Shop Talk

Target wants shoppers to squeeze the (supersized) Charmin

Grab that shopping cart – you’re going to need it.

To lure post holiday shoppers this year, Target has scrapped its typical plan of stocking its stores with exotic home goods sourced from across this globe.

Instead, it has cleared out the Christmas trees and holiday lights to make room for a mini warehouse club.

Target is stocking 12-packs of giant up & up paper towels for $13.49, and 24-packs of triple roll Charmin toilet paper for $17.99.

Mixed in with the bulk-sized packages, Target is putting in “treasure hunt” items  — a tactic used at No. 1 U.S. warehouse club giant Costco. It will be selling Ed Hardy handbags and shirts for between $34.99 and $64.99, and Ralph Lauren polo shirts for boys and girls for less than $25.

But Costco doesn’t have to worry about Target becoming a direct competitor – at least not yet.  Kathee Tesija, Target’s executive vice president of merchandising, told Reuters the retailer will only offer what it is calling “The Great Save” until February 21. But if you’re lucky and that supersized package of Charmin is a hit with shoppers it might just wind up in Target’s normal product assortment.

(Image provided by Target)

Finding the humor in it all

There are very few things to laugh about in the retail world at the moment, but JP Morgan analyst Brian Tunick did a great job of adding some humor to what was a difficult week, especially for Gymboree.

Gymboree gave a bleak forecast for its first quarter, saying regulatory changes related the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act passed by the Congress in August 2008 will impact sales and gross margins in the first half of 2009. The act required the Consumer Product Safety Commission to begin enforcement of new lead and phthalate standards for children’s products on Feb. 10, 2009.

To try to make light of the situation, Tunick put together this humorous list of the Top 10 new issues that the Consumer Products Safety Commission has its eyes on, and he gave us permission to publish it:

10. Retroactive to August 2006, Forever 21 and Wet Seal shoppers must comply with new rules governing proper disposal of disposable fashion.   9. $98 ballet flats may only be worn while actually performing ballet. Or if someone’s inventories are up mid-teens.   8. Unless you can prove that you are attending a bachelor party in Vegas, the Buckle must limit its customers to one item of Ed Hardy, Affliction or Obey per hour per day.   7. Unless you can prove that you are attending a bachelorette party in Vegas, Bebe Sport must limit its customers to one rabbit fur performance vest and matching Bebe Baby (and we’re not kidding) metallic diaper bag.   6. A new 24 hour hotline has been set up for consumers to call if they’ve accidentally combined the highly volatile Coconut Lime Verbena shower gel with Honey Suckle Dawn anti-bacterial hand foam.   5. Big box value retailers located within a 100 mile radius of an Old Navy store must relocate immediately to help customers rediscover the family, fun and value that you can find ONLY at Old Navy.   4. Abercrombie greeters and employees working in the front room must have no more than 8% body fat on the day they are hired and no more than 2% by the time Mike Jeffries makes a surprise visit to the store.   3. Beginning March 10th, JOSB (Jos. A. Bank) must actually sell something in the store at full price.   2. All retailers employing Debbie Phelps (The mother of Michael Phelps, who wore Chico’s clothes during her son’s historic performances at the Beijing Olympics) must increase the minimum content of novelty in novelty jackets, so that people might actually buy them.   And finally #1…….While we understand it may be tempting, TJX and Ross Stores must restrain from selling lead tainted GYMB inventory to bargain hungry off-price shoppers.

(Photos: Reuters)