TOMS for Target

Being a savvy shopper often involves more than just saving money. Especially as we enter the Christmas shopping season, it is just as much about how you do spend your money as it is how you don’t. This year, TOMS, arguably the industry leader in socially conscious companies, is making it even easier to contribute to their global mission.

Blake Mycoskie, the Founder and Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS Shoes, announced that the brand will be partnering with retail giant Target this Christmas season. The core of the promotion involves Targets participation in the 1-for-1 giving model of TOMS Shoes. The campaign, called TOMS for Target, starts November 16th and runs through Christmas and will be taking place in-store as well as online.

So how will the promotion work? Well, TOMS has designed an entire product line exclusively for the TOMS for Target promotion. While most of the items are what you expect to see from TOMS, others are an entirely new product for the company. In addition to shoes and apparel, the collaboration also spawned a line of home goods, including picture frames and blankets. Each of the more than 50 items in the collection was designed exclusively for the event and is priced below $50.

Target will be making a donation every time an item from the collection is sold. For each pair of shoes sold, they will donate the monetary equivalent of a pair of shoes, and for each home good sold, they will donate either a blanket or a week’s worth of meals to someone in need. These efforts will be coordinated through charitable organizations such as Feeding America, as well as the American and Canadian branches of the Red Cross.

This promotion is a huge announcement by Target and TOMS. For the many out there who curse the consumerism of Christmas, this is a way to participate without feeling guilty. This time of year always translates to huge spikes in retail spending, and the idea of harnessing that power to benefit the less fortunate is a refreshingly humanitarian goal. In many ways this seasonal shopping promotion is the first of its kind, so be sure to show your support and let’s do some good.