Target misses the target

Target, Broadway. I generally enjoy shopping at Target. However, on a Sunday afternoon, at a fairly busy shopping period, I came across three examples in a short space of time of out-of-stocks. These are the kiss-of-death for a retailer - something they teach in Retailing.101.

They obviously make it hard to make a sale - you can't sell space. They dilute the impact of the display of the in-stock items - the eye needs symmetry and people seek out 'abundance'. And finally, they annoy shoppers looking for promoted items. Managers need to focus on 'recovery' and replenishment. It's simple.