How Our Teams Have Prepped to Deliver an Easy, Joyful Holiday

How are Target's store and supply chain teams preparing for the holiday season?

Our more than 400,000 team members - and approximately 100,000 seasonal hires - are ready to deliver a fantastic holiday season thanks to year-round preparation that makes it easy, convenient and fun to shop at Target. It starts with our supply chain team, who work closely with our incredible merchants across the globe to get must-have holiday items into guests' hands. We've designed our network to flex with you, our guests, so you can browse our stores to explore what's new, swing by Drive Up after work or have items delivered right to your door the same day through Target Circle 360.

Our stores will receive more than 160,000 trailers full of products this season, and I am constantly stopping into my local Target with my family to see what's new. Our team does an amazing job transforming Target stores into a place where you can slow down and enjoy the season while finding everything you need for holiday gatherings and gift lists. And for those days when you don't have time to stop and browse, you can stop by one of our 28,000 Drive Up lanes to pick up your order - and a Starbucks treat, too - at a time that works with your schedule.

How is Target using technology to meet guests' needs?

Our Chief Information Officer Brett Craig said it best when he described how Target uses technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to "foster the emotional connection our guests feel when they shop with us - going well beyond simply helping guests find everything they need." Technology is how we deliver speed, accuracy, value and personalization, all wrapped into an experience that serves up the best of Target. You see it in our supply chain with how we manage inventory to get the right item to the right guest at the right time. And you see it as guests navigate to our stores with Apple CarPlay or how our store teams use an AI-powered chatbot to quickly source answers to support our guests.

Advancements in our technology and intelligence platforms also fuel the speed at which we can deliver for guests during peak seasons, like the holidays. Over the next few weeks, we expect our network of 11 sortation centers - which work with our stores to fulfill guest orders quickly and efficiently - to process up to 20,000 packages an hour. And many of those orders will reach guests the next day when they place their orders by noon thanks to how we use technology to optimize delivery routes.

How are Target's supply chain and store teams partnering to deliver the best shopping experience this holiday season?

The holidays are busy, and guests depend on us to reliably deliver what they need, when they need it. Fulfilling that promise takes exceptional planning, coordination and flexibility over many months.

Take one of Target's holiday specialties: peppermint. This year, we're offering more than 50 new Good & Gather and Favorite Day peppermint items - from candy to cocoa - starting at just over $1. Knowing how many of these items to stock and appropriately allocating them across our network requires precise forecasting and execution. If they arrive too early, stores need to find extra storage space. If they're too late, guests are disappointed. Our supply chain team times shipments to stores so inventory is arriving at the right time at the right location for our guests.

Throughout October, our stores prepared their backrooms for the expected shipments of gingerbread houses and other holiday inventory so they could quickly transition from Halloween to Thanksgiving and beyond. Teams are in constant communication to fine-tune plans for unexpected disruptions - like weather or a delayed shipment - so we can smoothly navigate the season and give our guests a great shopping experience.

Target specializes in convenience so guests can get back to what's most important: spending time with friends and family. What's a "holiday hack" you'd recommend this season?

I'll admit, I tend to be a last-minute shopper and will always have a ton of respect for those who have their gifts purchased and wrapped with weeks to spare. So, for me, Target Circle 360, which offers unlimited same-day delivery, has been a game changer. If I can't swing by Target, and I've missed the window for next-day delivery, I can still use my Target Circle 360 membership to place my order and get what I need delivered to my doorstep within hours.

So, if you're hosting a few people for a holiday get-together and realize you forgot to pick up an appetizer, take it from me: You can't go wrong with a Good & Gather charcuterie tray!