Walk the aisles of a Target and you’ll see shelves packed with home goods, groceries, electronics, and clothing. But if you’re someone who still buys a physical magazine for a flight or just likes flipping through glossy pages every month, you might wonder where magazines fit in at Target right now.
You’re definitely not alone. A lot of shoppers are curious about this. Magazines used to be a staple up at the front near the registers. These days, the story’s a bit different.
Where Magazines Show Up: Stores vs. Online
Target does still sell magazines, but things have shifted a bit toward online shopping—sort of like what’s happened with books, music, and DVDs at big-box retail. If you poke around Target’s website, you’ll notice a surprising number of magazine listings and related products. In some stores, you’ll see a magazine rack with a handful of slim options, but it’s nowhere near the heavy print presence that used to hold court at the entrance.
So yes, you can buy magazines at Target, just not in every way you might expect.
Magazines on Target’s Website
If you’re used to shopping for books, toys, or household goods on Target’s site, you might not have noticed their magazine selection. It’s there, tucked into their media categories along with best-selling books and educational kits.
You’ll find options ranging from one-off magazine issues to magazine-inspired cookbooks and crafts. For example, cookbooks branded under “Food Network Magazine” are up for grabs. There are entries for “Fashion – (Aperture Magazine)” if you’re looking for something a little more niche. Sometimes, you’ll see kids’ activity books linked to magazine brands—like sticker collections or puzzles.
When you search for specific titles (“Mad Magazine,” “O Magazine,” or “Good Housekeeping Magazine”), Target’s website will pull in available issues, subscription offers, or magazine-themed products. The browsing filters can help you drill down by topic—health, home, fashion, news, or kids’ genres.
The selection is broader online than you’d find in most Target stores. Because products are shipped directly from Target’s warehouses—or even third-party magazine distributors—they aren’t limited by shelf space or regional demand. That’s handy if you’re looking for something less mainstream or want to compare prices and subscription formats.
What About Magazine Subscriptions?
Subscriptions are an interesting middle ground. You can set up a magazine subscription from Target’s online store for several mainstream titles. When you choose this option, you’re basically buying a block of issues upfront (like a year’s worth), and they’re then delivered straight to your home from the publisher.
This is pretty similar to how you’d subscribe through a magazine’s own website, but Target sometimes offers its own deals or bonus discounts for RedCard holders, which can tip the scales for regular shoppers. Still, you won’t usually see subscription cards for magazines in the physical Target stores these days—those are mostly online only.
And if you’re someone who likes to pick up travel reading at the last minute while you’re already at the store for snacks or headphones, subscriptions probably won’t help you much unless you’ve already planned ahead.
Magazines in Physical Target Stores
Let’s get specific about what you’ll find in the store itself. Walk through almost any Target and you might spot a small magazine section—usually near the registers or up front with the candy, gum, and gift cards. The selection is definitely smaller than what you’ll see at a standalone bookstore or a dedicated newsstand.
Space in retail is tight, and Target has to decide what earns a place on those shelves. Long gone are the days when you’d find an entire wall of magazines. Now, Target tends to concentrate on mainstream interests—top women’s magazines, the biggest names in fashion, home improvement, or entertainment. You’ll often see issues of “People,” “Better Homes & Gardens,” or “Sports Illustrated Kids.” If there’s a new seasonal issue tied to a holiday or back-to-school push, that might make the cut for a little while.
Anything beyond that depends on the local market. Stores in college towns might have a few extra campus culture magazines. Suburban stores often load up on parenting titles, cooking ideas, or bridal magazines. Sometimes, you’ll get a slim selection focused more on quick inspiration—recipes, puzzles, or hobby crafts.
It’s honestly not the biggest magazine selection in town, and it’s nowhere near what you’d get browsing a chain bookstore like Barnes & Noble or an airport shop. For broader print variety, you’ll have better luck at dedicated newsstands, larger bookstores, or (if you’re lucky) an old-school corner market with a robust news rack.
Why the Magazine Section Got Smaller
The reason for this downsizing is simple: shelf space is expensive, and magazines just aren’t selling like they used to in the 1990s or early 2000s. Most of us get our news, recipes, and style tips from our phones or laptops. When fewer people are picking up a print magazine on impulse, retailers start rethinking what goes up front.
Also, Target—like most big-box stores—relies on a curated selection based on shopper habits. For magazines, that means the store tracks what sells in each area and rotates in different titles if something isn’t moving. This approach minimizes waste and lets them react to trends faster, which is kind of the new reality for all brick-and-mortar chains.
But for those who do buy magazines, this doesn’t mean you’re totally out of luck. There are still options, especially if you’re not looking for anything too obscure.
Related Products: Magazine Racks and Organizers
Even if you don’t buy your magazines from Target, you might consider picking up a magazine rack or organizer there. Target stocks several storage solutions—ranging from simple wire racks for living rooms to decorative baskets and tabletop trays. These show up both in store and online.
It’s kind of a signal that the magazine habit isn’t totally gone. People might not stack up as many issues as they once did, but there’s still a need to keep mail, periodicals, and catalogs organized around the house. And for anyone doing home decor shopping or organizing projects, magazine racks fit right into that lifestyle mix Target offers.
It’s actually not that different from how Target sells record players even if music listening is mostly digital now—some people just like the look or the ritual of print.
Shopping Strategies: Finding Specific Magazines at Target
If you have a favorite magazine and you’re hoping to pick it up at Target, here’s what usually works best:
First, check Target’s online store before you leave the house. Use the search bar and look for the specific title. If there’s a current issue or a relevant subscription, it’ll usually show up here.
The “Check stores” button can tell you if it’s carried at a specific location. Keep in mind, stock updates aren’t always instant, so something listed as “in stock” might be gone by the time you get there.
If you’re asking an in-store associate for help, remember that the magazine section is often managed separately from the books area (if your store even has a dedicated books section). Not every worker is clued into what’s new each week unless it’s a national magazine. They might direct you to check the front of the store or the endcap by the registers.
If you’re set on a certain niche magazine or something regional—like “Quiltfolk” or “Texas Monthly”—you’ll almost always have better luck online (either at Target or with the magazine’s own site). Same goes for international titles or small-press zines. Target’s magazine shelf is built around big, recognizable names.
For broader business and shopping tips around big-box stores, you might be interested in visiting Top Business Feed for updates and retail stories.
The Upshot: Your Best Bet for Buying Magazines at Target
So, where does that leave us? If you’re looking for magazines, Target still has them—especially online, where there’s a larger, less space-constrained selection. You’ll spot mainstream titles in physical stores, mostly up front and limited to whatever’s trending in your specific neighborhood.
Subscriptions are available online and can be a good fit if you want regular delivery and already do most of your shopping through Target anyway, especially if you take advantage of deals for RedCard holders or online promotions.
In-store, grab-and-go is really about what’s popular right now or what fits within the tiny amount of shelf real estate up front. Don’t expect a full newsstand experience.
For organizing the magazines or catalogs you already own, Target’s range of magazine racks, baskets, and holders is strong both online and in stores—that’s one place where selection holds up.
Print magazines have a smaller presence at Target these days. But if you take a few minutes to check online first, you might still find what you need, or even pick up a deal on a subscription.
That’s basically how magazine shopping works at Target right now: print isn’t gone, but it’s got a different home. Think of it more as a special category you’ll find online, with just enough in-store to cover impulse needs.
Retail won’t suddenly go back to the days of jam-packed magazine racks. But Target is still in the game—just maybe not in the way you remember from ten years ago. And, for most people, that’s honestly enough.
