Target is one of my very favorite stores here in East Texas. It is one of the best stores to buy clothes and to register for wedding and baby showers. But as I walked through the store to the electronic department I was in a hurry.
I am pretty clueless when it comes to understanding electronics. And I was in need to buy my husband a HD cable. I had no idea what that was. I knew that it was a cable that you stuck into your television. I walked over to the “help” desk and waited for a employee to come to the desk. Two employees walked by the desk and when they saw me, they tried to not make eye contact. Usually I would of just searched the store until I actually found someone that was willing to do their job, but for the sake of this articles, I waited for someone to actually try to help me. Finally a young boy came up to the desk and I asked him to help me. He looked around for someone else to do his job. His lack of excitement to be at work was completely off putting, and to be blunt, annoying.
I asked him where I can find HD cables. He pointed in a general direction and told me they were “over there”. So, at this point I was extremely frustrated with the young kid. I told him that I really had no idea what I was looking for or what kind of cable I should use. He looked at me like I was retarded and told me he was going to get someone to help me. It would take more time to find someone to come over and show me, than to just show me himself. He grabbed his walkie-talkie and asked for some woman to come over to electronics. I asked him if he worked in this department. Apparently you can work in the electronics department but with manly video games and televisions. He grabbed the phone and called an outgoing line right in front of me. I was beyond annoyed by the rudeness of the employee. A woman came up to me and ask what I needed help. I told her that I just needed to be shown where the HD cables were at and which one I should use. She walked me over to the next aisle. About twenty feet. Really? He could not walk me over twenty feet? I grabbed the cable that I needed and left the store disappointed and frustrated. If you don’t know what you are looking for when it comes to the electronic selection, do not go to Target.
After you exit the parking lot of most Wal-Mart stores in East Texas you will see a small shopping center, including a small store, Cato and at some Wal-Mart stores you will find the “Cato sister store“, It’s Fashion. Cato and It’s Fashion are women’s fashion store. The small store is crowded with in style clothing.
The circular path leading around the small store seems smaller every time I walk around it. But Cato is sure to only sale the most stylish clothes according to the season of the year.
As I walked through the store I can not help but notice the lack of selection and styles. Although the clothing was very attractive the style was limited to the Cato fashion in other words, church clothes. There was nothing I would really wear on just an average weekday. I think that if a business is a “woman’s attire” business I think they should provide for all women. Cato was lacking in the larger woman clothing selection and had no selection for maternity. I guess it would not make sense to cram all sizes in the small stores, but it seemed like most of the clothes that they were selling were in sizes 6-9, which does not really make sense because “supposedly” the average woman wears a size 14. And most Wal-Mart shoppers wear a much larger size than that. You would think that if there was a demand for larger size outfits that they would meet those demands. I once was shopping at a Cato store for a friend’s bachelorette party. I picked up a cute pair of lacey panties. To understand my frustration of the sales woman, I wear about an 8 in panties and my friend might be able to fit in a 2. I laid down the coupe pairs of underwear and the lady looked at me and kept repeating how little the panties were. Not necessarily saying anything to direct but saying small comments such as “man these are tiny panties”. I just did not say anything to her about it. I guess it was strange if I was buying it for myself, but is it normal for women to have absolutely no idea what size underwear they wear? Why would they think that I, a grown woman, would have no idea what size I wear?
Cato’s neighbor across the street, It’s Fashion, maybe Cato’s sister store but the style is obviously different. While Cato’s Fashion appeals to the career driven woman, It’s Fashion appeals to a whole different generation of woman. This is not the place to shop if describe yourself as “modest”. I do not think I saw a single shirt that did not either cling to every inch of my upper body, or if it did not show sixty percent of my breasts. Jeans that feel like they might split fro how tight they are or breast showing shirts, and a pair of black leather hooker boots, are not quite my style. I felt pretty out of place walking through the store but the sales women were extremely personable and almost made the store bearable. It’s Fashion does have more of a selection in more women’s sizes than Cato. So it was refreshing to see a store catering to all woman’s needs. Even though I did not find anything that suited y everyday life, I did find the shopping experience humorous, since there were only my friends and I there, otherwise it would probably be quite embarrassing.
So if you are looking for that cute outfit for that dinner party or a cute modest skirt for your Sunday morning study group, I would completely recommend that you shop at Cato, if you are a larger set woman than I guess you can hope that they extra stacked in your size. On the other hand, if you are looking for that sexy outfit for a night out in Tyler’s unpopular night clubs filled with bar flies and overweight want-to-be cowboys and small dance floors, then by all means shop at It’s Fashion. Don’t forget that you can complete your outfits and frost yourself in the cute accessories and jewelry at both these stores.
1421 S Beckham Ave
Tyler TX, 75701
Phone: 903-595-0388
Hours: M-Sat 9am-9pm Sun 10-6pm
Big Lots is a store in a category of it’s own. It’s definitely a place for bargain seekers, rather like a big scale Dollar General but with more branded items and ‘end of range’ items from other stores. They sell, it seems, a bit of everything, from home décor and low priced furniture to groceries, toys and gardening items. There is a big health and beauty section, lots of storage and cleaning products, baby equipment, a few shoes and clothes and a nice selection of cards. There is always a good seasonal display too. Frequently the bargains spill out onto the sidewalk outside the store too!
I don’t shop at Big Lots regularly but I always seem to fill up a cart when I do go in and I come out happy. There’s something about browsing for bargains that is good therapy. I have a friend who goes there weekly – she is drawn in by the bread which is exceptionally good value apparently, and the snacks like pretzels, chips and cereal bars for school lunches – but she seems to leave there with lots of assorted extra purchases too. She is definitely a serious bargain hunter and scans the weekly ad from Big Lots to get the best deals. Big Lots has a rewards scheme called the Buzz Club for regular customers like her – you can check out the details at www.biglots.com.
The store itself is not particularly attractive. On entering you can get a cart and see the latest items in front of you, and the aisles behind that, with fully laden shelves of ‘stuff’ are in a vague semblance of order but not that easy to navigate around. It feels a bit like a warehouse. At the back of the store is a not very pleasant restroom and a clearance rack for extra savings on mainly damaged goods. Nearer the front is the furniture. It didn’t look that great to be honest, but perhaps there are good deals to be had on some of the items available. I didn’t think much of the clothing section either but the prices were low.
I can’t remember many of the things I bought at Big Lots – I guess it was mainly groceries, stationery and household items plus a few cards, but I did find a great deal on games for the Wii. I was tempted by the candles and photo frames but not by the toys which didn’t seem to be particularly great quality and quite highly priced. Music from the 80s accompanied me whilst I shopped. There was only one girl at the checkout and she didn’t have the keys to the cabinet for the video games. After a while she managed to pick the lock and I made my purchases. That is the kind of place that Big Lots is!
If you have time to browse, a visit to Big Lots can be quite fun. The things for sale vary quite a lot from week to week so no visit to Big Lots will ever be the same. However, don’t expect it to be a Macy’s experience (or even a Walmart) – you’ll be disappointed!
Oh and by the way, Big Lots has another location on S. Broadway opposite the mall.
5604 South Broadway Avenue
Tyler, TX 75703-4347
(903) 509-4130
Marshalls is somewhat similar to Ross but more on a pricey side. They are located at 5604 S. Broadway Ave., Tyler, Texas 75703. The quality of things are better so I guess it is worth more. I guess it depends on the buyer whether you are able or willing to pay more. When I was in school I loved this place and back then I thought it was so cheap until I discovered Ross and realized there are other places that cost less. You can find some great buys if you look around and go there when they have some great sales. A couple of weeks ago a friend I know and I went there with some other friends and sure found some really great stuff for $10 and others for more. She found Roxy name brand hoodies for $10, along with some shirts and purses that were a good deal. Anywhere you go, if you are not careful you can end up spending way more than you planned.
They have something for everyone in your household. They have clothes for juniors, adults, men’s and children. They carry shoes, purses and all other kinds of accessories. All your baby essentials are there. A great place for you to go get your special person a gift for the perfect occasion. They have a great selection on workout items if you are into that kind of stuff. Also things to decorate your house, your bedroom, kitchen, etc. Marshalls has Gucci shoes for $349.00 compared to $700.00 at other stores.
Still too expensive for me personally, but for others this is an excellent deal. Sun glasses ranging from $15 to $39 a pair. It always depends on the customer and what you are looking for. They also have a promotional night where you can win a $50 gift card if you just follow them on twitter. You answer the questions of the week for your chance to win. Sounds easy enough and you never know, take a chance and you could gain some money for yourself.
Marshalls is a nice place, very professional and you can find amazing stuff, name brand at low prices. Their reputation has been built on offering their customer good name brand merchandise at a better price than their competition. If you are not satisfied with your purchase, you are welcome to return it.
4701 South Broadway Avenue
Tyler, TX 75703-1309
(903) 534-2334
Sears is a blend of hardware store, appliance store, and electronics store. It does well in its overall store merchandising strategy to appeal to the entire family through the wide selection of products. Sears lost the need for the mail order catalogs that had originally brought such a wide customer base after World War 2 when the rural population decreased and suburban life expanded.
Sears started to focus their energy less on mail order and farm equipment and shifted towards suburbanites and appliances. This resulted in Sears stores collaborating with malls in order to serve the suburban community. Sears never regained the success experienced during the mid 20th century but it continues to provide for the basic needs and indulgences of any modern family.
Sears can still be counted on for cooking kitchen and laundry appliances, as well as for hardware, lawn appliances and automotive care. The Sears in the Tyler mall also carries a wide variety of electronics such as flat screen televisions and stereos, in addition to cameras and video game supplies. The sundries Sears offers encompass many different needs and lifestyles, saving you time and money.
