Friday, December 10, 2010
Target(ing) 1 State St.
I am not sure how I feel about this piece of news. State St. is loaded with chain stores already, so this is nothing new, but I think the fact that it is a big box store is what concerns me. I know they are moving in, and there is a Target at Wilson Yards, but I don't think I expected to see one in the Loop.
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3 comments:
Kheris, What is "big box?" Answer: It's a derogatory term used for political propagandizing against large retailers. Macy's is "big box," but so was beloved Marshall Fields. It makes perfect sense for Target to move into the old Carson's space. Carson's, by the way, was "big box." The still-new Target at Wilson Yard in Uptown is beautiful, employs hundreds of locals, offers very good prices on groceries and other items, and brings good traffic to a troubled area. A Target store on State Street would have only a positive effect on that area. The old Carson Pirie Scott space is empty, employs nobody, contributes little or nothing to the tax rolls, and is visually depressing. We should all be happy that Target - or any large retailer - is willing to move in and fill the void.
All valid points on their face. On the other hand, one more chain offering stuff made off-shore (along with the groceries)is just one more cog in a vast wheel. Nothing sets it apart. Yeah, Macy's, Marshall's, Nordstrom's, are all big box and all more costly probably because they all operate off a different big box model, which doesn't remind you that it is just another big box.
I've been so wrapped up in the news of a "small box" Wal-Mart opening at Clark/Diversey/Broadway that I totally missed the Target news. (I crack myself up... "missed the Target"!)
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