r/TwinCities • u/MinnesotaArchive • 4d ago
Target can’t get its footing after DEI program demise and 40 day boycott
https://fortune.com/2025/04/01/target-dei-demise-boycott-foot-traffic-down-eighth-consecutive-week/?itm_source=parsely-api963
u/Mehdals_ 4d ago
Probably wasn't a great decision to go against their customer base when inflation is already on the rise and people are shopping less and trying to find the most affordable prices as it is.
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u/Smart-Effective7533 4d ago
Their customer base that was already pissed off when they folded to the right about selling gay friendly clothing.
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u/Spazyk 4d ago
Yup, that is when I stopped shopping at target.
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u/Salmol1na 4d ago
I’m with you - So many better options. It’s a real hobby lobby / chik fil a moment for target
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u/GeeOldman 4d ago
I drive on 494 most days. There's a shopping center in Bloomington that has a sign for all three: Target, Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby.
No reason to stop there nowadays.
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u/New-Purchase1818 2d ago
The hobby lobby in Roseville closed. I love seeing that gigantic empty space. ☺️
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u/sillybelcher 4d ago
I totally agree with this, but gotta wonder how far maga would've taken things. They'd already been threatening store employees, some of whom are just teenagers, and we have all seen that maga is not shy about escalating to violence when they throw a tantrum ..
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u/Smart-Effective7533 4d ago
No other solution for a multibillion dollar corporation than to pull all the goods and cave to the radicals. No way they could afford temp security or found other methods that would not have put store employees in danger. They really had no choice. Their choice to chicken out and pull the products had long term consequences to their brand. Of course corporations don’t want to offend any customers, but when you choose the side of exclusion over inclusion customers remember.
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u/thelogistician STP - The Saintly City 4d ago
What does gay friendly clothing mean?
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u/Prairiefan 4d ago
Well when I put the gay friendly clothes on, they don’t burst in to flames like the straight ones.
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u/XenonBunny 4d ago
The pride merch, like flags, rainbow clothing & accessories! One big gripe was the (very cute) swimsuits with built in extra fabric that help trans women cover their privates better (this is also useful for people who have large labia that have issues with low coverage from average swimsuits) that conservatives thought were in the childrens section. It was in the adult section in adult sizes!
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u/Dason37 4d ago
They didn't think they were in the children's section, they SAID they were. Reporting where they were really stocked at wouldn't whip up the crowd of idiots strongly enough.
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u/XenonBunny 4d ago
True, I should have said that the too bigots told their audience that they were in the kids section, so the public then thought that was true and refused to view the evidence to the contrary.
Also like, even if it was for children too, why are they mad about more coverage for kid's parts? Shouldn't we want them to be covered?
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u/krissithegirl 2d ago
Why is wanting to hide/protect children's genitals a BAD thing? Regardless of who the clothes are aimed toward, extra coverage is never bad.
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u/Beneficial-Yak4526 3d ago
I never understood why conservatives get upset about sht like that when there are literally giant posters of women in their panties and bra all over the stores.🤦♂️🤷♂️
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u/FreshSetOfBatteries 4d ago
And Target is not well placed to survive economic headwinds. They have been slowly eliminating their selections of staple items and "necessities" and focusing a lot more on profitable housewares and decor.
Walmart absolutely murders them as far as selection goes and while Walmart's pricing isn't as great as it used to be, I think they are better situated to cater to a more economically constrained customer.
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u/New-Purchase1818 2d ago
The unfortunate thing is that Walmart is worse—their track record of shitty labor practices and blocking access to plan b (back when you needed a prescription), among other issues, has long been a stain on the tighty whities of American commerce.
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u/Amethyst-M2025 4d ago
Aldi is also more affordable than Target.
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u/Rick041 4d ago
Aldi sells primarily groceries, Target sells everything. Aldi sells primarily their own brand while Target carries name brand foods, which are usually more expensive than most store brands.
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u/Amethyst-M2025 4d ago
I understand this but since I'm not employed at the moment, I'm only buying groceries. If I need something else, I'll go to another store. Walmart is possibly also better at this point for cost if you need products other than food. Of course, things may change after today with the tariffs.
There is also the option of thrift stores for things like clothes and buying used vs. new, which is more environmentally friendly as well.
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u/TwoLipKiss 2d ago
It's your money but I would never give mine to the fucking parasitic billionaire Waltons
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4d ago
Aldi also abandoned their DEI policies
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u/may-gu 4d ago
I think it’s more that Target very publicly stood on DEI issues and got known for strong support on LGBTQ, BLM, Etc and then turned it back. Aldi has never made that a big part of their ethos so it’s less of a slap for people who value it
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u/rootless_gardener 4d ago
This is what made me stop shopping at Target. I was skeptical when they pulled Pride stuff because they wouldn’t find a way to make their employees feel safe. Then they just gave everyone they pretended to support a big FU once the dumpster fire got back in office.
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u/raesalwayson 4d ago
Not only stood with them, but did so for nearly a decade before DEI became trendy for corporations. They sponsored Pride in Minneapolis for nearly 20 years - and this year they are no longer doing so.
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u/may-gu 4d ago
Well that one because the Pride organizers kicked them out haha but yes your original statement is absolutely it!
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u/blueberry-2 4d ago
This! Target markets and sells BLM, LGBTQ etc branded stuff and people were happy because the company supported both those causes. By taking away DEI (which let’s be real DEI to conservatives just means black) it goes to show they just will sell anything to make a profit while at the same time not caring about those causes. (They most definitely weren’t caring for them before though, it’s just the profit they cared about) How are you gonna make money off black people and not care about them. I’d rather buy black products from black businesses at this point though, I will never spend a penny on that stuff from a big corporation. I’m also tired of woke being used wrong. The word “woke” was used In the black community first to mean something completely different than what’s it’s used for today. Just another example of black people not being able to have anything before it’s gentrified or “adopted” by white people.
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u/harperluutwo 4d ago
Yes, this is what’s doing it for me. DEI was part of their marketing plan. It meant literally nothing to them. They used it as promotion fodder.
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u/Amethyst-M2025 4d ago
Just got laid off a few weeks ago, I sadly cannot afford to shop at the more expensive stores.
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u/ProjectGameGlow 4d ago
No source?
Did they fire Yahaira G. Corona (Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)?
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4d ago
https://fortune.com/2025/01/31/aldi-scrubbed-careers-website-of-all-dei-initiatives/
Didn't see a source providing a comparative list of prices between Aldi and Target, but here's your source for my statement.
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u/ProjectGameGlow 4d ago
Your source is paywalled.
It just looks to be covering that they took down a DEI section of the careers web page. They still have the DEI manager https://buildremote.co/dei/aldi/
Changing the public facing careers page and removing internal policy are 2 different things
Aldi Is multinational they don’t follow all USA politics. It was the usa careers page that was changed.
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u/cheddarbruce 4d ago
LOL you don't need a comparative list from a news site to realize how inexpensive Aldi is compared to Target. Just go to Aldi
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u/cheddarbruce 4d ago
LOL even Trader Joe's is surprisingly inexpensive on a lot of items. They're dried fruit like their Mandarin oranges are also amazing
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u/Giveushealthcare 4d ago
Really good point. Corporate greed has forced us to get used to less for over 3 years now with no real relief. So shrugging off stuff has gotten much easier for many. We hear boycott because of hate and we’re all like, yup I can do that, not spending on much these days anyway
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u/OtherwiseContract565 4d ago
They betrayed the designers/brands and employees which they leveraged to create their “inclusive” brand.
They will be heading back to pre-90’s Target offerings, before good buyers and designers collaborated with them.
Brace yourselves for Target’s newest fashion collabs: “madness.” by MTG; “A Night Out” by BOBERT, “Trump” by Eric - it’s just mens socks and underwear.
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u/MortemInferri 4d ago
Corporate types sniffing their own farts and gargling the Targét-KoolAíd now FAFOing is peak
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u/realmaven666 4d ago edited 4d ago
This is so sad for the Twin Cities. Target, which has been a really good leader (relatively at least) in equity diversity in our community has just destroyed itself. I feel for the people who are going to be losing their jobs in target stores and corporate headquarters because of all of this. Even if they change, go back a little bit, it will take them a long time to recover from this.
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u/townandthecity 4d ago
This really was unnecessary. Brian Cornell and the Board are cowards and created this situation. A close family member works in corporate, is BIPOC, and is preparing to be laid off. He's been there for 18 years. The ripple effects of Cornell's idiotic decision touch a lot of people, not just customers.
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u/bettybikenut 4d ago
It’s a corporation, a business is not a leader or person with opinions- it was a (unwise) corporate business decision, made by a board of faceless executives that need to maximize profit for investors- not a reflection of the community that lives here, and that’s why it’s so upsetting to locals that thought they were what they said at face value. Target is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, picking and choosing selective positive elements (queer joy, black and female creators and makers) of the local market that it thinks it is going to profit from, not to reflect the actual community (to increase profits among these groups), and when it didn’t serve their corporate interests, our community’s values were no longer needed by them to uphold their facade of being a “good-guy” corporation, they just need to keep their asses in line with dear leader’s wishes.
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u/BrowncoatUVA 4d ago
Saying this as someone who is boycotting myself, it is sad. Yes they're a corporation but real people in the community will lose jobs. They deserve the backlash but sadly people who had no part in their corporate cowardice are still going to hear the brunt of it. Disappointing to see happen to a company in our own backyard.
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u/bettybikenut 4d ago
So true, you’re right it is sad, and I’m sorry I didn’t come off very sympathetic to those people and their families, times are hard enough, especially for employees living paycheck to paycheck, and I can’t fathom the emotional or financial weight having the rug pulled out like that by my employer I thought represented my team and similar values.
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u/smithc555 3d ago
Target was probably the store we shopped at most, behind our local grocery stores. Haven’t bought anything from them in over 2 months now.
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u/Hot_Beginning_923 3d ago
Same. My friends were all like nah, you won’t last, you go there weekly!.. which was more like 2x a week lol. Haven’t shopped there since they dropped their DEI initiatives. Deleted my target circle acct. Done with target. When they decide to have a backbone I’ll happily return. For the time time being, it’s actually quite nice to have a few extra spending bucks lmao
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u/ComfortableSilence1 4d ago
Their shelves seem to be a mess and missing a bunch of items every time I've gone in at the locations I've been to recently. I think it might not be just the dei roll backs.
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u/phophofofo 4d ago
Used to do 100% of my shopping there then they started moving to Walmart quality, then they stopped having cashiers, then they stopped having stockers and inventory, then they started supporting Nazis.
Sad that a Minnesota based chain is doing poorly since they’re a big company here with a big footprint but they chose to throw away everything that distinguished them.
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u/parabox1 4d ago
It turns out pissing off 2/3’s of your custom base both conservative and liberal only leaves you with 1/3 the shoppers.
Who would have thought that clearly not target.
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u/Tokyo-MontanaExpress 4d ago
Catering exclusively to 20-25% of the population and alienating the rest is bad business? Who'd have guessed?
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u/cat-meg 4d ago
And like are rednecks really Target's target demographic? Like shouldn't they have better metrics on this shit? They should overhaul their data analytics dept.
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u/FreshSetOfBatteries 4d ago
That's what bakes my egg: it's very clear from a merchandising perspective that conservative men are absolutely not their customer base nor are they even wanted in the store. Their automotive department now consists of window scrapers, a handful of car washing chemicals, and air fresheners. There's no media department anymore except for books and Taylor Swift vinyl. The electronics section is mostly fancy headphones and some TVs. Video gaming has been made smaller. Home improvement is overpriced light bulbs. Everything is being eliminated to make room for more housewares and decor. A very clear shift over the last 10 years to suburban women as the only customer they are catering to. That was always the case but they have really leaned all the way into it.
I think eliminating DEI was only done to please Trump and it was fucking idiotic to do so. Just incredibly cowardly complying in advance to fascism.
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u/Maeberry2007 4d ago
My MAGA dad has been vehemently anti-Target since the early 2000's. No idea why. That was around the same time boyscouts started giving him an aneurysm too.
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u/GnedTheGnome 4d ago
Ah, yes. I remember when my idiot MAGA uncle was boycotting Target because he honestly believed it was a French company (pronounced Tar-jay), and he was mad that France ended their agreement with the U.S. to waive the visa requirement for American tourists. He wouldn't believe me when I told him that "Tar-jay" was a joke (as in: "Ooh, I love your dress." "Thanks. It's Tar-jay.") and that the company was based in MN.
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u/Maeberry2007 4d ago
I do remember it had something to do with France, lol. He's always been a little... uh... caddy whompus in the brain, so it's hard to say exactly what offended him.
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u/Mystical_Cat 4d ago
Oh no!
Anyway, I'm thinking Thai for lunch.
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u/JiovanniTheGREAT 4d ago edited 4d ago
What's your go to place? My GF loves Thai food and it would be fun to surprise her. We normally go to Bagu and Raum Mit.
Edit: thank for the recommendations, I love you all but not as much as I love my GF
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u/CaughtInDireWood 4d ago
Wok in the Park in St Louis Park! Always has a line out the door. Under $30 for a huge meal (for me it’s 2 large meals)
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u/gregarioussparrow 4d ago
I heard King Thai is great but just haven't made it, despite living so close. Have you been there?
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u/MeatAndBourbon 4d ago
I get Kings Thai. Don't go extra spicy, they will fuck you up, lol.
I really miss Taste of Thailand, that was so tragic
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u/ohheyitsjuan 4d ago edited 3d ago
Is it really that hard to release an apology to their customers and reinstate those policies?
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u/MinnesotaArchive 4d ago
Rule #1 for all executives in corporate America: Never admit to any wrongdoing and certainly never even think of apologizing!
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u/epalla 4d ago edited 4d ago
Is this different than all other big box retail or is this par for the course? Walmart just gave similarly dire projections right?
edit: Article mentions Walmart has had a similar run of declining foot traffic YoY, but they bucked the trend last week with a small amount of growth unlike Target. And Target's declines have been more pronounced than Walmart's. Would be interested to see Target compared to other mid/higher end retailers though. We would expect Costco, Walmart and other lower cost retailers to be more stable in a down market.
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u/GreatestStarOfAll 4d ago
The difference is in the numbers. We’re not seeing an equal drop across the board.
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u/ellsego 3d ago
The demographics are switching and it doesn’t favor Target’s business model… higher income shoppers are trading down to Wal-Mart, they’ve seen a lot of growth in shoppers making $150k +, this demographic in the past would have heavily favored Target. The issue is there is not another cohort they can get to trade down to Target, and they can’t really compete on price, or service as they did in the past. While Walmart is projecting a down year they’re much more well positioned than Target. You also can’t compare Costco to either Walmart or Target, completely different business model which relies heavily on membership fees.
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u/Dscott2855 4d ago
Target isn’t going anywhere, but the many people saying this boycott wouldn’t impact them have been proven wrong. The large number of customers who have already shifted to Costco alone will impact Target in the short term and long. Between locked up products and paying $20 for one small box of garbage bags, I’m never going back to target.
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u/MrCSeesYou 4d ago
No one should ever buy garbage bags. Get a smaller trash can and reuse bags. It's easy, cheap, and your garbage rarely if ever stinks the way it does with large bags
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u/christhedoll 4d ago
Whomp whomp. I don’t want to support companies who do not support our communities.
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u/NSFduhbleU 4d ago
It can’t all be DEI can it? That explains part of it. Either way layoffs and people concerned about the economy are going to visit as they need to. Not as a leisure past time. Sign of the times and sign of the future.
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u/ObliqueRehabExpert 4d ago
Walmart being down 1.6% vs Target’s 6.2% YoY is probably the closest thing will get to an estimate of the boycott’s impact.
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u/NuncProFunc 4d ago
Or - hear me out - people who can afford Target can fall back to Walmart when budgets tighten, but people already shopping at Walmart have fewer options for sourcing even cheaper groceries.
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u/demosthenesss 4d ago
I think it's more complicated than that - from my perspective, target is more of a luxury store (not by much) than walmart so there are more alternative options for someone who wants to boycott it.
Plus if someone's feeling strapped financially they may choose something like Aldi's or Walmart.
Walmart has a lot less "competition" as their costs are pretty low in general.
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u/Jucoy 4d ago
Walmart also does better in smaller towns where it's (by its own design) the only game in town. It's shoppers have to shop there, because Walmarts business strategy was to open in small towns, suffer losses on goods whatever small local retailer offered until they went out of business. By driving those small mom and pop shops out of business Walmart gets to enjoy thousands of localized monopolies in consumer goods space in towns across the country.
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u/ObliqueRehabExpert 4d ago
I agree we’ll never get a great estimate but the impact of the boycott is not zero. A lot of people are changing purchasing behavior.
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u/ferdsherd 4d ago
They don’t move in step normally though. Really they aren’t even a great comp even as Walmart is much more grocer than Target
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u/LivingGhost371 Bloomington 4d ago
Also, a more expensive place is probably going to show a bigger decline
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u/Colonel_Gipper 4d ago
Exactly, that more shows that people are changing purchasing behavior to save money. Bring Me The News just published an article about grocery prices from 2024 to 2025. For their select basket of goods Walmart was $66 where Target was $79. People foregoing the better shopping experience at Target to save money at Walmart is far more likely than a DEI boycott.
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u/nguye569 4d ago
my personal anecdote:
A good amount of my social group work in tech or consulting, so they're generally less price conscious of shoppers. A good amount of them did boycott Target and started shopping at whatever alternatives they could find. And these are the type of people that used to do multiple target runs a week for any of their household items.
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u/demosthenesss 4d ago
Yup, same.
It reminds me of folks leaving Amazon over the last few years - once you decide "screw Amazon" you get different habits and then just.. don't go back.
So if any of this isn't macroeconomic trends, it might be meaningful.
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u/pretenditscherrylube 4d ago
I mostly stopped shopping at Amazon several years ago, and it's really surprising to me how many people find it so difficult to stop shopping at Amazon, especially parents. I know that parenting is hard - I'm not saying that. But, I think it's interesting how many people use the stress of parenthood to justify a lot of different choices that don't align with their values. It's almost like a "thought terminating cliche" or a really effective cope against moral culpability.
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u/Special-Garlic1203 4d ago
Yeah I think it's 2 different issues hitting them simultaneously. They quadrupled down on being the bougie version of Walmart and people are broke. Also, their quality isn't even better than Walmart half the time anymore. People are noticing their stuff feels cheap
Then there's the people who are less concerned about prices and do a lot of impulse buying, but those people are more likely to care about social issues.
Target corporate is so dumb and they've been making the wrong choice at every opportunity for a decade
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u/FreshSetOfBatteries 4d ago
They're not even the bougie version of Walmart anymore though and that's a problem for them. They have been slowly reducing their selection and focusing more and more on higher profit discretionary housewares spending which will absolutely disappear during an economic downturn. People don't buy knicknacks, decorative blankets and throw pillows when they can't afford eggs.
Target used to be the "hey I have a list of necessities but oh these things are so cute I'll toss them in my cart" now it's like "well I gotta go to Walmart for half my list anyway so why even go to target"
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u/NikkiWarriorPrincess 4d ago
I used to go to Target several times per month. I have not been back since they abandoned their stated values. The same goes for everyone in my social circle. My mother-in-law was recently embarrassed to admit she bought sheets there, because she's on a limited budget and the deal was too good to turn down, but she said it is the only exception she's making there.
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u/Ok_Flatworm8208 4d ago
Hey, I don’t think any of us our in a position this year to blame her for getting a deal on her sheets. It still makes a massive difference that we aren’t going multiple times a week for any little thing
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u/grossgirl Ask me about the Secret Drawing Club 4d ago
No need to make perfect be the enemy of good. Any reexamination of our purchasing habits—Target, Amazon or otherwise—is good. As a country we buy too much stuff.
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u/Low-Peak-9031 4d ago
Same. I used to go bring my youngest kiddo when my oldest was in school. We'd get a coffee and browse and kill time. We go to Costco now instead
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u/Special-Garlic1203 4d ago
I worked at the downtown store for several years during mid 2010s and this doesn't shock me. They've made so many strategic blunders. They straight up redesigned stores to more closely emulate the boutique model because they thought they could capture the Macy's customer base --- you know....the stores that were closing down left and right. During the time I worked there, basically every choice corporate made was ( imo as a regular customer) the wrong one.
We also would tell them about stuff we saw as store workers and they wouldn't listen. (Like how loose glitter needs to be bagged so it doesn't get all over nearby products, because you can end up having an entire section that doesn't sell just because there fucking plastic sparkles everywhere from one cheaply made product. It makes everything look cheap and also, they literally don't want to even touch it). Or like I was telling the team in charge of dollar spot they needed to fix how items were listed online and it took them over a year and they still didn't do it right. Like no offense but a lot of people at corporate target are dumb AF and I can say that with confidence as someone who had to interact with them constantly. For like a year I would have them come in every like 2 weeks to discuss their branding goals and stuff and item performance and it was crazy how out of step with their consumer base they were
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u/Nillion 4d ago
I’m not boycotting entirely because it’s impossible to find certain things without going to another mega corp, but Target’s turn right during Trump’s inauguration put a very bad taste in my mouth. I’ll still go if it can’t be helped, but those spontaneous “I’ll just drop by Target” runs where I only need a few things and end up leaving with half a cart have been entirely eliminated.
In hindsight it was foolish of me to view myself through a consumerist lens as a “Target person” when it’s just another huge company that only cares about profit. It’s no different than ordering off Amazon now and frankly, Amazon is a lot more convenient if that’s the only metric I’m worried about.
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u/pretenditscherrylube 4d ago
I buy a few things at Target and Whole Foods that I can't reliably find in person at competitive pricing (for example, powdered Tide in large cardboard boxes or large packages of recycled toilet paper). What I've stopped doing is supporting the fucked up undignified app delivery infrastructure and the gig economy. I will only go in store for these items. I typically buy multiples of these items so I don't need to go back any time soon. I accept that certain things I need to order online now, but I'm not willing to have everything delivered to my house!
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u/Strong-Ad2738 4d ago
Everyone I know, including myself, stopped shopping their because of this. There may be other factors I’m not aware of, but I think the DEI thing is the major contributor
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u/NuncProFunc 4d ago
This is as much evidence of a social bubble as it is evidence that Target is suffering some economic harm because of a boycott. No one I know has shared that they are boycotting Target.
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u/needmoresynths 4d ago
I think it's just the vocal minority yelling about DEI. I stopped going to Target even though it's half a mile from my house because they locked up the essentials that I would go for- toothpaste, socks, underwear, etc. That's what got me in the store, and maybe I'd buy other stuff like lightbulbs and a few groceries but I haven't been in months. That and they're really pushing you to get the credit card and app; without those it's not a particularly thrifty place to shop.
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u/The_Bran_9000 4d ago
In addition to the looming recession and spineless caping to the 4th reich, they've fucked themselves by switching up their cost leadership strategy and keeping so many products locked up in stores located in densely populated areas. Like so many people, I used to go to Target on the regular bc some items were actually cheaper than my local grocery store or similar retail stores. Not the case anymore - there's like a $5-$10 price floor on literally everything - and yes I realize inflation isn't exclusive to Target but that's not exactly an argument to persuade people who have left to go back. Their original appeal was competing on price a la walmart but with a cleaner in-store aesthetic. When you stop competing on price people are only paying for the aesthetics at that point.
My real gripe with Target began well before this "boycott"; their blatantly racist policy of only locking up household essentials in MPLS stores makes it annoying as fuck to shop there. Like rich white kids in the greater metro don't shoplift, give me a break lol. Why tf would I go there if I have to wait on staff to show up just to open up a locked box for shit like deodorant. I don't want a face-to-face interaction when I'm buying basic shit like underwear and toiletries. Amazon and CostCo must be feasting on their customer base in MPLS. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
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u/baconbananapancakes 4d ago
I would also argue that there are other ways they’re losing what made them competitive against Walmart, etc — their clothing section, for example, had been heinous for five years now, maybe more like eight.
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u/Matzie138 4d ago
I agree with you.
I’ll also add that I HATE their discount model of Target circle offers now.
If I’m going to spend $50 on 5 house cleaning products, I’m just going to Costco.
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u/Special-Garlic1203 4d ago
They literally have shoplifting data. The issue is largely from professional shoplifters and homeless people.
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u/TheeMalaka 4d ago edited 4d ago
It's not, consumer spending is down in general as people brace for recession and overall just have less buying power and less credit available.
But it doesn't help and fits a narrative.
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u/ObliqueRehabExpert 4d ago
It’s definitely a confluence of factors, but the impact of Target becoming socially radioactive among their core shopping base is not zero.
Going from the place average people meme about going in for a toothbrush and spending $100 dollars to a socially radioactive space is going to impact the bottom line.
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u/Clean-Software-4431 4d ago
My neighbor was the head of the LGBTQ+ team at Target. In short order after they rolled back the DEI stuff, they fired him and his team. I can't believe how it happened. I will never step foot in a target again after how they treated him.
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u/Least-Breakfast 4d ago
I am a singular use case, but my family of four, middle class, strongly supports DEI initiatives, used to spend too much money at Target. Like, way too much money. We stopped the day they made the announcement, we cancelled our delivery subscription, and cancelled our credit card. It sucked, at first, but now 8 weeks later? We are perfectly happy shopping at Jerry’s in Edina, Costco, and Trader Joe’s. I think I actually prefer it!
My kiddo at college now gets grocery delivery to her dorm from Hy-Vee, and my neighbors on both sides have also stopped shopping at Target and they also say they aren’t missing it either.
I just don’t think Target thought this one through. We are likely not coming back - and we were dedicated Target shoppers.
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u/Mklein24 4d ago
To bad trader joe's is trying, or now succeeding in dismantling the NLRB. Workers rights be damned I guess.
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u/chargingblue 4d ago
I could have sworn Jerry’s was in the MAGA side of things but totally could be wrong
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u/Critical-Annual-3659 4d ago
As a former Target Corp employee - I can tell you this is just the tip of how shitty Target is. I mean the Pride and BLM items being pulled from having full displays and sections to end caps to be eliminated. This was not a wake up one day let’s change this. Target plans marketing 6 months to a year in advance. This was planned . It was one of the reasons when I left I never step foot in a Target again
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u/springmixplease 4d ago
40 days? I’m done for life and my bank account is thanking me for it.
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u/nimama3233 4d ago edited 4d ago
Your bank account is thanking you?
It’s the 3rd most affordable grocer out of the 12 major players in the metro. And Walmart is 2, and they’re openly right wing.
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u/springmixplease 4d ago
Not for me. I have a family of four, Costco is significantly cheaper with better quality options. The food selection at target is menial and their produce expires within days. Additionally, target bases their stock on market trends whereas Costco has a reliable staple items with the occasional partnership with a trendy brand. You lecture me on food prices I have been a chef for over 15 years now.
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u/PistolCowboy 4d ago
For those boycotting Target, where are you shopping instead? Don't tell me you are just not buying stuff. That only works so long. Seriously, what is the better alternative you found?
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u/129West81stStreet5A 4d ago
Aldi for the weekly grocery staples. Then usually Lunds for specialty grocery items. Lunds is more expensive but I only buy a few things a week from there so it doesn’t have a major impact for me personally. Would not do my normal weekly grocery trips there though.
For non-grocery items, Costco.
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u/TheDangDeal 4d ago
Costco for most things. Hackenmuellers for meats. Lunds and Byerlys for produce and smaller grocery items. L&B is for the quality and convenient locations, while being local. We are fortunate enough to not need to bargain hunt for food if we don’t want to. Their clothing is cheap fast fashion, so I rarely bought that crap anyway. I can buy legos from lots of places, and find better deals on better bedding at numerous stores. The only reason we supported Target was their stances and their local presence. I avoid Amazon as much as possible too. Home Depot hasn’t gotten a penny from me in nearly a decade. I personally don’t make a difference, but I can still choose who gets my money.
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u/Puzzled-Register-495 4d ago
Costco, Trader Joe's, Walgreens, and buying direct. You can buy a shocking amount of stuff you might normally buy at Target by just going directly to the website. I needed toothpaste, so I went directly to Tom's and bought it. I might have enough to last two years, but given the way things are trending I don't feel like that's necessarily a bad thing.
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u/slesby 4d ago
Aldi for weekly food and Costco for bigger hauls/non-perishables. Also, we’ve cut a LOT of unnecessary spending on random crap. Used to walk through Target with a coffee and browse, pick up a random candle here, a new shirt there… after not doing it for a few weeks, I don’t miss it. I never needed any of those things.
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u/d0nthavea_crapattack 4d ago
I haven’t been back to target since the week after the inauguration…and I’ve shopped there on almost a weekly basis for years. Hasn’t really been an issue finding what I need at other places, and I’m probably saving money buying things in bulk from Costco anyway. I’ve never labored under the illusion that these corporations are particularly genuine in their allyship, but Target’s 180 felt particularly jarring. I’m not sure when/if I’ll start shopping there again.
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u/No-Assistance556 4d ago
Turns out they underestimated the number of people of color who used to shop at Target. Walmart already had a negative stereotype but now Target is viewed no differently. They may want to reconsider if it isn’t already too late, which I’m afraid the damage is done.
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u/HumanDissentipede 4d ago
Is this foot traffic metric really the best measure of anything? Why not evaluate and compare sales data instead? There are lots of things that could reduce foot traffic without any corresponding impact on sales (online orders and store pickup, for example). It’d also allow us to compare broader trends in retail against the real behemoth, Amazon. The fact that these articles are focusing on foot traffic rather than sales makes me think they’re intentionally trying to overstate the impact of DEI decisions in a way that is not as compelling in the sales data, but maybe I’m missing something?
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u/FreshSetOfBatteries 4d ago
Brian Cornell sucks and is a terrible CEO. Target has been making missteps and resting on their laurels for 10 years.
The only thing they have going for them is their superior drive up experience. They have been slowly watering down their selection and are just sliding further and further into the "store for white moms" concept and driving all other customers away.
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u/MinnesotaArchive 4d ago
Two shitty CEO's, one after the other: Gregg Steinhafel and Brian Cornell.
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u/Traditional-Style554 3d ago
I swear, the general public has no issues with DEI. If it exists or doesn’t never impacted why a person would shop somewhere. It’s only the polarizing left and right that live the drama they create for themselves. Because they decided to divide themselves in the 1st place.
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u/mosfunky 4d ago
I wish it didn’t have the local impact that it has, but they made their bed. Just one family here, but went from once a week, go to for certain things, my kids clothes and birthday toys, their Good and Gather fresh salsa is decent… any number of other things I preferred there. It’s been 2-3 months and I haven’t missed it.
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u/VikingSojourn 4d ago
I just don’t get why they dropped DEI. As far as I know, they aren’t a government contractor, so it was unnecessary (and the wrong thing to do).
I work for a government contractor who relies on the US government’s business to survive. Management made the decision to drop DEI so we didn’t have our government contracts terminated by backwards thinking nut jobs. Our employees were (rightly) angry at the loss of DEI, but I’m sure they’d like to remain employed.
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u/ILikeLeadPaint 4d ago
I get Walmart is a horrible company, and I will not shop there, but why did people think target was the greatest company ever? Because they sort of supported LGBT community? I can tell you from personal experience that they treated their employees terribly. Trying to get as much work out of you as possible, and letting you know you're expendable (my experience).
In my orientation the HR. manager walked a group of us through the store, saw a team member sitting at the dressing room. The team member got up and started working when she saw the hr manager and the manager said: "see that! She only started working because I walked by!! I'm going to fire her ass!" Said this to a group of people she just met. That's trashy. I became a team lead eventually, someone hurt themselves, went on leave, came back, and our jobs as leads was to watch them and write them up on productivity because they were "a liability to the company". This is someone who stepped on a pallet, cut their Achilles and just returned to work from it hobbling. Written up (not by me) and fired within a week. That was a common trend there, and I have dozens of stories about how shit they were. I was 19, I didn't know this wasn't normal at the time, but I seriously don't get the love for the company.
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u/Andjhostet 4d ago
The answer is tribalism. Target has people that were shopping there that were similar to themselves, so they liked shopping there. Add in the fact that Minnesotans like to make things from their state as part of their personality and you have the weird obsession that middle class white Minnesotans had with Target until about 3 months ago.
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u/kmoon89x 4d ago
Haven't set foot in Target since they announced it. I miss the store but not enough to reward them with my money for being complicit asshats.
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u/Ok_Prune_245 4d ago
Target, like most giant corporations, exists to make a profit and enrich its shareholders. To that end, they employ whatever marketing/messaging strategy they think will generate maximum profitability. With 400,000+ Americans working at 1900+ stores across the U.S., do people really think boycotting will hurt executives more than the cashiers and warehouse people who might actually be laid off? Target reported around 4 billion in profits last year, or roughly 11 million/day. That's not exactly small change. Are people really that naive to believe that a billion dollar retail behemoth would ever prioritize social issues over making money in the first place?
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u/ferdsherd 4d ago
Why are people boycotting Target specifically? Most companies are getting rid of DEI not just them. Also at least the money stays somewhat local in a sense being they are an MN company
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u/GreatestStarOfAll 4d ago
Because the last four/five years they made a HUGE push on these matters, kept saying “our work is never done” and “keep looking for our future plans”, making it their whole identity and painting themselves as the biggest cheerleaders for the movement…and then pulling a 180 the second the Trump administration made a peep. Just speaks to how weak their word is, and how their support and care surrounding it was all performative.
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u/eatmoreturkey123 4d ago
That’s basically all companies though.
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u/GreatestStarOfAll 4d ago
Not all companies did it as strong and in your face as Target did is the point you’re missing.
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u/thenoodleincident18 4d ago
The real dumb move is they were one of the first to scale back their DEI initiatives post Trump’s inauguration. You are right that many companies are dropping these initiatives now, but being among the first just pissed off half their customer base and made them a target (pun intended). If they dropped it now, it would barely register.
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u/ferdsherd 4d ago
Idk I think the other companies then are getting off scot-free then when they’ve still made the same decisions as Target
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u/GreatestStarOfAll 4d ago
But their participation and brand evolution is not the same as other companies who did the bare minimum for a year at best. Target did a complete identity change to reflect the movement while other companies made social media posts and merch. Not the same thing.
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u/geodebug 4d ago
Can’t boycott everyone but Target made themselves a target by fumbling what could have been a quiet shift.
Shit, why even announce it at all except to put a flag in the ground that you’re pro-MAGA and everyone who doesn’t like it can get fucked.
It’s like Tesla, not the workers fault Elon is a turd but targeting the dealerships gets attention, which is the point of any demonstration or boycott.
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u/degoba 4d ago
Everything they sell is also just garbage. Cheap fucking junk.
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u/Raquelitamn 4d ago
My wardrobe used to be a sizable % of Target pieces and I could count on stopping there and finding decent quality/cute stuff. Now it’s literally all hot garbage. Don’t even consider it an option anymore.
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u/seantubridy 4d ago
Can anyone explain why they did this? Not like a “because they’re racists” explanation but the actual strategic thinking behind announcing this? Like, this was a colossally bad move. If they were going to do this why even announce it knowing their customers? Was this just worry about repercussions from the Trump administration and preemptive compliance?
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u/Certain_Medicine_42 4d ago
Are any of us going to act surprised that every single one of these corporations is soulless and apathetic towards humanity?
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u/illbehaveipromise 3d ago
Yep. Amazon and target both lost our business, for good. Been paying prime membership since they were available. No more.
Costco is a little less convenient, but a whole lot cheaper in addition to being not morally reprehensible in obvious ways.
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u/DeadlyRBF 3d ago
NGL, it was a massive mistake for them to announce the withdrawal publicly. A lot of businesses quietly did so and people are still shopping there. I think it's fucked up to do it period, but I'm not entirely sure what they were thinking. Their main customer base is on the left, they didn't suffer this bad when "anti woke" people were boycotting due to their pride merch.
On that note, here is a reminder that boycotts across the board are having an effect. Try to be minimalistic in what you buy. Basic stuff only if you can. Long term financial boycotts have historically worked and it seems to be working now.
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u/Pretty-Economy2437 3d ago
I used to spend thousands there each year, and I haven’t been since the DEI announcement. I am honestly thrilled at how many have been voting with their wallets on this one. I really hope they reinstate their DEI initiatives (I do actually really miss Target!!) but I won’t hold my breath.
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u/Blackbelt010 3d ago
THANK YOU, MAJORITY AMERICANS!!! BILLIONAIRES NEED THE MIDDLE AND LOWER CLASS. LETS GO! JUST HAVE TO GET BY WITH LESS FOR NOW.
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u/Advanced_Dimension_4 3d ago
Good, we customers hold the purse strings! Keep it tight. Eventually, they may return to common sense.
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u/BidAlone6328 1d ago
Should have kept their mouths shut from the beginning! That's a hell of a strategy, piss half of your customers off and then piss the other half off! 🙄
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u/chargingblue 4d ago
Where are people getting basic cleaning supplies? I’m good on groceries from Costco or TJs but cleaning, Target was my reliable
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u/dorothylouise 4d ago
I went to a frattaloni’s hardware and bought a couple cleaning things. Yes, it’s more expensive, but I only buy that stuff about every two years.
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u/Material_Nature7732 3d ago
What Boycott? Every target I go into in the twin cities are always busy.
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u/signerster 4d ago
I was a regular Target shopper. I haven’t been to Target since the boycott began. I missed the store when getting ready for vacation. But, I held strong. The idea of funding their hate campaign gives me all the strength and resolve I need to stay away. Rediscovering Etsy and shopping directly from the manufacturers and local shops is the way to go now.
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u/Kushhkabob 4d ago
Out of everyone can’t believe they dropped the ball on this one…