A company that can take the hassle out of back to school shopping is a company that has definitely won our vote and our business as customers. The days when back to school shopping was fun for us are long gone to say the least. For some reason, the thought of getting every color crayon that Crayola made or digging through piles to find the cutest lunch box, are not as enticing as they were in the past. Back to school shopping as a college student is now viewed as a huge inconvenience. Over-crowded stores, lines a mile long, and over-aggressive parents that feel the need to bulldoze their way down the book bag isle are usually reasons to steer clear of any store on back to school weekend.
The Target in Wilmington, North Carolina has taken these pains into consideration and concluded that something needs to be done. This year Target partnered up with UNCW to take the stress of back to school shopping off of students. Advertised on UNCW’s website was a night where Target devoted its store exclusively to UNCW student shoppers. On August 18th, Target had a shuttle running a continuous 20-minute loop from 10pm to 1am transporting students to and from UNCW’s campus to Target’s New Centre location.
This is a brilliant marketing plan. Target is a company that knows its consumers and pays close attention to their wants and needs. College students are not wanting to devote an entire day to going from store to store in an effort to find all of the items on their shopping list. And even those that do, the goal is to get in and get out as fast as possible. By opening the store late at night for college students, Target was aware that students would be more inclined to taking their time browsing the store and seeing what all they could purchase for their dorm or apartment. This plan was likely to make Target more money than if students were to be overwhelmed with people and having the “in and out” philosophy.
Target has once again put themselves ahead of the curve and made it exponentially harder for competitors to compete with their brand. Known for being a more high-end store, Target has taken back to school shopping to the next level and to the most profitable target market imaginable. College students ranging from 18-24 are known for impulsive buys and back to school is just the time to boost their sales. They have taken their ideal market and closed off the store specifically for them. Many new students coming to college do not have the luxury of owning a car or having their family living close by and this can become troublesome when trying to make those back to school purchases. The fact that Target has taken this into consideration when shuttling students not only tells you about them as a company but gives you an idea of the loyalty they have for their customers.
They then took this a step further and went beyond your everyday college student. Target gave kids living under the poverty line in Wilmington a chance to stock up on new supplies, clothes and necessities for the new school year. This says a significant amount about Target as a brand. Not only do they strive to meet the needs of college students in Wilmington, but as a community they want everyone to have an equal chance for success in the upcoming academic year. This makes us love Target even more. As as a consumer and college student it definitely makes us proud to shop there.
-Kaitlin Batson, Alex Corrigan, Parker Farfour, Caitlin Ford
IMC Hawks Blog 
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I had no idea that the Target in Wilmington did this. I agree that this is pure brilliance, but it also makes me wonder why I did not hear about it… I’d like to think I am pretty much in the loop when it comes to student affairs. Either way, I personally love Target as a brand and I love seeing them being involved in the community!
I wish I would have known about the Target doing this! I am obsessed with everything in Target and after just reading this article, it makes me love it even more. Going to Walmart is such a nightmare when back to school shopping takes place and honestly the only reason i ever go in there to grab items would be when I would get off work late at night and run in, hopefully taking under 10 minutes, and running out. Target must have noticed that college kids do not have the same schedule as most people and opened their door to accommodate a target market and have customers keep coming back.
-Danielle Salas
Target has done a great job making students, especially college students, feel like Target is at their disposal when it comes to supplies and decor for the school season. I love this idea that they are doing everything they can, even though the are a HUGE company, to make the customers have that personal connection with their products. I never knew they did after hours for college students, so my only compliant it that they didn’t do a better job advertising this.
While this is a decent idea, I think that it is almost pointless. I didn’t have a car my freshman year and didn’t have any trouble getting groceries, school supplies or anything. Most all of my friends had cars at school and were more than happy to take me places or let me ride along. Also, I have never been in Target when it is so crowded that it made me want to leave and not buy something. I think that if Walmart did this it would be more effective due to the high volume of people at all times of day. Personally, I love Target and the thought of having the whole store to myself sounds great. However, I think the excitement around the idea is what makes it seem more necessary than it actually is.