A soft opening of the new Target store in Prospector’s Plaza in Placerville drew a number of shoppers Wednesday.

Some even waited in line to be the first in when the store opened at 8 a.m. The grand opening is set for Sunday but that didn’t stop anyone from coming earlier as was obvious from the packed parking lot.

A cheerful Jo Cope of Placerville was loading up the back of her car with milk and other items. “I came to check it out,” she said, “and to get some stuff I was looking for. They have very courteous staff.”

Also happy to see the store open was mother-daughter shopping team Shantal and Tina Ferreira of Placerville. “I’ve been waiting for the store to open,” said Shantal. “They have lots of stock. It’s really organized and clean and the staff are friendly.”

Echoing her comments, Tina said she was excited when she first heard they were opening a Target locally. “It was a good experience shopping there,” she said. “It’s a big store but it has a small-town feel.”

The store has a bright, fresh feel to its 86,000 square feet with a variety of goods lining shelves and some 120 employees to help.

Merchandise includes apparel and accessories for the whole family; home decor and essentials; an assortment of health, personal care and beauty products; adult beverages; a Starbucks outlet inside the store; a CVS Pharmacy; order pickup and drive up; and free services that allow customers to order items online and pick up in-store or have orders brought out to their vehicle.

A Target spokesman said this is the company’s 20th store in the greater Sacramento region but first small-format location for the area.

Overall Target operates more than 120 small-format stores and more than 1,900 Target outlets nationwide.

Committed to providing a safe shopping environment for Target customers, masks are required inside the store. Employees must also wear masks and gloves at work. Monitoring of the number of people in the store is done to maintain social distancing. The store also has invested in and expanded its cleaning routines.

Target is also committed to giving back to the communities in which it operates; Target donates and also encourages its employees to donate and volunteer locally. In addition it operates a free, nationwide loyalty program that gives customers in Placerville the ability to direct Target’s giving in the local community.