Oct. 8--PLATTSBURGH -- Target will employ more than 200 people, mainly local hires.

The company plans to offer its guests fast, fun and friendly service from the moment it opens Sunday.

"Target is all about providing a great guest experience," Plattsburgh Store Team Leader Jason Baril said Tuesday.

The store measures 127,000 square feet. By comparison, the Ames store that had been at the site was about 81,000 square feet.

Baril said people are very excited Target is going to open, as the nearest Target is in Queensbury, about 110 miles away.

"There's been an overwhelming response, a positive response."

Target utilizes wide, clean aisles to make shopping easier. In addition to the regular department-store products, some special departments are designed to add to the shopping experience.

The in-store pharmacy offers a 30-day supply of more than 300 generic drugs for $4 or a 90-day supply of the same drugs for $10.

Pharmacist Preston Sellars said a unique bottle and oral-syringe system for liquid medicines allows spill-proof dosages to be prepared.

Also, children who take a complete course of antibiotics and mark the doses in a calendar can return it and receive a small prize.

The Plattsburgh location has a one-hour photo lab and Starbucks coffee counter. A food-service area offers hot dogs, sandwiches, personal pizzas, chicken fingers and yogurt parfaits and smoothies.

Three electronic gift registries are located near the front entrance. Couples can grab a scanner and scan items throughout the store; then their guests can later print out a list of selections and use that to shop for the special event.

Several price-scan stations are located throughout the store. They read a product bar code and display its price and location in the store.

According to the company Web site, 1,648 Target stores exist in 47 states. The company had $63.4 billion in revenue and $4.6 billion in pre-tax profits in 2007.

Baril said the company is community minded.

"One thing Target does is give 5 percent of its earning back to the community it serves."

That amounts to $3 million every week nationwide, mainly to education, the arts and social services.

dheath@pressrepublican.com

-----

To see more of The Press-Republican or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pressrepublican.com/.

Copyright (c) 2008, The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

NYSE:TGT, NASDAQ-NMS:SBUX,