Aug 9, 2010
Target does its part to prepare the next generation of scholars…for beer pong.
(via Jared Lorence)
Despite it taking me 11 years to finish college, I never got around to playing this game…or even learning what it was.
But not to worry. My dear wife says she’ll teach me.
* * * * *
I’ve started referring to college students as young scholars.
“Thank you for the offer young scholar but my pregnant wife and I would not like to buy a cigarette for a dollar.”
Prepare to have fun when she does.
So did Bozo the clown!
Wah wah
In lieu of this, you can always play “Water pong”. Or “root beer pong”. Or “energy drink pong”. Or “Any other liquid other than alcohol that’s fit for human consumption – pong”.
It’s actually quite a fun game, minus the irresponsible drinking.
But truth. College marketing is ridiculous. Bed, Bath, and Beyond had “button extenders” to make your pants bigger for all that weight you’ll gain drinking all that beer during pong games. Seriously. I even took a picture. http://twitpic.com/2bcozw
that defeats a key part of that game which is that the better your opponent does the drunker you get which affects your game
I really don’t think that’s who they are really trying to advertise to, i doubt serious beer drinkers are concerned with their pants besides maybe removing them…
But I agree with your first statement.
I kind of like Hawaiian Punch Pong myself.
Ya wtf?! Why the f would you want to play this without alcohol!? Stupid boring ass people that have no lives! Water Pong……really?
It’s more fun for 20 year olds.
It seems to me that people who need to drink in order to have a good time are stupid boring ass people who have no lives. Or personality.
Someone had to of done this with comedy in mind. There’s no way this is coincidence.
Whaaat
Wow – with all the publicity these stores get for stuff like not saying “Merry Christmas” or having the Salvation Army bell ringers around the holiday’s (I know – so totally un-connected), among other issues, you would think the “righteous public” would be up and arms about that.
But I may be naive about age and laws- is the legal drinking age different in different states? I know NY is 21. If most students are under the legal age in colleges – how can they directly advertise it for college students, without getting backlash?
do you seriously think that stop ay college student from drinking?
The legal drinking age doesn’t change regardless of what state you’re in. Now Canada on the other hand does, depending on what providence you are in. Lucky canadians…
And drinking is, by large, an American pass-time. It is pretty much accepted that when you go off to college you’ll drink your liver to death. People just turn their heads the other way and figure it’s better to get it out of your system now than later when you have to be all responsible and stuff.
actually it does. In Indiana the legal drinking age is 21, in Ohio it’s 18.
That is a completely false statement. The drinking age is 21 for all 50 US states as a result of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act passed in 1984. All states would lose a portion of Federal transportation dollars unless they raised the minimum drinking age to 21.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._history_of_alcohol_minimum_purchase_age_by_state
Yes, because it would suck to be responsible and stuff when mommy and daddy are payin boocoo bucks for your college tuition.
Because its not like it says “Beer Pong supplies”
Its Plastic Cups (which are able to be bought by all ages) next to Ping Pong Balls (which can be sold to all ages) next to patio furniture( which again, can be bought by all ages).
Even though they are selling them by each other, and even though it is marketed for college kids it is not advocating using these products for alcohol at all.
Hmm…marketers will really have to speak verrrrry slooooowlyyyy to get their advertising message across to you now, won’t they?
Done by a 22 year old recent young scholar grad, no self respecting Target manager older than 30 would have put that up. Seriouly, I would have complained to the store manager about that. Is that in MN, the home of Target? I mean, in Wisconsin, I can understand, with all the beer up there, but anywhere else, NO!
You’re just mad because your probably terrible at it. Why would you complain? I’m positive it was a managers idea because they choose how to use shelf space. Shelf space and product placement are too valuable to be left to just a part-timer. Truth is beer pong is very popular, and that placement is just business and a very smart way to sell those products quick. Think of how many people went in for balls and cups and saw a deal on the table. Are you really so well off in life that you are going to take the time to complain about how they have there shelves set up? People like you make me sick
Ha totally agree with you. I mean I’m sure they sold a ton of cups and ping pong balls with that display! I for one have never worked at a target so I don’t know how they do it, but have worked in retail and our POG was sent from corporate and we had no say in the matter. My guess would be that Corporate sent this to all targets and were told to set up the display. Then I bet you they sold tons of cups and balls. It’s business and it’s how it works I don’t see what’s so bad about the whole thing? I do know that the people who decided to make this a display probably make way more money that most of the people on here complaining ever will. So maybe they know what they’re talking about?
Actually I have worked at a Target store (for a total of 8 1/2 years). Managers do not always decide how to use shelf space. There are many employees involved in such tasks, most of them making barely over min. wage. Either way, whoever made this end-cap was smart.
Ease up there weenie
Target’s store plan layouts are created by headquarters and distributed regionally.
Not all of them. Once the product sells to the point where the display is no longer full, then the Target employees are responsible for filling and maintaining a display of their choosing. This most definitely was not a corporate decision, you can tell by the fact that there is a single label, rather than a label strip. I wish our store had thought of it.
Get a life, Tracey. You obviously didn’t have fun in college
Yep, this is no joke. seen it quite a bit a different target locations. for shame.
Yep, this is legit. I worked at a Target in NY. This endcap was in every single Target in the US.
Not true…this was NOT a target issued Endcap. I work at Target. Totally made up end cap. I admire the creativity to cross merchandise however, we shouldnt be promoting such.
baseball pong is way better
On the contrary, I work at target in Florida and we didn’t have this end cap at all. Sometimes it is a mistake and sometimes customers like to rearrange some of our stuff. Knowing target though, they more than likely took his down shortly after his photo wa taken. Just sayin’…
this is definitely legit i’ve seen it in quite a few other stores as well. As for anyone who is offended or thinks this is a joke why would it be? putting those things in different locations isnt going to stop people from playing pong it just makes it easier for the customer to get what they want.
Im in college and we always play with water, because its really gross to drink something that a million people have had their hands in. we still drink on the side lol
lmao Only the hardcore kids use real beer. I’ve been to various parties and sometimes water is used, sometimes beer, sometimes shots. Doesn’t matter to me. Beer pong sucks.
Even if the minority of college students are drinkers, the majority of that minority would surely invest plenty of money when faced with such a display. The TOPS market here has 30-racks of Busch and Busch Light right in the front during welcome back weekend. It’s a good way to make money.
The picture is hysterical, and I am amazed that you have never played; I only made it through one semester of college before some of my friends who were still in high school busted it out at a party.
And here I am, 22, a college senior, and I don’t drink; yet I made a pong table with my dad last summer. It’s entertaining, regardless of whether or not you drink.
I think that this is less of a reflection on college students or Target as a company, and more of a reflection on the people who are offended or would take the time to complain. This is the real world, people make their own decisions regardless of how it impacts your value system–and I say that as a Christian, and as someone who took their first drink of alcohol on their 21st birthday and has had one glass of wine since. The display may be directed towards kids in their late teens or early twenties, but no amount of suggestion on an end-cap can make a kid do something that they have a true objection to doing in the first place, so why should they have to take it down?
As a college student, I can say that 75 percent of parties I attend have pong tables. Most of the time drinking is not directly a part of the game. Just as “this picture is hysterical” said, “no amount of suggestion on an end-cap can make a kid do something that they have a true objection to doing in the first place”
Funny enough the first time I played was with a bunch of Target co-workers. We used someone’s closet door for a table.
This is cool, funny, and completely acceptable. You can keep thinking that college kids shouldn’t play beer pong, but they are going to and where else to get prepared than your local target. I bet they made thousands.
Everyone who has posted saying that this is unacceptable is clearly old and boring
haha “banquet” table
@Frank Martens your parents had to have named you with comedy in mind
Oh my goodness, many a year while working at Target I suggested doing this. Since for some reason the one I worked at always stocked ping pong balls and cups on the other side of the store.
Maybe they’ll go with my next suggestion: Midol, Tampons, Chocolate and Wine.
It’s not like target is encouraging drinking. They just put the pong balls, cups, and tables together whichcan be used for purposes that don’t involve alcohol….it’s not like they put a display of beer next to it to. It would have been a whole other story if they would have put beer with the pong balls, cups, and tables.
I hate how people automatically associate beer pong to binge drinking. It used to have rules that would be considered such, but nowadays it isn’t always played like that. A lot of people play beer bong but with water in the cups and drinking at your own pace. Beer pong is fun and just because not everyone likes it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be easy to find in a store for those that do.
This is one game that I never played during my younger years. I’m quite sad about that fact actually, it would’ve been fun!
If this upsets people then tell them to stay away from Toys”R”Us, they have a game called “Cup Pong” rated 8+
My problem with this… I am in college, and I play this game. I drink, like a lot of college students. But why is it so frowned upon? seriously? My GPA is at a 3.8, I just made Deans list again, and I Have friends who drink graduate with high paying jobs right out of college… Point I’m trying to make, Why you judging? I guess Haters gonna hate.
I agree, we usually put a small amount of beer anyways (1 beer divided between two people) and the game can last a while AND there is usually a line of people waiting to play. And who are you to say how we decide to drink our beer?
This is something almost every college party has and its just a great time. Don’t believe the crap the media puts out there. (by the way, most you old people seem to forget drinking was 18 around your time and you turned out just fine)
‘Scholar,’ it’s sentences like “I guess Haters gonna hate,” that makes you up-and-coming college kids look like idiots.
Dear Dean’s List, Tell me more about this ‘graduate with high paying jobs right out of college’ drink. That would be some label.
Rehulation is 8 feet. Not 6.
Lmao, that’s what my first thought was upon seeing the display. “Man, that table’s too short, what’s up with that?!” Good catch.
Hipsters go home.
I doubt they kept the display up like that! This is pretty funny though and a quick way to gain weight from drinking the millions of calories. Bah
Seriously why are all these comments so lame…get a sense of humor ppl jeez
I know right. I love this, now my shopping pattern wont be scattered on a goood saturday night.
I’m glad someone finally caught that the table is too short, but no one felt like complaining about the fact that ping pong balls don’t bounce well on hollow plastic tables.. the bounce shot is a very important part of the game!
And I’ve seen this same display at many other stores (safeway, walmart, fred meyer, Albertsons) with 30 racks of beer right next to it, this is becoming standard.
You all know this isn’t human decision-making, right? They figure this stuff out with computers that tell them that in the time when college kids are getting ready to move in, these things SELL. If you move them to a more high-profile area, they will be seen by more people and sell BETTER.
And as for “promoting” something. What? College students play ping pong, use disposable dinnerware, and buy cheap, easily portable furniture, so for all intents and purposes, this display is innocent.
To those of you who are saying “My target doesn’t have this.” Your target’s computer didn’t say those items are hot.
It’s so innocent that it’s being discussed at length right here.
I’m 19, an engineering student/inventor at Duke, and I drink regularly on the weekends. Ask yourself why we are allowed to buy a gun in the US at 18, but we aren’t allowed to drink until we are 21. Why are we allowed to die for our country at 18, but we aren’t allowed to have a sip of beer? It’s slightly ridiculous. It’s funny that the people who are so anti-underage drinking probably have nothing to show for it.
Maybe because 18 yrs old teenager have more brain than 21 yrs drunk man.
No beer belly anyway.
Taught “Koolaid Toss” to the kids at the YMCA . Personally, i thought it was great practice for the collegiate level.
Target is coming to Canada right? :P
haha i’m only 16 and i play beer pong and the guy went to college for 11 year wow
don’t judge, hon. you’ll be on a pole in 2 years
Ka-ching!
I work at a Wal-Mart near a college campus & cross from a boys’ dorm. We always get people coming in asking for ping pong balls & cups. When the new school year started on an endcap at the front registers we had a display of these little kits that contained the balls & cups. Though the kits are called Sports Pong.
LOL!!!
Saw this same display in my local Target a while back XD
http://www.cronknews.com/2010/08/02/target-management-faces-conduct-charges-after-end-cap-display-promotes-drinking This is an OLD story.
It’s actually quite a fun game, minus the irresponsible drinking.
El RHAZI Otmane.
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