When Jessica Sypniewski of Buffalo, New York, left her house on Dec. 23 to pick up family across town, she never imagined the quick trip would land her a sleepover at Target.
Sypniewski, 33, was with her boyfriend and two kids — ages 7 and 11 — when the Buffalo bomb cyclone exploded into a terrifying blizzard.
“We were picking up my boyfriend’s sister and her boyfriend,” Sypniewski tells TODAY.com “On our way back home, we got stranded into the Target plaza out of coincidence.”
The party of six sat in their car for a bit before going inside a grocery store adjacent to Target on Walden Avenue.
“We were scared of snow drifts, so we went into the grocery store because they were still open,” Sypniewski says. “But they didn’t let us stay there.”
The family went back into their car for 30 or 40 minutes, but the cold was creeping in. Sypniewski knew the family needed shelter.
“I saw a line of cars with their four-way flashers on outside Target,” she explains. “I banged on the door (of the store) and they let us in.”
Sypniewski says walking into Target’s safe-haven was “overwhelming.”
“I was holding my son and one of the employees walked toward me and he threw a blanket on me,” she says.
The mom of two says everyone who was also stranded inside the Target directed them to take a seat next to heaters.
“They made hot cocoa at Starbucks,” Sypniewski says. “Everybody was very welcoming.”
Sypniewski says about 22 people spent the night in Target alongside her family.
“I had family willing to come and get us if we could get out of the plaza,” she says. “But the problem was we couldn’t even walk to get to the main roads. People died in their cars and that was my worst fear. If the snow drifts come over us ... there were a million things running through my head at the time.”
On Saturday, Dec. 24, Sypniewski tells TODAY.com that workers clearing the plaza had created a path to walk to the main road and a friend was able to pick them up.
“It was just a huge relief to be home,” she says. “I didn’t sleep at Target. I was just exhausted.
In a now-viral post shared to Facebook, Sypniewski detailed the family’s harrowing ordeal alongside a collection of photos.
“We have been stranded at target on walden since 12pm yesterday, I have never felt so scared in my life but we are safe and warm!!”she captioned the post, including photos of her kids sleeping on an air mattress in the clothing department. “I cannot say enough to the target employees who opened their doors to us and have provided everything we have needed, you guys are literally life savers!! We have made a shitty situation OKAY!!
Mark Schindele, executive vice president and chief stores officer for Target, tells TODAY.com the actions of Target employees personify the company's values.
"Usually when we refer to Tarzhay magic, we’re talking about the kind of products our guests can only find at Target and just can’t live without. On Christmas Eve, that phrase took on a whole new meaning," he tells TODAY.com. "Thanks to the compassion and quick thinking of the team members at our Walden Galleria store, they were able to provide shelter to those who were stranded, and also offered care, comfort and holiday cheer. Their actions are a living example of Target’s values and we are thankful to have been able to assist those in need."
Sypniewski says she will never forget the kindness that was shown to her family.
“I know people think that we are used to this kind of weather and we are, but not to this extent. If it wasn’t for Target, I don’t know where we’d be,” she says. “We didn’t have a next move.”
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