It is time for Target’s “Back to College” season once again as classes are quickly approaching. This past weekend, the aisles of Target were filled with students and their families pushing buggies full of their back-to-college necessities as they took advantage of the sales that were going on.

Students pushing red shopping carts filled with school supplies and decor, sale signs on almost every aisle, shoppers sipping their Starbucks cups — this is a common scene at the Target Tuscaloosa store the weekend before classes begin.

Target welcomes student shoppers with signs, and rows of aisles are sectioned off with signs that read: “college living shop,” “college kitchen,” “college decor” and more. 

Amber Burrell, the executive team leader and district trainer at the Target Tuscaloosa store, said Target’s “Back to College” season is an exciting time. 

“It’s just an exciting time within the company and within the store just because we get to see all of the students… it’s high traffic, but it’s exciting,” Burrell said. “We’ve staffed for it, the team is really excited to assist everyone and we’re excited just to be there to provide that service for the University.”

This year Target will not be having their midnight sale. There is no specific reason as to why there will not be one this year, Burrell said, but customers are now able to take part in the same sale prices they usually offer during any time of the day rather than only at midnight.

“We still kind of create that experience here in store throughout the entire day,” Burrell said. “You’ll still see sampling from our Starbucks department, beauty department, you’ll still see the tech demos going on in the back, and we’re still providing those great prices and quotes throughout the entire day.”

Regardless of having the midnight sale or not, Target is still offering their large “Back to College” section with items from school supplies, dorm decor, kitchen necessities and more. 

Kacy Glass, a junior majoring in education, said she likes Target’s “Back to College” section because it makes it easy for student shoppers to find what they need inside of the classroom and out.

“They have really good dishes that are those hard plastic, and they are microwave- and dishwasher-safe, and they are cute colors. I would get the whole set, and they are only like a dollar,” Glass said.

As an education major, Glass said she believes she will continue to shop at Target for back-to-school supplies beyond her college student years. When Glass is getting ready for the school year as a teacher, she will get supplies there because they offer things that are practical but cute, she said.

Dominique Caddell, a senior majoring in psychology, said she believes Target’s “Back to College” section is convenient for student shoppers. Caddell said students are able to find everything they need from school supplies, clothing and even decor for their dorms or apartments. 

“I’ve bought so much stuff from Target because people look at it and they’re like, ‘Oh, where did you get that?’ and you say ‘Target’ and they’re like ‘What? Really?,’” Caddell said. “Their stuff is really nice.”

Caddell said Target can be overpriced at times; however, she said the quality of the things they offer is good, which allows the price to be worth it. She said the sales Target has to offer always make it nice, as she has purchased things from Target multiple times.

“They have very good quality stuff, so it makes it worth the price,” Caddell said.