--- title: Who Is 'Alex From Target' and Why Did the Internet Make Him Famous? description: Twitter is a strange, strange place canonical: https://time.com/3554572/alex-from-target/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-03T16:56:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:14:18.938Z og:title: Who Is 'Alex From Target' and Why Did the internet Make Him Famous og:description: Twitter is a strange, strange place og:url: https://time.com/3554572/alex-from-target/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdbb9cd4586897f41/698763df55a85959c5a838b9/2400634.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Target Corp. Reported A 4 percent increase in second-quarter profits og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Who Is 'Alex From Target' and Why Did the internet Make Him Famous twitter:description: Twitter is a strange, strange place twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdbb9cd4586897f41/698763df55a85959c5a838b9/2400634.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Who Is 'Alex From Target' and Why did the Internet Make Him Famous? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=702e9094-f2d7-4d1e-9be7-aae6e84c8f92&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Nov 3, 2014 4:56 PM UTC  The sign of a Target store is displayed August 14, 2003 in Springfield, V.A. The sign of a Target store is displayed August 14, 2003 in Springfield, V.A. Alex Wong—Getty Images by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Nov 3, 2014 4:56 PM UTC For absolutely no discernible reason, the people of the Internet have turned a kid named Alex who works at Target — now forever known as #AlexFromTarget — into a celebrity. It started Sunday when Twitter user @auscalum posted an image of the random, albeit adorable, young cashier from Target: > [](https://twitter.com/auscalum/status/528956144598147073) And then the Internet went crazy. (Again, for no discernible reason). Over the last day, [Topsy](http://topsy.com/s?q=%22alex%20from%20target%22&window=m&sort=-date) reports that there have been more than 125,00 “Alex from Target”-related tweets. > [](https://twitter.com/LukeSiperly/status/529109828644257796) > [](https://twitter.com/TheDreamCIoset/status/529099024910254080) > [](https://twitter.com/GilinskysHighAf/status/529099414171025408) And since the Internet is a creepy place, it found the true Alex from Target on Twitter. He now has 312k followers and counting: > [](https://twitter.com/acl163/status/529047572464553984) > [](https://twitter.com/acl163/status/529081120076615681) There are even competing campaigns to get other cute bros (#SteverFromStarbucks, #KieranFromTMobile, #MattFromRedRobin) similar notoriety: > [](https://twitter.com/Aline%5Fkx/status/529278755479367681) Even Target itself got in on the action Monday: > [](https://twitter.com/Target/status/529298903896961025) This is the American dream. _Read next:_ [_Internet Swoons Over Convicted Felon’s Mugshot_](http://time.com/2904591/internet-swoons-over-beautiful-convicted-felon/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3554572/alex-from-target/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3554572/alex-from-target/"},"headline":"Who Is 'Alex From Target' and Why did the Internet Make Him Famous?","datePublished":"2014-11-03T16:56:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:14:18.938Z","description":"Twitter is a strange, strange place","url":"https://time.com/3554572/alex-from-target/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Tech","viral"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdbb9cd4586897f41/698763df55a85959c5a838b9/2400634.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdbb9cd4586897f41/698763df55a85959c5a838b9/2400634.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Target Corp. 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