AJC: Walmart vs Target in Metro Atlanta (Smyrna, East Point: sale, 2013)

[PKCorey]

Mapping Target vs. Wal-Mart in metro Atlanta | www.myajc.com

Pretty interesting map.

Claim: Target favors north metro Atlanta and Wal-Mart the south.
Partly true. By a wide margin, both chains prefer to be north of I-20, and in the process create large swaths of "retail deserts" in the south. But Wal-Mart has built more stores in the south, with 22 on or south of I-20. One surprise: Neither store has an ITP location south of I-20.

Claim: There are "Target" parts of town and "Wal-Mart" parts of town.
In places, true. Target has built a strong footprint in northeast Atlanta and along the Ga. 400 corridor. And Wal-Mart populates a 40-mile arc from Duluth to Union City where there's no Target in sight. But there are many parts of metro Atlanta where you're not far from either store

[jero23]

Not surprised at all. I enjoy Target way more than Wal-Mart, but I know what's up about why they are located mostly north of I-20. All one has to do is overlay a demographic dot map with their locations and see...

[noah]

They generally target a different customer. Target goes after more of the Costco customer (ie higher household income-avg income of Costco's customers is $100k) and walmart goes after the lower income customer.

[demonta4]

Target will close Morrow location Feb. 1 because of performance issues | Clayton News Daily
Target's never really done well south of 20.

[magnetar]

Oh my god, is that a blue dot near Smyrna?

[lem1985]

Originally Posted by magnetar

Oh my god, is that a blue dot near Smyrna?

lol yea it is Walmart loves Smyrna money

[ElleKaye]

As I understand it, there was a time when there were no Walmarts in town. I'm guessing that was 10 to 15 years ago. When visiting the metro, I can say that the Super Walmarts that I was accustomed to were way out somewhere and the Cobb County ones were regular Walmarts.

I have never liked Target because I didn't think it was in it's right price point. That didn't stop me from going to Target to buy a tv early one morning on a Black Friday a few years back, but Walmart, Target, and K-Mart are on the "level" for lack of a better word in my opinion. It seems Target tries to price up a notch to say the level of JCPenney.

I have friends who are big fans of Tar-jhay as they call it, but I have never really liked it. I don't see any reason to pay the full price for a no name item at Target that I could get on sale for less at Macy's.

I'm more of a department store type so I'm sure that has something to do with it. I'm not even the biggest fan of Walmart, but if I had to make quick stop and those were my only options, I'd choose Walmart over Target.

[No2Monsanto]

I don't shop at Walmart unless I'm completely destitute with absolutely no other option at that moment. I simply don't support their business model, which includes the way they mistreat their associates/hourly workers. They also have a reputation for bullying their vendors into selling goods to them at such rock bottom prices that they are barely able to make a profit. Never mind how they move into small towns and cause such hemorrhaging of small businesses, they are forced to close. Poor Sam Walton must be turning over in his grave. Will always be a Target shopper...

[Tryska]

Walmart is building an ITP location below I-20 in East Point as we speak.

[AtlantaComment]

Originally Posted by No2Monsanto

I don't shop at Walmart unless I'm completely destitute with absolutely no other option at that moment. I simply don't support their business model, which includes the way they mistreat their associates/hourly workers. They also have a reputation for bullying their vendors into selling goods to them at such rock bottom prices that they are barely able to make a profit. Never mind how they move into small towns and cause such hemorrhaging of small businesses, they are forced to close. Poor Sam Walton must be turning over in his grave. Will always be a Target shopper...

what exactly is different about Target's business model??