Target’s decision to close nine of its stores in major cities, citing persistent large-scale theft at those locations, is the latest signal that retailers may be struggling in their battle to contain a growing and dangerous problem.
I actually assumed the Target in downtown Seattle was one of the ones closing. I was unaware there even was one in the U-District. I could easily see a lot of theft there.
I’m a little surprised about the one in Ballard. While that spot is not exactly the epitome of high class, it is far from dangerous and does not have a large amount of homeless anymore. This kind of makes me think that revenue is shit and they are just using theft and safety as an excuse. If it was really about that, the one downtown would be closing instead.
I just happened to be in that Ballard target for the first time last week to get my Covid booster and it was weird. Besides the pharmacy, there were basically no employees. No cashiers, one person who ushered you over to the self-checkout, and two greeters (aka loss prevention). It’s just anecdotal observation, but there was no visible sign of, you know, crime problem, i.e. nobody camped out on the sidewalk. But there were also zero customers. That store is tiny for a Target and seemed to have basically the same amount of inventory as a Bartells. For example, we bought a laundry basket while we were there and they just had one style and color (ugly as fuck!). And there is a CVS and a Walgreens basically a block away. And the Target has paid parking. So, I feel pretty confident that this Target was a loser due to bad business decisions.
I actually assumed the Target in downtown Seattle was one of the ones closing. I was unaware there even was one in the U-District. I could easily see a lot of theft there.
I’m a little surprised about the one in Ballard. While that spot is not exactly the epitome of high class, it is far from dangerous and does not have a large amount of homeless anymore. This kind of makes me think that revenue is shit and they are just using theft and safety as an excuse. If it was really about that, the one downtown would be closing instead.
I just happened to be in that Ballard target for the first time last week to get my Covid booster and it was weird. Besides the pharmacy, there were basically no employees. No cashiers, one person who ushered you over to the self-checkout, and two greeters (aka loss prevention). It’s just anecdotal observation, but there was no visible sign of, you know, crime problem, i.e. nobody camped out on the sidewalk. But there were also zero customers. That store is tiny for a Target and seemed to have basically the same amount of inventory as a Bartells. For example, we bought a laundry basket while we were there and they just had one style and color (ugly as fuck!). And there is a CVS and a Walgreens basically a block away. And the Target has paid parking. So, I feel pretty confident that this Target was a loser due to bad business decisions.