Few retail stores stay open past 9:00 p.m., let alone midnight, especially with rising operational costs and inflation.
But that’s about to change thanks to Taylor Swift.
Superstar Swift is partnering with Target to extend store hours past midnight for the release of her highly anticipated new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” which debuts on October 3.
On the launch day, 500 select Target stores will stay open past midnight so fans can buy three Target-exclusive CD editions of the album and a vinyl. Purchases will be limited to four per customer.
Fans can check Target’s store locator to see which locations are participating. For Swifties without a nearby store, pre-orders are available on the retailer’s website.
Taylor Swift partners with Target to extend store hours for the launch of her latest album.
Image Source: Emma McIntyre/TAS24/Getty Images
Taylor Swift’s celebrity power
In an era when most people turn to streaming platforms to listen to music for free, purchasing physical CDs and vinyl may seem outdated. However, fandom is powerful, and Taylor Swift has proven she can bring millions of fans anywhere she wants.
In 2023-2024 Taylor Swift’s 21-month-long The Eras Tour alone sold over $2 billion in tickets for 149 shows in 51 cities and 21 countries.
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That star power is what Target hopes will drive fans to line up outside its stores for hours, if not days, just to get a physical copy of Swift’s new album. Sort of like how Black Friday used to be in the early 2000s.
Target struggles with continual declines
Over the last few years, Target (TGT) has struggled with growing competition, continual sales declines, inventory management problems, and customer backlash over its controversial stance on social issues.
In the second quarter of 2025, Target’s net sales fell nearly 1% year over year, with comparable sales down 1.9%. Comparable in-store sales dropped 3.2%, while digital sales increased 4.3%.
By extending hours for Taylor Swift’s album release, Target may be banking on a surge in traffic to help offset recent sales declines, as traffic has dropped 1.3% during its latest quarter.
The rise of online shopping shifts consumer habits
The rise of e-commerce has revolutionized consumers’ shopping habits, leaving brick-and-mortar stores struggling to compete. By the end of 2025, e-commerce is expected to account for nearly 35% of all retail sales, according to Metrobi.
This shift has already taken a toll on retailers with brick-and-mortar shops, creating a wide discrepancy between store closures and openings.
According to CoreSight Research, retailers across various sectors announced 67% more store closures in 2025 than last year.
As of July 4, nearly 6,000 closures have been reported versus just over 4,000 new openings, a sharp jump from the same period in 2024, when 3,496 closures were reported.
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