Looking for holy grail of notebooks
August 31, 2019 2:03 PM Subscribe
Target never has my favorite notebook in stock and it is, shockingly, not available online. I use it for work. It's an A5 size, has quality pages that don't ghost or bleed through and is quite durable. What can I replace it with?
Non-negotiable specs:
Non-negotiable specs:
- Must be spiral bound
- No ghosting or bleed through
- Not wide ruled
- No less than 75 single pages (150 front and back)
- A5 size
- Grid, dot or college ruled
This notebook is in-stock at my target; memail me if you’d like me to send you some.
posted by homodachi at 2:42 PM on August 31, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by homodachi at 2:42 PM on August 31, 2019 [4 favorites]
They don't have cute covers, but I really like these Maruman spiral grid notebooks. (That price is for 5 notebooks. I'm sure that it's possible to buy them individually somewhere.)
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 2:50 PM on August 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 2:50 PM on August 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
This is probably overkill, but, if you want to get fancy, these A5s are nice (and give you your choice of paper type).
posted by praemunire at 2:59 PM on August 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 2:59 PM on August 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
That is a Target-exclusive (if not owned) brand. At least for me the web site is allowing me to place a "Target Restock" order (Target's equivalent of Amazon Prime, sort of), just not a basic ad-hoc order. If nothing else, you could get six of them for $36 with free next day delivery and postpone needing an answer to this question for a while. Full disclosure: I work at Target, but I don't make anything on this (or any other) sale.
posted by fedward at 3:01 PM on August 31, 2019
posted by fedward at 3:01 PM on August 31, 2019
Echoing homodachi's offer: Your favorite notebook is in stock at my local Target as well. Happy to discuss in MeMail how to get some to you.
posted by D.Billy at 3:07 PM on August 31, 2019
posted by D.Billy at 3:07 PM on August 31, 2019
I just realized Target Restock might not be available in your area. It's region/market specific, which I forget since I live and work in a region with basically every Target shipping/delivery option available. If you don't have the Target Restock option, well here, have some insider scoop:
1) At your local Target, any team member with a MyDevice should be able to check back room quantity and/or audit the shelf (jargon for "perform a spot inventory for just this item") for you. If the inventory says they have some but they can't actually find them for you, they can set the on hand values to zero, which will generate a fill order automatically. Once an item has been audited it should become more reliably in stock, at least for a while.
2) Not every team member will have a MyDevice, but any team member should be able to find a team member who does. In a pinch, try the Guest Service desk.
3) I would seriously hit the Target Dot Com people up on the comment form, and/or call Guest Relations. Let them know that you can never get this item in store and you are frustrated that you can't order it online. I refer people to Guest Relations all the time, because they can get away with things I can't. Also when Guest Relations fixes something the cost doesn't get assigned to my store like it does when I issue a gift card, so the buck passing is literal.
Seriously, don't be afraid to call people's attention to out of stock items. If you're looking for that item, other people are too. Target has a whole system that's supposed to catch these things before you get so frustrated you look for alternatives, but sometimes you just have to ask.
posted by fedward at 4:11 PM on August 31, 2019 [10 favorites]
1) At your local Target, any team member with a MyDevice should be able to check back room quantity and/or audit the shelf (jargon for "perform a spot inventory for just this item") for you. If the inventory says they have some but they can't actually find them for you, they can set the on hand values to zero, which will generate a fill order automatically. Once an item has been audited it should become more reliably in stock, at least for a while.
2) Not every team member will have a MyDevice, but any team member should be able to find a team member who does. In a pinch, try the Guest Service desk.
3) I would seriously hit the Target Dot Com people up on the comment form, and/or call Guest Relations. Let them know that you can never get this item in store and you are frustrated that you can't order it online. I refer people to Guest Relations all the time, because they can get away with things I can't. Also when Guest Relations fixes something the cost doesn't get assigned to my store like it does when I issue a gift card, so the buck passing is literal.
Seriously, don't be afraid to call people's attention to out of stock items. If you're looking for that item, other people are too. Target has a whole system that's supposed to catch these things before you get so frustrated you look for alternatives, but sometimes you just have to ask.
posted by fedward at 4:11 PM on August 31, 2019 [10 favorites]
Clairefontaine has double-wire bound A5 and A5+ in 90pp, both lined and grid. My favorite.
posted by rhizome at 5:20 PM on August 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by rhizome at 5:20 PM on August 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Have you thought about using the Arc system? It's a "spiral" system but the pages are removable -- you can even remove and re-insert them.
You just buy a set of rings (plastic or aluminum) and then you can either buy pre-punched paper or a punch of your own and use whatever paper you wish.
There are even pre-made notebooks like this one (video -- which is what I use, along with the Arc punch to refill), or these cheaper ones.
The punch can also be used to punch non-paper things like photos, recipe cards, cloth, etc, that you can then insert between pages -- it's shown in the video.
posted by dobbs at 5:26 PM on August 31, 2019
You just buy a set of rings (plastic or aluminum) and then you can either buy pre-punched paper or a punch of your own and use whatever paper you wish.
There are even pre-made notebooks like this one (video -- which is what I use, along with the Arc punch to refill), or these cheaper ones.
The punch can also be used to punch non-paper things like photos, recipe cards, cloth, etc, that you can then insert between pages -- it's shown in the video.
posted by dobbs at 5:26 PM on August 31, 2019
Also in stock at my store, and I'm planning to go to Target tomorrow anyway ... let me know if I can help!
posted by mccxxiii at 8:49 PM on August 31, 2019
posted by mccxxiii at 8:49 PM on August 31, 2019
Black and Red has some nice A5 notebooks; and made in not third world countries too.
posted by buzzman at 9:10 PM on August 31, 2019
posted by buzzman at 9:10 PM on August 31, 2019
Rhodia is nice and has lots of options.
posted by oceanjesse at 6:43 AM on September 1, 2019
posted by oceanjesse at 6:43 AM on September 1, 2019
I've been using these for years and I just love them.
posted by james33 at 8:21 AM on September 1, 2019
posted by james33 at 8:21 AM on September 1, 2019
This notebook is in-stock at my target; memail me if you’d like me to send you some, too. Is there a specific color?
posted by theora55 at 4:47 PM on September 1, 2019
posted by theora55 at 4:47 PM on September 1, 2019
Have you seen BrickSeek's Target inventory checker? You can check all the Targets near you (link). Just enter your zip code. (and add me to the list of "in stock near me" if you want it shipped).
posted by JJtheJetPlane at 7:40 AM on September 3, 2019
posted by JJtheJetPlane at 7:40 AM on September 3, 2019
Response by poster: Thank you so, so much for the folks who offered to help me out. After a couple of weeks of deliberation (first world problems...), I finally settled on the discbound system AND I LOVE IT.
It's the best of all worlds and meets my needs perfectly. I'll never go back to a spiralbound book again!
posted by onecircleaday at 10:15 PM on September 16, 2019
It's the best of all worlds and meets my needs perfectly. I'll never go back to a spiralbound book again!
posted by onecircleaday at 10:15 PM on September 16, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by pinochiette at 2:14 PM on August 31, 2019 [2 favorites]