Right on target

The recent weather (and my upcoming trip through the Japanese and Chinese capitals) compelled me to purchase a new umbrella, one that: a) would easilly fit into a suitcase or backpack; b) was not hideously ugly; and c) folded easilly. The nearest Target, according to the Prius GPS was somewhere on Whittier Boulevard.

As I drove west along Whittier, I noticed the street becoming more and more...dare I say "ghetto"? Ghetto both in the common vernacular meaning, and in the original sense of "a section of a city occupied by a minority group who live there especially because of social, economic, or legal pressure." An absolute hispanic ghetto. Where was I? "We're not in Kansas, any more, Toto," I mumbled to myself.

Checking the GPS, I noted that I was in "Los Angeles," but certainly not a part of Los Angeles recognizable to me. I'm so far east, I protested to the GPS. How can I be in Los Angeles and still be so far...Oh. Of course. This wasn't the Westside, with it's Jaguar-packed boulevards, trendy boutiques, and sidewalks filled with the umbrella-covered tables of cute outdoor bistros catering to local yuppy WASPs. This was east L.A. The very "East L.A." of Cheech and Chong fame.

Ok, I reassured myself, how bad can it be? This is Target. From the outside, it looked similar enough to a typical Target, so I allowed my shoulder muscles and clenched hands to relax a little as I felt some apprehension leave my body. Stepping into the store, I found that the store front was just that—a front. It had the façade of being normal, when in fact, I had stepped into the Twilight Zone.

Besides the obvious demographic disparities one might expect between an east L.A. and a Cerritos Target, the two most conspicuous differences were that: a) this store was uncommonly crowded; and b) there were babies everywhere. When I relayed this information to Pam, she seemed unimpressed by the former observation, but was taken aback by the latter. “Were they there without parents?” She asked. “Were there just babies, and no adults?”

I replied in the negative, but I could not have been less astonished if they were just orphaned babies crawling all over. Taking a few deep breaths, I overcame my initial culture shock and tried to get my bearings; the floor plan of this store was quite different from the Target on Bloomfield and Del Amo. As I moved in search of the umbrellas, I noticed that there were other, smaller differences. The aisles of this branch seemed narrower, as if to pack in more merchandise per square foot. This same concern was also reflected in the garment racks, which were overloaded with clothes, making it difficult to take a jacket off the rack without creating a small avalanche of apparel. On top of that, many of the clothes were hanger-less; they were left simply strewn about on the floor, in piles, slung over racks…In the center of the store was a copious selection of car seats and baby carriages, though this seemed not disproportional to their clientele (babies in droves).

There were no umbrellas in the east L.A. Target. Maybe it never rains in east L.A., I conjectured. Only 3.7 miles down the road, I arrived at a second Target--this one in Pico Rivera. May I just say that east Los Angeles makes Pico Rivera look like Beverly Hills? The Pico Rivera Target is a proper Target, indeed. Upon entering, one is greeted by the pleasant aroma of popcorn wafting over from the snack area. Directly behind the cashiers are the greeting cards. Staring in the 8 o’clock corner (and moving clockwise), you arrive at: the grocery/mini-mart section; household cleaning goods; the small electronic goods and kitchen appliances; furniture, rugs, and lamps; bedding and towels; luggage; power tools, and the do-it-yourself home improvement section; toys; magazines and books; cameras, televisions, CDs, and audio/video equipment; and finally cosmetics and toiletries. In the center are the clothing sections, divided into men’s, women’s, children’s, and a proportionally-sized infant clothing area. [Anyone who has visited the Bloomfield/Del Amo Target will recognize this particular layout.]

Glad to have found the umbrellas in the “accessories” section near the “jewelry boat," I left happily with my purchase.










From the outside, who can tell the difference...