Target is the new Wal-Mart but with a better image. Target provides competitive prices and an excellent presentation. The appearance of the store is what makes Target a pleasant experience and Wal-Mart a chore. The simple fact that Target is commonly referred to as Tarjay (to make it sound fancier) drives my point home. Target’s attention to its image pays dividend by adding value to its products, the added value is a complete fabrication of our brains, but it’s one that’s important to us (the customer, we like pretty) and the reason for returned visit.
While this Target store is a pleasant experience, it does have a torn in its heel –the parking. Target is located at the main entrance to the shopping center, all traffic coming and going is tunneled up to Target’s doors and then forced to turn right or left. This creates a choking point for car coming and going. The three-way stopping creates traffic just to enter the plaza; the speed bumps less than 10 feet away from the stop signs makes progress a slow torture; and the crisscrossing of pedestrian making their way to Target’s doors is just icing on the cake.
I understand that Target wants to be the first image shoppers see when entering the plaza. I understand the draw and power of the image. However, Target is not the first image shoppers see, the store is just a blurry background to car bumpers and people jumping in front of cars. The parking lot design is the store's biggest hurdle. I would suggest creating an entrance specific section and an exit specific section (not next to each other). This might sound silly, but if you want to increase the flow of people to the store, keep the entrance of the store clear (remove the car congestion in front of it).
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