My $100 Store

I call Target the "ultimate impulse buy store". I never leave there without spending $100. Even if I only go into Target for 2-3 items I always wind up finding many other things I "need" and the total always hovers around the $100 mark. I know it's a marketing plan of theirs to lure people in for toilet paper and socks and then sell them other things but I wonder sometimes about the $100, is that in their plan too? Those tricky devils! And I fall for it over and over again. But today however was worse. You see we are settling in to our new home and so there are many things I truly do need and I have been shopping quite a bit lately. I've been to Bed, Bath and Beyond (what is the "Beyond" section suppose to have in it exactly?), Home Depot (twice and I have to go back yet again), Toys R Us (well, the baby just HAD to have a sand and water table for our new yard) but I had been staying away from Target to avoid the impluse buying that turns what should be a $40 shopping trip into a $100 one!!!!

So here was what was on my list today: "socks for Monkey, JetDry, shampoo and brush to scrub the bathtubs". That's what about $20 worth of stuff, right? How much did I spend? Sit down, $257.67. Holy Cow!!! That's some expensive socks!!!!! To be fair to myself I did remember several things while I was there that I truly did need. My husband and I have been squeezing the toothpaste really, really hard for a couple of days now eeking out the last drop of toothpaste, been out of Children's Motrin for a while now, the boys are in desperate need of summer PJ's, etc. But then there are other things I purchased that I certainly don't need like 2 more outfits for the baby (she has more clothes that both the boys put together!), a new soap dispenser for the boy's bathroom (they don't wash their hands 1/2 the time I shouldn't have bothered), some reuseable juice containers for the boy's lunch boxes (which I'm sure I'll tire of and go back to store bought juice boxes eventually) and more washclothes for the baby (which I don't think she really needs, I just need to do laundry more often). And the list goes on.

I don't have a shopping "problem", (I'm not an out of control shopper with $80,000 in credit card debit that I'm keeping a secret from my husband and I need to email Oprah so I can get on her show and get some help), however, I would like to control my impulse buying at Target!!!!!!! I don't seem to impluse buy at other stores to the extent that I do at Target. What is it about that store? I know, I know, those Tricky Marketing Devils "made me do it" with their Perfect Product Placement and Eye Catching signs with phrases like "clearance" that draw me closer to take a look. I know they do it on purpose and I know how to beat them, just buy what's on the list. But I let them get me everytime. I think I'll avoid the T store for a while. Other places sell TP, right?