"Sale in Aisle Two!" Ackman Yells.

If you're a hedge fund manager, and you're frustrated by the performance of one of your investments, and the company doesn't like any of your ideas, try this: issue a press release that says you plan to announce your ideas for how that company might turnaround at a press conference the next day.

Then watch the stock soar!

That's what Bill Ackman tried today with Target, and it worked. The activist shareholder, vocal short-seller, and the most chatty hedge fund manager around plans to share with the public his ideas for how Target might boost its shareholder value. His Pershing Square Capital owns 10 percent of the company's shares, which surged 18 percent after they made the details for tomorrow's conference call available (of course, it helps that it came on a day the Dow surged 11 percent).

Target immediately went on the defensive, acknowledging that Ackman has already shared his ideas with them and they were, ahem, not exactly met with enthusiasm. "While the company has not yet reached a conclusion regarding the merits of these ideas, our analysis raises serious concerns on a number of important issues, which we have shared with Pershing Square," the company said in a statement.

To which Ackman replies, "Ball's in your court, shareholders! Hear me out and decide for yourself!"

What he really said was this: "Target's thoughtful and constructive approach with shareholders has been instrumental to Pershing Square's work in developing a potential transaction. Pershing Square believes that the insights gained by sharing the potential transaction in a public forum will benefit Target and all of its stakeholders."

Target's statement said Ackman's plans call for "an alternative ownership structure related to Target real estate." Unlike many big box retailers, Target owns most of its real estate outright and it's possible it could unlock some of that value by selling and leasing back.

But as the folks over Breakingviews point out, now is not the best time to encourage massive real estate sales in any market.

Something tells us Ackman's already well aware of this, so his highly anticipated plan must be something more marketable during these tough times.

Stay tuned for the conclusion to this shareholder spat tomorrow. And then you can decide if that item on sale is really worth it.

by Megan Barnett