The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: HipGnosis on April 19, 2017, 12:12:26 PM
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Most of the 'Dr Oz Show' today was; What to buy at the big box stores.
He (they?) included Target as a big box store.
I've never heard or considered that Target is a big box store. Is it??
They also said to buy (non-frozen) dairy products at drug stores as they are loss leaders. I'll check that out, but I expect Aldi to have the best price.
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What is your definition of "big box store"? Wikipedia sure seems to think Target is one. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-box_store)
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Generally, I consider it "big box." But that in itself is pretty nebulous. Generically, and large-footprint, standalone/strip mall national retailer is "big box."
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I've always thought of Target as a big box store. It is a somewhat nicer version of Walmart - same basic idea / shopping experience though. I imagine that sometimes you can catch a sale at a drug store on milk, but Aldi is probably better on price most of the time.
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The Target near me is 400' x 360' (google earth), this is three times the 50ksqft value listed in wikipiedia; so yeah. back in the day Targets were smaller but still were big. why would it not be a big box store?
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Yes.
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Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Office MAx, etc. Any giant store where you buy giant things (IME).
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If it is in a big box, it is a big box store.
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If it is in a big box, it is a big box store.
Even more so if it sells stuff that comes in big boxes.
So, check and double-check.
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Definitely big box.
OP, out of curiosity, are you Canadian? I've heard the Canadian Targets are far inferior to ours and perhaps that's why you would think of it as not big box.
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I wouldn't call it big box on the same scale as big box stores I saw in France (the people working at E. Leclerc wore roller skates to get around, the store was that big) but I certainly consider it big box. That said, I like Target and go there on occasion whereas you couldn't pay me to go into the soul-sucking darkness and doom that is Walmart.
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Most definitely a big box store. Huge mega store that sells a little bit of everything with nearly no local character (we can get some local university T-shirts, everything else is the same as we could buy anywhere in the US)
Target is basically the same as Walmart with better PR.
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Most definitely a big box store. Huge mega store that sells a little bit of everything with nearly no local character (we can get some local university T-shirts, everything else is the same as we could buy anywhere in the US)
Target is basically the same as Walmart with better PR.
From a personal computer go look at images from a search for "people of walmart"; it is more than PR :-p
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Most of their buildings are large concrete rectangles with no windows, surrounded by a parking lot. That is basically what defines a big box store in my mind.
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Definitely big box.
OP, out of curiosity, are you Canadian? I've heard the Canadian Targets are far inferior to ours and perhaps that's why you would think of it as not big box.
Inferior because they are vacant. =)
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Definitely big box.
OP, out of curiosity, are you Canadian? I've heard the Canadian Targets are far inferior to ours and perhaps that's why you would think of it as not big box.
Inferior because they are vacant. =)
Kind of like a flattened for recycling big box. Sure seems like Target was never very committed to its Canadian venture.
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I've seen some crazy people at Target - I think WalMart gets more of them because it's just that much busier, but the percentage is about the same.
Target has shorter lines and they market to a more upscale demographic, but they have the same kind of junk, just with better presentation. So, absolutely, Target is a big box store.
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Definitely. Terrible managers of inventory. My big gripe with them is they are often out of what I am looking for. One of the largest retailers in the world; you would think they had "self ordering systems". Definitely not the best prices, especially on food items. The "red card" (-5% off the top) definitely helps as does there not charging liquor tax where I live (maybe it's implicit in the price of the booze, but it's never on the receipt...strange!).
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Seriously? advice from Dr. Oz?
But yes always go to aldi. Just bring your own quarter and bags!
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I've seen some crazy people at Target - I think WalMart gets more of them because it's just that much busier, but the percentage is about the same.
Target has shorter lines and they market to a more upscale demographic, but they have the same kind of junk, just with better presentation. So, absolutely, Target is a big box store.
Target is gone from Ontario, I think all of Canada? They had terrible merchandise. Horrible presentation. They made Walmart and Giant Tiger look good. They had not done their marketing homework, and the Targets I was in were certainty not catering to a more upscale demographic.
But they were definitely big box. They moved into Zellers stores and in many places were replaced by Walmart.
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A big box store is a store that sells only big boxes, nothing in them, nothing else, just big boxes. Since I have never come across a store that sells only big boxes, I have never seen a big box store. :)
Seriously, I think the term "big box store" came about because of Targets/Walmarts.
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I've seen some crazy people at Target - I think WalMart gets more of them because it's just that much busier, but the percentage is about the same.
Target has shorter lines and they market to a more upscale demographic, but they have the same kind of junk, just with better presentation. So, absolutely, Target is a big box store.
Target is gone from Ontario, I think all of Canada? They had terrible merchandise. Horrible presentation. They made Walmart and Giant Tiger look good. They had not done their marketing homework, and the Targets I was in were certainty not catering to a more upscale demographic.
But they were definitely big box. They moved into Zellers stores and in many places were replaced by Walmart.
Yes, I've heard that they really bungled their attempted expansion into Canada. Definitely, their marketing message in the US is "Look! I don't shop at WalMart!" They are all about the style (and they have some of the worst made clothing I've ever seen in the women's dept - clearly people only expect to wear it once or twice.)
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"Look! I don't shop at WalMart!"
Pretty sure my wife has actually said that multiple times.
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A big box store is a store that sells only big boxes, nothing in them, nothing else, just big boxes. Since I have never come across a store that sells only big boxes, I have never seen a big box store. :)
Seriously, I think the term "big box store" came about because of Targets/Walmarts.
Funny, I always thought it was Home Depot and Lowe's. Bigger boxes there, I guess, lol.
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In my opinion, Target is actually a boutique store disguised as big box. It's that differentiation that'e kept them alive. There's less stores (you can find a Walmart in lots of towns < 10,000. Target doesn't bother unless you're talking > ~35,000 (and even in those cities there's probably 2 Walmarts to 1 at most Targets. They cater to a more refined crowd, thus the often differences in clientele. They carry higher quality/better designed home items and frequently change out their inventory. Yes I get that the actual quality of it is still questionable (particle board/polyester fillings) but it's still better designed for nearly the same price as a Walmart counterpart and much cheaper than you can find at an "actual" designer store. Their aisles are more pleasant and better designed. Though I think over the long run, Walmart just has too many stores and too much reach and Target will eventually be drowned out. Target's sales are getting crushed lately. Walmart has also started updating their stores and creating a cleaner look. They're also carrying better designer home products.
I was looking for patio furniture the other day and Walmart had better quality/price on all of the items I was looking for. This surprised me as I normally would've only considered Target but I checked both places. They had a directly comparable metal chair for $27 (Walmart) vs $55 (Target). And the table was metal vs wood and was much larger for only a few more dollars.
The main overarching issue for big box stores is the internet. People just don't want to drive or bike or walk around anymore to 10 different stores when they can go to one place that has pretty much everything for the best price and buy any super specialty items online. And as much as I dislike Walmart at times, they're winning in that regard by far.
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So, question for the forum: Is there a fundamental difference between "big box store" and a "department store"? I think of both as having a variety of goods under one large roof. Are they simply differentiated by pricing or service?
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So, question for the forum: Is there a fundamental difference between "big box store" and a "department store"? I think of both as having a variety of goods under one large roof. Are they simply differentiated by pricing or service?
I would think the modern department store would be part of a mall; but originally department stores were big box stores but downtown rather than in the burbs.
wiki might be interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_store (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_store)
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So, question for the forum: Is there a fundamental difference between "big box store" and a "department store"? I think of both as having a variety of goods under one large roof. Are they simply differentiated by pricing or service?
To my mind, department stores are generally "clothing first," with some housewares and whatnot thrown in.
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I would definitely consider Target a "big box" store in the same way I would consider Walmart, Home Depot, Best Buy, etc.
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Is Kohls a Big Box Store? They have mostly clothes, but lots of housewares, and some toys.
Best Buy is a Big Box Store, and they have all electronic stuff.
Target and WM have some of everything, but have really bet hard on groceries.
Lowe's is a Big Box Store, but it's hardware and decor.
So I think it's just the bigness and the boxiness...
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When I was growing up in the 80s/90s, our mall-based Sears was quite diversified among clothing, appliances, automotive, hardware, and sporting goods. Maybe it was the "big-box" before "big-box" was a thing, but we definitely called it a "department store"? Now we have a Target as one of the anchors in a mall here in Houston and it looks like it's serving very much the same function.
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Target is basically the same as Walmart with better PR.
Absolutely.
Which is exactly why Walmart hired Target's former ad agency at the beginning of the year.
http://adage.com/article/agency-news/walmart-makes-official-naming-target-shop-haworth/307330/
I know that doesn't have much to do with this thread directly - but my guess is that advertising and PR is the main reason why many people don't think of Target as a 'big box' store (a term that is rarely used in a positive light).
It will be interesting to see how Walmart's positioning changes in the coming years.
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I think the term "big box store" came about because of Targets/Walmarts.
Funny, I always thought it was Home Depot and Lowe's. Bigger boxes there, I guess, lol.
I thought it was; Home Depot, Lowes, Builders Square, Sams and Costco.
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Nothing about Target isn't big box.