3 Reasons to Swear Off Target in 2023

This post may contain affiliate links which may compensate us based on your interaction. Please read the disclosures for more information.

It may be time to stay away from your favorite big-box store. 

If you love Target, well, that’s understandable. Target is known for its vast selection of goods at awesome prices.

And let’s be real — a lot of Target’s inventory is just plain appealing. Love cute stationery and home accents? You can find those things at Target. Similarly, you can load up on comfortable clothing, neat accessories, and interesting snacks galore.

But while you might enjoy shopping at Target, it’s not necessarily the best idea. Here are a few reasons why you may want to ditch Target in 2033.

1. It constantly busts your budget

These days, a lot of people are grappling with larger credit card bills due to inflation. And we may, unfortunately, be in for many more months of higher living costs until higher inflation levels cool.

If you’re in a place where you need to start conserving cash, and you tend to go over budget at Target, then it may be time to stop shopping there. Granted, you could try to limit your Target purchases to essentials like groceries and household supplies. But if you can admit freely that you almost always make impulse purchases at Target, then you’re better off being honest with yourself and cutting ties with Target for a while — at least until your financial situation improves.

2. It’s not convenient to get there

It’s one thing to shop at Target when your closest store is 10 minutes away from your home or less. But if you find that you’re generally driving a good 20 or 30 minutes to get to Target, then you’re no doubt spending a big chunk of money on gas. And so it could pay to stick to stores that are closer to where you live.

Plus, if you live in a more remote area where most stores are a bit of a drive, you might consider signing up for a service like Amazon Prime or Walmart+. That way, you can score free shipping on your purchases without having to meet a spending threshold and avoid having to spend a fortune on gas.

3. You can get better deals elsewhere

You might find great prices at Target. But that doesn’t mean you won’t find better deals elsewhere. If you have a Costco membership, for example, you may find that food and household supplies are less expensive there than at Target since you can load up in bulk.

Also, it never hurts to do some comparison shopping between Target and competitors like Walmart. You may find that the items you commonly buy are cheaper at Walmart, or that groceries are cheaper at your local supermarket.

Target is a great place to shop. But it may be time to stop going there, at least for the time being. Breaking your Target habit could help you spend less and save more in 2023. And if you can’t bear to boycott Target for a full year, you may want to at least consider cutting back on shopping trips — meaning, scrapping your weekly Target runs and limiting yourself to one visit a month.

Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR until 2024

If you’re using the wrong credit or debit card, it could be costing you serious money. Our expert loves this top pick, which features a 0% intro APR until 2024, an insane cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee.

In fact, this card is so good that our expert even uses it personally. Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

Read our free review

We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Maurie Backman has positions in Amazon.com and Target. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com, Costco Wholesale, Target, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

 Read More