Target Takes on Costco With 'Great Save'

Target is going warehouse-club style, at least temporarily. The discounter launched "The Great Save," a promotion that started this week and will last through Feb. 21, selling bulk items at a discount.Offerings include such staples as bulk paper towels, granola bars and T-shirts. But customers can also purchase designer-brand clothing and home-decor items at a discount as well, just as Costco and other warehouse clubs offer.This is apparently not the first time Target has tried such a strategy. For years it would offer a temporary Global Bazaar section that sold household items on the cheap.Target posted negative monthly same-store sales drops since May of last year, with the summer taking an especially hard hit. Of course, we may see things turn around tomorrow for December.But is a promotion like The Great Save just what Target needs to get consumers to spend more?