I think I only took this picture because this was the first store where I saw Target's second generation of all-plastic carts (after the original ones disappeared in the mid-2010s in favor of conventional models) -- at least I hope that's what I was trying to capture, since it doesn't do a very good job of showing the store itself! At least we have a pair of classic Northwest cars in the background -- a Honda Element next to an older-model Outback.
A Honda Element is the perfect companion for a plastic Target cart photo! The only more perfect match I can think of would be a 1990s Saturn since those had dent-resistant plastic body panels! I wonder how popular Saturns were in the NW. They did make them in true wagons! Anyway, those plastic carts kind of remind me of a Pontiac Aztec as well so you can probably imagine what my opinion is of Target's plastic carts, lol.
ReplyDeleteComparing that older Outback to the newer one further up in the parking lot, it's quite sad how less like a station wagon the newer Outbacks look. That's with the old Outback wagons having to compete against the Legacy wagons! Speaking of Legacies (Legacys?), I've seen two current generation Legacies on the roads of Houston this week! That's pretty amazing given that there are times I see only two Subarus of any kind on the roads in a week given the relative obscurity of Subarus down here.
Also, I have to ask your opinion about the sale of the QFC name to C&S and a number of Albertsons and Kroger stores being divested to C&S if the deal is approved by the FTC. Certain Albertsons brands will be sold to C&S as well such as Primo Taglio. Do you think the FTC will go for such a plan and do you like it? 28 Albertsons stores will be sold to C&S in TX and LA, but it is not clear where those might be. Dallas Tom Thumbs/Albertsons/Market Streets would be the best guess as far as TX goes, but there could be some Randall's stores as well.
DeleteHa! I saw those Saturns from time to time back then, but they never seemed to be ubiquitous in the way Subarus (and other Japanese brands) were.
DeleteYeah, it's crazy just how much the Outback has grown over the years, and the Forester even more! Modern Outbacks are still closer to a station wagon than anything else you can buy in the US today (apart from Volvos, of course), but nowhere near the way they once were.
It will be interesting to see how that goes. C&S seems to have their act together better than Haggen did, but it does make me nervous to see them expanding to have such a large west coast presence when they currently only own stores on the east coast. It will be very interesting to see what brand they use for the stores they take over -- they're buying the rights to the Albertsons brand in a few states and buying a couple Kroger brand names too (QFC and Mariano's), but a lot of the stores they're buying are in areas (such as Texas) where there isn't an obvious name for them to use. It will also be weird to see all those legacy Safeway brands in QFC while Safeway sells Kroger stuff! I suspect there will be some stores flipping to the opposite chain too, so we could see Safeway buildings with a QFC sign selling legacy Safeway brands!