The checkout section is classic Target, with a relatively small space crammed full of double-loaded counters. Based on the numbers, it appears that there were originally nearly twice as many checkouts here -- some were replaced by self checkouts, but I'm not sure what happened to the rest of them, as Target's dinky little self-checkout setup definitely doesn't take up as much space as three whole lanes (six checkouts)!
At least three opened manned registers and short lines? We're certainly in a different decade at least as far as Target goes! I hear that new concept Target that opened a few months ago in Houston may not even have 3 manned register stations! Granted, I think it has registers in two different areas of the store, but still, shopping at Target is not as much of a pleasure as it used to be back in the 2010s and before. That's why I don't shop there often these days!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this store still had the popcorn smell in the front end when this photo was taken. That was a Target trademark for decades, but now that some Target cafes around here have been simplified to just being Starbucks, that popcorn smell is gone as well. Maybe some people like that, but I know some will miss it. Heck, when Sears was still around (I know they still are, barely, in the Seattle area), people would complain that they didn't have the smell of popcorn from the candy counter anymore!
This is a shameless plug on my part, but I did plug your blog in the latest The Year of Kroger post over at HHR. Not only that, but Main & Vine got a pretty big mention as well! Saying that this Kroger was the first one to have child care in it is a bit awkward given that Fred Meyer was doing it before Kroger was, but I guess such are the quirks with acquired stores! Link: https://houstonhistoricretail.com/2023/09/06/pearlands-kroger-has-an-unexpected-history-of-innovation/
Ha! I've had mixed experiences with Target -- their small-format stores really push self checkout, but the full-size ones tend to still have mostly regular checkouts (and a good number of them open at any given time). Since this is Seattle we're talking about, it's common to see a longer line for the self checkouts than for the regular ones! 😃
DeleteThis store had a newer type of Target Cafe at this point, and I don't remember if there was a popcorn machine here.
Cool! I love Urban Mix, and it's always neat to see it in other areas (since QFC seems to have been the only division to really embrace that decor).