Would you eat sushi from Target?

You're at Target, rolling your cart along, checking off the usual list of household staples: toilet bowl cleaner, paper towels, picture frame, batteries, salad spinner, socks ... and then it occurs to you: What's for dinner?

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That's me, at least once a month. Only it never occurs to me to do my grocery shopping at my local Target because they sell only boxed food-like substances and bottled water.

Well, stores like Target and CVS are trying to change that by offering much more in the way of food, like produce, sandwiches, fresh-baked muffins, and ... sushi?

Yup, drug stores are going grocery. We've already seen this in the past few years -- the Target in my mother's neighborhood has a full grocery. Retailers have noticed that stores with grocery add-ons have more traffic so they're investing more than ever before in their food sections -- even adding recipes online. They're not exactly trying to replace grocery stores. It's more that they're trying to draw more shoppers by offering more of something we all need -- food.

For you this means in the next few years it will be easier for you to pick up, say, a rotisserie chicken, box of salad, and baguette for dinner -- and the store gets the chance to entice you with a new set of bowls, a DVD, or a Calypso frock while they have you.

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Will it work? And would you really trust a box of sushi from the likes of Walgreens? Where would they get that sushi made, anyway? How long does it sit out? Where will the produce come from? Will they carry organics? Will any of it be (don't laugh) local?

This illustrates how Americans seem to be moving in two different, opposing directions when it comes to buying food. Many of us are looking for convenience and buying whatever we can on the run. And a smaller but growing segment are prioritizing quality and getting our food from less traditional sources like Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) and food cooperatives. I'm with the latter crowd.

All of this is to say, Target, if you want me to show up at your store more often, don't bother with the grocery build-out and definitely skip the sushi. Instead, open up some of your space for a farmers' market and I'm all yours.

Would you buy your groceries at CVS?


Image via Tucker_Zoe/Flickr


Written by Adriana Velez for CafeMom's blog, The Stir.

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