Target (NYSE:TGT) has done a fantastic job of branding itself as the upscale retailer of middle-class America. With its dollar bins, in-store coffee shops, drive-up pickup options, designer collaborations, curated products, and its clean and energetic design, it is the favorite shopping spot for millions of Americans.
However, as inflation (or its co-conspirators, greedflation and shrinkflation) continue to put the screws to our wallets, many people are looking for cheaper alternatives to their premium shopping destination. When even a trip for one or two items becomes unaffordable, the need for cheaper, more sustainable alternatives grows ever more dire.
That’s why we found alternative stores that beat the Target prices while still offering similar, high-quality products. We included some that are online-only and others that have brick-and-mortar locations. We featured online markets that contain most of all the product categories Target carries, as well as a few shops that fit some harder-to-generalize categories. The categories of products Target Carries are home, toys, clothing, shoes, accessories, beauty, limited grocery, furniture, baby, and electronics.
Why Are We Covering This?
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People around the world are struggling to keep up with corporate greed as prices increase while wages and salaries remain stagnant. In order to make ends meet, people are forced to buy fewer goods, or simply replace their favorite goods with cheaper alternatives. We want to help both groups by giving high-quality alternatives to the expensive options found at Target.
Our criteria for choosing these stores were as follows: affordability and quality, the company’s ethical practices, and eco-friendly and sustainable alternatives.
#1 Etsy
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- Categories: All
- Perks: Direct messages with artists and creators
If you want to empower small businesses, Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY) is the online market for you. You can find anything on Etsy, and even narrow your searches to match your price range or sustainability goals. We recommend starting with furniture and exploring makers that fit your aesthetic. It even has a Reclaimed Furniture page.
Etsy categories include accessories, décor, baby, bags, bath, beauty, books, clothing, craft supplies, electronics, accessories, home, jewelry, party supplies, pet supplies, shoes, toys, and even weddings. Etsy can also fit any budget.
#2 Ten Thousand Villages
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- Categories: Home, kitchen, jewelry, accessories, outdoor, and gifts
- Cheapest Product: $2.75 (Wooden Rhino Wall Hook)
- Most expensive Product: $325 (Safia Tuareg Ebony Collar Necklace)
- Perks: Physical locations, Artisan made, Small batch made
Participate in a global maker-to-market movement with Ten Thousand Villages. This online fair-trade marketplace addresses economic injustice specializing in ethically sourced handcrafted wares.
Also, Thousand Villages ensures that each maker it partners with earns a fair and livable wage and works in safe conditions. You can also avoid cultural appropriation because you can be sure that Ten Thousand Villages is selling products directly from cultural sources.
#3 DoneGood
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- Categories: Women, men, home, food & drinks, self-care, accessories, and kids
- Cheapest Product: $0.50 (Window Decal)
- Most Expensive Product: $4,999.00 (Luxury Mattress)
- Perks: Browser plug-in available, Fair Trade, Rewards Program, Major Sales Events, Discount Codes
Shop over 100 brands that have been highly vetted by DoneGood to make sure they are paying good wages, empowering communities, and using eco-friendly practices. Simply put, you can rest assured that DoneGood has, well, done good curating ethical products.
DoneGood is a certified B-Corp (a Best For the World Award winner, in fact), that believes in diverting spending away from giant corporations to help consumers vote with their dollars. It wants to see a world where “every business is doing good for people and the planet.”
Since its launch, DoneGood has diverted over $2,000,000 to companies making the world a better place.
#4 Made Trade
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- Categories: Home goods, bedding, bath, kitchen and dining, furniture, clothing, shoes, jewelry, bags, accessories and gifts
- Cheapest Product: $4 (Multicolor Pom Pom + Tassel Ornament)
- Most Expensive Product: $2,995 (Nisswa Recycled Outdoor Sofa)
- Perks: Shop by Value, Registry, Design Trade Program
For clothing, jewelry, shoes, bags, bathroom products, bedding, home goods, kitchen, dining, furniture, and even accessories, head to Made Trade. Made Trade is climate-neutral certified. It is a woman-owned company that curates products from ethical small businesses.
If you value fair wages over profits, sustainability over mass production, and quality craftsmanship over consumption, then Made Trade is the online market for you.
#5 Public Goods
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- Categories: Personal care, household, grocery, and pet
- Cheapest Product: $3.95 (Travel Size Shampoo)
- Most Expensive Product: $44 (Ayate Bath Strip 3-pack)
- Perks: Overstock section, Tree Planting Program, Food Donations
Public Goods is a UK-based online market with curated products that are non-toxic, cruelty-free, and fit a minimalist aesthetic. Every item is carbon offset and comes in tree-free recycled paper and compostable bioplastics packaging.
#6 Ethical Superstore
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- Categories: Grocery, cleaning, apparel, home, garden, beauty, baby, pets
- Prices Start At: $1.75
- Perks: Flexible 30-day “no quibble” returns policy, Shop by Best Price Guarantee
Wanting a superstore experience without actually wanting a superstore? Check out Ethical Superstore. This UK-based online market features a huge range of fair trade, organic, vegan, and eco-friendly products sourced from all over the world.
Ethical Superstore is on a mission to help you make eco-friendly alternatives to the products you use every day. Your purchases empower and help farmers and small businesses primarily in developing countries. It guarantees that not a single person in its supply chain was exploited in the entire production process.
#7 GOODEE
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- Categories: Garden, outdoor, household, décor, dining, lifestyle, and furniture
- Cheapest Product: $13 (Round Soap-Fig)
- Most Expensive Product: $750 (Art Corner Set)
- Perks: BIPOC-owned, Climate Neutral, 1% For the Planet
GOODEE ensures that you buy products with ethics that are important to you. Co-founders Byron and Dexter say, “We believe that good things take time. Ideas need time to formulate and friendship requires time to strengthen. To be frank, beautiful things are rarely delivered same-day.”
#8 Thrive Market
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- Categories: Grocery
- Prices Start At: $2.99
- Perks: Price Matching, free gifts, auto-ship
Thrive Market is a certified B-Corp that has it all for your organic and non-GMO grocery needs. It might not have a drive-up option, but delivery directly to your door sounds can be just as convenient. Thrive Market also maintains the exclusivity that Target has with a $5/month membership fee. But the membership pays off. With this exclusive membership, you gain access to over 6,000 ethical products that are 25–50% off retail prices. We also love its in-house brand (just as good as Target’s).
Thrive Market also uses carbon-neutral shipping, zero-waste warehouses, and compostable as well as recyclable packaging. See a product that’s cheaper somewhere else? Don’t worry. Thrive has a price-matching guarantee.
#9 Package Free
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- Categories: Home, cleaning, beauty, and body
- Cheapest Product: $1.50 (Stainless Steel Mini Straw)
- Most Expensive Product: $189 (Premium Reusable Bamboo Cutlery Set of 12)
- Perks: Subscribe and Save!
Package Free is your destination for clean, low-waste products that reduce the need for single-use plastic, use minimal and non-toxic ingredients, and use circular packaging.
On top of that, its Package Free Impact Initiative even uses a portion of sales to fund clean initiatives like community cleanups. Browse its cleaning, home, beauty, body, and on-the-go products and make your home package free.
#10 Credo
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- Categories: Skin care, makeup, hair, bath, body, and fragrance
- Cheapest Product: $2 (Eyeline Define Sharpener)
- Most Expensive Product: $490 (Elixir Vitae Serum)
- Perks: Physical Locations, Rewards Program, Pact Program, Online Chat,
Are you exhausted trying to do the research needed to find actual clean beauty products? Stop by Credo which has already done this painstaking research for you. Each product listed on Credo is free from the 2700+ harmful ingredients in their “Dirty List.”
Credo recognizes that the beauty industry is painfully under-regulated. Credo believes that all consumers deserve high-quality and safe cosmetics. Safe for consumers, safe for suppliers, safe for everyone.
#11 Jungalow
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- Categories: Decor, bed, and bath
- Cheapest Product: $5.00 (Tigris Wallpaper in Onyx by Justina Blakeney- sample)
- Most Expensive Product: $98 (Tigris Wallpaper in Onyx By Justina Blakeney- Full Roll)
- Perks: Tree Planting with Every Purchase
Jungalow is your destination for an eclectic and aesthetic home. Working with global vendors, all products they source follow extremely strict requirements to ensure that you are getting OEKO-TEX certified and have no harmful chemicals.
Black woman-owned, Jungalow was founded by Justina Blakeney in 2009. You will love her signature Jungalow and Justina Blakeney collections designed by Justina! Its ceramics use non-toxic finishes, and a water-efficient manufacturing process. Its rugs are handcrafted in India using heritage processes done completely by hand, and it incorporates organic, recycled, and upcycled fabrics whenever possible.
#12 Grove Collaborative
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- Categories: Wellness, eleaning essentials, home, pantry, personal care, and pets
- Cheapest Product: $1.25 (Silicone Travel Hand Sanitizer Holder)
- Most Expensive Product: $179 (Modern Sprout Bamboo Smart Hydroplanter)
- Perks: Under $5 Shop, Yearly Impact Reports, Optional VIP Program
Grove might be a familiar brand for regular Target shoppers, as Target carries some Grove cleaning products. What you might not have known is that Grove has so much more to offer on its online store. Grove not only sells its own brand of luxurious and eco-friendly products but has curated over 200 other heavily vetted brands that are committed to offsetting plastic waste.
Grove is committed to moving beyond plastic, using cruelty-free production, and using plant-based and filler-free formulas with only natural fragrances. Grove is a certified B-Corp, 100% Plastic Neutral, and has 100% carbon neutral shipping,
#13 Eco Roots
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- Categories: Bath, beauty, home, kitchen
- Cheapest Product: $2.75 (Straw Cleaning Brush)
- Most Expensive Products: $50 (Zero-Waste Shaving Kit for Women)
- Perks: Palm oil-free, Minimalist
Eco Roots curates brands with sustainability and eco-goals that align with its mission. Eco Roots is also a member of 1% for the Planet. Eco Roots is free of animal byproducts, SLS, and plastic.
Eco Roots is a Woman-owned company. All of its products are plastic-free, low-waste, vegan, small batch made, and encourage circular economy.
#14 Boody
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- Category: Women, men, and baby underwear
- Cheapest Product: $7.95 (LYOLYTE Hi-cut Bikini underwear)
- Most Expensive Product:
- Perks: 100% Vegan, OEKO-TEX Certified, Natural Materials, FSC
Indulge in safe, soft, functional, comfortable, organic bamboo viscose underwear. Boody is comfort-obsessed and guarantees their products to be the most comfortable. Boody is committed to designing products that have longevity to prevent waste from going to landfills. Underwear is one aspect of the fast-fashion world that often gets overlooked. Boody is committed to changing the underwear game to give you sustainable, long-fashion underwear.
Boody’s organically-grown bamboo requires no irrigation to grow, produces 30% more oxygen than trees, absorbs carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses, and is fast growing. The benefits of bamboo viscose clothing include more softness with every wash, breathable, moisture-wicking, and non-toxic.
#15 Colored Organics
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- Category: Baby (0–24 months)
- Cheapest Product: $4.95 (Muslin Bow Hair Clip)
- Most expensive Product: $82 (Organic Boys Linen Summer Set)
- Perks: Fair Trade, GOTS Certified, Natural Materials, Woman Owned
Woman-owned Colored Organics uses organic cotton to give your family ethical baby products. Colored Organics is sweatshop-free, with no child labor guarantee, fair wages & medical benefits, and capped work hours.
#16 Hannah Anderson
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- Category: Baby–3T, kids, and women
- Cheapest Product: $5.79 (Baby Ribbed Knit Tights)
- Most Expensive Product: $88 (Women’s Muslin Sun Dress)
- Perks: Disney Collaborations, Pre-loved section,
OEKO-TEX Certified, Natural and Recycled Materials, and GOTS Certified, this certified B-Corp is a woman-owned clothing company that is committed to creating clothing that is sustainably made, designed for play, and made to last. Hannah Anderson wants to give you products that can be passed down again and again, saving clothes from going into landfills.
Hannah Anderson uses exclusively organic cotton, regenerative farming practices, and even recycled material to bring you Scandinavian-style long-fashion children’s clothing.
#17 Green Toys
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- Category: Toys
- Cheapest Product: $15.99 (Tugboat)
- Most Expensive Product: $49.99 (Construction Truck Set)
- Perks: Disney Collaboration, Sesame Street Collaboration, 100% Recycled, Made in the USA
Green Toys uses a tight local supply chain in the US to manufacture eco-friendly children’s toys. All Green Toys products use 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, are non-toxic and food-safe, and meet or exceed all relevant safety standards. Recycled milk jugs are its primary ingredient!
According to the company, “At Green Toys, it’s our mission to be the world’s most trusted, transparent provider of environmentally and socially responsible toys and tableware for children.”
#18 Back Market
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- Categories: Refurbished tech
- Cheapest Product: $9.99
- Most Expensive Product: Variable
- Perks: Subscriptions Available, American Made, Eco-friendly packaging, In-house customer service
Are you uncomfortable with the cobalt industry and the idea of exploiting children and adults by buying the latest tech? This is a great solution for you! Back Market is a certified B-Corp that specializes in premium refurbished electronics. It wants to be accessible, affordable, and reliable. It partners with the top refurbishers in the country to ensure that all of its suppliers adhere to super-strict standards.
Still on the fence? Well, Back Market has a perfect working condition guaranteed. You can feel good about your electronic consumption, and with up to 70% off retail prices, your wallet will thank you, too. Are you a student or military? Back Market even has a special discount for you.
#19 Kaiyo
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- Category: Furniture and décor
- Cheapest Product: $97 (Four Hands Lillian Occasional Chair)
- Most Important Product: $5,396 (Ligne Roset Exclusif Chaise)
- Perks: Sell Your Furniture, Buy Discounted Second Hand
Kaiyo is a fantastic way to keep furniture that still has life out of landfills. You can sell your furniture and Kaiyo will come pick it up free of charge, clean it up, make repairs if necessary, and then re-sell it. Kaiyo then shares a portion of the profits with you.
So far, Kaiyo has kept 6,851,384 pounds of furniture out of landfills. Win for you, and the planet. And buying from Kaiyo is a breeze. Simply order your good-as-new high end heavily discounted furniture, schedule an appointment, and Kaiyo will deliver it and set it up for you for free.
#20 Eartheasy
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- Category: Yard, garden, home, off-grid, and outdoors
- Cheapest Product: $3.95 (Reusable Straw Sleeve)
- Most Important Product: $8,6662 (12’ x 12’ SunShed Garden Shed)
- Perks: Family-Owned, 1 Tree Planted for Every Order, Carbon Balanced, EPA WaterSense Partner
Eartheasy was created by a family who spent 40 years living off the grid. They bring their experience with fully sustainable living to you- wherever you live. According to the company, “Eartheasy sources products from values-based brands making a positive impact in the world.”
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