In need of a new pair of Jeans earlier in the year, imagine my excitement when the Target calalogue arrived emblazoned with the words “Denim for everyone”. I usually get clothes from the “Mr Big” section, and I was seduced by the word “everyone” and immediately thought that meant, well, everyone.
On 19 March I sent customer support an email explaining my concern that after scrutinising the brochure and visiting the store, there did not appear to be “Denim for everyone” … with no reply. I followed this up with an email on 5 April.
On 5 April I received the following reply from Target:
Hi xxx,
Thanks for getting in touch with us.
The Denim for Everyone is not a range but a ‘look’.
This is part of the women’s range of styling and incorporates many different Target products.
This can be viewed here:
https://www.target.com.au/look/denim-for-everyone/LOOK1037591
They are suggestions for a total Target look.
The men’s version is Relax in Denim:
https://www.target.com.au/look/relax-in-denim/LOOK1039274
Unfortunately we don’t have any current styling looks for Mr Big.
Sorry for any confusion.
xxxxxxx
Customer Support
I wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with such a reply - but my response was rather cutting and I did later feel sorry for the “Customer Support” representative who surely was in training either as a lawyer or circus clown … (I’m told by a lawyer friend the two are often confused during the training phase).
Apparently I was confused. At least they were sorry …
Perplexed might be a better word. Perplexed at how someone can write such nonsensical dribble and expect the consumer to accept it as an explanation - indeed I took it as an explanation, just not one of what they thought they had given (? 
) …
So … based on the response from Target I took away the following points:
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“Denim for everyone” is not a “range” but a “look”.
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The “look” is part of a women’s “range” which has many different Target products. It would hardly be much of a “range” if it only had one product, or say 20 that were all identical … in any colour you want, so long as the colour is beige … but I digress
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The “look” is actually a “total Target look”, which is just “part” of a women’s “range” … but it’s not a “range” as such, it’s just “part” of it, even though it is “total”.
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Thankfully men aren’t forgotten, they have a “version” which is called “Relax in Denim”. I’m deducing for the sake of the discussion that “version” means it is a “look” and not a “range”. Whether it is a “total” “version” or whether one could “totally” “relax” in it remains unclear.
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There are no “styling looks” for Mr Big. I’m making the assumption that a “styling look” is the same as a “look” … or another “version” of it, “total” or otherwise …
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People who shop in certain parts of the Target store, including but likely not limited to the Mr Big section, are not part of the group “everyone”.
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It is implied there is a group of people bigger than “everyone” … maybe it is “totally everyone”. Who knows.
Is “everyone” confused yet? that would be OK, because according to Target, it would not be all of you …
As I read it, this is a clear case of false advertising, and the double-speak from Target in response is even more revealing of their attitude to truth in advertising.
I found what I wanted at another store
