In 2004, recent college grad Adrienne Costanzo walked into the Target store in Evansville, Indiana, for her first day on the job. She had no idea she was kicking off a 20-plus-year career at the Bullseye.
Over the years, Adrienne has taken on new leadership roles across the business, broadening her skills and acumen on our stores, human resources and merchandising teams. Along the way, she’s become well-known for creating great shopping experiences, and for her deep dedication to caring for her teams.
Today, Adrienne is stepping into an exciting new role as Target’s chief stores officer. It’s a big job, leading our nearly 2,000 stores across the U.S. that serve as hubs that offer guests joyful shopping experiences — whether they’re exploring our aisles, ordering products shipped to their homes or using our convenient same-day fulfillment services. And those stores are powered by more than 350,000 talented team members who bring the magic to life.
We asked Adrienne to tell us more about herself and what most excites her in this new adventure.
Congrats! What are you most looking forward to as you step into your new role?
Thank you! For me, this is a dream job — I love spending time with the teams, problem-solving and getting to know what’s important to our guests. The connection between our stores and the rest of the company has never been better, and I see lots of potential for the work that we’re going to do together for Target.
What’s something you want your new teams to know about you?
I’m a curious person by nature, and I’m coming into this role with a real desire to listen and learn. I want to connect even more deeply with the team. I’m going to ask lots of questions and dig in to explore how we can make things even easier, simpler and better for us as an organization.
Your very first Target job was in one of our stores. What was that like?
That’s right. I had just graduated college with plans to be a fashion designer and needed to earn some money. So I sat down at a Target store kiosk and applied. I was floored to have benefits like a 401k so early in my career. It was during that first job that I grew to love leading people and cultivating Target’s team culture. I worked for an amazing store director back then who’s still with Target now (hi, Jim!) and who eventually inspired me to work toward that role.
That led to roles running two different stores in New York and Connecticut and eventually to trying my hand at new kinds of leadership positions in HR and merchandising. So I’ve been working in or adjacent to Target stores for more than 20 years of my career. It was an unexpected journey — a lot of doors opened that I hadn’t planned for, and I’m so glad they did!
Do you have a personal mantra that guides you as a leader?
As my dad used to say, ‘There’s always a way to find a way.’ That’s become my philosophy whenever I’m in a tough situation. My greatest motivation is that I’m wired to try to solve problems, and I get energy from doing things with the potential to make a positive difference. So, I believe that if we get creative and lean on the team’s collective talent and brainpower, we’ll always find the right solution.
We have to ask: What’s most likely to be in your Target cart?
I love shopping with my family at our local Target store. There’s almost always a new dog toy for our three dogs, Clyde, Dunkin and Kody. I never leave the store without a carton of Good & Gather almond milk — unsweetened is my favorite. And I love fashion, so I like to check out what’s new in apparel and accessories. I’m currently into athletic wear from All in Motion and Target’s collab with Blogilates — the new spring pieces are inspiring me to work out more often.
