Yesterday, I got a special preview of the Target to Go shopping experience in San Francisco, and was able to do about half my remaining Christmas shopping in about 20 minutes. Target pioneered the "Pop-up" store concept a few years ago, but living in the 'burbs where Target stores abound, I didn't really know what that meant. Essentially, a "Pop-up" store is a temporary shopping site set up for a special occasion, with a limited product line, primarily in urban areas that are not so lucky to have a Target.
At the Target to Go store, you're given a menu of about 50 items to choose from, and can walk past a display window showing the various gifts, mostly grouped by price. If you see something you like, you mark it on your order form, and take it to the cashier. The gift comes out wrapped in a lovely candy-striped bag with a gift tag on it for you to fill out, and voila! you are DONE.
This weekend, Target-to-Go stores will be open in DC, New York, and San Francisco. If you live in or around San Francisco, follow @TargetToGoSF on Twitter for clues on where to find some special Target Gift Tags hidden around the city. If you find one, take it to the Target to Go shop at Mint Plaza (on 5th, between Mission & Market, next to the old US Mint) and you will be rewarded with a Target Gift card, redeemable at any Target location. As a bonus, Target will donate $100 to the Salvation Army for every gift card redeemed at the SF location. If you plan to do some shopping in the city this weekend, this could be a fun little scavenger hunt to go on!
I was delighted to be invited to this event, because as I explained to one of the Target PR people, Target is my "happy place." It's like a little vacation from the world for me to go to Target on my own, and just wander the aisles, picking up laundry detergent, throw pillows, a cute top, or Legos. You can find just about anything there, and I have been a devoted Target shopper since the 1970's, when our local Ayr-Way turned into Target.
Disclosure: I received a $25 Target Gift Card for attending the Press Preview, but no other compensation for writing this review. Opinions expressed herein are solely my own.
