The National Retail Federation Student Association recently released the results of a survey saying that 18-25 year olds still do most of their shopping, especially for clothing, in brick-and-mortar stores rather than online. I for one can’t blame them. Especially as stores engage in vanity-sizing, I find it nearly impossible to accurately guess what size I need to buy of any given garment, let alone whether or not I can really tell anything about the cut, color or fabric.

66% of the group surveyed still used the internet to research their purchasing decisions ahead of time and to compare prices before going out to shop, but in the end they still left their computers to head for the fitting rooms.

Target is taking advantage of this tendency by launching a series of “pop-up boutiques”. Specialty stores will be starting to sell their wares in Target for six weeks starting in May. They will sell everything from clothing to candy and baked goods. This is in addition to the selection of Apple products that will be available at twenty-five Target locations.

Target is following the footsteps of other discount stores, such as Kohls and J.C. Penny partnering with high-end designers. In the past, Target has also sold goods from fashionable designers but this will be the first time they are opening a separate store-within-a-store for the boutiques.

To be honest, I’m not sure what I think of the concept. I get overwhelmed enough even when I know what I’m going in for. However, I recognize that I’m a bit of a nervous shopper (it’s one of the reasons I can really appreciate review sites) and probably Target’s primary goal isn’t to improve my personal comfort level. I appreciate the reasons for shopping in person and so I’ll continue to do so and while I’m there I may just check out this candy store. Those caramel creams did look really tasty.