Target Turns Holiday Season Into a Series of Fast Shopping Sprints

Christmas is still more than six weeks away, but Christmas trees, stockings, and gingerbread houses are already on the floor at Target stores across the US. The retailer is running a higher-cadence holiday strategy this year, and Business Insider toured the West Madison, Wisconsin location to watch store director Ben Kossack's team execute it.

Two weeks before the tour, that seasonal section was Halloween territory. "Two weeks ago, this was still very much Halloween," Kossack said, walking Business Insider through the back of the store. "Then over here was very much transitioning into Christmas." He says Target has gotten much better at staying relevant to the current season while letting early shoppers get a jump on the next one. "I think that's where the company has really figured out how to win."

Why Target is sprinting instead of running a marathon

The change is structural, not cosmetic. Earlier in Kossack's career at Target, store teams got just a few days to set a store for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In recent years, the company has shifted to a phased approach — Halloween costumes and candy sharing floor space with tree ornaments and twinkle lights.

Two months is a long time in retail, though. An early start to the season can leave stores looking tired near the finish line. Target's answer: a steady cadence of fresh merchandise and rotating displays to keep shoppers coming back more often rather than checking out once and disappearing until December.

The proof is at the front of the store. A featured section of faux fur apparel near the entrance will come down after Thanksgiving, roughly four weeks, and something new will replace it. "Typically, like we set this and we set this, and this lasts till Christmas," Kossack said. "That would be the first time in my recollection that we'll have two things of newness post-Halloween for this specific space. So really excited about that."

He said shoppers at his store are already responding positively to the quick turnover, even those who might feel the holiday push starts too early.

What does this change for retail teams?

For store operators, the sprint model means more labor, timed precisely. Kossack has been steadily hiring over the past several months to build out his staff and make the faster rotation work. Even the smallest details carry real time costs: assembling the seven green chandeliers hanging near the store's entrance took one of his team leaders most of a shift.

For competitors, it raises the bar on seasonal pacing. If rotating floor sets every four weeks keeps traffic elevated through late November and December, the phased approach stops being a differentiator and becomes table stakes.

There's still plenty of work left before Christmas Day, but Kossack frames the goal simply: create a memorable holiday experience for the families who shop at his store. "If we do a good job with that as a company, and then we execute it well as a store, that's what creates that inspiring moment," he said. "It's that extra piece. And if we do it right, we do it well." If the two-changes-after-Halloween test works in Wisconsin, expect more Target stores to turn their front ends into revolving doors of newness next season.