Double-Take: J.Crew vs. Merona

It's time for another double-take, where we take one item from The Bullseye and price-match it against a lookalike - yet pricier - designer piece. Today we have two shiny black ankle-strap sandals, both with a comfy low-wedge heel. Only one of them is the "Lillian" style from J.Crew and weighs in with a hefty $188 pricetag, whereas the other is the "Nala" style from Merona (at Target) and only costs $24.99. Which one is which? The answer appears in the comments section below.

Fab Find: Threshold Ottoman Cube

While this fun little square ottoman by Threshold (at Target) is categorized as "patio furniture", it can easily make it's way indoors as well. It also does double-duty as both a footrest and as extra seating, and besides this summery Coral color it also comes in vivid Turquoise and neutral Navy and go-with-everything Taupe. Best of all: it's already well-priced at just $39 each, but currently I'm finding these in stores for 50% off (as Target starts to clear out their patio section to make way for Back-to-School merchandise).

Target Lost Its Way Under Ousted CEO

Yesterday's WSJ had a fascinating article about Target's ex-CEO, Gregg Steinhafel. Remember when he resigned a couple of months ago? At the time, the official word from Target's Board of Directors was that they and Steinhafel collectively "decided it is the right time for new leadership at Target." The Board also said that he "held himself personally accountable" for the credit breach fiasco last holiday season, which led to his resignation. However, there was more to the story.

It seems that in recent years, Steinhafel tightened the reigns over his exec staff, not allowing them any freedom of thought. The creative leeway they once had gave way to rigid performance metrics. This led some of Steinhafel's staff to take their grievances directly to the Board, complaining that in the wake of the recession, Target's offerings had become more commonplace to compete with Walmart. Target was losing it's "hip vibe", with fewer new product offerings. 

So several key Target executives met back on May 2nd, and afterwards delivered a pointed message to the Board: if Mr. Steinhafel didn't leave, then others in their ranks would. You can read the entire WSJ article here on their site.

Double-Take: Overstock.com vs. Target.com

It's time for another double-take, where we take one item from Tar-shay and price-match it against a lookalike designer piece. Only today we're doing a rare REVERSE double-take, where the Bullseye actually loses the price-war in this case.

Both of these antique-gold finish sunburst-pattern mirrors are lovely. And both of them are by the Safavieh brand. But one of them is being sold by Target.com for $280, whereas the other is offered on Overstock.com for just $149. Which one is which? The answer appears in the comments section below.

Target starts free shipping on orders over $50...

Target.com has started shipping most online orders over $50 for free as part of an ongoing e-commerce makeover. Target customers didn't understand the retailer's old shipping policy, the Minneapolis-based retailer said on Monday. "We’ve changed it to make it simpler and reduce the friction in making purchases on the site,” said Target.com and Mobile Senior Vice President Jason Goldberger in a news release.

The new policy is Free Standard Shipping (3–5 business days) valid to the 48 contiguous states, as well as APO/FPO. The policy does not apply to oversized and heavy items, in which additional handling fees may apply. 

At $50, Target's free shipping minimum now matches Wal-Mart's, but is still $15 higher than Amazon's free shipping on orders of $35 or more.

Poppytalk brings "glamping" to the masses...

Y'all know what "glamping" is, right? Shorthand for glamorous camping, or camping in luxury. Well Racked.com dubs Poppytalk's new Target line as bringing "glamping to the masses", with products like fabric-covered camp stools, pastel camp stoves, collapsable cake stands, retro picnic baskets, and floral-motif lanterns, thermoses, and skewers. Best of all, everything is under $25, with the exception of a grand tent canopy for $150 (which - like several items in the collection - is available only on Target.com and not in stores).

And speaking of stores: Poppytalk for Target was supposed to officially debut tomorrow (June 22) BUT I've already spied full endcaps of the stuff at some Target stores.

New at Target: Threadless Greeting Cards

Threadless, the Chicago-based company that crowd-sources designs, has entered the birthday card business. The company has teamed up with Recycled Paper Greetings to produce cards that feature independent artist designs - like the adorable one shown here - to be sold exclusively at Target. The cards will retail for $3.99 each, and you can view more of the designs over on Racked.com.

Clearance Alert: Jeff Canham for Mossimo

Well that didn't take long! Remember the limited-edition surf-inspired collection I told you about a few weeks ago, designed by artist Jeff Canham for the Mossimo brand? Well it's already on clearance for 50% off in some stores (although the sale doesn't seem to extend online yet). That means if you're lucky you can nab this cute "Aloha" tee for just $7.49 (regularly $14.99). A word of warning, though: most of the women's tees in this collection (like this one) are made of a cotton/poly blend that are on the sheer side, and are really meant to wear over a swimsuit or with a camisole underneath.

Double-Take: Bed, Bath & Beyond vs. Target

It's time for another double-take, where we take one item from Tar-shay and match it up against a lookalike - yet much pricier - piece. Today we're adding a little utility to the bathroom with this wall-mounted mirror. Both feature an accordion design and a metal chrome finish, making it a space-saving addition to any bathroom. However one of these lovelies is from Bed, Bath & Beyond and will set you back $172.99, whereas the other is from Harry Koenig on Target.com and costs a whopping $100 less at just $72.99. Which one is which? The answer appears in the comments section below.

New at Target: Oh Joy! Summer Collection

Scratch what I said a couple of weeks ago about the Oh Joy! collection at Target being a complete sellout. All of a sudden store shelves are re-stocked with what's being dubbed her "Summer Collection" (a sampling of which is shown here). Besides stores, most of these items are also available online on Target.com.

It'll be interesting to see whether the Oh Joy! merchandise overlaps in stores with the upcoming Poppytalk collab, which is supposed to hit stores in just a few days (on June 22). Speaking of which: I'll have more info on Poppytalk in another post later this week.

System glitch leaves long lines at Target...

ABC News reports that Target had a glitch in its system yesterday which caused delays for hours at checkout registers at some of its U.S. stores, but it wasn't due to a data security issue or a hacker.

Customers across the country took to social media to report long check-out lines Sunday night - like the one shown here - due to registers not working. Target employees tried to placate waiting shoppers by handing out $3 coupons in some stores that bore an apology for the delays. At a store in downtown Minneapolis, a security guard warned entering shoppers that some of the registers were down, and employees handed out free cookies and bottled water along with the coupons to customers as they waited.

"Target has identified an issue impacting checkout at some of our U.S. stores," the company said in a statement Sunday night. "The glitch is causing delays at some checkouts, but is not in any way related to a security issue. We apologize to anyone impacted, and we are working with guests in stores where the issue has not yet been resolved to accommodate their needs." In an update later Sunday night, the company said it had been able "able to restore our check-out process."

Target Launches College Registry Program

According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend a whopping $4.7 billion on graduation gifts this year alone. And now Target is introducing an easy tool to select stuff students actually need.

Future college freshmen can prep for campus life by signing up for Target’s first college registry program. Once just reserved for the soon-to-be-married and soon-to-be-parents, college-bound students can now use Target’s college registry to score everything from futons and flip flops to extra-long twin sheets and stylish storage solutions.

Launching this month, students and their families can create, manage and share a registry at Target.com for all the campus necessities. Click here to check it out.

16 Secrets for Shopping at Target...

Thanks to reader Cotton Candy for sending me this list from BuzzFeed of "16 Secrets for Shopping at Target".  Most of these I've blogged about in the past (and BuzzFeed actually credits me for tip #16) but here's a rundown:

1 - Target has a daily markdown schedule; click here for the breakdown by day.
2 - The number in the upper right corner of the clearance tag tells you what percentage off the markdown is.
3 - If the clearance price ends in an $0.06 or $0.08, it will probably be marked down again IF there's inventory left in the store.
4 - If the clearance price ends in an $0.04, then it's at final clearance and won't be marked down further.
5 - Target has a limit on the amount of returns you can make in one year, capping out at a max. of $75.
6 - All electronics and entertainment purchases have to be returned or exchanged within 30 days.
7 - Beyond the 5% off the card gives its users, REDcard debit and credit card holders will receive an extra 30 days to return nearly all items purchased with their REDcard at Target and Target.com.
8 - You can return Target purchases by mail for free; just visit the online return center and print out a prepaid return label, and Target will pay the return shipping fees.
9 - If you find an item in a competitor’s ad, bring it to Target and it’ll match the advertised price.
10 - If you pay with a check, you have to wait 10 days before you can get a refund in cash; otherwise you have to settle for a Target gift card.
11 - Target has mobile coupons available to be sent directly to your phone; you can sign up here.
12 - And the Target app gets 10 or more new coupons each week.
13 - Target also offers their free Cartwheel app, which offers several deals that change weekly and has different ways to save than the their coupon app.
14 - If you find an item on sale that you wish to purchase but the store runs out of stock, you can request a rain check.

15 - At most Target stores, you receive a 5-cent credit for bringing in your own shopping bags.

16 - You can find brand-new Target merchandise at Goodwill.

First Look: Altuzarra for Target

Altuzarra for Target made its red carpet debut at this week's CDFA awards - months before it even hits stores - on the back of Target's director of design partnerships, Noria Morales. The black long-sleeved maxi dress features a huge orchid print on the skirt with a thigh-high slit and plunging neckline. Fittingly, designer Joseph Altuzarra won the night's big awards, Womenswear Designer of the Year. 

The dress worn by Morales will be available at Target and on Target.com starting September 14th. Fellow blogger The Recessionista is a big fan of this look, and posted "I can’t wait to get this Maxi dress at Target if it looks as good on the racks as it does on Ms. Morales."

The viral sensation of #TargetBalling...

Heard of #TargetBalling before? Neither had I. But I'm sure you've noticed noticed those big red balls, which are actually called bollards, outside the entrance of many Target stores. While they have an important practical purpose - by protecting shoppers from runaway carts - lately they’ve served a more social function.

Husband and wife team of Cullen (the star) and Katie (the shutterbug) invented #TargetBalling, which you can check out on their Instagram and Facebook pages. Huge fans of Target and a constant fixture at their local store, this hilarious duo has been making over the Target balls in entertaining ways, documenting every step along the way with selfies (as shown here). A Bullseye View recently talked to the couple, and you can read the full interview here.

Double-Take: Serena & Lily vs. Threshold

It's time for another double-take, where we take one item from Tar-shay and match it up against a lookalike (yet pricier) designer piece. Today we're looking at two coral & cream herringbone throw blankets. Only one of them is from Serena & Lily and will set you back a whopping $295, whereas the other is from Threshold (at Target) and costs just $19.99. Which one is which? The answer appears in the comments section below.

New at Target: Yoobi

Studies find that when kids head off to school with all the tools they need to succeed in the classroom, students are more likely to earn higher test scores, attend school more frequently and behave better in class. Therein lies the the inspiration behind Yoobi, co-founded by Ido Leffler and launching exclusively at Target.

Yoobi is a dynamic school supply brand that helps students in need. It offers a colorful collection of notebooks, jumbo highlighters, ballpoint pens, pretzel erasers and more with a “One for You, One for Me” brand promise. Similar to how the FEED USA collab worked, for every Yoobi item you buy, Yoobi and Target will donate a Yoobi product to a school in need. The goal is to impact more than 30,000 classrooms and 750,000 kids nationwide by 2015.  Find Yoobi online at Target.com and in stores starting this week.

Altuzarra talks about his Target collab...

Style.com recently talked to Joseph Altuzarra about his upcoming collab with Target. Asked why he signed on with the Bullseye, Altuzarra replied “It just felt like the right moment,” adding “I’m so focused on building the Altuzarra universe in the luxury market, but the opportunity to bring my world to a larger audience is really exciting.” 

Don’t expect the forthcoming capsule to be a compilation of his greatest-hits, though—Altuzarra thinks that would be downright rude. “I didn’t want this collection to just feel like a rehash of things that we’ve done before. That wouldn’t be fair to the Target customer—almost like I didn’t put any effort into it. And it wouldn’t be fair to the Altuzarra customer who might want to buy something new and interesting that we’re not doing for our own line.” Inspired by a world traveler jetting off to far-flung destinations like Paris, Morocco, Tokyo, and Mongolia, the range will include tailored peplum jackets, pencil skirts, and trenchcoats, all with special details, like embroidery. “I didn’t want to assume that because we were doing a collection with Target that it suddenly had to be a much less interesting product. The collection has to stand on its own, and it is details, volume, and tailoring that make a piece feel rich and special.” The fabrics will also lend a luxury feel to the lineup, with satin georgette, Swiss dot, slinky jersey, faux fur and leather, jacquard, velveteen, and stretch twill used throughout.

And although the collection is being produced largely in China, this is not a concern for Altuzarra. “Target contacted us because of what our brand stands for, and they were very encouraging about having us really develop a collection that was respectful of what the Altuzarra brand means,” said the designer. “Now, that doesn’t mean that we didn’t think about who the Target customer is and what she’s looking for, but it was really about bringing that customer into our world. There’s an appreciation for overall good product no matter what market you’re shopping in, and Target and I were on the same page about wanting to produce perfect, uncompromised garments.”

Clearance Alert: Select Furniture at Target

Target has discounted select chairs, barstools, ottomans, side tables and more up to 50% off. This is a great time to stock up on those accent pieces you've been eyeing before they're going - going - gone!

Now for the fine print: quantities are limited and apply to in-store inventory only. Selection and prices may vary by store. No rain checks, and intermediate markdowns may have been taken. Previously purchased merchandise, now on clearance, is not eligible for price adjustments.