Tomorrow O My Family and I are boarding an airplane bright and early, which means, naturally, that I spent today running around like the apocalypse was nigh. Cycled laundry like a mad woman, returned our library books, filled a prescription, and went to Target for disposable diapers and some items to entertain the boys on the planes (snacks, small toys, stickers etc.).
I know I’ve talked about my new-found love for the dollar store, but when preparing for the apocalypse a cross-country flight, one stop shopping is preferable. And because I needed a toddler backpack that I knew the dollar store would not have, I decided to look for inexpensive toys and the like at Ye Olde Bullseye Shoppe rather than visiting multiple stores.
I could not have had more luck. The dollar section of Target was loaded with small wooden cars, pipe cleaners, notebooks (with trains on them!), stickers, and animal figurines, among other things.
SCORE.
Obviously, I tweeted about my findings. Lo, and behold, the Target corporate twitter account replied!
No, they did not just reply, they gave me with a $50 gift card “just because.”
SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.
This came out of nowhere. I’ve never interacted with the Target corporate account on twitter before, and hi, it’s not even like $10 or something to just get me back in the door. It’s straight up $50. I’m floored by the awesomeness.
And yes, as the result of those $50 they are getting this ‘free’ air time on my blog, but you know what? What goes around comes around, even in the world of corporations. If this were an open letter to Target, I would tell them to keep up the good work.
:: :: :: Let’s chat. :: :: ::
Have you ever been totally bind sided someone else’s generosity?
Do you run around like a headless chicken before going out of town, too?
I was SO EXCITED when I saw that tweet. Like whoa. You deserve it. I love, love, love stories of generosity, even when they come from big business. Have a great trip!
That’s awesome and strategic by Target. I’m currently running around like a chicken with my head cut off before I head out of the country for a week and because I was surprised by an industry that I didn’t know existed before Monday giving us 2 orders and a potential for millions of dollars of business basically overnight. God is good.
Jon – I need to hear more about this! (The industry, that is.) Maybe (probably) I’ll just catch it from the wifey.
Exciting news! :) And strange that I get news about my best friend’s husband’s business from Allison’s blog. :) Have a good trip, Jon!
1) Awesome scores – notebooks with trains? Mommy is going to have to send someone out to check for those!
and
2) Holy awesome customer service on Target’s part! That’s amazing!
Amazing customer services from Target. I thought only small business would be that nice.
Good Luck on the plane. It will be fine!
I saw that earlier on Twitter! That is so awesome!
2 weeks ago we fostered a brand new baby for a week. He came with only the clothes on his back. We had nothing for him. I headed to WalMart to fill a cart with the things we would need (everything). I saw a lady push her cart by us then I saw her back up. She commented on the contents of our cart, then handed me a piece of paper with her name and address on it and told me that she had an attic full of like new baby items and that I was welcome to them. I cried. Right then and there in the middle of WalMart. You see, I have always handed things out. New things, cash to the cash strapped even purchased a years worth of diapers for a family who took in an infant….I have never been on the receiving end of it. It’s was beautiful and thoughtful and love filled and while I have never, EVER, looked for anything in return, I felt like something had come full circle. I will be sure to pay it forward.
Have a wonderful trip dear girl.
The more important thing that we need to clear up is: are you coming “home”???!!!! Justine wants to know if you’re “coming here to visit her favorite child that she used to babysit.” :) How’s that for modest?
That is soooo supa cool!! Hope your trip goes well. I am a fellow mama to all boys living in
minneapolis. So pleased to come I came across your lovely bloggy space! :-)
Omg that’s awesome!! Have a great trip!
A few months ago I took my 3 year old with me to my 5 yr olds orthopedic appointment she was potty training. Of course I forgot a change of clothes thinking the appointment would be quick (and it wasn’t). She had an accident right before we walked into the office. A lady from the waiting room came back to our room and handed me a brand new pair of underwear and a clean outfit for my daughter!! I couldn’t believe it, no one has ever done anything like that for me!!!
DUDE. NO.WAY.
That is awesome and another reason why I love Twitter! Anything goes on there.
Have a good trip!
Oh my, how fabulous is that? My sister just told me the story the other day about how she ran into a friend that was wearing a gorgeous scarf. She told her friend as much, and you know what that friend did? She took her scarf off right there on the spot and gave it to my sister. And now, every time she wears the scarf, my sister thinks of how much she loves that friend.
I work at Target headquarters in Minneapolis (just started in August fresh out of college) and it makes me so happy and proud to hear about my company doing awesome stuff like that for deserving people like you =)
Great score from Target. They are simply the best. And yes, I too run around like a crazy person right before we travel. That will be me in one week as we prepare to travel to Phoenix. It will be our first flight with our daughter (16 months) and I am nervous. But, thanks for your post because I’m hitting the Target dollar spot this weekend! Safe travels!
How cool is that?! I am a Target addict. Now I feel justified. ;-)
WHOA! I knew I loved Target! What a blessing! And I hope your trip goes well – I’m saying a prayer right now for your little ones. I know how hard it is to travel with a toddler (or two…)
You know that gift card was from Jesus by way of Target!!! He is so darn good:).
that is very generous of target. i also got blindsided by target this week when they terminated my 2+ year employment there for no valid reason. at least they appreciate their customers b\c they don’t appreciate their employees. that’s awesome (and i really mean it)
That’s so awesome. The Lord has recently blessed us through a few generous friends. I never thought I’d be in a position to need something, but what’s amazing is that when I did I didn’t even have to ask. Boom. God is good.
I saw this exchange on Twitter, and was like “whoa! lucky lady!”. And yes, no matter how much advance prep I put in, I am always running around like a headless chicken just before we leave. That is what happens with little ones, right? :-)
I love that y’all are being obedient and saving money to pay off student loans… And then BOOM. God just shows up and provides. Just. Wow.
It’s pretty impressive to see him work. You and I’ve talked about seeing God in these past few months, and there’s really just no other way to explain any of these things- other than to say, It’s a God thing.
And to show up through Target, no less. Just comical. And awesome. :)
That is amazing! I hope you get on a flight to Oregon today – I saw your tweet about awful security lines at MSP. So frustrating.
Target can rock. Love the dollar section. Sometimes one toy from there can get me through 4 more Target and 3 more Cub trips. That is $1 well spent in my book!
How cool is that???? I love Target. My husband and I actually ground ourselves from Target sometimes – they have such great stuff we spend more money than we really “need” to there on things we “think” we need sometimes. :) So we try to limit our trips. I love love love their dollar section. Yay for your free gift card!
I always run around like crazy before trips. We took our daughter to Hawaii at 16 months, which had a 9+ hour flight for our longest leg of the trip. I may have brought two full carry-ons of stuff for her to do, play with, look at, etc. :) Worked though! The people in the seats behind us said they never even knew she was there!!
Yay for God and his work through an awesome pilot! Glad to hear you are on your way to Oregon!
Wow, that is crazy awesome. I’ve been avoiding Target because of getting caught in the middle of their return policy (tough for me, the most dedicated of Target shoppers) but this has restored my faith in them!
that’s SO cool!
I hope your flight goes just as well :)
Holy wow! That is awesome! I run around like a chicken with its head cut off before ANY trips…small or big, planes or not….I’m always so afraid that I’ll forget that one thing that I will not be able to find wherever we are going. Be safe and have a fun trip!
That. is. awesome.!
Puhleeease, I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off for the last two days because I hosted a playdate this morning. I think you can guess at the insanity surrounding me trying to prepare for any sort of trip!
I’m not the type of person who likes to create something out of nothing, or read more into things than is really there. However, I think it’s no coincidence that you and DanO have been focusing your efforts on honoring God with your finances and then a $50 gift card to Target falls out of the sky and into your hands. God is blessing your efforts… His provision is perfect. What a great story!
win!
we won $200 worth of clothes recently based on a clothes purchase I almost didn’t make. So good!
A year and a half ago, our secondhand jogging stroller was busted in a “police incident” on the NYC subway (my daughter was safely in the Moby, thankfully). I tweeted out to the ether that we were suddenly in the market for something new and it was going to kill our budget and before I knew it, MacLaren had contacted me and offered to send us a brand new $250 stroller. And I don’t even have a blog readership outside of, like, six family members.
It was amazing. I’m still grateful and tell people about it all the time. That’s how you do customer service.
It is so good to hear about a big corporation taking the initiative to reward people this way. I wonder how many people are going to blog and tweet about Target now…just to see? I think your dollar finds are great…I use them for my stocking fillers at Christmas time. Happy trip xxx
LOVE this story, I mean Target is da bomb or would that be Owesome LOL! And I’m a fellow MN not a transplant though, love your blog! Good luck with your new journey for the year, we are starting our own as well, a little bit different though!
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