Target replacing 500K shopping carts in bid to win back customers

Target is trying to roll itself out of a retail rut.

The big-box chain is replacing its entire fleet of shopping carts with a beefier, easier-to-steer model as part of a multibillion-dollar turnaround push to win back frustrated customers, TheStreet reported.

The new carts — about 500,000 of them — will roll out over the next few years and mark Target’s first nationwide all-plastic design, according to Fast Company reporting.

Target says the humble cart is a bigger deal than shoppers may think.

“The cart for us is the first touchpoint that the guest meets right when they walk in the store,” Target Vice President of Store Design Sarah Deuth told Fast Company.

The upgraded carts are designed to hold more items, roll smoother and maneuver more easily through stores. They also include improved drink holders that can fit a Starbucks cup or Stanley tumbler, plus a redesigned child seat meant to make it harder for kids to climb out unexpectedly, according to the report.

The cart overhaul comes as Target tries to fix bigger shopping headaches.

A YouGov survey of more than 1,100 US consumers found 44% are frustrated by empty shelves and a lack of stock, while 35% are bothered by waiting in line TheStreet reported.

Another 31% said they were annoyed when stores failed to stock items they saw online, while 30% cited messy merchandising, self-checkout and a lack of knowledgeable staff as pain points.

New Target CEO Michael Fiddelke has laid out a turnaround plan focused on sharper merchandising, better guest experience, fast technology and stronger investment in store teams and communities, according to TheStreet.

The retailer has also faced backlash from shoppers after dropping its diversity, equity and inclusion programs and pulling its Pride Month collection from shelves.

Retail analysts told TheStreet that Target’s plan looks less like a dramatic reinvention and more like an attempt to fix the basics.

“With a lot of turnarounds, there is a tendency to expect grand plans with fundamentally different trajectories and bold pivots. Target is not delivering this kind of change,” GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders wrote on RetailWire, according to TheStreet.

“What Target is doing is corrective — it’s looking at where it has fallen short and is remedying the issues.”

TheStreet retail advisor and RTMNexus CEO Dominik Miserandino said the cart upgrade could make a difference.

“It’s all a game of vibe,” he said, according to the outlet.

For Target, the bet is that smoother carts, cleaner stores and fewer shopping headaches could help get customers rolling back in.

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