Now that you're sitting down, let me explain why. For one thing, it's got everything. Any possible thing you want for your household is there. Things I've bought at Target: Racquetball gloves, clothes, toys, snacks, seasonal candy, shoes, lingerie, a shower curtain, dishes, CDs, closet-organizing containers, a grilled cheese sandwich, cosmetics. Where else can you get all those things in one place? I hear someone saying "Fred Meyer." Perhaps, but all the clothes at Fred Meyer are ugly.

Second reason is that there are so many cheap things there.

Third is that I actually like some of their clothes. Sure, they have the PTA-mother-wear section, and lots of maternity clothes; but it's a great place for finding things I will wear. I hate spending money on clothes I don't love, so I'm kind of picky. Once I got a pair of purple velvet jean-style pants there, for about $17! And I'm not, I swear, a woman who loves to shop. Not at all. I can go to Target and get anything I need in one fell swoop.

But, I know, there are several stores like Target. (Incidentally, why isn't there a name for them? They aren't really "department stores"...) K-Mart, Walgreens, Fred Meyer, Mervyns. What makes Target better? It's kind of hard to put a finger on. But I think it's because Target is unpretentious. Its color scheme is simple: RED. It knows its niche and is comfortable there.

After reading this, Sean Blair sent me a handy tip:

"I'll let you in on a little secret. If you find something on clearance that ends with a '4', that's as low as the price gets. If something is $3.20, it'll go lower. If it's $2.64 (notice the last number is a 4), that's as low as it gets. How do I know? I worked at Target for a year before I went off to college. Not only is the store a great place to shop, it's a great place to work. I absolutely loved it; not to mention my employee discount."

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