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Did you know it wasn’t always called Target, for example?

And why was their expansion into Canada a total flop?

Bullseye, the official mascot of Target

Plus, what’s the deal with that teen pregnancy story?

They may think they’re funny or even original in doing so.

But it turns out that this French pronunciation is a very old joke.

Target storefront

That was the case back in 2014, when Target was struggling to make gains in the market.

Sounds like this term will be in the lexicon for years to come.

And no, they didn’t find a dog that miraculously happened to have red markings on his face.

Target’s Bullseye dog character

Instead, they use safe vegetable-based paint to color in that bullseye.

The pooch is featured on the stores' gift cards and Target has madeseveral hundred Bullseye plush toy styles.

One of the toys even made it toThe Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

Target’s Corporate Command Center

He barks it up with celebs and even gets to travel first-class in airplanes in his own seat.

Bullseye has been portrayed by females.

But they didn’t know what to call it.

Target’s collaboration with Lilly Pulitzer

That’s exactly what Target did when Hurricane Irene hit the East Coast in 2012.

In 2002, Isaac Mizrahi wasthe first big-name designerto create lines for the store, and many have followed.

They’ve long since sold out of stores, butstill pop up on eBay.

Target store

According to the site, the chain has a specific schedule for slashing clearance prices.

Tuesday features “domestics, women’s clothing, pets and market (food items).”

Remember Alex from Target?

Alex from the “Alex From Target” phenomenon

Not only have Target products become cult favorites, but so have a few of their employees, too.

Remember “Alex from Target”?

But there was also a downside.The New York Timesnoted that he received threats on his life, too.

Target cashier who went viral

So,what happened to Alex from Target?

However, he did start anInstagrampage devoted to fitness, which is active at the time of this writing.

So if you’re looking for fitness tips, he’s your man!

Two employees working in the Target Test Kitchen

Another Target cashier went viral for a good reason

Another viral cashier was Ishmael Gilbert.

He helped her count everything out and was very kind.

The woman wrote, “I realized I hadn’t been inconvenienced at all.

sad teenage girl holding a pregnancy test

Gilbert’s great customer servicebecame a national story.

They even host a Cake Week multiple times a year.

One of the food kitchen experts in the Target Test Kitchen explained their philosophy.

Mark Dayton, the former governor of Minnesota, who has a connection to Target

“We’re designers, but in the food world,” she said in a promotional video.

“Food is chemistry so we’re working with these ingredients and making sure they go together.”

But unlike a chemistry class, these experiments usually have a delicious ending.

Target

It sounds like they have their work cut out for themselves!

But that may not have been the real story.

Siegel directed Duhigg to a talk Eric Pole gave about Target’s predictive analytics that Siegel witnessed.

bathroom sign

But customers who weren’t on board with that decided to boycott the stores.

Plenty of folks were happy to see this, and they gave kudos to Target for being so forward-thinking.

“We want all of our guests to feel comfortable shopping with us,” the company toldToday.

The outside of a Target store in 2017

That essentially made them partners with the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation.

Well done, Target!

What’s the deal with the large red spheres outside of Target?

The Washington Monument, which Target helped save, in 2020

Who knew they were so practical?

The outside of a Target store in 2020