Got the following note from MNB reader Terry Marshall about my commentary and follow-up emails about Target's store issues:
Just wanted to say that with all the comments on Target in the “Your Views” section, I hope someone in senior Target leadership reads it.
Reading is one thing. (I'm think that is likely.). But paying attention is another. (If the folks at Target want to chat, they know where to find me.)
MNB reader Rich Heiland offered another perspective:
While a lot of the comments following your post about Target show a cloudy future for it, in our area a lot of folks are excited that Target has just announced it will be opening a store in a former site of a K-Mart. Our town, West Chester, PA, and the abutting townships don't have much in the way of big box stores. The nearest Walmart for instance is a 15-20-minute drive depending on traffic.
Based on my personal experiences, I agree with most of the critics on the "Views" sections. It won't be a big attraction for me. But, I guess for folks who don't have access to any big boxes, and want it, it might look pretty good. There is an Acme down the parking lot from it and I don't see Target as much competition food-wise. An Aldi's opened two blocks away from Acme and it hasn't made a dent in Acme traffic from all I can see. Another thing - the K-Mart has stood empty for several years so it is a good adaptive reuse of a major site."
I take your point, though I'm not sure the bar is being set very high - an open Target is better than a closed Kmart. (Actually, an open Target also is better than an open Kmart. The question is, if a closed Target better than an open Kmart?)
There are reports in our area that a Target will be going in where, until recently, Walmart operated a store. I think people see this as an improvement, but to be honest, the Walmart was kind of crappy. So again, the bar isn't high.
The real challenge for this store, however it is branded, is that a new Wegmans is going in a cross the street. So I hope that Target isn't planning to sell a lot of groceries there.
The other day, when commenting about Tesla building a diner/drive-in-movie theater with superchargers, I commented:
What worries me about Musk is that he's going to pretty much own the supercharging industry around the country - kudos to him for getting there first - but will use that dominance to force people to use his execrable X platform to make payments for using his chargers.
Prompting one MNB reader to write:
execrable X platform.
KC strikes again. 🙂
I just hate what Musk has done with the platform that used to be called Twitter. I didn't love it before, but he's turned it into a social media cesspool. Execrable barely covers it.
Yesterday, we took note of a USA Today report that that Chuck E. Cheese locations around the country are getting rid of the animatronic bands that have been core to the brand. They are replacing them, in part, with new trampoline zones. And I commented:
Once you take away the animatronics, what is left at Chuck E. Cheese? Because it is not like they serve anything close to actual pizza?
One other thing. Trampoline zones? Is that so little kids who have gorged themselves on whatever passes for pizza at Chuck E. Cheese then vomit it all up?
I hope they've increased the budget for paper towels and disinfectant.
One MNB reader wrote:
Kevin, you are showing your age. Trampoline parks have replaced bouncy castles as the go to birthday party for the 6-10 year old age set. Year Chucky Cheese made bad pizza but the kids never ate it anyway, they were too interested in the games and activities. I guess the band is going the way of the dress up Chucky.
Showing my age?
To quote Popeye: "I am what I am, and that's all that I am."
And finally, following up on the conversation about the Oreo ice cream cake that Mrs. Content Guy made for me on my birthday, one MNB reader wrote:
Where’s the recipe for the Oreo birthday cake?
No can do. (Though I'm sure there are dozens, maybe hundreds, of recipes on the internet.)
Years ago, my son was dating this girl, and he gave her the recipe - which outraged my other kids, who essentially said, "No ring, no recipe."
I have to respect that.
