I shopped at Anthropologie and Target for fall decor. One store had a wider selection, but the other had more discounts.

Date: 2024-10-31
the author outside anthropologie and target clearance pillows with pumpkins and flowers on them
Target and Anthropologie both sold autumnal decor for the fall season, from pillows to candles.
  • I stopped by Target and Anthropologie a week before Halloween to shop their fall decor sections.
  • I was surprised to find that both stores were already heavily pushing their winter holiday decor.
  • Target had a bigger selection of fall home decor, but Anthropologie offered bigger discounts.

The end of Halloween doesn't have to mean the end of fall decor.

After all, many people only start decorating their homes for Christmas after Thanksgiving.

However, when I shopped at Target and Anthropologie in New York City a week before Halloween, I found that most of the fall decor items were already gone, and the stores were already leaning heavily into winter holiday decor.

Target had a larger selection of fall decorations still out on the floor in the main home section, but all of Anthropologie's autumnal decor had been moved to the sale section at the location I visited. And while Target had a bigger selection and was overall less expensive, Anthropologie had some seemingly higher-quality items.

While there, I got a sneak peek at some of the festive holiday decor you'll find in both stores this season, in case you want to get a head start on decorating for the winter holidays.

Seasonal decor is popular in the US, and people aren't afraid to spend hundreds of dollars on decorating their homes for the holidays.

In 2023, Rocket Homes reported the average person in the United States spends about $269 on holiday decorations each year, with younger people spending more on decor on average compared to older generations.

This year, consumers are expected to spend $902 on average for all of their holiday shopping, up from $875 last year, the National Retail Federation reported. Most of that will be spent on gifts, but the NRF reported that $261 is expected to be spent on seasonal items like food or candy, decorations, greeting cards, and other holiday items.

Here's how the fall home decor at Target and Anthropologie compared in terms of style and value.

I started my fall-decor shopping journey at Target.
the outside of target in atlantic center plaza
I shopped at a Target in Brooklyn, New York.

I visited Target, located in the Atlantic Terminal by the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The store was about the same size as other metropolitan Target stores I've shopped in and spanned two floors, unlike stores I've visited in the suburbs.

I first stopped at the value section in the front of the store.
target dollar section in october 2024 with slippers socks and home decor
The value section at the front of the Target store had turkey slippers and socks.

There was a variety of different home decor pieces themed around Thanksgiving, from turkey-shaped slippers to festive socks, gravy boats, and butter dishes.

I was tempted to buy a ceramic gravy boat with turkeys on it.
target dollar section gravy boats
Target sold a ceramic gravy boat with a turkey on it.

The gravy boat cost $3, which I thought was a great deal. The value section also had helpful Thanksgiving must-haves like turkey basters and salt-and-pepper shakers shaped like turkeys for under $5.

Up the escalator was the main home-decor and furniture section.
target home decor section
The home decor aisle in Target was filled with festive decorations.

When I approached the home-decor section, I was surprised by how much Christmas decor had already been put out.

At the front of the Hearth & Hand display were Christmas stockings and battery-operated candles.
target christmas stockings
I was surprised to find that Christmas stockings had already been put out.

Hearth & Hand is a home furnishing and decor line launched at Target in 2017 in partnership with Chip and Joanna Gaines, the duo behind the hit HGTV show "Fixer Upper."

It was over a week before Halloween, so I was surprised the store was focusing so heavily on its Christmas and holiday decor. I hoped I would still be able to find some fall home decor and that it hadn't all been replaced with Christmas decorations.

In the next row of the Hearth & Hand section were evergreen bouquets and wreaths.
target wreaths hung up on a display
Target was also selling Christmas wreaths.

The designs were pretty simple, but they still read very Christmas-y to me. I usually decorate for Christmas starting on Black Friday, so I'm not sure I would put any of these decorations out before Thanksgiving.

However, it's not unusual for people to do their winter holiday shopping early. In its 2024 report, the NRF said that 45% of holiday shoppers plan to start their holiday decoration and gift shopping before November.

The decorations in this section ranged from around $15 up to $45 for a wreath decorated with preserved winterberries.

I found more autumnal wreaths in another section.
target wreaths on display
The autumn wreath section at Target.

The store sold pampas grass wreaths and more autumnal-colored wreaths made from faux leaves that were much more appropriate for the fall season.

Interior designer Ashley Childs previously told Business Insider that when it comes to fall centerpieces or wreaths in her home decor designs, she frequently uses dried plants or more natural-looking wreaths for a more organic feel.

"I think they're so obviously organic and beautiful, and there's just nothing like a real plant or a real dried plant or flower or something like that," she said.

The Target wreaths ranged from around $30 to $40.

There were also a few festive signs left.
target home decor hello fall sign
There was an autumnal sign on sale at Target.

This "Hello, Fall" sign made with wood was on sale for $21.25.

There were also a few pieces of fall decor in the clearance section.
target clearance home decor section
The home clearance section at Target.

The prices were between 30% and 70% off and the items included a few pillows, throw blankets, baskets, and a wreath.

A landscape artwork was priced around $23 and the pillows were around $12.

A yellow wreath caught my eye.
target yellow autumnal wreath
The yellow autumnal wreath was on sale.

The wreath featured fall leaves and cost $25.

There was a large section of fall candles.
target candles shaped like pumpkins
The fall candle section at Target.

They were available in pumpkin and other autumnal scents and cost around $15.

There was also a festive turkey made from natural materials.
target straw turkey decoration
Target sold a turkey made from natural materials.

I thought this straw turkey would fit in nicely on a Thanksgiving tablescape. It cost $15.

The same section also had a pumpkin made from braided straw.
target wicker pumpkin home decor piece
There was also a pumpkin made from natural materials.

The pumpkin cost $10.

Among more holiday-themed doormats, I found one that would have worked well for Halloween.
target pumpkin halloween doormat
There were a variety of doormats to choose from.

It was priced the same as the other mats at $15.

There was a pretty large selection of fall pillows to choose from.
target fall pillows on display
The fall pillow and blanket section in Target.

From pumpkin-shaped and snake-themed velvet throw pillows to cozy blankets, this section was well-stocked with fall home decor that could work around or after Halloween.

There were also a few autumnal pillows on sale.
target fall pillows on clearance
Fall pillows on sale at Target.

A beige, fringed pillow with a rustic-looking illustration of a pumpkin was on sale for 50% off and cost $12.50, which I thought was a great deal for a seasonal pillow.

There were some other autumnal pillows not on sale in the same section.
target fall pillows on display
There were other fall pillows available at full price.

The other pillows, which were made of burlap and other textural fabrics that felt very cozy and autumnal, were priced around $35 each.

There was also a small section of spooky Halloween decor.
target halloween decor on sale
The Halloween decor section at Target.

Since it was only a few days before Halloween, the section was a little picked over. However, some of the pieces, like the taper candles, could still work for a dark-academia-themed room even after the holiday.

I then stopped by an Anthropologie store in Lower Manhattan.
anthropologie holiday display window
Anthropologie had a festive display in the window.

I visited the Anthropologie store on Broadway in the Financial District of Manhattan. It was bigger than the store in Soho, and spanned two floors. However, it wasn't as large as other Anthropologie stores I've shopped in uptown.

When I arrived at the store, I noticed that there was a festive display in the window, and employees appeared to be unloading Christmas decorations inside.

When I walked into the store, I immediately spotted some holiday-themed cocktail supplies.
anthropologie holiday home decor
Anthropologie had a display of festive-colored cocktail glasses and other supplies.

The small upstairs home section of the store appeared to be more focused on gifts and entertaining than the furniture and decor section downstairs.

There was also a small tree covered in glistening ornaments.
anthropologie holiday ornaments display
There was already a display of Christmas ornaments on the floor before Halloween.

I tried not to get too excited at the prospect of shopping for ornaments, something I do every year. I was here to shop for autumnal decor.

Downstairs, the amount of fall decor was notably sparse.
anthropologie festive tea towels on display
A display of festive tea towels.

A display of tea towels had a few that could have worked for the fall season, but most of them were winter or Christmas-themed. They cost between $20 and $24 each.

Even the candle section was decorated for Christmas.
anthropologie holiday candle display
The candle section at Anthropologie.

Even though a large picture of autumnal decor was on display in the section, as seen at the top of this photo, the candles were mostly evergreen, peppermint, and other scents connected with the winter holidays.

There was also a Christmas tree plopped down in the section, which made me worry I wasn't going to find any fall decor or candles.

My luck changed when I got to the pillow section.
anthropologie floral pillow
The pillows at Anthropologie were more expensive than at Target.

There were still quite a few autumnal pillows left, like this yellow and green pillow with a leaf motif selling for $68.

The velvet pillows at Anthropologie were more expensive than the ones I saw at Target, but they did feel softer and more luxurious.

There were also burlap pillows at Anthropologie.
anthropologie green throw pillow
Anthropologie had a dark-green burlap throw pillow similar to the ones I saw at Target.

This dark-green pillow retailed for $78, which felt a little expensive for my own budget. I would have chosen the burlap and other textural pillows at Target over this one.

The majority of Anthropologie's fall decor was tucked away in the sale section.
anthropologie homeware in the sale section
There was a lot of fall decor in the sale section.

One of the first displays I spotted in the sale section was some autumnal-looking glasses, mugs, and small bowls, all of which retailed for between $9.95 and $12.95.

There was also some festive Halloween glassware in the sale section.
anthropologie halloween glasses on display
There were some spooky Halloween-themed glasses on sale.

There were orange glasses with small black cats on them, black glasses with white ghosts, and white glasses with black bats. The glasses cost $12.95 each.

There were also wine glasses with a ghost inside.
anthropologie ghost wine glass
There were Halloween-themed wine glasses on sale.

The wine glass retailed for $12.95.

The sale section had a few pumpkin-themed items left.
anthropologie pumpkin table runner in the sale section
Anthropologie was selling a pumpkin-themed table runner.

This table runner, covered in colorful pumpkin illustrations, cost $39.95, compared to its original price of $58.

This autumnal pillow was also on sale.
anthropologie burlap and orange throw pillow
There was one pillow in the sale section.

It was made with burlap-type fabric and featured a bright-orange stripe. It was on sale for $54.95, but it originally cost $68.

There was a surprisingly large selection of fall candles in the sale section, as well.
anthropologie candles on display
This shelf had multiple of the same candle.

This whole shelf was taken up by pumpkin-clove candles in large mercury-glass jars. They cost $69.95, which still felt expensive even for a very large candle.

There were also a few pumpkin-shaped candles.
anthropologie white and pink glass pumpkin candle
There were pumpkin-shaped candles in the sale section.

This glass candle with a large top looked like a long and skinny gourd. It cost $69.95, compared to its original price of $88.

This candle was also made of glass and featured painted flowers on it.
anthropologie glass pumpkin candle
The round pumpkin candle was less expensive.

It cost slightly less at $59.95, compared to $78 originally.

There were also some smaller candles.
anthropologie orchard woods candle jar
Anthropologie had a variety of fall candles in the sale section.

This apple-scented candle cost $29.95.

Like Target, Anthropologie was also selling fall-themed butter dishes.
anthropologie hedge hog butter dishes
Anthropologie had quite a few butter dishes shaped like woodland creatures.

This butter dish, shaped like a hedgehog with flowers on it, cost $14.95. Originally, it cost $26.

I also spotted the same pumpkin decoration I saw in the photo above the holiday candle section.
anthropologie glass pumpkin decor piece
There was a glass pumpkin on sale.

It may have been relegated to the sale section, but it was also the only one left, which led me to think this might be a popular item.

It cost $24.99, which I thought was a decent price considering the straw pumpkin at Target was $10, and glass is a more expensive material.

There were also a few decorations I probably wouldn't put out after Halloween, like these spider-shaped candle holders.
anthropologie spider candle holders
There were spider-shaped candle holders in the sale section at Anthropologie.

They cost $14.95.

There were also crow-shaped candle holders.
anthropologie crow candle holders
There were also candle holders shaped like crows.

Unless you're a major Hitchcock fan, I can't imagine many people would use these candle holders past Halloween. However, they'd make for an excellent spooky tablescape around the holiday.

I enjoyed both shopping experiences, but Target had lower prices and a wider selection.
the author outside anthropologie
I thought Target had more fall decor for a lower price.

While I thought the items at Anthropologie seemed better quality and more stylized, from the glass pumpkin candles to the luxurious velvet throw pillows, I found similar items at Target for a lower price.

There was also simply more fall decor still out on the floor at Target, while most of Anthropologie's autumnal decor had been moved to the small sale section before Halloween had even come and gone.

I'll be back to both stores to shop for Christmas decorations, though I'll probably lean on Target more.

Anthropologie and Target did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Leave Your Comments