Target vs. WalMart

As JR said, Target isn't in Canada yet but rumours persist that it will buy The Bay or Zellers.

Only Target I've ever been in was the new one that opened at the el swanko Irvine Spectrum when I was in the OC last July. The opening got plenty of ink in the OC Register. I'm certainly no shopper but it certainly looked a step or 12 above your average Wal Mart. I just looked around while my wife and son shopped for back-to-school clothes. She loved the place.

 

As long as Wal-Mart has greeters, I'm going to Target...

 

Target wins hands down. I only shop at Wal-Mart when no Target is nearby and then I refuse to go in after dark but the store scares the hell out of me.

 

Books-A-Million is the Wal-Mart of bookstores... complete with similar clientele in my locale. I'm a Barnes and Noble cardholder, and will gladly go 30 miles out of my way to shop there instead of at Books A Million.

 

I hate Wal-Mart with a passion, but it's like Nirvana for people-watching.

 

About the only reason I can think of to shop at Books-a-Million is if you need a really cheap birthday gift or a children's book. They usually have a ton of shit up front -- loads of coffee table books -- on clearance, which tells you about the business they're running.

 

Also, if you need a copy of anything in the "Left Behind" series, you're in the right place!

 

Targets are well lit, spacious and well-maintained. It's kind of pleasant to look around and perhaps see something you might like to buy.

Wal-Marts are dim, crowded and crammed to the gills. Makes you want to get in and get out fast.

 

Payback for sending us William Shatner and Celine Dion

 

Near one of favorite clusters of restaurants in Shirlington (a section of Arlington County), there's a Books-A-Millions shoehorned in with places like Bungalow Billiards, Capitol City Brewing Co. and Carlyle. Invariably, after I've had a few drinks over the course of dinner, I'll insist on perusing B-A-M for a grilling cookbook. It's to the point where my wife specifically forbids me from going there after dinner. "No, honey, our car's this way..." "But, but..." "Honey!" "Yes dear."

To answer the original question: There's a WM near our office, which can be scary. There's a WM in a more affluent suburb closer to home, which is a little less scary. But I'll take Target any day (which is closer than either).

How does BJ's stack up against Costco and Sam's? We've got a BJ's near us and were moderately happy with it, but I always figured Costco was better (possibly Sam's, too).

 

The hyperbole on here is getting pretty thick.

1. I don't particularly care for Wal-Mart but have never found one to be "scary." Cluttered, yes. Messy, sometimes. Scary? Uh, no.

2. I don't particularly care for Books-A-Million, but I sure as heck would never drive 30 miles to the nearest Barnes and Noble just to avoid it.