I love Target. No, really. I LOVE Target. I could go there once a day and see everything in the store 40 times and not get tired of going there. It’s soothing, it’s comforting and oddly seductive. If Target were a person, I’d marry it, jack my hair like Kate Gosselin and become it’s baby machine. I. love. Target.
What I don’t love is the “new” Target store brand, up & up™. Target Home products, their former store brand, used to be so good. I could buy any Target knock-off of the fancy brand and know, quite certainly, that it would be just as good. Since they re-branded their store brand to up & up™, everything’s gone down & down.
Take, for instance, the toilet paper — I used to buy the blue label Target Home brand premium paper, compared to Quilted Northern Ultra. Not the pink one, compared to Charmin Might-As-Well-Be-a-Towel Ultra Premium, just your garden-variety mid-range bathroom tissue. It was totally the same as the name-brand, as advertised. I bought the same brand for years… and a lot of it. Not because I have some weird bathroom habits or I’m a hoarder, but because I have a very staunch 6-roll minimum rule in my house. At 6 rolls I have to start reminding myself to buy more — if I go below 6 rolls, I’m down to the last square on the roll before I remember to get more.
Sometime, last year I think, they changed to up & up™ and when it came time to buy Ye Old Faithful TP, it was replaced by what I assumed would be the same product in a different wrapper — more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This paper is a mere suggestion of what it once was. It still says “Compare to Quilted Northern Ultra”, but it was like they took one-ply paper, peeled it apart and called it two-ply. It was like half-ply. I wouldn’t TP a house in this paper, let alone my business. After enduring it for a full 12-pack, I grudgingly bought yet another 6-pack because it was that or Scott Tissue and sandpaper ain’t my thing.
The next time, I bought the actual Quilted Northern Ultra and found it to be the toilet paper I knew and loved. I just have to get over paying a little more for it. But, in my opinion, I’d rather pay a little more for a quality product. I believe ‘generic’ store brands can be awesome — take Costco’s Kirkland brand, for instance. Fabulous, especially when their vodka is rumored to be Grey Goose. It just seems like when Target changed brands, they may have changed manufacturers. So far, I’ve not tried an up&up product that’s been decent — not the “compare to Glad Forceflex” trashbags (flex? yes. force? laughable.), not the “compare to Ziploc” sandwich bags (the bags separate from the zipper constantly or the zipper is inside out), and certainly not the toilet paper.
I’m curious to know if anyone else has experienced this, or if perhaps my ass is just spoiled.
I love Scott! I suppose all bums are not the same
I buy my TP at Costco in bulk, cant beat like 36 rolls for $17 bucks. I dont usually buy off-brand stuff, I just find it is never the same and I would rather pay a buck or two more for the good stuff. I also use coupons so that helps with the difference in price.
Yes I have found the very same problems with Target trash bags and ziplock bags. I hate HATE the ziplock bags and can tolerate the trash bags (but don’t like). I have yet to try any of the other up & up products and now I will stay FAR away from the toilet paper now- thanks!
I haven’t used the toilet paper, ziplocs or trashbags, but I’ve had good luck with their gladware style products, their generic otc pain meds and their bodywash.
.-= TheBon´s last blog ..Knitting of Olympic Proportions =-.
I do like the Up&Up generic Tylenol and Advil. Especailly the fast-acting ones. And the contact solution is good as well.
But dude. The not-so-force-flex bags SUCK. Suuu-huuuuuuuck.
Hooray for 6 roll minimums! I’m a Charmin 2-ply MEGA roll gal. Maybe that’s why my toilet fights with me in regards to flushing? I just thought it was because it’s a Jesus-hand-me-down toilet. Low-water-pressure-flusher-eco-friendly toilet my ass. This thing is like, “And I will suck in all of the Gulf of Mexico to flush your toilet and then out again–no one will notice because it’s the Gulf of Mexico.” And you know what? No one has. TJ welcomes you.
I’ve found their medicine tends to be pretty decent. I usually buy their generic up & up medicine, like “claritin” or “prilosec” and “motrin” and it’s all worked great. It seems, for me, to mostly just be household products.
Aaah, someone else who used to love their TP and now is seriously disappointed. I was bummed, very bummed, when I discovered the difference! Medicine has worked out well for me, and I really like their non-scented Up & Up fabric softener & liquid detergent, but no more with the TP
Yeah. I am the same way with Target. OB-SESSED. Love it love it love it. But this new up&up shit is making me mad. Not only is it not as good, but it seems like they run out of stock a lot faster. As for toilet paper, I buy the ginormous thing of 36 rolls of Costco brand wrapped in blue tissue. I actually prefer a cheaper quality of toilet paper, because I find that the fancier stuff leaves bits that look like snow on my vagina. It shouldn’t snow on my vagina.
.-= Steph´s last blog ..Maybe I meant 2009 instead of 2008 =-.
What I meant to say was… they run out of stock faster, and it STAYS out of stock. Ugh.
.-= Steph´s last blog ..Maybe I meant 2009 instead of 2008 =-.