Isn’t that all their customers, though?

Target has its own phenomenon. Internet memes and personal experience has showed us that Target has a way of making people willingly buy far more items than they planned or needed to buy. Urban Dictionary even defines the “target effect” as “the result of going into a store, intending to buy a few things, and leaving with much more. Frequently happens while shopping at Target.”

Of course, stores have specific strategies that actually produce this “target effect.”

Entrepreneur.com writes, “Ever walked into a big chain store and walked out with way more than you had planned to purchase? Big retailers certainly seem to know how to design their stores and create tempting displays to keep us shopping.”

Target’s store layout, product placement, and clearance or sale set-ups are part of the reason our carts fill up so quickly. Experts also say that the way the Target stores are brightly colored and decorated make people happier, which makes them more likely to take more stuff home. Tom Meyvis, a marketing professor at NYU, told People.com, “These unplanned purchases are often things that we do like and that we do want. We just didn’t think of them.”

Although Target has definitely embraced its effect on people, there are reports that they will create separate entrances for customers who just came in for one thing.