Target's plan to take on Amazon...

Time is reporting that Target wants the household business back that Amazon has stolen from them over the years. To that end, Target announced this week an expansion to their subscription service for parents, allowing customers to order diapers and other baby goods on a recurring basis—always with free shipping and often with significant discounts. The new service is viewed as a blatant counteroffensive against Amazon, which has a long history of targeting The Bullseye and other brick-and-mortar-based retailers by undercutting them on price via their popular Subscribe and Save program that grants discounts on pre-scheduled goods purchased.

Target's new Subscriptions service allows customers to choose from more than 1,500 products to order on a recurring basis, and the demographic goes way beyond parents with young kids. Now, all sorts of household staples - from cleaning supplies to printer ink, pet treats to laundry detergent - can be purchased via Target Subscriptions.

Besides saving themselves a trip to the store, Target subscribers get free shipping on deliveries and returns. And they also get discounts—a flat 5% off on all Subscription orders, plus another 5% off if payment is made via a Target card.