Thursday, April 26, 2018

Target's Drive up Service

Target’s Drive Up Service
Jesse Weyer


Over the years major retailers such as Walmart, Sam's Club, Target and many more have been making headlines over topics varying from online ordering, wage raises, yodeling kids and much more. However, recently Target has announced their very own version of pick and saves drive up service. They are simply calling it “Drive up”. Target says that their newly introduced ship from store option where consumers could order items off the shelves and have them shipped straight to their homes become a huge success over the holiday season. Fueling the idea of consumers no longer having to wait 2 days for their items to arrive but just simply driving up to a designated parking spot. Target says the app works by guests placing an order and getting a confirmation when their order is ready (taking no longer than 30 minutes). Guests then are able to pick when they will arrive and items will be brought out to the guests car in no longer than 5 minutes. 


Dawn Block, senior vice president of Target Digital says “Stopping for diapers and toilet paper may not be glamorous, but it’s still on a lot of our to-do lists. Drive Up is our latest effort to make it easier and faster for busy guests to conveniently get what they need, and simply get back to their day.” Not only is drive up now a change to the way consumers are shopping but it also is a new generation of careers available that previously had not been. Jobs are becoming available at pay rate of Target’s  $12 minimum, adding to the overall health of the economy. 

Works Cited: 

“Drive Up : Target.” Target : Expect More. Pay Less., www.target.com/c/drive-up/-/N-9d42z.

“Target Launches Drive Up Service in Twin Cities Area – For Days When You Don't Want to Leave the Car.” Target Corporate, corporate.target.com/article/2017/10/drive-up.

28 comments:

  1. To me, this seems like a good thing for Target to do. Since it creates more jobs and a higher pay, people will be able to get employed more and the economy will be a little better. I am back and forth with the “drive up” system, but I understand where it is coming from. If people need to get something they aren’t able to pick up, or if certain items aren’t in stock, it is a much better system for those purposes. I am worried people will use them for unnecessary reasons also, but otherwise I think this will be a good thing for the economy.

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  2. I love target so this was cool to read. I never even knew about this until reading this article, and it seems super convenient, but the best part about target for me at least is walking around and shopping with my eyes and seeing all the fun things I would buy if I had a ton of money. But for things like a gift or certain home appliances this would probably be a good option.

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  3. I had no Idea this was a thing till now I knew pick n save did things like this, but now target that's great. Everyone should have the chance to order what they want and if pick n save or walmart does not have that someone is looking for now they can go on target. This will be great for there sales every year, more people will end up coming here than other places. Target has been doing really good this year, they have been getting new products on the shelves and giving more teens jobs, offering $11 an hour, witch is good for a part time job when still in school. I heard though you have to work non stop with 2-3 days off a week, so if this is true I don't see it being worth it. I few extra dollars to have to work non- stop. but at the end of they day target will have to do what every they can to make money. and this past few months they have been doing a great job at it.

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  4. This is very interesting. People no longer have to go into stores to shop. With so many stores offering services like the this one that some Targets now offer. However, is this a good thing for Americans. Will this make people more distance and not get human contact? Or is it good for Americans. This could create more jobs as people have to fill the orders that people send in online and bring them to their cars. Well this shows that Americans are getting lazier and lazier it could be a good thing. Even if people don’t get the necessary human contact or social environments it is still creating jobs. Which in the long run will help boost the economy.

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  5. I have started to notice the drive up options at retailers but I did not know that Target had just created one. This allows many working families to save time on grocery shopping and it allows more opportunities for jobs for Target. The unemployment rate in the US is average at 4.1% but this allows adults and especially teenagers to do something better with their time and be a contributing member of society. Target is a popular store along with the fact that they carry certain brands that others do not. If you do not have the time to wander around Target for 1 hour than this still allows you to get the necessary items you need without wasting time.

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  6. This is a pretty interesting topic because I can see more retail store going to this. It is pretty convenient for families to order it online and go pick it up. This helps with the crowds at store too because if more people order it online then less people will be in the stores. Currently the stores that have this service the demand will increase for their products because more people will want to go their stores. The revenue for those stores will also increase and that will help the economy.

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  7. I think that this is a really great idea and not one only seen in Target. Walmart has recently been trying to do something similar but instead of having a checkout desk the items would be displayed in a machine and if you type your number in it will get you what you need, kind of like a giant vending machine. I think that the more companies implement creative ideas like this the better because customers will see a good attempt at improving their customer experience and will lead to more sales.

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    1. I agree with Cam. It's an innovative idea that are hitting grocery stores all around. It is also very interesting that the idea of shopping without the need of actually "shopping" and walking around. As we go into the future there are going to be a lot of advances and this is just one step of the way.

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  8. It is very interesting that Target made their own spin on Pick N’ Saves service. But, without customers going into stores and walking by products, will sales be driven down? Usually by walking by sale items, new products, being able to see products visually, customers will usually buy more just by being in the store. Therefore, will this drive up service decrease the average cost of purchases?

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  9. I didn't know stores were doing this, I knew there were in-store pick up options. This is definitely something that should boost Target's revenue, but it makes me wonder if it will actually decline sales just because of how much people buy things in Target that they don't need. I know every time I go to Target I walk through all the aisles and aimlessly pick up things I never thought I "needed". This is also helping the economy because it is providing new jobs that pay above minimum wage. Overall, very interesting topic and I'm curious to see how many more stores follow it and if any clothing stores might follow this path.

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  10. I think that offering services like this will ensure that Target is able to adequately compete with its competition. I believe that for in order for retail and stores like Target and WalMart to remain relevant with the rise in convenience online shopping giants like Amazon they will need to make sure that they offer similar services to pickup and delivery. This will ensure that Amazon does not develop a monopoly on the practice and create competition, preventing ultimately the extinction of business giants like Walmart, Target, etc.

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  11. Meiijer actually carries this option but they deliver it to your house and you have to tip them and it goes through an app service that people work for (not employees at meijer). It was interesting because my family did the once when it was very cold outside and we didn't want to go to the store. It is helpful if you're in a time crunch but I cannot see how this will directly help the store. There are already so many customers at target and how can you be sure they pick up the correct items. When we did meijer delivery not all of the items were correct. I am curious if other stores will follow and if this will take over most grocery stores. Very interesting topic and I enjoyed reading this.

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  12. I think the drive up option is not necessarily a bad idea, but it may actually hurt Target's sales more than it helps them. Although convenient for consumers, the pick up deters people from going into the actual store where many customers end up buying more than they came in for. Target especially is known for this, and if customers don't even have to enter the store to buy/pick up their items, impulse purchases will likely decrease, ultimately negatively impacting Target's overall sales.

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  13. I agree with Kat that this could hurt sales if all stores go to this method. I know right now, retailers are using this to gain a competitive edge over the competition, but when everyone goes to this, there will be no advantage gained. At that point, it will only prevent people from making the impulse purchases in the store that is a big reason why these store are so successful. In the short run, I could see this increasing sales, but long term, I don't see this as very beneficial for retailers in general.

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  14. I think that this Drive Up service could both help and hurt Target as a store. For many lazy Americans, they may jump at the opportunity to get their things delivered to them as it is a service that is offered by many other companies around the country. But this will also hinder people from actually going into the stores and physically buying their items, and may negatively impact the retailers.

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  15. This is probably combatting Amazon's quick gratification. People may see this as a good idea that gets you what you need quickly but Amazon does this too and ships directly to your house, no need to drive. This is why Brick and Mortar stores like Boston Store are going out of business.

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  16. From reading the blog comments above, I agree with both Kat and John. From reading the article, I assume that this could most likely hurt Target's sales instead of improving them or increasing them. Although it says that "Drive Up" makes it easier for consumers to get what they need when they are busy, so that they can get back to their other tasks, I kind of just find that lazy. Target is known for many to go in and get more than they were expecting which then increases their sales. However, with this new plan put into place, this will cause those purchases to decrease and possibly the amount of in-store customers to decrease. Might as well just be an online store.

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  17. Even though the common trend for revenue in retail stores is a negative decline, this new feature will benefit Target's revenue. Many people can't find the time to walk through the store and pick their items, so by ordering online and driving up to the store for the products is much more efficient. This will also help Target stand out against their competitors who choose not to have this feature.

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  18. Great blog post! I personally agree with a lot of the people who commented before. I think that with the new "Drive Up" policy it could actually hurt the overall revenue the store is bringing in. This would happen because when you order something online, that is usually the only thing you order. On the other hand, when you actually go in stores to buy a product you want, you often times get baited into buying other things that you might need later on. Which is result, would drive up the overall revenue for Target. But it is great that Target is recognizing how the world is becoming more technology oriented and trying to adapt their business towards consumer needs.

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  19. I think that the drive up Target is planning would hurt their sales instead of improving them. Although it's supposed to make it easier for consumers to find what they need, it can come off as lazy and will hurt them more than it will help them.

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  20. This is a very interesting selling strategy for Target, and while this new policy is different, I believe that it would actually hurt their overall revenue. This is because recently many big stores like Target have been going out of business due to bankruptcy. If target is promoting their online shopping instead of trying to get people to come to their physical stores, the same thing that happened to Boston Store might happen to Target. The fact is, is that going to the actual stores most likely convinces people to buy other products while online shopping is easier to just choose what you are looking for.

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  21. I think this strategy will benefit Target because it prevents consumers from being frustrated at the time-consuming task of searching for items, thus encouraging more people to shop at Target. I disagree that "Drive Up" will hurt Target primarily because people who buy "extras" have more time to shop, whereas customers who use "Drive Up" will likely be in a rush to get the products they want and leave immediately anyway.

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  22. My first thoughts when I read this was that customers who do this are going to spend less since they aren't going into the store to shop. However, as I think about it, the customers who do this are likely to be the type of people who avoid impulse purchases anyway, such as online shoppers or those that rush in rush out. The sales searches that stores make huge profits on are still going to want to go in store to see what "savings" they can scrounge up.

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  23. I agree with the comments above that argue that this idea could end up hurting Target’s sales. I for one always end up leaving with more than I came for every time I go to Target, and I think that's a large reason as to why Target is so successful. If they give people the option to preorder exactly what they want and not allow them the opportunity to view items they didn’t necessarily know they wanted, over time they could see a decrease in sales. I understand they are trying this as a way to gain a competitive edge over their competitors, but I think in the long run it could cause them to fall behind.

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  24. As said before when someone goes into a store weather it's pick'n save, Walmart or target they are usually going in with the intention of buying only the necessary items but not many actually do. Usually people will go in and fill their carts with unnecessary things and forget the items they actually went to buy, making a vicious spending cycle therefore I believe that by using drive up sales will drop.

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    1. You make an interesting point because having the drive up service really limits what consumers are buying since they won't be attracted to anything else that might catch their eye if they had to go in the store to buy it. I think that this policy might benefit Target also since it appeals to people who might not have the time to spend an hour shopping in a store. Along with that I think that it allows people to spend their money elsewhere and therefore stimulate the economy even more. Since the people who use this service won't be caught by the traps that Target sets to "help" customers buy more things, they will be able to save more of their money and do a couple things with the little extra money that they have. They could invest, save, or spend it on other purchases which might help to stimulate the economy.

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  25. Even though this drive-up service may seem like a good idea, I don’t think it will help Target’s sales. Stores like Pick’n Save have a similar drive up service, which nobody really uses. People just use the parking spaces. All that money earned from these drive-up sales will go back to paying those who work this new service. Plus, more workers potentially will have to be hired for this. If the world is moving to stuff being delivered to houses, then this service won’t work.

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  26. It is cool to see an increase in demand for online delivery causing better means of delivery. As more people want to order online packages and get them fast the retail stores of america are responding to the increased demand quickly by making order online and picking up in stores boost there sales to keep the dwindling retail stores of america afloat.

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