So last week I was planning my kid’s birthday party and needed balloons. Heard Target does balloon blowing services, figured I’d try their in-store setup instead of renting a tank myself.
Getting Started
First thing, I hauled myself over to the party supplies aisle. Found those standard latex balloons near the greeting cards. Grabbed two packs of rainbow ones – kid loves colors. Important tip here: skip the foil balloons if you want them filled on the spot. Foils gotta be bought pre-filled at most stores.
The Counter Process
Walked over to the customer service counter carrying my balloon packs. Lady at the register asked how many I wanted filled. Told her I needed about twenty. She scanned the balloon packages first, then charged me an extra $2 per balloon for the helium and labor. Yeah, they charge per balloon for blowing them up – nobody told me that beforehand!
Here’s what happened next:
- Employee pulled out this industrial helium tank from behind counter
- Started attaching balloons to the nozzle one by one
- Each took about fifteen seconds to fill up completely
- She tied ribbons while balloon was still floating to avoid helium loss
- Then weighed each one down with cute little Mickey Mouse weights
The Waiting Game
Whole process took twenty minutes for twenty balloons. Just stood there awkwardly watching her work while other customers lined up behind me. The hissing sound got real annoying after five minutes. Pro tip: go during weekday mornings when they’re less busy.
End result looked great though – bouncy clouds of color floating above the weights. Kid went nuts when she saw them next day. Store-bought convenience comes at price but saved me from buying helium tanks I’d only use once. Would do it again for big events but never for small gatherings.