With the dust settled from Target’s first-quarter earnings announcement last week, it has become quite apparent the company would not be faring well were it not for the beneficial effects of the PFresh remodeling program and last fall’s introduction of 5% REDcard Rewards.

The two initiatives combined contributed more than 1% apiece to Target’s first-quarter same-store sales increase of 2% and in essence allowed the company to avoid posting a negative comp.