Target’s turnaround shows Big Lots workers how store investment drives traffic

Target is showing that traffic does not come back on price alone. In the first quarter of 2026, Placer.ai data showed visits to Target rose 5.1% from a year earlier, and almost 20% of those trips lasted 30 to 45 minutes, a sign that shoppers were staying longer in stores that felt worth the time.

That matters because Target tied the traffic push directly to store investment. On March 3, 2026, the company said it would put an incremental $2 billion into the business this year, including more than $1 billion in additional capital expenditures and $1 billion in additional operating investments. Target said hundreds of millions of dollars would go toward extra store payroll and training to improve guest service, while also planning to open more than 30 new stores in 2026 and more than 300 by 2035. Its 2,000th store opened in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. Target also said 92% of shoppers at its newest store format were highly satisfied with the overall experience.

For Big Lots workers, the comparison is not about size. It is about whether a turnaround is backed by enough labor to make the floor work. A value retailer can still lose a customer who came in for a bargain if shelves are empty, signs are confusing, recovery is sloppy, or checkout drags. Target’s move suggests that payroll and training are not just overhead. They are part of the sales plan, because better staffing can mean better in-stock levels, cleaner aisles and associates who can answer questions without hunting for help.

Big Lots knows how fragile that equation can be. The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 9, 2024, then later shifted from a planned sale to Nexus Capital Management LP toward liquidation before being bought out of bankruptcy in 2025 by Variety Wholesalers. The new owner says it will operate 219 stores in 15 states across the Midwest, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, drawing on more than 70 years of discount retail experience.

Variety Wholesalers has already leaned on store-level execution as the pitch. On April 28, 2025, it said 132 Big Lots stores would reopen in two waves on May 1 and May 15, and described the customer response to fresh inventory and expanded assortments as overwhelmingly positive. That is the real labor test now: whether Big Lots follows the Target playbook with more hours, better onboarding and stronger coaching, or simply expects the same payroll to carry a higher standard of service.