Just a thought...

Bad economy. Bad environment. Bad juju all around.
Target has gotten rid of the 'upscale discounter' moniker for a long time now. I'm thinking maybe it's time they jump on the survival train...in fact become the engine of that train.
Target already has most of everything anyone can need to survive these less then optimal times..except maybe a location to stretch out, do a little yoga or work up a sweat with some pilates.
There was a Time article month or so ago about 'survival' stores. It occurred to me that Target is the quintessential survival store. Target's still riding on their 'cool' factor. Why not update that cool with an adjunct survivor store brand. Make it hip to save money. Make it cool to take better care of yourself. Make it more then o.k. to look out for someone else beside yourself and become a working member of the community. Survival will always be in season.
It just makes what Target has said all along that much more pertinent. Expect more. Pay less. Just tweak that with 'expect more of yourself to take care of yourself and others'..let's face it, when we come out of this crisis if we go back to getting the big cars, the McMansions, the second and third homes, the designer duds and drugs then all we've gone through, all we've lost will have been for naught. We need to level the playing field.
Target has always been the great leveler. They're the common denominator no matter which side of the economic fence you're on.
Product: bikes, consumables with a provenance to major market areas, solar products, sewing (o.k. arts and crafts), rainwater barrels (fuck they already tried wind power), power generators, canning supplies, recyclable clothing (hemp anyone?), compost supplies...
Or experiences that help you cope: educational and financial advice, yoga seminars, entertainment on a dime. They're already branching into this area with the most recent ad campaigns on 'More' and on the new t.v. commercials around achieving more for less or at least redefining a major, big lifestyle event into a less expensive, more doable one.
Simon Graj, CEO of Graj+Gutuvsen is already developing the concept.
French based Carrefour is building 'hypermarkets' (supertargets?) where customers buy food and get their computers fixed.
I know it's not all that simple to simply 'tweak' a brand. If fact, you probably shouldn't. The brand is the brand. It just strikes me that Target is a store that is already there...so think of it as readdressing the ball.
So when the economy soars again, and we're all sucked into predatory lending and have taken the Madovs of the world up the ass one more time, let Target be that consistent, steady eddie, who helped us Survive by setting the example that you don't have to spend a lot to live a lot.