New at Target: Spritz Spring Colors

Target's in-house brand of stationery and party supplies, Spritz, never fails to please with eye-catching colors and bold graphic prints.  Yesterday I noticed a Spritz encap in a colorful combination of navy, red, coral, tan and white (pictured here).  Best of all, everything is just $2.99 or under, making it affordable to attractively wrap the Mother's Day gifts or birthday presents on your to-do list.

Target turns 50!

In May, Target will celebrate its 50th birthday. But their retail roots go even deeper than that: the company was actually founded in 1902 in Minneapolis as the Dayton Dry Goods Company, and the first Target store was opened in 1962 in nearby Roseville, Minnesota.  Target grew and eventually became the largest division of Dayton Hudson Corporation, culminating in the company being renamed Target Corporation in August 2000.

Target is now the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, right behind rival Walmart.  Target's empire has grown to include 1,765 stores and more than 375,000 team members across the globe, and as reported yesterday, they are planning to expand to Canada in early 2013.

Target releases list of Canadian locations

As I first reported two years ago, Target is expanding north to Canada.  And the expansion is impressive: in early 2013, the Bullseye will open over 80 stores, including 13 in Alberta, 13 in British Columbia, 3 in Manitoba, 1 in Nova Scotia, 37 in Ontario, 13 in Quebec, and 3 in Saskatchewan.  For the full list of exact locations, click here.

Double-Take: Kenneth Jay 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 - and pricier - designer piece.  This time we have two goldtone cuff bracelets with an interlocking circle-motif.  While they're quite similar in style, one is by Kenneth Jay Lane and will set you back $75, while the other is from Target and is currently on sale for just $15.99. 

Which one is which?  The answer appears in the comments section below.

Target's epic Photoshop fail...

Target Australia (which -  as a reminder - is quite similar but actually a separate entity from Target US) recently had a major Photoshop fail.  In one of their ads this month, they featured a happy-looking family wearing fleece tops and pants, which were advertised as 30% off.  The issue was that before the ad circular went to print, no one noticed that the dad in the picture had one hand too many!  All three hands are shown circled here. 

According to The Daily Mail, the accidental "extra hand" is the one sitting on mom's shoulder, in an attempt to make the idealized family unit look even more close-knit.  At some point that idea was nixed, but the additional hand remained (and wasn't caught) in the proofing stage before the ad went to print.

Honey, they shrunk the Target Bag!

As I reported last week, Target gave away (as usual) reusable shopping bags on Earth Day. However, a funny thing happened when I went to get mine yesterday.  I went to grab one, and realized it was a whole lot SMALLER than the bags in years past.  As in about half the size.

In measuring them, the new bags are about 9" wide by 10" tall and 6" deep.  In comparison, the free Target bags in the past have been the more "standard" size of 12" wide by 13" tall and 8" deep.

Now I'm not sure whether other Target stores gave away full size bags, or if there were also full size bags available at my store and they just didn't hand them out.  I just found it a bit odd.  While the smaller bags are convenient for quick shopping trips (when only picking up a few things) they don't fit much stuff.  Which means you either have to bring another bag with you to the store, or just use another bag altogether (as I'll probably do).

So what's the verdict, readers?  Did you encounter the smaller-sized bags this weekend as well, and if so, did you like the new mini-size?

Double-Take: Target vs. Pottery Barn

It's time for another double-take, where we take one item from Tar-jay and pair it up with a dead-ringer designer piece.  Today we have two pretty (and functional) drink dispensers, just in time for warm-weather entertaining.  Both are fashioned to serve your chosen beverage in the top section and to display fruit on the bottom.  The only real difference is the price, because one is from Pottery Barn and will set you back $89, whereas the other is from Target and costs just under $49. 

Which one is which?  The answer appears in the comments section below.