As a traditional male, I hate shopping. While they do have the advantage of offering a huge variety, department stores can be a source of frustration. Service is often bad, the stores become disorganized quickly, and I often find it necessary to sift through a lot of low quality merchandise before finding what I want. Of all the major department store chains however, I do have my favorite.

Target is not only a great department store, but as huge corporations go, it’s a good Tyler neighbor. Between the distribution center, located just south of Lindale, and the area stores, the company employs thousands of East Texans. It is also very involved in community affairs and local charities. The store itself is always neat and clean which for me can make or break the department store experience. I find there is almost nothing worse than wandering the aisles of a dirty disorganized store looking for the one thing I came to buy. Target usually does a great job keeping the store attractive and easy to navigate.

Another of the store’s strengths is its staff. The employees of Target’s biggest competitor in Tyler are often disheveled and unhelpful. Those of Target are always attractive, neat and knowledgeable.

I will concede that the store’s prices can be slightly higher, but I remind the reader that you tend to get what you pay for. And with the Christmas season just around the corner, I trust there will be a lot of sales to bring in even the thriftiest customers. The quality of products like clothing is definitely higher than the competition’s, and I should mention the selection is better, particularly for business casual attire.

So if you’re looking for a better shopping experience and better quality goods overall, I suggest giving Target a try. While it’s admittedly not a local business a good portion of the dollars spent there do stay home in Tyler Texas. Target is located at 7003 on South Broadway, next to Wal-Mart. For more on Tyler area department stores, see the Tyler blog section of this site and look for the title “Wal-Marts in Tyler.”