Portland embraces Target but shuns Walmart

Portland business owners, shoppers and elected officials are voicing support for a downtown Target store, even as they continue to criticize Walmart.

Why is one box store more palatable than the other?

It’s a double standard many people confess to, and can’t quite explain: Why do we love one major chain discount store and have such an aversion to another?

Charles Heying, a professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University who released a book earlier this month called “Brew to Bikes: Portland’s Artisan Economy,” says the difference in perception of the companies is a case of politics and marketing. “Walmart is the iconic large superstore that has a huge footprint, locates in the suburbs and typically violates all the principles Portlanders hold dear,” he says. “It usually has an anti-Portland feel.”

The irony is that the perception may be changing for both companies.

Read more at the Portland Tribune.

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