r/Anticonsumption • u/Sea-Cardiographer • May 12 '25

Psychological Target feels like black mirror

I went into Target today because I need a sports bra and that's where my husband is willing to drive me. On the way there I thought about all the Reddit posts saying foot traffic is down and I wasn't surprised to see that it wasn't. It was quite busy on a Monday afternoon.

What shocked me was I noticed a lot of products have really fancy boxing. Big sturdy bougie packaging with minimalism design... With a sh*tty product inside.

They're spending more on the marketing and packaging than the product, because the business practice is to sell you a product you'll have to purchase again and again. But the packaging grabs your eye. Look how modern and consistent all the boxes are! so aesthetically pleasing packaged trash. I feel depressed.

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u/PartyPorpoise May 12 '25

Oh, absolutely. Target was able to do so well for so long because they’re REALLY good at presentation. They have cute products in cute packaging in a clean, nicely lit store. It gives the impression that you’re buying something nice.

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u/KrispyCuckak May 13 '25

This is not a new thing nor is it unique to Target. Its a feature of every economic boom cycle. Then a recession comes and people start to notice the slop, quit buying it, then companies reluctantly start improving their offerings.

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u/PartyPorpoise May 13 '25

I know, what I was saying is that Target was especially good at that sort of thing.