The Complexity of Not Buying Everything in Target: An Anecdote
By Jennifer Grell
Hopefully it is not just me, but I have an addiction to Target. Every time I enter the store, I always end up with things I never intended to buy. In my most recent Target experience, I entered in hopes of ONLY buying cute, twinkly lights to give that perfect touch to my dorm room. I ended up leaving Target with not just lights, but also batteries, command hooks, a macrame wall decoration, a crochet pumpkin, a pumpkin printed blanket, three fall-scented candles, a mini waffle iron, and a bag of chips. While this seems to be a larger problem when Target is selling super cute fall decorations, I constantly fall victim to Target and its amazing products year-round. With that being said, here are the steps of falling into the hole of buying more things than you could ever want at your local Target:
Walking Into Target Thinking You Know What You Want
You walk through the white, automatic doors with a plan. You made a list of everything you need from Target during this trip just to *make sure* you don’t forget anything, and to save yourself a return trip to Target tomorrow. You’re confident that you won’t buy anything unnecessary, because you just KNOW that you won’t be tempted to buy anything else but those twinkly lights you’ve been excited to hang in your room.
2. Passing by the $1 Section Questioning If You REALLY Know What You Want
Not even 20 feet ahead lies the first obstacle: the $1 section. Filled with cute socks, note pads, and cute dorm decorations, you’re quickly drawn to it. You know, just to window shop a bit. But, of course, you find a cute little Halloween decoration that would sit perfectly on your desk, and how bad could it be? It is only a dollar. Adding one more tiny thing to your Target checklist can’t be the worst thing in the world.
3. Passing By The Home Decoration Section and Caving In
This is the place where things hit the fan. You’ve quickly forgotten that all you came here for were the twinkly lights, because you are absolutely mesmerized. The soft pumpkin blankets, crochet pumpkins of various colors and sizes, wreaths lined with an ombre of yellow and orange leaves, pumpkin-shaped mini waffle irons - the list goes on. It’s truly an autumn wonderland. You really shouldn’t buy anything, but your room has been craving a festive makeover for your favorite season. So, of course, you give in and put a crochet pumpkin, the white pumpkin throw blanket, three scented candles, and a macrame rainbow wall decoration in your basket. You wouldn’t want to miss out on making your dorm look the perfect amount of spooky.
4. Getting to The Product You Actually Came to Target For
Now that your basket is almost filled to the brim, you remember that you came here for twinkly lights. Luckily, you’re already in the home decor section, so the roll of lights are just a few steps away. You feel a little proud of yourself that you didn’t go completely overboard. You can now head straight to self checkout, and convince yourself not to buy anything else.
5. Buying Accessories that Just FIT The Product
But, of course, you remember that lights cannot light up or hang on their own. Sure enough, the batteries and command hooks are strategically placed right across the walkway from the home decor. After placing AA batteries on top of your pile of new decorations, you begin looking for small hooks that will blend in with the lights.
6. Looking in Your Basket Disappointed With How Far You’ve Strayed
Here it is: the moment of truth. You’re now standing in line for self checkout. You’ve picked up more things than you could’ve possibly imagined when walking into Target, now over an hour ago. You’re disappointed that you’ve been defeated by Target, its cute decorations, and product placement gimmicks, yet again. But hey, at least your room is going to look cozy after all of the decorations are up!
7. Forgiving Yourself With a Nice Starbucks Drink Before You Leave
While you’re still a little bit disappointed in yourself, you remember that it’s Pumpkin Spice season at Starbucks. You can’t possibly pass up the opportunity to get an Iced Chai Latte with Pumpkin Cold Foam while you still have the chance. If you did, you would have to wait an ENTIRE year to get your favorite order again. While your bags are digging into your wrists from how heavy they are, waiting in line for the perfect fall drink is always worth it.