Okay, so picture this: I was planning this little get-together, nothing too fancy, but you absolutely need balloons, right? Makes things festive. I’m usually pretty good at DIY stuff, but honestly, blowing up a ton of balloons, especially if you want helium ones, is just not my idea of fun right before a party. My lungs can only take so much!
Naturally, my first thought was Target. I mean, I’m in there like, three times a week anyway for something or other. They’ve got a pretty decent party section, with all the plates, cups, and those shiny banners. So, it just kinda clicked in my head, “Hey, I bet Target inflates balloons. That would be super convenient.” Seemed like a no-brainer. They sell everything else, why not offer that service?
So, the next time I was on a Target run – I think I was actually there for cat food and maybe some new socks, you know how those trips go – I made it a point to investigate. I headed straight for the party supplies aisle. And yeah, they had balloons. Tons of ’em. All colors, shapes, those big number ones for birthdays, the whole shebang. They even had those little helium tank kits you can buy to do it yourself at home. I’ve looked at those before, but they always seem like a bit of a faff, and what do you do with the empty tank afterwards?
But here’s the thing: I was looking for someone to do it for me. I scanned the aisle, looked for any signs, any little station that looked like a balloon inflation spot. Nada. Just shelves and shelves of un-inflated potential.
Alright, plan B. I decided to hunt down an employee. You know, find someone in the signature red shirt. Spotted a friendly-looking guy stocking shelves near the greeting cards. So I ambled over.
“Excuse me,” I started, trying to sound casual, “quick question. If I buy balloons here, do you guys have a way to inflate them? You know, with helium?”
He was super polite, stopped what he was doing. He kinda paused for a sec, looked around a bit as if to double-check, then said, “Oh, nah, sorry, we don’t actually do balloon inflation here in the store. We just sell the balloons themselves and those small DIY tanks.” He pointed towards the kits I’d already seen. “You’d probably have to go to a party store or some grocery stores do it, I think.”
Well, that was that. A bit of a letdown, to be honest. I was really hoping for that one-stop-shop magic. My local Target, at least, wasn’t going to be my balloon inflation hero. It wasn’t a huge deal, obviously, but it did mean an extra trip to the actual party store, which I was trying to avoid. You know, one less errand is always a win.
So, if you’re wondering the same thing I was, based on my little adventure, you’re probably better off checking with a dedicated party supply place or maybe some supermarkets that advertise it. Target’s great for grabbing the balloons, but you’ll likely be on your own for getting them filled with air or helium on the spot. At least, that was my experience. Always worth asking at your specific store, I guess, things can change, but that’s the intel I gathered on my mission!