Reactions to the news that Target will be opening its first Vermont store have been all over the place. Some are lamenting the arrival of another "big box store," while others are barely able express their joy in words — instead relying on strings of celebratory emojis.
VPR digital reporter and resident skeptic Taylor Dobbs (who has lived in Vermont since he was two and shopped at Target once) didn't understand how it could possibly be such a big deal to have a new store coming to Vermont.
Senior producer Emily Alfin Johnson is, let's say, an experienced Target shopper. She was among the first to suggest that Target's arrival in Vermont is momentous.
But why? Plenty of brands have expanded into Vermont in recent years with relatively little fanfare; CVS and Five Guys Burgers opened Church Street stores recently, and neither sparked the kind of social media revelry that came with Target's announcement.
We decided to do some informal research to try to understand why Target is such a big deal, and why the reactions ranged from literal screams of disapproval to shrieks of joy.
To hear Taylor and Emily wander around Burlington asking strangers for their thoughts about Target's arrival, listen to the audio above.
