A 15% price difference...
East Long Beach Tale of Two
Target Stores:
Student Convenience
or Student Gouging?
Depending on which way the CSULB dorm students turn from Beach Drive onto Bellflower Blvd. to
get to a nearby Target store determines if they are spending more or less money
by an average of 15% .
Los Altos Center Adjacent
Neighborhoods (LACAN)
did a random survey of 37 items from the
4th District Los Altos Target at 2270
N Bellflower Blvd., and the new 3rd District Iron
Triangle Target (aka the "Bixby Village Target") at 5760
E 7th Street in the former Ralph's Market
(Bellflower/7th ). The stores are 2 miles apart, 1.5 miles from the CSULB dorms
to Los Altos
store and 7/10ths of a mile to the Iron Triangle store. The Iron Triangle
Target is directly across 7th
Street from the VA Hospital.
The "Iron Triangle" is the nickname for the area
where the intersections of Bellflower
Blvd., PCH. and
7th Street
all converge. The official name of the
shopping center located on the southwest corner is Bixby Village
Plaza.
Out of the 37 random items surveyed by LACAN at the two East Long Beach Targets, 28 (76%) had higher
prices at the Iron Triangle Target ( see price comparisons below). Our list started with 50 items, but the much
smaller Iron Triangle Target did not have all the items on our original list.
The difference in the regular prices of the 28 items that
were more expensive at the smaller Iron Triangle Target ranged from 2% higher
(hot dog buns) to 49% higher (Target brand plastic forks). The combined price average for the 28 items
was 15% higher overall at the Iron Triangle Target.
LACAN spoke with Target Iron Triangle Store Manager
Jeremiah Santos on Wednesday July 13th.
Mr. Santos acknowledged that the pricing difference exists. Santos stated that there are only about 15 Targets
with similar pricing formats nationwide. He stated that most of the similar
Targets were in isolated areas where the different pricing would make sense. Santos stated he has had conversations with the
corporation that the area's shoppers were aware of the pricing differences
because of the other Long Beach
and Seal Beach Target stores being so close.
Santos stated that the convenience for
CSULB students being able to walk to the store was an original factor in the
pricing strategy.
The management company for the Bixby Village
Plaza where the Target is
located is Westar Management. The Westar website for the Bixby Village
Plaza center gives this
information about the "Bixby Target":
This
new Target is still your favorite neighborhood store – but the “Bixby Target”
features Target’s new, flexible format branding. About a fifth of the size of
the traditional big-box Target store, this store features a convenient layout –
complete with grab-n-go food items, products catered to the specific Long Beach neighborhood
around it, and more.
The "specific Long Beach neighborhood around it" that the products are "catered" for includes: CSULB; the Veterans
Hospital; two Bixby
Village apartment complexes; Bixby
Rivera condos; Alamitos
Heights; and the
neighborhood affectionately known as "The Hole".
In addition to the pricing, the selection at the smaller Iron
Triangle Target "flexible
format" was just
that-smaller. As an example, the Los
Altos Target had different types (national and brand name) and sizes of laundry bleach. The Iron Triangle
Target carried just the Target brand in one size-2 quarts. The exact same
bleach at the Los Altos Target was 5% less expensive ($1.82 vs $1.92).
At the Iron Triangle Target the only single paper towel
roll available is the Target brand at $1.12.
The Los Altos Target carries single Brawny paper towel rolls for $1.02
and the Target brand roll for .99. That means the national brand at Los
Altos is less 9%
less than the Target brand at the Iron Triangle. The same Target Brand single
roll paper towels at Los Altos
is 12% less than at the Iron Triangle Target.
Eight items (22%) on our survey were priced the same at
both stores-five of those were food staples-milk, eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, and
Doritos chips. The other items with the same price were national brands of
toothpaste, trash bags and printer paper.
Only one of the randomly selected items was less expensive
at the Iron Triangle Target than the Los Altos Target, Folgers Regular 1 lb Coffee.
Los Altos
priced it at $9.59, or 10% higher than the Iron Triangle Target price at $8.59.
The smaller Iron Triangle Target is less busy, especially
in the summer with CSULB students mostly gone and features a big self-checkout
space. The other major differences are the Iron Triangle Target does not sell
alcohol or have a pharmacy, while the Los Altos Target has both.
Originally. Target's smaller version convenience store
models, or " flexible format
branding" were called TargetExpress
and CityTarget. The new Long
Beach Iron Triangle was being planned as a "TargetExpress" just as the Target Corporation decided to do
away with the multiple Target monikers ( including the large Super Target and Greatland Target brands) citing consumer confusion in the various branding. The change for all stores nation-wide to be
branded just "Target" began in October 2015.
Price comparison
week of July 11, 2016
ITEM Los Altos Triangle
% Difference
Pure Protein Value Pack 12.19 13.49 10%
Yoplait Yogurt .59 .64 8%
Thomas English Muffins 2.49 2.79 11%
Welches Jelly 1.99 2.12 6%
Corn Flakes Cereal 3.07 3.57 14%
4 pack Red Bull 6.39 10.49 32%
Sara Lee Bread loaf 2.29 2.49 8%
Jiffy Peanut Butter 5.49 5.79 5%
Bag of Apples 3.49 3.99 12%
Ball
Park Franks 3.19 3.42 7%
Ball
Park Buns 2.49
2.54 2%
Heinz Ketchup 2.94 3.12 6%
Barilla Spaghetti 1.12 1.49 25%
Ragu Sauce 1.99 2.12 6%
Nature
Valley Granola 3.89
4.49 13%
Target Package cheese 2.84 2.99 5%
Bumble Bee Tuna Fish 2.52 2.57 2%
Red Barron Pizza 3.12 3.79 11%
_______________________________________________________________
Charmin "8=36 rolls" 9.99 13.99 29%
Target Plastic Forks (48) 1.72 3.39 49%
HP #60 Printer Ink 16.99 18.99 15%
Hanes 6pk Socks 13.99 16.99 18%
Irish Spring 2 pack soap 2.22 3.99 43%
Right Guard Deodorant 3.52 4.19 16%
Arm and Hammer Laundry Soap 5.99 6.99 14%
Target Bleach 2 qt 1.82 1.92 5%
Target Single roll paper towel .99 1.12 12%
Target Paper Plates 4.39 6.99 31%
(for 200 pk) (for 105 pk)*
*Target 200 package not carried
SAME PRICED FOOD
ITEMS
Alta Dena Milk 1 gal 4.19
1 dz Target eggs 3.19
1 head of lettuce 1.49
1 tomato
.99
Doritos 3.99
SAME PRICE OTHER
ITEMS
Crest Tarter Control 2.79
HP Printer paper 7.17
Glad 60 ct trash bags 11.99
One Item was less
expensive at Target Iron Triangle
Folgers 1 lb coffee
Los Altos=
9.59
Iron Triangle=8.59
10% less
 |
| Los Altos Target Protien bars $12.19 |
 |
| Iron Triangle Target Protien Bars $13.49 |
Hasta Luego for Los Altos Chronic Tacos?
Two weeks
ago the Los Altos Chronic Taco was closed with a sign stating that the site was
"TEMORARILY CLOSED FOR RENOVATION".
Now that
sign is gone and the space has been cleared out of all the inside fixtures
except the counter.
Unconfirmed
reports from neighbors who have spoken with former workers at the Los Altos site state that
the manager told the workers they were closing because of lease issues.
The site does have a beer
and wine license which in itself is a valuable asset. Whether it is permanently
closed or will be remodeled is something that the neighborhood will be
monitoring.
