Dear Target,

I love you. I love you for your wonderful selection of groceries and furniture and clothes and everything else you supply. You are able to keep me going when it seems so hard to do so, and you give me the means to live a happy life.

You give me everything I need, Target. You give me the food I need to survive my long college classes and late homework filled nights. You give me clothes to wear to keep me fashionably up to date and protect me from the harsh mornings and evenings I face when walking to and from classes. You supply me with my make-up so that I can waste 20 minutes of my morning so as to prevent others from asking when I started feeling sick or if I’ve gotten enough sleep lately. You make my life so much easier, Target, and for that, I love you.

Sure, you’re not the only store around. There are plenty of other stores I could frequent for the same kind of goods you provide. But to those other stores, let me ask this: Do you have an adorable mascot who brings a smile to my face? No, that’s right, you don’t. (You might want to get on that.) Not only do you lack a cute canine companion, but you also lack Target’s friendly story layout. I mean, look at this place:

Bright colors, open concept, easy to access merchandise, do I need to go on? Not only that, but Target has an atmosphere that’s calm and inviting. There aren’t many places I can go to relax, but I’ve come to find that sitting in Target’s lawn furniture section while reading a book from their book section is one of the best and peaceful places to be. I recommend it to all of my stressed college friends.

Now, I know that I’ve said a lot of nice things about you, dear Target, but I have a few more compliments to give. Before leaving for college, I was told by my older sister, who had just graduated from her college, this golden piece of advice: “If you’re ever feeling homesick, just go to Target.” You’re probably wondering why she said this, huh? Well, it’s because your store layouts are not only cheerful and fun, but they’re also incredibly similar. It’s almost scary how I can walk into a Target and think that I’m in my hometown and not many cities away. Your store brings comfort to many a homesick kid, and for that, we are all grateful.

To be honest, Target, my only complaint for you is that you have too much within your walls! I always find something that I didn’t know I needed on your shelves. It’s true! You supply me with so many extra clothing items, bedding pieces, books, CDs, and so forth, that I wonder what my life would be like if I never shopped at your establishments. You have some of the best gift items I’ve ever given, some of the best cards I’ve ever sent, and some of the best ingredients I’ve put into my homemade recipes. You supply me with my needs, Target, and then some.

I don’t know what else to say about you, Target. You’ve given me laughs, you’ve given me smiles, and you’ve given me some wonderful memories. Thank you, Target, for being every college kid’s hero. We owe you so much for the help you’ve given us all these years. While we really owe you our lives, we hope that the love we hold in our hearts for you is good enough.

With love from a college senior,
Kathryn Wyllie.