You are my shire. My Hogwarts. Target, you are my USS Enterprise. In short: you are my happy place. I have had a love/hate/mostly love relationship with you for almost 9 years now and I feel it is time for me to express what you truly mean to me. I've seen you from different sides, first as an occasional patron, then as an employee, later, a disgruntled ex-employee and now, a loyal visitor. If there was a church of Target I would be your deacon and if Target ran for President I'd offer to make and pass out your campaign buttons. You have never let me down, you have always provided me with quality products and a wonderful, inviting atmosphere and I could not be more thankful.
There are days where I'm feeling not quite myself. Sometimes I wake up and I'm not sure where I want the day to take me. On days like this I usually fall into your warm embrace and leave with a set of dishes. From the moment I pull my little gold Corolla underneath your blinding red bullseye sign I am at peace and I know you will take care of me. Even walking into your doors, whether on the blue or the green side (now named the grocery and guest service side) brings an overwhelming calm to my senses. I feel like you know me and you know what I need as soon as I arrive.
Some days I may be in the best mood possible and after spreading good cheer to my family and friends I will usually stop by Target to pass on the good vibes. You appreciate that and the feeling is always reciprocated. That is one of the best attributes of a friendship, Target has been a great friend to me! Through all of the ups and downs, you've never left my side. We have had our bad times, mostly on my terms. I have had some negative feelings toward you after we parted ways on our business end. I found it hard to come to you for consolation, and it took me a while to realize it wasn't you I was mad at. After I finally figured that out you welcomed me back without hesitation, quite the selfless act. You were willing to forgive my stubbornness and offer me many pizzas from your Food Ave.
Most days I take solace in your florescent lights simply to browse. As a girl, shopping is something I'm programmed to love but somehow I am happy to even wander your aisles and I never feel the pressure to bring anything home (though that doesn't usually stop me). Sometimes I'll meander through domestics and marvel at the color arrangement of the towels. It's an art the way the "zoners" place you. Other times I will shuffle through electronics and considering this is where I spent the majority of my Target employment experience, I still am baffled by how organized and how appealing the Taylor Swift cds appear before me (*I highly respect the job of ANYONE required to work Entertainment at Target, probably the most demanding yet rewarding job I've ever had
There are opportunities in which I arrive at you with a specific purchase in mind. Fortunately I have the advantage of knowing most of the aisles from my time working with you, but even in the years since I've left, everything is still easy to find so I never have a problem. Its times like this where I prefer to move quickly so something sparkly in housewares does not distract me further. I can zoom in and out with just my dog food in hand and I don't have to worry that I've missed something. I know if it is meant to be than it will be there the next time I visit and have means to spend.
Some days I may be in the best mood possible and after spreading good cheer to my family and friends I will usually stop by Target to pass on the good vibes. You appreciate that and the feeling is always reciprocated.
Thank you Target for being a companion I can always count on. I will always treasure our memories and I am looking forward to spending time with you in the future. I will see you Saturday, probably Wednesday and Friday, too. Or something like that.
Love, Jordan.
