
Theoretically, Target is just a place to buy everything from groceries to socks to school supplies. But we all know the truth: A trip to Target is also a chance for a little mini mom vacation and some Starbucks-flavored self-care. Target isn't an experience to be rushed. We enter a black hole; time stands still. We said we were going in for "just one thing," but somehow, our cart is filled to the brim, and our husbands are texting that they've been waiting in the car for over an hour. (Oops.)
But what if we didn't have to feel guilty for all the hours we spend in Target? What if our husbands were really outside making friends with other bored dads – and loving every minute of it? So goes the premise of the viral video "Husbands of Target," which is so funny and totally validates all the extra time we might be wasting wandering the clearance section!
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First of all, the clip brings together some of the funniest dads on the internet, which is how you know it's gotta be good.
We're talkin' Penn Holderness of the Holderness Family fame, comedian Charlie Berens, Taylor Calmus of Dude Dad, and Myles Montplaisir, the bearded laugh factory behind YouBetcha.
Together, these four dads imagine a world where waiting in the Target parking lot for their wives isn't a total drag. (Imagine?!)
"I used to get so bored," Montplaisir says at the start of the video. "I thought it would be a good idea to go in with the wife, thought I could maybe scout out some camping gear, or something like that."
But nope.
"I just ended up holding her purse," he adds flatly.
LOL (sound familiar?).
At another point, Calmus jokes that he started passing the time by returning abandoned shopping carts 'just to stay busy, get a little exercise.'

"Then the Target management noticed and they offered me a job," he adds. "They said I could work whenever my wife was shopping."
And in case you haven't guessed yet, that's actually a lot in any given week.
"Last week I clocked 12 hours," he says.
Meanwhile, Penn Holderness managed to put his time in the parking lot to some serious use. "Between 2015 and 2018, I actually completed my doctorate online while waiting for my wife," he quips.
But over time, something kind of amazing started to happen.

The men started taking notice of each other, as they waited for hours and hours and hours inside their cars alone. Then, they started hanging out. First in pairs, then all together.
And now? Well, now they've officially formed a little friend group of sorts. And get this – they actually look forward to going to Target!
If you're wondering what they do while their wives are shopping for throw pillows, the real question is, 'What DON'T they do?'

Mostly, it's a lot of dude-centric stuff, such as playing poker in the back of one of their minivans or grilling up some bratwursts for the whole crew.
"We're not a boys club or a social club, we're just a group of husbands collectively waiting for our wives in the Target parking lot," says Berens.
And not to worry, they've got the whole child care thing covered as well.
Formerly, they used to rotate babysitting shifts in one of the cars, but now they just hook up a baby cam in one of the cars to keep an eye on them.
(Oof.)
You could say it's been the best thing to happen to these guys since ... well, before they ever knew Target existed.
For Holderness, it's also been life-changing in another way.
"You know honestly, I think this saved my marriage," he says. "My wife and I used to constantly fight about how much time she was spending in Target. But now, thanks to the group, our marriage is stronger than ever."
Honestly, if that's not reason enough to form a Target dad crew near you, we're not sure what is.
And apparently, the dudes behind 'Husbands of Target' have made it even easier!
Believe it or not, the creators behind the viral video launched an official "Husbands of Target" Facebook group – and it has more than 9,200 members!
"This group is a place for husbands to connect enjoy fellowship and swap jerky recipes," the page description reads. "Use this group to find other guys that may be sitting just three cars away in your own neighborhood Target. Swap stories of ways you've passed the time or crazy things your wife has spent money on. We're all in this together …"
Honestly, this is kind of amazing! Hopefully it results in more uninterrupted Target time for all the moms out there.