Target — Local services in Columbus

I am a frequent customer for this Target location on High Street. It’s close to campus, and as a student, it is very convenient for me to pop in, grab a few groceries or essentials before leaving. There is also a Starbucks inside the store so you can grab a quick coffee after shopping. Near the front of the store, by the entrance, there is a seating area where I’ve seen students study, friends to hang out, or as a place for people who just needed a break. This time, however, I decided to focus on the accessibility of this store.

The only entrance allowing entry into the store is automatic, so you wouldn’t need to pull or push the door. To the right of the entrance is the checkout, so the only way in is to take the stairs. However, this is not accessible at all for anyone with a disability or use assistive devices, like a wheelchair. The only way for someone who uses a wheelchair to get inside the store is to go through a smaller area behind the checkouts, and up the side ramp that leads down. Yet, this ramp is narrow and not clearly designed for accessible entry and may make navigation up the ramp unsafe.

Inside the store, the aisles are somewhat large and wide, but there may be some obstructions in the pathway. For instance, some aisles in the store had large columns that jut out in the middle, narrowing the passageway. Other obstructions include fallen merchandise or working equipment. I’ve also noticed that the aisles in the clothing section are very narrow, and it may be hard for multiple people to be shopping within the same aisles. Some items are located very high up on the shelf that may be difficult for people to reach. I found this issue to be very common in the food aisles, which is one of the main reasons to shop in this store. The fridge/freezer section has handles in the middle of the door and may be too high for people who use wheelchairs. The shelves are often not stocked to its full capacity, so grabbing any items off the shelves may be an issue. Although the hallways are wide, overcrowding would drastically affect the accessibility in this store. This Target tends to get very busy at times, so a large group of people in the same aisle would make mobility difficult. There is a single unisex bathroom at the back of the store, and there are handrails inside that people with disabilities can use. The toilet height is relatively low, so there shouldn’t be too much of an issue with that.

As for sensory aspects, the store is brightly lit. Depending on the time of the day of your visit, natural light from outside can light up the store as well. In some aisles, the sunlight can be blinding. There is music playing from overhead speakers, and there is a constant beeping heard from the checkout stations. Other noises include the background hum of working equipment, the whirring of HVAC fans, and other people’s drifting voices. There aren’t any strong smells in the store, with the exception of the detergent and air freshener aisles, and near the Starbucks. The combination of all these sensory elements poses an issue for people who get easily overwhelmed or anxious in public. Overall, this Target offers convenience and amenities for students, but its physical layout and sensory environment present significant...

At this Target, there were accessibility features, like the automatic doors, ramps, and emergency exits. These are great features for people who may have difficulty pushing open a heavy door, or even difficulty pushing open a door and walking through all at the same time. This could help someone who is blind and doesn’t see the door until it is too late, someone who is in a wheelchair, someone with a cognitive impairment, someone with autism, or someone with another type of disability. The store’s layout was, however, inaccessible in different places. Some aisles were very skinny and hard to fit through if you are someone with a wheelchair. Some aisles had support columns that were very large and square, from floor to ceiling, sticking out almost into the middle of the aisle. This target had no drivable shopping carts. There is not much parking. The ramp in the store was in a very inconvenient location. It was used by everyone to go down to the registers, not up to the main shopping section. When I go to Target in the morning or early afternoon, there are not many people, but the day I observed, around 5 PM, the Target was packed. The line to the registers was wrapped around the ramp and through two of the aisles. This makes those two aisles very hard to navigate if there is something in there you need, regardless of whether or not you have a disability. In the food section, there were big baskets and bins that stuck out into the aisle. Again, this is hard to fit through if using a wheelchair or a motorized shopping cart. Also, a lot of the food items were set far back or too high on the shelves or in the fridges, making it hard to reach for someone who is not tall enough, or again, maybe in the seated position in a wheelchair. The clothing section of the store had every rack on wheels. If someone were to lean toward the rack to look at clothes or reach for something and had difficulty getting a good sense of their surroundings, then the rack may slide away, fall, or even cause the individual to fall. The fitting rooms in the clothing section did not have large (handicapped)...

Hi! I will be examining the accessibility of this Target location. Getting through the main entrance will be very easy and stress-free, due to the automatic doors. The entrance is also wide and the staff at the front are very friendly and welcoming. They would be eager to assist anyone in need. However, there are no driving shopping carts for someone who needs a wheelchair. There is a staircase to get to the main area for shopping, however there is also a wheelchair accessible ramp towards the right of the store. It is not in the best location, since it is also used for people going to checkout. The aisles are relatively wide, except I could imagine someone in a wheelchair might have to wait for others to leave the aisle in order to have enough space to pass through. There are also some aisles that have large columns in the middle that wouldn’t allow for a wheelchair to fit through. Also, a lot of the food is really high on the shelves, making it hard for someone not tall enough, or even someone in a wheelchair. To get to the checkout, everyone uses the ramp, but there is a lot of space. There are self checkout stations that are easily accessible, but for anyone who needs extra assistance they also have cashiers available to checkout for you. Overall, this Target is relatively accessible to everyone and there are excellent employees...