Target has announced that it will open 26 new stores on October 11th, creating 5000 jobs. This comes even as Target’s numbers continue to slip. Over the last few years, Target has lost 14% of its shoppers and those still shopping at Target are spending 31% less. In the second quarter, Target posted its eight straight consecutive drop in quarterly operating profits and same store sales slipped another 6.2%. The company is convinced however that the trends are improving. In August, same store sales slipped 2.9% instead of the 5.1% predicted by analysts.