So I ventured to Target today after coming to the realization that downtown Palo Alto is not the place to purchase a simple tea kettle. Oh no, good sir, they'll gladly sell you a $60 wonder down at Whole Foods, but for the below $10 market you need to venture to other locales. Which for me means a bus ride. Yay! I'll take this moment to promote 511.org and their awesome route finder function.
So I made it to my bus stop at about 11:30, caught the bus to Mountain View (nearest Target to me, according to the Target.com website). I would have gone to the one in Redwood City since I am fairly sure of where it is located and how to get there, but I have an indomitable sense of adventure (also, see prior parenthetical phrase), so new places it is!
Bus rides are interesting. I always love the mix of folks. An old Vietnam vet seated next to an elderly Asian woman who watches the Latino lady with three kids walk to the back of the bus. I am in love with people, and more precisely, the practice of observing them.
Which brings me to Target. Target was/is great for people watching I have found. Being the uber pragmatist that I am I first sought out my tea kettle. The kettles were easy enough to locate, but the variety one is presented with is a little much. But such is capitalism and the diverse market catering to numerous tastes. I went with the el cheapo bottom line special at $6.99. Can't beat that. Kettle selection done with I proceeded to wander about Target trying to figure out what else, if anything, I should grab while in this Mecca of consumer goodies. At one point the usefulness of shopping lists crossed my mind, but I checked myself by remembering that this was a sole purpose mission and had only bloomed into more once I arrived.
The Mountain View Target stocks wine, which astonishes me. Really. Only in California. Maybe only in Northern California? I have never been to a Target with liquor sales (is wine considered liquor?). California folk love their old grape juice, though and they will not be denied it, even if it has to be next to discount Halloween decorations.There were quite a few people walking around in Target with kids and what not. Kids make me laugh. On that note, I'll get into a child stereotyping list based on today's observations:
The uniforms at Target make me think that no "Crips" gang member would ever be able to work there. Better luck at Wal-Mart perhaps? Target also appears to have a rather lax uniform enforcement policy, which seems like it would be a comfortable place to work (literally). There were lots of untucked shirts and popped collars. Go, Target fashionistas, go!
P.S.: If I see target launch an ad campaign with this entry's title as the hook I am suing them big time. I'm here for the money, sucka!
