Target May Get a Paid Membership Program—Here’s What It Means for Super Fans

Would you pay for a Target membership?

I have a confession: I do not have Amazon Prime. I don’t get those fun discounts at Whole Foods, and I don’t order random stuff on the fly. That being said, I confess I’ve used my father-in-law's account a few times to order last-minute items. I don’t have Walmart+, either—I shy away from memberships.

One membership that could convince me to take the plunge? Target. According to Bloomberg, the fan-favorite store is considering a membership of its own, giving members exclusive discounts and access to special perks.

The news was leaked this morning that the potential membership program is called Project Trident internally, and is aimed at better competing with other big retailers that offer similar programs. Target has been facing declining sales for months, and this membership program could give the retailer the boost it needs.

I’m already a member of Target Circle, a free program that lets you earn rewards, easily track your past orders, and offers exclusive discounts. I imagine the new paid program would be an extension of Target Circle, with bigger discounts on more items for members, as well as rewards. Like other rewards programs (I’m looking at you, Amazon Prime), it might also offer free and/or faster delivery for online orders.

Walmart+ and Amazon Prime have seen success with their membership programs. Prime launched in 2005 and has over 200 million subscribers (wow!)—but it should be noted that Prime membership also includes a streaming service, offering exclusive series and movies, as well as Amazon Music. Walmart+ launched in 2020, and Kroger launched its Boost program in 2022. Both memberships offer extra benefits, like savings at the gas pump.

Target will need to offer some pretty great perks to compete with these programs, but I for one do not underestimate the power of Target fandom. Make the discounts deep enough, the shipping fast enough, and the monthly cost low enough, and they will come. Maybe this means we’ll start getting the Target version of Prime Day! I'd sign up for that.

What do you think? Would you join Target’s paid membership program?

Read the original article on Simply Recipes.