Archived Showdown Over 'Showrooming': Target Asks Vendors for Help Keeping Comparison Shoppers

[daninnj]

Some juicy bits in this article:

Where special products aren't possible, Target asked the suppliers to help it match rivals' prices. It also said it might create a subscription service that would give shoppers a discount on regularly purchased merchandise.

Hmmmm...

Target declined to comment other than to issue a statement saying that it "has long prided itself on having truly collaborative vendor partnerships and we continually work with our vendors to remain competitive in the ever-evolving retail environment."

Typical non-answer.

Target had a tough Christmas season, with sales at stores open at least a year rising just 1.7%, about half of what the company expected. As a result, Target recently lowered its fourth-quarter earnings per share range to between $1.35 and $1.43 from $1.43 to $1.53.

The company said sales were particularly disappointing in electronics, movies, books and music—products whose sales have migrated most significantly to the Internet. Those products accounted for 20% of Target's annual sales of $65 billion in 2010, down from 22% in the prior year.

Ouch!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...7242516227440.html?mod=WSJ_hps_editorsPicks_2

So, opinions? comments?

 

[Guest Attendant]

Subscription service? So like a membership card where members would get member only prices? (like the safeway club card)

 

[commiecorvus]

I can think of two things that might help.
Improve their website which is not very user friendly and balky as all get out.
Bite the bullet, spend some money and work on a model of customer service where there are actually TMs on the floor to help guests.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Bodega makes me feel like I am at costco, but no real deals.

 

[invictustaylor]

fire etls! fire etls!

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

fire etls! fire etls!

That might work.

 

[invictustaylor]

Bodega makes me feel like I am at costco, but no real deals.

that's what we've been saying at my store for years. It's like they package the "deals" to be confusing...two boxes of whatever, with a light gross weight and then an odd price...hoping that people can't figure out the unit price per ounce or whatever.

Only good deal is the I love pethead, but there's a different thread for that!

 

[daninnj]

[off topic rant]I am dumbfounded how people are confused about unit price; I actually did my senior year study on it. Got a gondola, bought various sizes of the same thing or two different brands of the same thing, and made price tags. Bottom line, people do not use the unit price even if it is stated on the tag! The smaller box of this may be cheaper but you get more for your money with the bigger box! Sometimes the bigger box is the ripoff! Sometimes they confuse you by having one tag in oz and one in lbs.

My bf and I were at Walmart and trying to convince him that the big bottle of soap saves you more money than the soap in the dispenser was nails on a chalkboard to me. But it seems like I am the only one who understands this!! I know every location does not require unit price on tags but UGHHH!!![/off topic rant]

 

[talan123]

I can think of two things that might help.
Improve their website which is not very user friendly and balky as all get out.
Bite the bullet, spend some money and work on a model of customer service where there are actually TMs on the floor to help guests.

I don't think that is going to happen any time soon. Their entire model for Profits is getting as much out of their resources as possible. It's different in that they used to try to get more resources such as customers.

They are going to do the bare minimum in every case. Even though I guarantee the real reasons for missing sales was two fold. No shipping between stores and not having enough team members to help out. The answer is there, nobody wants it.

 

[redeye58]

Yep, Spot kept whittling away the things that made us stand out from the rest until we're just another entry in the ugly date line-up waiting for a miracle.