With Eye on the Future, Local Target Transforms Shopping Experience

Target Undergoes Changes, Has Grand Re-Opening July 7

By Kathy Feist

Photos by Nicolette Vescovi

The south Kansas City Target, located at 1201 W 136th St., was one of only 110 stores in the country selected to become a part of Target’s reimagined shopping concept.  After six months of major reconstruction, Target will hold a grand re-opening on Friday, July 7th.  Food trucks, product sampling, children’s activities and in-store competitive pricing will highlight the day.

“The customers will have a beautiful new store to shop in,” says store manager Brett Sorenson.

And more convenience.

Target announced in March that it was investing $5 billion dollars over the next three years to make its stores more competitive with internet shopping.

One of the first changes along those lines is an item pick up area near the guest services counter. Target customers can now order an item online and pick it up at the store at their convenience. Shoppers no longer have to spend time searching throughout the store for an item.

For those who enjoy browsing, many appealing changes have been made.

The most obvious transformation has been made in the grocery department. The bright red and white interior has given way to a more subdued, earth tone ambience, mixing wood grain with the contemporary black and gray colors. LED track lighting hanging from wood beams highlight grocery items. For quick convenience, refrigerated cases store complimentary dinner items (such as for a barbecue dinner) ready for pick up.

The liquor and beverage section has been expanded and moved near the front. An angled run near the east entrance will have cold beer and wine.

One of the most stunning changes has been in the fitting room. The former cramped quarters seemed more like an afterthought than an actual fitting room. In the current remodel, the fitting room is a show stopper. The 12 rooms have a contemporary design that is an offshoot from the red Target theme.   

The restrooms immediately strike the viewer with a bright red glass tiled hall that leads to the contemporary gray bathroom.

The baby area has been made more user friendly by placing strollers on the floor to test out. A new Baby brand, Cloud Island, has been introduced and all baby items are now found in one area.

The store has added four new self-checkout lanes.

What you will not see is the space on the west end that is no longer in use. About a quarter of Target’s square footage has been closed off. “We shrank quite a bit,” says Sorenson. The old space will eventually be leased out.

The south Kansas City Target was built in 2003. Only one other store in the Kansas City area was chosen for the concept upgrade: a store in Shawnee Mission, KS.