Target Is Getting New Shopping Carts and Remodeling Over 130 Stores
Your next Target run might look a little different — and feel a little different starting from the parking lot.
Target just announced a new shopping cart design called the Series 3 All Plastic Cart, made entirely from recyclable materials with modular components that can be replaced individually rather than scrapping the whole cart when something breaks. The goal is a longer lifespan and a smaller environmental footprint. The company started working on the redesign back in 2020, with the goal of making the shopping experience easier for families.
The new carts are already showing up in select stores with a wider rollout planned over time. Compared to what you're used to, they'll have smoother maneuverability, ergonomic handles, a deeper child seat, more basket space, and larger cupholders. Small upgrades, but the kind of thing you notice immediately when you're trying to steer a wobbly cart through a crowded aisle. If you've ever wrestled a rattling metal cart with a wheel that spins sideways through a packed weekend crowd, the promise of a smoother ride is genuinely welcome news.
The Bigger Picture
The new carts are actually the smaller part of what Target is doing. The retailer announced it's spending approximately $5 billion to remodel more than 130 stores and open 30 new locations — calling it "a bigger transformation for our stores than at any point in the past decade."
The expansion targets 10 key metro areas, including Atlanta; Austin, Dallas, and Houston; Charlotte; Chicago; Phoenix; Los Angeles; Miami; Minneapolis; New York City; Philadelphia; and Washington, D.C. So if you live in or near any of those markets, changes at your local store may be coming sooner rather than later.
The remodels are focused on making stores easier to navigate with updated layouts, expanded grocery sections including dry, fresh, and frozen foods at some locations, modern fixtures with specialty LED lighting, and updated checkout and self-checkout lanes. Some stores are also getting natural refrigeration systems and more efficient HVAC to reduce emissions — and, notably, to cut operating costs.
Practical updates include modernized restrooms, designated nursing spaces, and expanded services for Order Pickup, Drive Up, and returns — reflecting how many Target shoppers never actually go inside the store at all anymore. Target's long-term goal is to build more than 300 new stores by 2035, and the current round of remodels appears designed to position existing locations as fulfillment hubs, not just shopping destinations.
What each specific location gets and when depends on where you are — Target told reporters that the new features vary by store and timing hasn't been set uniformly across all locations.
What It Means for You
The combination of a redesigned cart, a refreshed store layout, and expanded grocery options adds up to a noticeably different in-store experience — one that Target is clearly betting will bring more people through the door at a time when online shopping continues to grow. Whether it's enough to win back customers who've drifted toward Walmart, Amazon, or their local grocery store for everyday staples remains to be seen.
But if your Target hasn't been remodeled in a while, there's a decent chance it's on the list.
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