I’m still sorta surprised at how thoroughly Target misunderstood its customer—or, at least, one of its most important customers. Relatively well-off, college-educated suburban women do a disproportionately massive amount of consumer spending, loved Target, and are statistically not Trump voters - ThreadSky

amandamull.bsky.social • 12 days ago

I’m still sorta surprised at how thoroughly Target misunderstood its customer—or, at least, one of its most important customers. Relatively well-off, college-educated suburban women do a disproportionately massive amount of consumer spending, loved Target, and are statistically not Trump voters

Reposted from Brendel

It’s pretty remarkable just how thoroughly Target got its shit wrecked for the anti-DEI stuff
www.cnbc.com/2025/05/21/t...

Comments

duncanives.bsky.social•12 days ago

I planned to make a snarky comment about how Target was run by old white guys so of course they got it wrong. But this is the team who did this, to my surprise.
https://corporate.target.com/about/purpose-history/leadership

mattferrel.bsky.social•12 days ago

Anecdotally, can confirm. We dropped them and went to their competition across the street

hellocthulhu.bsky.social•12 days ago

I don't see many (any?) people talk about how Target is a successful story of terrorism.

They started changing their policies to remove LGBTQ+ targeted displays after numerous instances of people threatening violence in stores. Literally terrorism, completely given a pass.

werelupus.bsky.social•12 days ago

i think most educated people aren't Trump voters

catebridget.bsky.social•12 days ago

haven’t been there since December!

boykobostonian.bsky.social•12 days ago

Yup. MAGAs shop at Walmart. Liberals shop at Target.

w0x0f.bsky.social•12 days ago

Target was a go-to because they had good curbside service.

We’re shopping elsewhere now. Bought Costco membership and stock. 🤞

allysaurus42.bsky.social•12 days ago

I also think they underestimated how many women in suburbs who don’t care that much about what Target did, do care about what their neighbors think, and don’t want to be unloading Target bags in their driveway.

ingemarknows.bsky.social•12 days ago

Yep doing my part to send them a message.

kategrams.bsky.social•12 days ago

Used to be there all the time. Groceries, housewares, clothes. They turned their backs on people I care about. It has been easy to go elsewhere

bannedhat.bsky.social•12 days ago

I think DEI is at best the straw that broke the back for people, Target had other problems where depending on the store at best the experience felt like a more expensive Wal-Mart.

bannedhat.bsky.social•12 days ago

Like if I wanted a messy disorganized depressing shopping experience where half the shit I am looking for is under lock and key I could pay less somewhere else down the road.

jginsburg.bsky.social•12 days ago

Literally 5 minutes down the road from Target is Walmart, and if Target is gonna do the same crap, why not go for the cheaper option

bannedhat.bsky.social•12 days ago

I imagine this is the case in most large metros too. Target also does get this I think, the stores around me have really narrowed down the items you need to get a clerk to unlock and generally made sure the store was cleaner and more organized.

jaydubveedub.bsky.social•12 days ago

Target had tricked America that they were something better than Walmart with a bow tie. At least that is over now.

funkynassau.bsky.social•12 days ago

Boycott or not, their stance on DEI made me realize I don’t want whatever they’re selling. All of it can be purchased elsewhere. #Target

bigbrain1234.bsky.social•12 days ago

It’s an example of people thinking Twitter and social media are a true mirror of society. They started to fold when they hid their pride collection in the back of the store because of X grievance influencer campaigns. Journalists and C suites don’t know how to parse X & constantly get dog walked.

coolnameliz.bsky.social•12 days ago

And that was the Christian moms that drove that shift on outraged tiktoks, right?

bigbrain1234.bsky.social•12 days ago

No idea. I was talking about x.

coolnameliz.bsky.social•12 days ago

Sorry i was responding to your comment on hiding the pride merch in the back. That was a huge turnoff to my HS/college girls.

whardy.bsky.social•12 days ago

They’ve always been kind of the anti Walmart. Now Costco has that title.

limonene.bsky.social•12 days ago

It was such a misreading on their part. When I was going through my receipts from last year to calculate my Use Tax for the state, I was a little shocked by how many Target purchases I made in 2024. That spending fell off a cliff after they made their announcement about rolling back DEI.

vinosmax.bsky.social•12 days ago

I feel seen. Haven’t been in months. I used to go 1-2 times a week. Several of my friends are the same.

rowyourbot.bsky.social•12 days ago

For sure. Everyone hates them now. They GOT customers by being cool about the bathrooms too. Everyone was flocking to Target. Then when they started caving to the right, they started to lose customers. Somehow they didn’t catch on. One problem will be some neighborhoods ONLY have Target for a store.

josephusbrown.bsky.social•12 days ago

Not for long they won’t

brassgoddess.bsky.social•12 days ago

Yup. It wasn't just the dropping of DEI initiatives. They said they wouldn't collect any data on DEI initiatives' outcomes.
I used to buy over half of my groceries there. I tapered down after their 2023 anti-LGBTQ caving.
Now I haven't shopped at Target for months. I'll cancel my card soon.

jessicabess.bsky.social•12 days ago

It me! Turns out there's almost nothing Target sells that I can't find elsewhere.

mfkfree.bsky.social•12 days ago

Why are we surprised? Greedy, Corporations suck on DJT's .. hoping for better results. HAHAHAHAHA. Target can Go to Hell!

christinepnw.bsky.social•12 days ago

I think that they fell prey to the Washington Post syndrome. They took their core consumer base for granted and assumed that they had no where else to go, and catered to a group that already hates them in an effort to win them over. But that group can never be won - group loyalty is elsewhere.

savemeaseat.bsky.social•12 days ago

Exactly this

sciencehippies.bsky.social•12 days ago

💯

drokka.bsky.social•12 days ago

It’s also what the old school Democrats are doing

qed2.bsky.social•12 days ago

some of them, anyway, yes

I'm not sure the old ones are notably more susceptible to it than newer; Newsome for example really stepped in it, and he's not in the septuagenarian class

maudlinmarionette.bsky.social•12 days ago

Bingo.

Mangament saw the hysterical tik toks and panicked. As you say, those people where never real Target shoppers. They were online vandals trying to cause a scandal & bandwagoners out to go viral.

They forgot that it's the quiet, slow disappearance of your customer base that will sink you.

bawnsley.bsky.social•12 days ago

Me, this is me. I stopped going to Target due to this stupidity, and I used to go every 2 weeks!

cjbinmd.bsky.social•12 days ago

I do most of my shopping at Costco, but I used to go to Target about once a month and bought a lot of stuff there. I haven’t spent a dime there since the boycott started and don’t know whether I would ever go back (if it ended).

amandaarrick.bsky.social•8 days ago

This will be studied in economics and business classes in the future, I can almost guarantee

billjank.bsky.social•12 days ago

My lovely wife - Target’s demo as you described - has a Costco membership now. She did not in February.

scobeard.bsky.social•12 days ago

It’s insane to me because I know they work with an advertising agency who’s WHOLE THING is understanding their customers and what will and won’t piss them off (I know this because it’s exactly what I do at an ad agency) - and they just…didn’t consult them? Or did and ignored them?

shawna.bsky.social•12 days ago

Ah, then you also know the unfortunate answer to this one. Fellow comms person here, and the worst part of that industry is getting clients to face the truth and listen to you. 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

jaysartcorner.bsky.social•12 days ago

I’ve basically switched to local stores or Costco for my shopping needs, and even when I’ve gone into target for something the other stores don’t have and I need, guess what? Half the time target doesn’t have it either and I have to go somewhere else anyway.

hoamrun.bsky.social•12 days ago

I dislike the articles use of the word “blames” and think it should say “takes credit for”

llfar.bsky.social•12 days ago

Yup. I’m a relatively well-off, college-educated suburban woman (white) who used to go at least once a week. (In Minnesota there’s a Target on every corner.) Stopped cold-turkey when they dropped DEI. It was easier than I thought it would be. Doubt I’ll go back even if they change policies.

pollyf.bsky.social•12 days ago

Target also did some remodels in the last couple of years--aisles are cramped now (cannot even get the cart around the cosmetics area!) and its look is more industrial. Add it together, and it's not hard to remember to drive my minivan elsewhere. . .

windahl.bsky.social•12 days ago

Oh year....

lildonnyb.bsky.social•11 days ago

Tim Walz sent the national guard into neighborhoods to shoot people on their porches with rubber bullets as revenge for a target getting looted.

newbandy15.bsky.social•12 days ago

I won’t go there anymore!

ghostofyossarian.bsky.social•12 days ago

I'm equally surprised that a midwest based company in blue Minneapolis would bend the knee to Trump.

jennpo85.bsky.social•12 days ago

A lot of well-off, college-educated, suburban white women also voted for Trump.

la-33.bsky.social•12 days ago

A vote can happen quietly, while choosing to shop at Target, or not, is more socially obvious in many ways. Moving your spending away from anti-DEI Target could also be a mea culpa for some people who voted Trump, but later felt bad about the blatant fascism.

bullgooseparty.bsky.social•12 days ago

“Our most loyal customers with the most money to spend pronounce Target like it’s French, they probably hate gays.”

fangorn04.bsky.social•12 days ago

Target is a no-go zone for me until they roll back the DEI rollback. I’ve got lots of other options to buy what I need. I won’t support corporate racism. I won’t support business leaders who knuckle under to fascist government goons demanding the death of DEI.

ronblack404.bsky.social•12 days ago

imagine public stating that your anti-DEI meaning you're anti diversity equity and inclusion. Think about that for a second. That's Maga! That's where we are as a country that people can proudly say they're against diversity equity and inclusion.

hoopbears.bsky.social•12 days ago

They did a "Tesla"

(altho that 1 can be attributed directly at 1 person rather than an entire corporation)

its-its.bsky.social•12 days ago

I want this for everyone kissing the ring. All of them!

katelynstarrpdx.bsky.social•12 days ago

i'm so glad to see their company tanking. there is a target store in walking distance from my house but, nope, haven't even walked in the door for months. i will not give money to bad companies if i have any other option.

bewildered37.bsky.social•12 days ago

Did Target forget that real people buy more Target merchandise than Trump and all of his Billionaire buddies combined?

jls3.bsky.social•12 days ago

Lifelong Target shopper. I’m in my 50s. I was there weekly at least for the past 25 years. Haven’t set foot in the store or car in the parking lot since January. Bye! 👋🏼

elliemargolis.bsky.social•12 days ago

I know so many people who have stopped shopping there, despite it causing inconvenience, because of the DEI stuff.

ceceliab.bsky.social•12 days ago

Count me as one of them

gardenstate-julie.bsky.social•12 days ago

I did so much shopping at Target but haven’t gone since the DEI rollback

invisiblebetty.bsky.social•12 days ago

I guess that is what happens when companies don't have strong core values and instead react to the whims of politicians.

It's their workers and the local communities that rely on the tax revenues from Target that are really paying the price of these bad corporate decisions.

elove.bsky.social•12 days ago

and yet i’m not surprised this guy misunderstood his customer base

siyandawrites.bsky.social•12 days ago

The alt text is literally trying to kill me 🤣

craigynoodlehorn.bsky.social•12 days ago

Like, damn ya know? I find myself going “the best choice for me is to not shop at target or amazon and instead shop at…Walmart…”

siamesemom.bsky.social•12 days ago

Marketing 101 - know your clientele. No Target for me.

dubdj.bsky.social•12 days ago

Bummer for them.

mjpaisley.bsky.social•12 days ago

In my area of downtown Chicago there isn't another big box option but I've worked around my previous bi-weekly browse and shop. Haven't / won't set foot in the State Street or Streeterville stores again.

amandamull.bsky.social•12 days ago

And even a lot of Trump voters (and, I’d guess, especially from the Target customer demo) think that DEI is, like, generally a positive thing. It polls well, still, after all of the negative public messaging from the right about it. Just a huge misread on the store’s part.

paullaforet.bsky.social•12 days ago

I think this is the big one. Only the most diehard MAGA supporters are going to change spending habits based on DEI policies, vs on the left where a much larger % of consumers care about this enough to change where they shop.

whetmoser.com•12 days ago

some of the outward facing stuff, like from black designers, was also just nice goods. idk how it sold but it seemed to actually kind of prove the argument for DEI, that it produces new ideas

coolnameliz.bsky.social•12 days ago

I thought so too, for linens those were the only brands I'd buy the last few years, more interesting designs and more colorful. Good quality.

amandamull.bsky.social•12 days ago

Like, maybe they made the calculation that they could sacrifice their Black customer base, or that their Black customer base wouldn’t actually care enough to change their habits. That was clearly wrong. But if part of that calculation was that basically no one else would care, that seems wrong too!

invisiblebetty.bsky.social•12 days ago

I guess they figured their Black customer base was disposable but hadn't considered that there would be an impact on the REST of their customer base.

steveintransit.bsky.social•12 days ago

It feels like a diverse staff could have helped shed light on that.
Now they're just shedding customers.

laminx.bsky.social•12 days ago

Seriously. In the Target near me, there are a few employees with special needs and even a few clearly elderly people. It was a place to hang out after work. They have a Starbucks and a make up counter. What the hell were they thinking? 🤷🏻‍♀️
Oh well.

satchmobronson.bsky.social•12 days ago

Business guys are stupid all the time. It's a little surprising given Target's history over the past 10 years but not, like, THAT surprising.

thermostat.bsky.social•12 days ago

Honestly, I think a significant segment of corporate america thinks everyone is like them - not wanting to be seen as racist/homophobic, but really indifferent to actual marginalized ppl.

They thought Trump's elex allowed them to step back at the same time their clients wanted to be more vigilant.

sactowntim.bsky.social•12 days ago

I'm curious if CVS has seen any dropoff - at least here in California, many are located inside Target stores.

Anecdotally, my family stopped shopping at Target and moved our prescriptions out of the embedded CVS as well.

jstjst.bsky.social•12 days ago

CEO says lower numbers are “a reflection of sales that it is losing to retail competitors.” Duh, bc we went to find competitors to shop with.

Why? You abandoning DEI.

CEO says to increase sales: “making sure we provide a great shopping environment.” That ain’t going to fix it.

amgamble.bsky.social•12 days ago

A commitment to DEI sure does make a great shopping environment for a diverse range of shoppers . . . oh wait . . .

loredena.bsky.social•12 days ago

I didn’t know my closest cvs is embedded till I picked up a prescription, and I will be moving that prescription !

darkrose.bsky.social•12 days ago

Are there any non-Target CVS stores left in Sac?

satchmobronson.bsky.social•12 days ago

There's one in South Sac. For now.

sactowntim.bsky.social•12 days ago

Good question, I don't recall the last time I was in a Target that didn't have one.

weneul.bsky.social•12 days ago

*whispers* try CostPlus Drugs for cheaper prescription prices!

garnede.bsky.social•12 days ago

CVS prices for everything are crazy high.

rawagman.bsky.social•12 days ago

Is this bad decision worse than their foray into Canada 12 or s years ago?

yonewchi.bsky.social•12 days ago

Target lost the MAGA customers during the pride backlash.

They weren’t losing customers by continuing their DEI programs because those MAGA types cheering that kinda move wasn’t going to Target over Walmart anyway.

kipenyan.bsky.social•12 days ago

Honestly I’m a bit surprised at people’s credulity on this one. When Target had misses before the rollback, it blamed them on conservative boycotts. But when you look at either time span, nothing really lines up. It seems like a classic case of pinning normal business failings on culture war stuff.

whitneyepi.bsky.social•12 days ago

Interesting! What data are incompatible with consumer backlash affecting Target’s revenue/profits?

Do you think the Costco story of increased revenue is also off-base?

whitneyepi.bsky.social•12 days ago

Working through my own question: This chart indicates that Target has been suffering for a while. But the big 2025 drop still seems notable…
https://bsky.app/profile/carlquintanilla.bsky.social/post/3lpoj53lvo22r

amandamull.bsky.social•12 days ago

It’s def not Target’s only problem, but from the convos I’ve had, it’s a common scenario: a vulnerable company makes a new misstep at the wrong time and exacerbates existing weakness. Hard to apportion blame, but similar retailers (incl. those with more cash-strapped bases) are doing better

ozmodiar.bsky.social•12 days ago

I'd be curious to see this comparison against someone other than Costco. The 22-23 inflation would be expected to hit normal retailers and drive people to warehouse discounters like Costco.

whitneyepi.bsky.social•12 days ago

It would be good to see other comparisons.

And I’m most interested in the 2025 trends, after Target’s January 2025 announcement

cookingtheresa.bsky.social•12 days ago

You have a good point. Costco is a different business model being bulk buying with membership fee

kipenyan.bsky.social•12 days ago

If you look at their quarterly data for the past couple years, this is a very normal down quarter for them, and it’s coming alongside the lowest consumer confidence since Covid. Their sales were down more YoY Q1 2024 than this year. The only real difference is in the framing. Can’t speak to Costco.

whitneyepi.bsky.social•12 days ago

Thanks for the response.

Are you referring to Q1 of 2025? I remember them trying to spin Q1 as 1 bad quarter, with the idea that sales would bounce for Easter. My impression is that the downturn’s persisted longer than they forecasted, w no good alternative reason, which has shifted the story

kipenyan.bsky.social•12 days ago

I’m talking about last years Q1. All the doom & gloom/victory laps are about 2025 Q1 being some kind of trainwreck, but it was less of a downturn than Q1 2024. They’ve been up and down a lot lately, more down than up, and this Q is perfectly in line with that, despite worsening macro conditions.

amandamull.bsky.social•12 days ago

I was pretty skeptical at first but the retail reporters know who have looked into it closely think it’s real

kipenyan.bsky.social•12 days ago

I’d buy that it makes them less resilient to economic headwinds than they’d otherwise be, but just looking at the numbers it seems like we’re talking about a fraction of a percent of sales attributable there. Just seems like the volume of What It Means is dramatically outpacing the scale of effect.

amandamull.bsky.social•12 days ago

Genuinely I think people are eager to see evidence that they are capable of drawing blood, and I think it’s surprising to a lot of people in the industry that consumer boycotting can touch a company that big in any perceptible way. Notable in ways that bad inventory management aren’t!

schauffd22.bsky.social•12 days ago

Agreed

antjespethmann.bsky.social•12 days ago

I know I'm boycotting

hibiscus2586.bsky.social•12 days ago

I also expect Target to have well-stocked shelves, be clean and not have merchandise in disarray. I quit going before the DEI mess. They are threatening to take my credit card away unless I use it soon. I'm going there this weekend and hope I'm pleasantly surprised.

kream1.bsky.social•12 days ago

How about Amazon and all their subsidiaries.?

lisacarp.bsky.social•12 days ago

My Target is an easy walk down the street and was our go-to for just about anything we couldn’t get at Costco. Double trouble - it also transformed part of its parking lot into a huge Tesla charging area. Lost me completely.

joanmcrobbie.bsky.social•12 days ago

And many of these formerly faithful Target shoppers are moms, and the mom anti-Target network is powerful.

lesliem.bsky.social•12 days ago

Hi, it’s me.

ds500.bsky.social•12 days ago

They also share a lot of shoppers with Costco, who chose not to shoot themselves in the foot and is now reaping rewards.

Pure executive malpractice, Cornell needs to go

mjwiegand.bsky.social•12 days ago

We'd been on the fence about finally joining Costco, but Target's and the looming tariffs finally pushed us there in March. Haven't been in a Target since.

girlwhowhirls.bsky.social•12 days ago

Costco isn’t really a Target replacement for me. Honestly, some of the stuff I bought at Target I’m now buying at the grocery store, and some of it I’m not buying at all. Cleaning supplies at the grocery store, and cute little knickknacks not at all.

laminx.bsky.social•12 days ago

Which is probably how Target did so well. Everyone jokes about how they went into Target for say, a soda and cat litter and walked out with rugs, a new bathing suit, a Lego set and 5 items from the $3 bins.

suellen1956.bsky.social•12 days ago

We are starting to make a difference by choosing where our money is spent. Kudos to all who have refused to support businesses that don't mesh with their personal belief system.

bigfatbartolocolon.bsky.social•12 days ago

I wonder if they were betting on alienating customers being less damaging than being in the crosshairs of the current administration?
Which does not excuse what they did, I'm just curious about the calculations that lead people to justify their immoral decisions.

sciencehippies.bsky.social•12 days ago

Oh, they knew! Target is driven by data on its customers. They knew a teen was pregnant before she told her parents, based on her shopping behavior. They track shoplifting until people shoplift enough to warrant felony charges.

They knew. They thought we wouldn’t care.

mjlp716.bsky.social•12 days ago

Costco, on the other hand, was spot on, with who their shoppers were.

kathrynesings.bsky.social•12 days ago

My 13YO LOVES Target. It’s one of her favourite outings when we go to the US. Since I explained the why of the boycott, she’s been like, “well, sucks that I can’t do that anymore.” Still talks about missing it but has moved on to persuading her grandparents to take her to Costco.

lindalindberg28.bsky.social•12 days ago

Target sure did miss the point but I still shop there because it is more woman friendly than Walmart.

kmcm.bsky.social•12 days ago

+ LGBTQ+

debebb.bsky.social•12 days ago

I'm boycotting Target, Walmart and Amazon. Wayfair is good. They donate to Dems. Buy from them.

rawtoo.bsky.social•12 days ago

I just did my normal Target shopping at my local Costco. Anything I didn't find there will be at CVS or nearby hardware store. Never bought groceries (old-fashioned word) at Target so that doesn't affect me.

kitsuneluvuh.bsky.social•12 days ago

Lol I fit that demographic and have not set foot in Target since the boycott began.

forestoffaun.bsky.social•12 days ago

the funniest underestimation of all time

josiehogan.bsky.social•12 days ago

Yes. I have to say it was my one stop, go to, shop. I haven’t been there in months and I don’t miss it. I figured out a new strategy to get everything I need, and in some cases switched brands. They will have to do so much more than an Elon Musk performative gesture to win me back.

laminx.bsky.social•12 days ago

This. I don’t think I can ever go back to him though. 😏

electricjen.bsky.social•12 days ago

It was my one stop shop too and I found it very hard to fully break up

After giving up finding my preferred laundry detergent elsewhere, I opened the ole’ target app to find such desperation-reeking deals that I ordered 12 bottles at a price I’m certain is a loss for them 🤭

seosf.bsky.social•12 days ago

Never underestimate corporate stupidity.

sezneg.bsky.social•12 days ago

DEI is popular! So is anti-immigrant racism! It’s the duality of America that goes back to a lecherous slave owner writing the Declaration of Independence.

jthomas7.bsky.social•12 days ago

Agree. Our daughters informed the rest of the family months ago that we no longer shop at Target. And we don't.

erileykc.bsky.social•12 days ago

It's almost as if the 'captains of industry' in our vaunted capitalist system aren't terribly smart outside of a very narrow set of conditions. Shocking isn't it.

sumgirl.bsky.social•12 days ago

I’m in a rural-ish area but we have a Target and a Walmart. Target was my go to and I haven’t stepped foot inside since February.

megsmayhem.bsky.social•12 days ago

I stopped shopping at Target when they dropped DEI, unless there is no other option. I used to love Target. I bought most household things there except groceries when I found them cheaper elsewhere. It has NOTHING to do with tariffs. I am a late 40s non-trump or any Republican voting, white woman

laura76574.bsky.social•12 days ago

How can diversity, equity, or inclusion be bad. They’re just insane!

schroedinger.bsky.social•12 days ago

It's especially puzzling when their whole businesses model is "you want cheap stuff but don't wanna be seen in Walmart" to the point that they tried to use that strategy in Canada and immediately failed because Walmart doesn't have quite the same negative connotations in Canada as it does in the US.

joanincanada.bsky.social•12 days ago

Kinda. Target didn't really understand the Canadian market & didn't seem willing or able to learn.
https://expertbeacon.com/why-target-failed-in-canada/

nikolreeves.bsky.social•12 days ago

We were betrayed and we will never get back together… EVER!

danielsand.bsky.social•12 days ago

My SO is not online in any way and even she walked away from Target based on how publicly they destroyed their public image.

jjarchitect.bsky.social•12 days ago

And we have not shopped there since January.

Fuck Target

#FuckTarget

richkurt.bsky.social•12 days ago

My wife is sad she can't shop there.

They could just, you know, bring back DEI? IDK what they are doing at this point.

dancingshadow.bsky.social•12 days ago

Simething about Sunken Cost something.

camiam21.bsky.social•12 days ago

It me! Loved target. Haven’t shopped there since that day. Still can’t figure out where to buy new household items.

mrsarkban.bsky.social•12 days ago

Still mad they won't reinstate the programs.
It's the very obvious solution

snowmein.bsky.social•12 days ago

This has been a problem for too long. Target failed in Canada because it did not understand the Canadian customer. I still choose it over Walmart or Amazon.

sharknado.bsky.social•12 days ago

I used to work there and the thing is they absolutely know that is their typical customer, they’ve modeled their entire business around it. Which is why this decision was well and truly baffling from the beginning, because I feel like they had to know???

bigbrain1234.bsky.social•12 days ago

They knew. They just crossed their fingers and hoped it wouldn’t be too big of a hit. The ceo appears to be incredibly weak and unable to meet the moment. The board also seems to have just given up.

gmc444.bsky.social•12 days ago

They sorely underestimated how serious many of us are about spending $$ in line with our values. I can withhold my (formerly regular) business forever.

peakraider.bsky.social•12 days ago

Maybe the CEO is just a fucking idiot

sharknado.bsky.social•12 days ago

Most CEOs are, but he’s also been there for over a decade, more than long enough to know better

captainblye.bsky.social•12 days ago

It’s like if a vegan restaurant stared adding a few chicken dishes to get more customers. It completely scares off your core block of customers while gaining you nothing because no one thinks a vegan restaurant will do chicken well. Just one of the dumbest business decisions ever.

courtneyinoh.bsky.social•12 days ago

Just another example of how overpaid, out-of-touch and useless so many CEOs are.

freedomcs76.bsky.social•12 days ago

Also remember, the CEO reports to a Board of Directors and stockholders who probably agree with the decisions being made. CEOs should push back and do what is right but their stockholders come first.

danfarina.bsky.social•12 days ago

Are target stockholders far different than Costco or even Goldman Sachs or Apple ones? In general, shareholders have not been particularly agitating for policy change.

danfarina.bsky.social•12 days ago

Rather, they’ve been quite dismissive of intrusions in their held companies, preferring continuity. https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/24/business/costco-dei/index.html

deborahahrens.bsky.social•12 days ago

For your anecdata set, I am a college-educated woman (although in a city) who used to shop there twice a week and I have not set foot inside since the DEI change.

ohwellokay.bsky.social•12 days ago

I think the sum of their actions is actually way worse than just the DEI rollback. Between that, capitulating to the crazies who tore down their pride merch displays, locking up the face wash, and only running one human-staffed checkout line on Saturdays adds up to "We don't want your money" fast.

ohwellokay.bsky.social•12 days ago

I don't want to shop at a store that actively resents my presence!

sciencehippies.bsky.social•12 days ago

I had to buy borax cause I have an ant problem, and I had to have a cashier get it from a locked case, she then took it direct to the cashier and I had to wait in the human cashier line (only the one!) to get my borax. It was unreal.

spinnity.bsky.social•12 days ago

Well, that just makes sense. Could not possibly trust some rando customer with $5.99 ant baits, come on now. 😒

phenolbarbiedoll.bsky.social•12 days ago

I'm glad you brought up the Pride thing because even before the DEI mess my gay self got told whose side they were on, and it's not mine.

drsinbin.bsky.social•12 days ago

Yup. The anti-dei mess was the final straw for a lot of us but the message has been building for a while that they just don't want our money. Put it all together and it made it easier to walk away and stay away.

erobin.bsky.social•12 days ago

Also, (I think) Target got a lot of business from ppl experienced in staying away from ethically compromised businesses (Walmart). Staying out of Target is not a big deal. CostCo is often right there.

eaustin1969.bsky.social•12 days ago

I’ll never go back

tamslick.bsky.social•12 days ago

“We’re gonna be a more bougie Super Walmart…

…hey, where’d all the bougies go?”

islamoradalover.bsky.social•12 days ago

I used to go to Target when I just wanted to get out of the house. I always ended buying stuff that I didn’t know I needed. I’m honestly surprised at how easy it was for me to cut them off.

rdilkus.bsky.social•12 days ago

Same here. I work from home so sometimes I just went to be around people for a bit.

Stopped doing that, have saved a bunch of money. Same with Amazon.

I miss random browsing, but they aren't getting my money.

reysjones.bsky.social•12 days ago

I guess Target thought all those women running around shopping were there for their husbands and on their husband's order and dime. SMH

atlbruce.bsky.social•12 days ago

I went to Target over the weekend (first time since Ash Wednesday). I killed my Target Circle account back in March.They are the only local retailer with a couple of very specific things I needed. I paid cash and did not give them my phone number.

jillybean17.bsky.social•12 days ago

It’s not just suburban women! Target has focused on urban centers, including smaller walk in stores where large grocery stores are not nearby, filling them with food, beauty supplies and liquor. The loyal customers appreciated their prior progressive stance.

abbysliva.bsky.social•12 days ago

this vid is long but expands on your point and also @acollierastro.bsky.social is delightful

botticellibelle.bsky.social•12 days ago

Yes! That was a great video.

rockymtnman.bsky.social•12 days ago

Angela makes excellent videos, thank you.

ajsider.bsky.social•12 days ago

🎯

hokieandrew.bsky.social•12 days ago

Angela Collier did a great video on Target and just how much they missed the mark. Which is wild since deep data analytics was their whole thing.

https://youtu.be/lPVSj9rcK-E?si=qDRmCG13h_dkhq4P

harrymfhood.bsky.social•12 days ago

We boycott target because they folded on DEI.

We used to shop there every other week.

Big mistake

gia489.bsky.social•12 days ago

Huge!

moosewithablanket.bsky.social•12 days ago

Heck, my wife and I decided not to shop there anymore when they gave in to anti-LGBTQ+ hate. And they've only proved again and again that was the right call.

merchantofvice.bsky.social•12 days ago

Throwing on my consulting hat, for an important number that is surprisingly under marketed to “The Black buying power in the US is projected to reach approximately $1.98 trillion by 2025”

notyourcomrade.bsky.social•12 days ago

But as an UMC white lady, I also really liked the showcasing of black owned businesses and their products. It was fun to try new products and see different products in the store.and me and my daughter have that curly hair and we LOVED the hair products!!

jenniferpetitt.bsky.social•11 days ago

High five from a fellow UMC white lady.

amandamull.bsky.social•12 days ago

A huge customer segment unto itself and one whose influence on other types of customers is still under-appreciated, I think.

heyheygillian.bsky.social•12 days ago

Every time I saw how many Black hair shops there were in Brixton or Peckham I'd think 'how the hell are big retailers just...ignoring this market? People with Afro hair spend so much on keeping it looking good!'

peakraider.bsky.social•12 days ago

Interesting because every Target I've been in has a pretty expansive "black hair" section

jennjvn.bsky.social•12 days ago

Yep! Their reputation wasn't the same as Walmart, for example, with many more Trump voters. Was it hubris, they thought they were 'too big to fail' or something? I've always loved Target very much, but that's it, they're dead to me. People can live w/out them & won't support fascist bootlickers.

smorell93.bsky.social•12 days ago

Target is also the big box store with the most (relative) city presence. I think they really underestimated how many Democrats in major cities would just stop shopping at them. It's really wild to me they didn't realize this.

soaf.bsky.social•12 days ago

In 2013, Target started opening stores in Canada. By 2015 all 133 stores were closed.
A very concrete track record of not listening to the customer.

rockymtnman.bsky.social•12 days ago

What did they get wrong a decade ago in Canada?

designinginward.bsky.social•12 days ago

I cannot believe I randomly encountered an opportunity to share one of the most massive enterprise software failings that ever happened.
https://canadianbusiness.com/ideas/the-last-days-of-target-canada/

rockymtnman.bsky.social•12 days ago

Thanks! Wow, what a disaster of greed an hubris. Terrible CEO performance should never be rewarded with a generous golden parachute, and the remuneration should be clawed back from him and the board. I believe Angela Collier's assessment in her video that they will will go under in 15 years.

rowyourbot.bsky.social•12 days ago

Everyone I know shopped at Target because they were perceived as being a ‘neutral’ store…They got so many customers from being just ‘not openly evil/bigoted.’ I literally remember when they said they would not police bathrooms in 2012 because I got a Target credit card, LOL.

amandamull.bsky.social•12 days ago

Right, their retail footprint and product mix is so focused on relatively affluent urban and suburban areas…we know who lives there!

dizwire.bsky.social•12 days ago

Haven’t been to one here in Minneapolis since they caved on eliminating DEI

jamesfromqueens.bsky.social•12 days ago

I do not feel bad for all of the sturdy red bags I took at self checkout all those times.

grannylater.bsky.social•12 days ago

Kin of like Elon with his Teslas. He obviously did not know his market. Liberals are far more likely to buy electric vehicles than the oversized truck Magas.

roxane.bsky.social•12 days ago

They probably don’t want to pay for proper market researchers so know nothing about who their customers are. Not that they don’t have a shit load of data from collecting customer phone numbers at check out but you would then need to hire analytics people to understand it.

aangtifa.bsky.social•12 days ago

Target is the shitlib Walmart and it seems insane they didn't know that

wlmich.bsky.social•12 days ago

💯 me! PhD education, live in a suburb and have a good income. But no way, no how and I spending money at Target. I can not budge for my values longer than Target. Eventually, they will need us back. They whine about lost sales but do nothing to bring us back. Too bad. So sad.

sabr24.bsky.social•12 days ago

My son was a weekly Target shopper and he grew up shopping there with me.
He no longer buys from Target.

therealkeninmn.bsky.social•12 days ago

It's like everyone forgot about that time when former CEO Gregg Steinhafel rained shame down on Target for making large political contributions to the homophobic Republican't anti marriage equality PAC supporting POS Tom Emmer's run for MN governor in 2010...

dsyb1985.bsky.social•12 days ago

It’s a double whammy because an urban/suburban market is less captive than a rural one.

drbonne.bsky.social•12 days ago

I think this speaks to the disconnect most businesses have from the American people. Their customers are shareholders and the consumers are just another resource to be exploited.

The people making these decisions are so rich, they cannot relate to the perspective of the average American.

progalaskan.bsky.social•12 days ago

This-this-THIS!! Ms Mull hit the nail right on the head. Target just absolutely torched the loyalty of its customer base by caving on DEI. No one in my house has set foot in a Target store since then.

lizziejp1.bsky.social•12 days ago

diverkaren.bsky.social•12 days ago

Getting what they deserve.

oldmanmark.bsky.social•12 days ago

every time I go to target -2-3 times a week it's all suburban women

I know that doesn't mean anything whatever but I literally saw no drop-off in this demographic you point out 🤷‍♂️

amandamull.bsky.social•12 days ago

Consider for a moment that, say, a 7% decline in patronage by this demo would be a huge problem for the company but not perceptible to you wandering through one Target occasionally

oldmanmark.bsky.social•12 days ago

I made a simple comment about my own observation and specifically pointed out that it didn't mean anything

sometimes people just say things to say things on social media that reflect their pov but AREN'T NECESSARILY a thesis on "reality"

🤷‍♂️

folderalconspiracy.bsky.social•12 days ago

I think you have taken the wrong lessons from the fact that it is only suburban women.

If it was also suburban women before, and 10% of suburban women stop going, that is a 10% drop in sales. But it will still be all suburban women in the store.

oldmanmark.bsky.social•12 days ago

hmmmbuzz.bsky.social•12 days ago

The stated purpose by SV technocrats, Project 2025 and RU govt. is to destroy our federal government for 50 weak states and our fair trade economic system by replacing publicly traded companies for private,non transparent.1/2

hmmmbuzz.bsky.social•12 days ago

2/2 The 2nd is to enrich the .0001% with perpetual defense contracts and give them unregulated, untaxed flow of assets. There is no higher purpose.

georgeordavid.bsky.social•12 days ago

Target has several competitors that stepped in for subsistution. There was nothing special about their merchandise. The difference was the focus on DEI or woke or whatever you want to call it.

priyamatta.bsky.social•12 days ago

DEI also benefits women (of all races) in the workplace.

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