A number of stores in Texas and Florida now offer the service as do select stores in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Carolina. To use it, just be sure to select Drive Up as the fulfillment option when ordering through Target's app. You'll then be notified when your order is ready for pickup -- Target gives a two-hour timeframe, but orders are often ready sooner than that. Tap the "I'm on my way" button when you head to the store and you can share your location so the team knows when to expect you or if you'd prefer not to do that, you can share your location status manually. TechCrunch notes that your location isn't tracked once your order is complete.

Once you arrive at the store, you'll park in the designated Drive Up spots and an employee will bring out your order within two minutes. They'll scan a barcode on your Target app to confirm your identity. Then you just have to provide a signature and you're on your way.

This is one of a few ways Target is stepping up to compete with rivals Walmart and Amazon. Yesterday, the company announced that it was introducing same-day delivery to stores in five major US cities. Today, it said that its Prime Pantry-like Restock service will hit more than two dozen markets next month while Drive Up should be available in 1,000 stores by the end of the year.