After a long week of classes, meetings, and the myriad of other things Muhlenberg students commit themselves to, it’s important to make time for a little bit of self-care. For many of the girls, gays and theys, this means a trip to Target.
This isn’t your typical retail-therapy; however, in fact it’s entirely possible that one such Target-goer will walk out without spending anything at all (apart from the mandatory Starbucks, of course). A Target trip “for the vibes” has become an activity in and of itself, totally irrespective of whether or not you want/need something there. It’s unclear exactly when this phenomenon began, but a quick search on TikTok will assure you not only of its existence, but its ubiquity.
If this is a new concept for you, it’s possible you can’t picture what it is exactly all these people are doing at Target if not shopping. It’s true that more often than not a vibe-centered trip to Target does result in a purchase of some kind, but actually buying something is more of a garnish; it enhances the experience, but it’s hardly the whole meal.
Every Target routine is different, based on the location and the individual, but the typical beginning to your journey is a stop for Starbucks, wherein even the most hardened black coffee drinkers may embrace their inner middle-schooler and spring for the cotton-candy frappuccino. After that the possibilities are endless; perusing clearance, smelling candles, feeling old when you don’t recognize half the characters in the toy aisles and dozens of other activities simple enough that you don’t have to think too hard but not so unstimulating that you’re bored. You can go alone if you’re in need of some main-character-inner-monologue time, or with friends as a way to catch up. Either way, going to Target provides a low-energy alternative to staying in.
So, why Target?
I think Target’s success as an activity can be traced back to the mall culture of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. Malls gave us the opportunity to leave the house and have an experience without having to pay, and frequently at a fairly low overall expense. When this mode of shopping fell out of style, replaced by e-commerce, there remained a gap in the market for the kind of low-commitment activity they had provided; enter Target. Their partnership with Starbucks in 1999 may have been the key element to their later success, recreating the food court experience in miniature.
In fact, the small scale of Target as an activity is a big reason why it has become a form of self-care for so many. The atmosphere of Target is very different from a mall, and even other big box stores like Walmart. They’ve recently switched from fluorescent lights to LEDs, which are easier on the eyes, and the large carpeted areas in their clothing sections keep noise levels low, resulting in a more calming environment.
Whether or not it was intended, Target has become a regular part of many people’s self-care and social regime. It is not simply a store, but a way to escape for a little while, where our only responsibilities are to sniff candles and mentally decorate the kitchen we do not have yet. There is valid criticism to be made of relying on a corporation as a self-care activity, and it should be made, but for now I will continue to get my silly little coffee and wander the vinyl-tiled aisles when I feel like I need a break. Sometimes life is hard, and if a ten-minute drive and an eight-dollar coffee once in a while makes it a little easier, so be it.
