Not cool, Target. Not cool.

I'm adorable, but make no mistake: I could chew off your face if I fancied it.

I have a love/hate relationship with Target.

Love:

Good stuff, good prices
Shoppers and employees are not scary (unlike at Walmart)
I get 5% off every purchase with my Target card

Hate:

They do a poor job of clearly pricing clearance items
I spend too much money in there
They are screwing with my credit rating

Yes, the irresistible pull of Target is messing with my credit score. Not because I spend too much, or because I can't pay the bill, but because they won't raise my credit limit.

Years ago, I had a Target Visa. This was a regular Visa card you could use anywhere. I didn't use it enough, and it got shut down for inactivity.

Last year when they rolled out the "save 5% with your Redcard" program, I signed up for a new card. They don't have the Visa card anymore, just a store-only card. Fine, whatever. But they gave me a piddly $500 credit limit.

Recently we had to replace our TV (bought a cheapie flatscreen for like $150), I had to get new eyeglasses (about $250) and plus our regular household shopping.... and whoops, I have only $20 in credit remaining.

This sucks. I have essentially maxed out this card, which is BAD for your credit rating. You should keep balances under 30% on each credit line. This means that I have to keep my Target balance under $150 if I want to maintain my credit score. That's crazy talk!

I have worked very, very hard at achieving an excellent credit score after discovering in my early 20's that my mom was right... having piss-poor credit really sucks. It took me eight years of determined effort to work up to a very good credit score. It was difficult and it took soooo long, but now I am proud to have very good credit. So I take this shit seriously.

So I called Target customer service and asked them to raise my credit limit. I explained that I very much enjoy giving Target my money and pointed out that I have excellent credit and I have always paid my Target bills in full, on time. The lady said that they don't review accounts individually for credit increases. The computer sometimes reviews accounts for increases and it will happen automatically.

Every other credit card out there will raise your credit limit if you ask and you have good reason and good credit. Not Target, or whatever bank is servicing Target's accounts.

That's crazy talk!

Target, you're shooting yourself in the foot on this one. I want to spend money at your store but from now on I'm going to have to be very careful at limiting myself because I don't want to hurt my credit score.

You might ask why I don't just use another card, like a cashback card such as Discover. Yeah, I have those. But I like getting 5% off the top at the register with the RedCard.

Come on, Target. Get with it. Don't punish your best customers.

Also, the quality of your bras really needs an upgrade.