yeah....I figured I shoulda phrased that different after I hit post....
What I meant was Target has solid real estate that pulls people in to park and browse as an activity to get out of the house...typically in better neighborhoods too. If people are comfortable in a place they will browse and impulse buy more.
So while the main drive may be to provide competition to WMTs order and pickup - it would also provide Amazon with something they don’t currently have to offer.
Part of the reason they bought Wholefoods was to address the people who refuse to buy their food sight unseen...allowing someone else to pick it for you...my wife is one of those.
Ha, ha...just kidding.
I like Target (except for the food section) and consider them a step up from Walmart in terms of shopping experience, but you might be surprised at how well Target does with online sales. I'd have to look up their most recent quarterly numbers but a couple of years ago they were beating Walmart in this category.
Amazon's brick and mortar strategy is a bit of a mystery...they seem to be testing a cashierless store concept and the Wholefoods acquisition looks to be more of an anchor than a sail. however, I'd like to see Amazon get into the prescription drug business, innovate technological improvements, and force some needed cost reductions in that industry.