The Target Canada exit — and the 11-year hangover
In January 2013, Target opened its first three Canadian stores in Guelph, Milton, and Fergus, Ontario. By April, 124 stores had launched nationwide, almost all converted from former Zellers locations. Two years later — January 15, 2015 — Target Corporation filed for CCAA protection and closed every Canadian store. Total writedown: USD $7 billion. Total jobs lost: 17,600.
The post-mortem was brutal. The SAP supply chain went live with item data that was simply wrong — barcodes that didn't match, weights off by orders of magnitude. Shelves were empty. The stores that did stock product had it at prices 15-30% above Target.com US. Canadians walked in, looked, and went back to Walmart, Winners, and Canadian Tire.
What Canadians actually wanted — the Target they'd crossed the border to shop in Buffalo, Plattsburgh, Bellingham, and Detroit — was never delivered. They wanted Hearth & Hand by Magnolia, Cat & Jack, Target-exclusive Stanley Quenchers, A New Day ribbed tanks at $12, Up&Up melatonin at half the Canadian pharmacy price. None of it ships from Target.com because the US site stops at the border. So Canadians wait — or they don't.
Target sub-departments Canadians actually ask for
Stanley × Target: the color drops that broke Canadian TikTok
Stanley Quenchers sell in Canada — but the Target-exclusive colorways do not. The drops Canadians ask Selectido for:
- Target Watercolor Dusk — lavender-to-rose 40oz Quencher. Dropped at Target Minneapolis on a Tuesday morning and sold out US-wide in under three hours. We had three shoppers in line on Nicollet Mall before 8am.
- Pool Party LE — limited-edition aqua-and-tangerine summer drop. Quencher H2.0 40oz.
- Cosmo Pink — Target-only hot pink. Sold out online in 20 minutes; in-store grab the only reliable option.
- Citron Mist — pale-yellow-to-mint gradient. Forwarded ~200 of these to Canada in the first two weeks.
Two ways to win. Path one: the moment the color goes live on target.com, order with your Minneapolis suite as ship-to. Door-to-door 6-10 days. Cost: $14.99 forwarding + $14-22 carrier. Path two — drop-day live ($75/hr): we send a shopper to Target Minneapolis at 7:45am, into line, into the store at open, to the Stanley endcap, on FaceTime. Same-week shipping to Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal.
Cat & Jack and Pillowfort: the kids' aisle Canadian parents miss
Cat & Jack is Target's own-brand kids' label, launched 2016. About $2B USD in annual US apparel, sold nowhere else. The one-year wear-and-tear guarantee — rip a knee, get a refund or replacement — turns first-time buyers into lifelong customers.
What forwards well: basics (toddler tees, leggings, joggers, pajamas), school uniforms (polos, twill pants), outerwear (puffers, rain shells), swim (UPF 50 rash guards, board shorts), and baby (Cat & Jack and Cloud Island onesies, bibs, sleep sacks). A standard outbound holds 8-12 items — parents queue a month's wardrobe before triggering the forward.
Pillowfort is the kids' Threshold — crib/twin/full bedding, pillows, plush, growth charts, peel-and-stick decals, 3'x5' rugs. Pillowfort jersey crib sheets and the plush sloth and dinosaur lines ship weekly through our Minneapolis hub.
Hearth & Hand with Magnolia: the Joanna Gaines Target-exclusive
In November 2017, Target and Chip & Joanna Gaines (Fixer Upper, then the Magnolia empire in Waco) launched Hearth & Hand with Magnolia. By contract, exclusive to Target. Not at Walmart, not at Amazon, not at the Silos shop in Waco, not at Target Canada — because Target Canada doesn't exist.
Seasonal drops: Spring Floral (March), Summer Stripe (May), Fall Harvest (August), Winter Modern Farmhouse (October), Christmas Vintage (November). Bestsellers: the stoneware ribbed mug in cream, linen table runners, the olive stoneware vase, wooden cutting boards with leather strap, tapered candles, seasonal wreaths. Selectido is the only path in for Canadians.
Goodfellow & Co (men's) and A New Day (women's): Target's private apparel
Goodfellow & Co is Target's men's private label (launched 2017). Workwear basics at J.Crew Factory pricing: $25 chinos, $20 oxford button-downs, $15 knit polos, $12 crewneck tees, $30 swim trunks, $40 cardigans. Sizing S-XXL, regular and slim.
A New Day is the women's analog. Ribbed tanks at $12, blazers around $40, knit dresses around $30, trousers around $35, ballet flats around $25. Closer to J.Crew than Anthropologie.
Both forward well: flat soft goods, low unit weight. A four-piece A New Day haul (blazer + two tanks + knit dress, ~$90 US retail) ships in one 2-3 lb outbound for ~$20-26 carrier + $14.99 forwarding. Landed cost with 13% Ontario HST: ~1.4x US retail — still cheaper than Old Navy Canada or H&M Canada for comparable cuts.
Threshold, Studio McGee, Up&Up, and Target Beauty
Threshold is Target's general home brand: bedding, towels, lamps, pillows, frames, vases. Threshold designed with Studio McGee is the collab with Shea & Syd McGee of McGee & Co. (Salt Lake City) — the same aesthetic at one-fifth McGee & Co. prices. Sells out fast on launch days.
Up&Up covers household essentials. Canadians ask for acetaminophen 500mg (US 500-count bottles), ibuprofen, melatonin gummies (5mg dosing often unavailable in Canada), multivitamins, SPF 50 with US actives (avobenzone+homosalate not in Canadian SPFs), paper goods, diapers (NB-6), and 700-count baby wipes cases.
Target Beauty has become an indie incubator. Kristin Ess Hair (from Lauren Conrad's hairstylist) launched as Target-exclusive — the cult Working Serum, shampoos, conditioners all forwardable. Versed Skincare (Who What Wear sister) — Day Maker Cleanser, Dew Point Gel-Cream, Press Restart Retinol — all Target US shelf, no Canadian retail. Other asks: Pacifica, Naturium, Mented Cosmetics, Olive & June press-on nails.
How Selectido handles a Target order for Canada
- Get your free Minneapolis suite. 60-second signup. Your suite is a real US address — target.com checkout treats it like any Minnesota destination. No subscription.
- Order at target.com normally. Add Cat & Jack, Hearth & Hand, Stanley, Goodfellow, A New Day to cart. Target.com accepts Canadian credit cards on most orders; if AVS rejects, use Wise, Revolut, or Privacy.com virtual cards.
- We receive at the Minneapolis hub. Free content photos, free 60-day storage. Consolidate multiple Target orders (or Target + Trader Joe's + Sephora US) into one outbound to save 30-50% per item.
- Ships to Canada in 3-5 business days. UPS Cross-Border or DHL Express to Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax. Customs paperwork done honestly.
Cities we ship Target orders to in Canada
Canadian customs on Target orders
Canada's express-courier de minimis is CAD $40 per package. Below that = no duty, no tax. Above that = 5% GST + provincial sales tax. Target items mostly fall under tariff-free categories under CUSMA, so above CAD $40 the only real cost is sales tax. Here's how it stacks by province:
| Province | Sales tax over CAD $40 | Total typical |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 13% HST | 13% |
| British Columbia | 5% GST + 7% PST | 12% |
| Alberta | 5% GST only | 5% |
| Quebec | 5% GST + 9.975% QST | 14.975% |
| Manitoba / Saskatchewan | 5% GST + 7% PST | 12% |
| Maritime (NB, NS, PE, NL) | 15% HST | 15% |