After larger rival Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) reported a same-store sales gain of 3.1% yesterday, Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) did the world's largest retailer one better. Target releases results after the bell yesterday, stating that it achieved a same-store sales increase of 6.1% for August -- way above its own estimates and analyst estimates as well.

Target officials placed the sales gain reasons squarely on strong sales gains and bigger receipts on electronics, health-care products and food. Target didn't even mention back-to-school specials or more customer trips due to lowered prices on these seasonal product segments. However, Wal-Mart's August sales gain was attributed to this.

Is Target continuing to ramp up higher-ticket (and margin) sales every quarter while Wal-Mart falls back into its comfort zone of dropping prices to gain sales? Seems that way, at least a little. Analysts had pegged Target's August sales to be in the range of a 5% gain, with Target's own estimates sitting in the 2.5% range. Both of those numbers were blown away. When Target sees gains in both the number of transactions and the average size of each transaction, the retailer is doing something right. Is history holds