they could be straight out of Mad Men's advertising offices?  Only one of these lovelies is from Office Max and costs $129.99, and the other is from Target and is $30-less at just $99.  Which one is which?  The answer appears in the comments section below.

Some of The Shops on clearance already...

Thank you to reader Shopping Celle who alerted me today that items from some of The Shops at Target collection at her local Target store are already on clearance for 30% off.  I looked at my local store this evening, and all I saw on sale (so far) was womens clothing from The Webster. However, The Webster's jewelry wasn't marked down yet, nor was anything from Cos Bar or Privet House.  Likewise, most of The Shops are still full price on Target.com, except for select items from Privet House. Look online for the yellow banners, like the one shown at left for this cotton striped pillow.

Coming to Target: Paula Deen Foods

Georgia chef, restaurateur and TV personality Paula Deen has inked a deal with N.Y.-based Nanco Group to launch Paula Deen Foods later this year.  The company was created to monitor product quality and expand on Deen’s products sold now at retailers like Target to include food offerings.  Target already carriers an array of kitchen tools and dining products under the Paula Deen name.

“We are honored to take the Nanco generations of experience and bring our favorite recipes from our family to your own,” said Paula Deen in a statement. “Working with Nanco, we have generations of experience and knowledge from our most important partners – the grocery retailers that will enable us to bring the best value possible to those who love our recipes.”

Facebook cites Target as success story for their ads...

Facebook released a study yesterday aimed at proving advertising on the social-networking site pays off for businesses, The Wall Street Journal reports. The study, compiled by market-research firm comScore, found that people who are friends or fans of Minneapolis-based Target on Facebook shopped at the retailer 21 percent more often than those who were not. The research covered a four-week period and compared the retailers' fans to a control group. The study was part of Facebook's effort been to combat criticism that its ads don't work.

Target hearts L.A.

Target hearts L.A.  The Bullseye has three Los Angeles CityTarget stores in the works, which is probably why they've just launched a dedicated L.A. Twitter account. The handle went live last week, and they've Tweeted eight times so far. A sample Tweet from two days ago: "We're a big fan of our new friends in LA. That means we'll hold off on the jokes about the heat. And 'The Hills.'"

Clearance Alert: Target's Typography and Coastal Collections

Target's Typography Collection (which I blogged about several weeks ago) and Coastal Collection of home decor are now on clearance in stores for 30% off.  Both collections are just as attractive - perhaps even more so - than the offerings from Privet House.  And although the Coastal Collection (shown here) looks primarily white and beige-toned, there are also nautical-themed items in red and blue.  I especially like the coral bookends, which are sold out on Target.com but I've seen still available in stores.

One Dress, Three Ways

The Target Style Facebook Page posted a short slideshow today (shown here) on how you can wear the same bridesmaid dress three different ways.  First at the wedding itself, then at a Summer BBQ, and finally at Sunday brunch.  The strapless chiffon dress - which is available in 7 different colors, including "Popular Pink" as shown - is only $69.99 on Target.com.  It also comes in a wide range of sizes, from 2 all the way up to 28W.

Double-Take: Mossimo vs. Rachel Pally

It's time for yet another double-take, readers, where we take one item from the Bullseye and match it up against a lookalike - and pricier - designer piece.  Today we have two gorgeous mermaid-green maxi dresses.  They're pretty similar with their tiered styling, though one has a hi-lo hemline (which is all the rage right now) and a neck-tie, and the other does not.  The other difference is that one is from Rachel Pally and will set you back a whopping $233, whereas the other is from Mossimo (at Target) and will only cost you $27.99.  Which one is which?  The answer appears in the comments section below.

New at Target: Amy Smyth Made It

While persuing the shelves at Target the other day, I found this hilarious new line of greeting cards and stationery called Amy Smyth Made It.  As shown here, the cards - with bright colors and graphics - have funny taglines like "Tired of Texting" and "Going Old School with a Notecard".  They are also reasonably priced, at just $3.99 for a package of 12 notecards with envelopes.

Of course, when I went to Target's crappy website to find more information on Amy Smyth products, there was none.  So I went directly to the Amy Smyth site, where I found a gallery of their cards, a store locator, and the boilerplate "Amy Smyth Made It is a greeting card company that writes and designs of funny birthday cards, baby cards, friendship cards, get well cards, thinking of you cards, anniversary cards, love cards and congratulations cards."

PS: for a few belly laughs, go to the blog section of the Amy Smyth site.  Although it hasn't been updated since last December, it seems to be a compilation of cards that were a little too irreverent to be put into production.

Returns from The Webster hit the clearance rack...

As I've blogged about in the past, Target tends to send customer returns of online-only items directly to the clearance rack.  They probably don't want to bother with shipping them back to their central distributor, putting it back into their online inventory, etc. etc.  Whatever the reason, I've noticed more and more online-only items from The Webster showing up on the womens clearance rack, like this adorable cross-back navy eyelet dress.  It retails for $39.99, but right now it's just $10.81 at my local Target store.  And while it looks cute on the model, I'm glad I passed it up, because it has received  poor reviews on Target.com.  I also found this pretty petite-sized Mango Berry Tunic reduced to ridiculously low price of  $5.50, which I nabbed for my teenage niece.

Primer: worth it, or ripoff?

After nearly melting in the hot afternoon sun at my son’s high school graduation yesterday, this article on A Bullseye View caught my eye.  The first of their “6 Tips to Stay Fresh-Faced in Summer” was to use a face primer before putting on makeup.  They advise to dab on primer after moisturizing (but before makeup) and promise that “this added step helps hold your makeup in place—from the 9-to-5 grind to well after happy hour.”  Of course, the article also takes the opportunity to hype of Target’s own primer products from brands like Pixi and Sonia Kashuk (shown here).

But I’m not sold on the idea.  The last time I tried a primer was several years ago; I think it was Smashbox Photo Finish, and I recall not being impressed.  How about you, readers?  Have you tried a primer before, and if so, do you think it’s worth it (and do you have a favorite go-to brand)?