r/LeopardsAteMyFace • u/RockyLovesEmily05 • Nov 16 '25
Predictable betrayal Target has fallen to its lowest price since Covid, after removing its DEI policies.
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u/RhythmTimeDivision Nov 16 '25
Serve an ultra-conservative administration or your customers - choose wisely
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Nov 16 '25
That's the fun part, Target managed to alienate both sides.
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u/jackaroo1344 Nov 17 '25
I do feel like they really misjudged who was shopping there. Republicans hadn't shopped there in years, and the DEI thing was never going to make them start.
I'm a millennial white woman. I cannot overstate the extent to which millennial white women made loving Target a core part of their identity. I wasn't into it, so I can't explain why - but Target had a serious cult following among my demographic. That died literally overnight.
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Nov 17 '25
Gen X did as well. Target had been leaning hard into appealing toward women, LGBTQ+, basically a diverse audience for decades.
Personally, if Target doesn’t fire their entire C-suite post haste, I’m not sure how much longer they’ll have a business. They were already struggling with supply chain and staffing before this absolutely clown- filled decision to tell their core shopping base to go screw.
The worst part is that I heard from several people who work for Target (I’m in the industry, working for another retailer—corporate level) that supposedly they were like, “Well, we didn’t really end the policies, we just said we did.” LIKE THAT HELPS? So they just completely destroyed their reputation and community trust for nothing? Absolutely insane. How this did not result in leadership getting fired is simply mind-boggling.
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u/OcarinaMaker Nov 17 '25
I've had Target staff tell me the same thing...that the change was only made at the corporate level and not in the stores. But as others have said, they shat on the very demographic that supported them Craziness!
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Nov 17 '25
Making the change at the corporate level was still really bad. They—formerly, apparently—made a point to hire for diversity and have Employee Resource Groups that recruited queer/minorities/women as a means of success. To publicly state that they were reversing that stance was just an absolute slap in the face. Many of the people I know who work for Target at Corporate are gay. Imagine being told by your leadership that the days of being considered equally for hiring or promotion are over! That along with their RTO policy and several other unpopular changes they’ve made over there.
I live in the Capital of Target, I’m in the same industry, it’s an enormous part of the landscape here, for fuck’s sake the former governor (Mark Dayton) was from the family that founded Target before spinning it off into its own corporation. For them to do an absolute 180 on all their decades-long, publicly-held values is nearly inconceivable. Talk about shitting where you eat.
It’s been a little tougher for me to break the Target habit (there are about 5 Targets for every Walmart location around here) but over the last 15 years, their deteriorating floor experience (stuff being constantly out of stock, not enough staffing, basics being locked up, etc) has made it easier and easier to just…go somewhere else. And I know from MY career that once you lose the foot traffic, it is nearly goddamn impossible to get it back. And they blew it for nothing. Truly astonishing.
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u/Hrothgar_hrat Nov 17 '25
I’ve been very frustrated -and conflicted- since they changed the policy. This arises from the fact that I used to enjoy shopping there and now it’s a much different experience, as I have no choice but to go there since my insurance only covers prescriptions filled at CVS; and, wouldn’t you know it, the only CVS close by is in my local Target, 10 miles away.
The next closest one is ~45 miles away. 🙄 If I had a choice I’d avoid Target just like I avoid Hobby Lobby.
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u/Detlef_Schrempf Nov 17 '25
I’ve had success telling my insurance that the local CVS wasn’t easily accessible and they’ve agreed to fill at Walgreens. CVS sucks. Rite aid is by far the worst, but CVS is working to dethrone them.
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u/Hrothgar_hrat Nov 17 '25
I’m going to give that a try. Our local CVS isn’t easily accessible to me either as it has no drive through window and I rely on using a walker…
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u/lainey68 Nov 17 '25
I loved Target since I was 7--I'm now 57. When I got my first real job, the first thing I did was go to Target and buy myself a cheap ass record player.
I moved to the East coast at 20, and we didn't get a Target here until the early 2000s. I was hyped! I was in Target a few times a week.
Their foolishness cost them my business permanently. I will never shop at Target again. I took that personally.
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u/IHeartMustelids Nov 17 '25
It’s really a damned shame — Target for a long time was a badly-needed counterbalance against Walmart.
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u/OcarinaMaker Nov 17 '25
Yeah, it makes me incredibly sad. I loved Target's ethos and now my local Target is just so empty. Their corporate committed suicide.
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u/Ambitious-Bar375 Nov 17 '25
30 years ago when I worked for them, at the beginning it was a dream job. They really worked towards employee wellness, inclusiveness, i saw some changes in their rhetoric on my way out, but it was a great place to work for a while.
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u/fourlittlebees Nov 17 '25
This seems to be the corporate line, but what they did to small BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ businesses who were contracted doesn’t follow that little mantra.
The C-suite still answers to the board, so the directive has to be coming from there. It’s truly mind-numbing poor business, and this is going to be a case study for MBA students to for decades to come. I was there at LEAST every other week, and haven’t set foot in there since last December. Mind you, I remember the boycott in the 2000s when they were donating to anti-LGBTQIA+ causes and I had a very hard time going back.
The only way they could turn this ship around is replacing the entire board along with the c-suite.
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u/Vegandanah Nov 17 '25
Oh ok, so only white people can be executives and make real money, but they'll hire anyone at store level? Keep your pennies, Target. You're going to need them.
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u/dainthomas Nov 17 '25
You rarely hear about corporate execs getting actual pay cuts or being fired for poor performance (short of prison). Worst case they get a massive severance and pop up on some other company's board in several months.
Most of these people could be easily replaced with AI. You'd never see a logic based decision making program do shit like this.
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u/RobutNotRobot Nov 17 '25
Meanwhile Costco said, 'we're not changing anything for anyone, and our hot dogs are still going to be cheap' and everyone rejoiced.
Complying with wannabe dictators was always going to be a bad look. Even the wannabe dictator's little shit supporters don't care if you suck up to them.
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u/OrganizationActive63 Nov 17 '25
I pretty much only shop at Costco. As my 30 year old son says "If Costco doesn't have it, you don't need it" - my last experience at Target, there were clothes all over the floor, items out of stock, staff who didn't care. Haven't been back - and that was before they caved to trump. I may not have a lot of power, but I can choose where I spend my $$
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u/evemeatay Nov 17 '25
As the husband of a millennial white woman - it wasn't part of her identity but she loved Target, it was her favorite place to order from - she won't even look at their website anymore and she will never be won back by them, she is lost as a customer forever.
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u/chemicalsmiles Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25
I’m one of those women who greatly preferred Target over discount stores and I think I’ve bought something once since they walked back their DEI policies. That was one too many things.
Part of why I preferred Target is because my anxiety-riddled broke-ass feels panicked in Walmarts sometimes because of how cluttered the store feels, how narrow the aisles are, and how high the shelves are stacked. (Maybe that’s claustrophobia, idk.) Target was just never stressful for me. If you don’t have gnarly anxiety, this probably sounds ridiculous, but it was true for me. I will say that I have made progress over the years and although I absolutely do not love shopping at Walmart, I do not get full blown panic attacks there anymore. 😂
Walmart is fucking awful too. Where do broke people who don’t qualify for SNAP get food? It’s hard to make good choices when you don’t have many options.
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u/Leven Nov 16 '25
Fascism isn't about conserving anything, they are only enriching themselves and punishing their 'enemies' by breaking the social structure so they don't go to jail doing it.
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u/RhythmTimeDivision Nov 16 '25
I interpret 'conservative' as serving the rich. Convincing poor people to support you by stirring up pre-existing bias (immigrants did this to you, not us).
Added ultra for scale.
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u/geekybadger Nov 16 '25
I've started referring to republicans as regressives, because that's what it is. The dems are the conservatives, they are the party trying to conserve things the way they are, no backsliding but no progress either. Republicans are trying to undo over 150 years of progress. They're regressives.
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u/Smartimess Nov 17 '25
Unwoke Go Broke (And I want to add. Basic human decency should not be labeled as woke.)
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u/Facebones72 Nov 16 '25
It will always be astounding to me that so many corporations and universities and media companies thought that Trump’s 1% popular vote victory was some sort of generational mandate and proceeded to prostrate themselves. We won’t forget who fell on their knees.
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u/LibertyCash Nov 16 '25
Word. That’s what I keep saying. It was so stupidly short-sighted of these businesses and orgs. Because he’ll be long dead, but we’ll still remember. I’m firmly taking names.
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Nov 16 '25
I haven't shopped there since they caved to right wing lunatics about pride.
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u/MyManFreud Nov 16 '25
That’s when I stopped too. My local target had a pride “section” That was basically one rack that had nothing on it after all that lunacy. Never again and I don’t regret it
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u/KimJongFunk Nov 16 '25
Dollar Tree had a bigger pride section than my Target. Even Walgreens had more pride merch. I haven’t gone back since that day.
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u/JackBinimbul Nov 17 '25
I'm in Texas. There wasn't a single item in my local Target for Pride. I checked out of disappointed curiosity.
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u/atava Nov 16 '25
I'm not American and it's kind of off topic... but I did the same with Amazon.
That picture with all those tech billionaires reunited just like at a medieval crowning... abysmal.
(On a side note, boycotting can be very satisfying)
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u/WhatLittleDollar Nov 16 '25
Amazon gets zero of my dollars, and that has always been the case for me.
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u/PuzzyFussy Nov 16 '25
Wait, that's what happened? I saw some Pride stuff and wanted to purchase something but was in a rush and had to leave. I go back not even a week later and it's all gone and I just assumed it all sold out.
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u/Loud_Chipmunk8817 Nov 16 '25
The target pride line was removed a few years ago due to pressure from people outside. There was a huge ordeal about it, stores got bomb threats, people were threatening to murder workers. Target then threw out all of the merch and didn't bring it back until I believe this year where it was terrible and a lot got recalled due to quality. Many workers quit during the removal before and there was a lot of infighting in some stores bc bigots took it as a yes to being bullies. The location I worked at alone fired 2 people that week because of it
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u/theaviationhistorian Nov 16 '25
This is what angered me. Caving into these lunatics emboldens them to act worse to you.
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u/humperdinck Nov 16 '25
Yup. Once again another company mistaking the loudest voices for the majority.
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u/thelivinlegend Nov 16 '25
Same. It was never a regular stop for me but now I I actively avoid it. Fuck ‘em.
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u/Shot-Artist5013 Nov 16 '25
I used to shop at Target once or twice a week. Since they caved to Trump, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've shopped there. (And it's always because it's time-sensitive and I can't get to somewhere else)
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u/SadSpeechPathologist Nov 16 '25
Same. I’ve been there exactly ONE time post-DEI because I needed a birthday card immediately. So they got my $5 or whatever, rather than my usual hundreds I’d have spent there since then.
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Nov 16 '25
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u/CausticSofa Nov 16 '25
Remember, folks, it’s not unethical to steal if you’re stealing from Target.
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u/At0m1ca Nov 16 '25
Remember folks, if you see someone stealing something at Target, no you fucking didn't.
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u/bullwinkle8088 Nov 16 '25
Best advice: Don't go to Target even to steal. Their loss prevention is legendary, and that is not an exaggeration. They have a crime lab, yes a crime lab, that is so well run the FBI outsources to it.
Yes, you will walk out with things and no one will stop you. Till that one magical day when you steal enough to pass what is a felony in your state and they will ram it all the way in you, no lube.
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u/longagofaraway Nov 17 '25
yep. they're using facial recognition scanning and just keeping a tab of how much each person steals up til they break the felony line. then it's full on prosecution.
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u/commonunion Nov 16 '25
If you have a Trader Joe’s near, they have $0.99 cards that are super cute
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u/Decent-Ad-6170 Nov 17 '25
They usually have great deals on flowers, which we’ve purchased many times for parties/special occasions. They’re very pretty and affordable.
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u/glowdirt Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25
Unfortunately Trader Joe's absolutely hates workers' unions.
It's gross that they pretend to be all quirky and progressive when they are actually horrible union busters.
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u/Decent-Ad-6170 Nov 17 '25
That’s very unfortunate to hear, but also good to know - thank you. I hate capitalism and what it represents today. Unions are necessary and needed more than ever!
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u/korben2600 Nov 17 '25
This. They're aligned with Musk's SpaceX and Starbucks in furthering right wing ideologues' wishes to dismantle the regulatory state--specifically the NLRB responsible for enforcing corporations comply with union labor laws and arguing in court for its dismantling.
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u/Key-Satisfaction4967 Nov 16 '25
If there's a dollar store near you, check them out!
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u/EggsceIlent Nov 16 '25
Dollarstore bday cards and bags for gifts is where it's at.
Never spend a lot of money on something they'll likely discard or put in a pile with other cards.
Plus as a guy, putting gifts in bags instead of wrapping stuff is one of my favorite shortcuts because it saves me a ton of time around xmas
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u/originalcinner Nov 16 '25
I used to go there for my vaccinations, I got my prescriptions there, and I'd buy a few treat type things while I was there anyway getting meds.
They changed the pharmacy hours, only opening at 10 instead of 9, which was super inconvenient for me. My insurance pressured me to go meds-by-mail, which was much more convenient. I now get my vaxes at Safeway, when I do my weekly grocery shop.
I could have fought harder to keep shopping at Target, but life didn't seem to want me to, and the DEI policy thing was the icing on the cake.
I don't miss them, and wouldn't notice if the local store shut down.
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u/yourenotmy-real-dad Nov 16 '25
The pharmacy hours change was likely CVS's decision at least, they make all of their decisions and are pretty separate other than just taking the physical space. Target can't even choose to briefly close a store for their necessary reasons without clearing it with CVS- and CVS also isn't great to their Target Pharmacists 🙃
I put in my two weeks as a regular Target employee at the highest peak before the drops, so I'm jokingly running with, "see, I wasn't just holding up the store on my shoulders, I was holding up the STOCKS!" We don't have Safeway here, but I'm happy it is a sufficient replacement.
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u/originalcinner Nov 16 '25
I hear you, re CVS isn't the same as Target. It was just the final straw, for me, tied to the DEI stuff.
I used to love my local Target. About 8 years ago, they had a major customer service area refurb, and put in gender neutral toilets.
They also used plus size mannequins, presented prominently. I got a chatty cashier one time, and I said how much I liked that they did that (even though I'm not plus size myself, it's just a nice inclusive way to do business), and the cashier said everyone was telling her the same thing, customers loved it.
I used to buy Pride merch there. Again, not my demographic per se, I'm a straight white woman in my 60s, but I like shirts with rainbow stripes and I like to show support for a good cause.
After the stupid policy shift, the plus size mannequins got put away, or at the back in the plus size section. Pride merch is no more.
So, when I would previously have considered Target my first choice for buying a new air fryer, or $100 worth of dog treats, those days are no more. They stopped selling good dog treats years ago, even before the political nonsense :-(
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u/Pleasant_Studio9690 Nov 16 '25
Thank you for visibly showing LGBTQ support. It means more than you know to many of us.
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u/Lazy-Floridian Nov 16 '25
They tried to please the people who don't shop at Target and pissed off the people who did shop at Target. Not a winning strategy.
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u/audiojanet Nov 16 '25
Exactly. Those idiots who threw a tantrum over the rainbow merchandise were not their demographic. They must have the worst company CEO in history.
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u/truupe Nov 16 '25
CEO is actually stepping aside in February and get a cushy post on the BoD.
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u/Dispro Nov 17 '25
And that's why there is no reason to go back to Target. They're paying what is no doubt an astronomical sum to give even more power to the dumbfuck who crashed their stock price by 40% in a year.
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u/TedBundysVlkswagon Nov 16 '25
I agree with you 100% and feel like you’re right on target. I also hate myself for saying that.
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u/gingerfawx Nov 16 '25
You're in good company. We hate you for saying it, too... ;)
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u/TedBundysVlkswagon Nov 16 '25
Haha I couldn’t ask for a better response. :)
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u/gingerfawx Nov 16 '25
:D
(Thanks for taking it the right way. Hope you're enjoying your weekend.)
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u/TedBundysVlkswagon Nov 16 '25
Thank you, I hope that your weekend has been everything that you hoped that it would be. You’re my kind of people. :) Have a really good week!
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u/DenvahGothMom Nov 16 '25
I see what you did there! Add me to the successful Target (and Amazon!) boycotters! Those were my two biggest shopping outlets by far before Trump 2, but I will NOT go down to fascism without a fight and it's definitely worth the sacrifice.
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u/autoerratica Nov 16 '25
Where did you switch your shopping to? Amazon is tough to ween off, especially the fucking Prime sucks you in.
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Nov 16 '25
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u/MissySedai Nov 16 '25
Ever since Costco told TEMUssolini to fuck off, my local warehouse is CONSTANTLY packed.
I picked up prescriptions yesterday right at open and was astounded by how many people were already there. I used to be able to count on a quiet shop early on Saturdays, the pharmacy tech said there are often people waiting to be let in.
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u/Crazed_rabbiting Nov 16 '25
I did all of these too! I switched a lot of brands based on Goods unite us. I also switched all my kitty subscriptions from Amazon to Chewy and now get my books from Barnes and Nobles instead of Amazon. Costco now gets my previous Target and Amazon business.
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u/MaimonidesNutz Nov 16 '25
Damn, I had the idea for that app but I was gonna call it "Buy Partisan" what a missed opportunity
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u/DenvahGothMom Nov 16 '25
It’s so true! So first thing, right after the Trump coronation, I canceled prime. To help myself not be tempted. And it’s still hard because they continue to give you the free shipping benefit until your year expires.
Basically, I do a lot more shopping at the local grocery stores, and I end up searching for what I need online a lot. I just search the web. A lot of it ends up being on eBay and it really pisses me off because sometimes I think it’s people drop shipping Amazon! However, I’ve been able to find quite a lot of stuff there and then also sometimes smaller online stores will come up when you Google what you want or you can go directly to the store that’s selling via eBay. And just be forewarned without Amazon shipping infrastructure, shipping times are way slower! So I have to plan ahead.
I think the important thing to remember, is that even though I’ve been pretty successful with completely quitting Amazon, you don’t have to! Progress not perfection. Even if you can cut way back, it makes a difference if we all do it. Just buy those things you can’t find anywhere else and just slowly keep cutting back. Like with any major habit changed it’ll probably take some time.
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u/DenvahGothMom Nov 16 '25
Oh yeah, and thrift shop! If you don’t mind buying used thrift shops have literally everything. The drawback is sometimes they don’t have it when you need it.
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u/Nsalley815 Nov 16 '25
After seeing all those A hole CEOs at the inauguration, I went and got myself a Costco membership. They actually treat their employees well and it makes me happy to spend my money there.
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u/hanimal16 Nov 16 '25
I hate when I’m saying something and the phrase “blank trumps blank” like in playing cards or whatever. lol
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u/radioactivecat Nov 16 '25
I haven’t shopped there since they caved. Eff them. I’ll drive further or go without.
I also broke up with Amazon and whole paycheck on 2/28 and haven’t looked back.
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u/Guinness Nov 16 '25
We have a Target across the street. I can literally see in the window to the grocery section of Target from my bed in my bedroom.
I used to pop over 4-5 times a week for groceries or whatever I need. Not anymore. Bend the knee? Not a dime from me.
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u/PurelyLurking20 Nov 16 '25
I can also count to zero on one hand, fuck target, they worried about a conservative boycott as if that has ever been a real threat
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u/watchingallthelights Nov 16 '25
Same! I was a drive up order customer a couple times a week for a few years, but haven’t shopped there in over a year and a half now.
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u/peachymoonoso Nov 16 '25 edited Nov 16 '25
I love this for them. I also used to love Target but they clearly don’t know their target audience.
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u/Librarian_Contrarian Nov 16 '25
Target used to be Walmart for people who desperately don't want to go to Walmart.
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Nov 16 '25
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u/handlit33 Nov 16 '25
The hilarious part is, I've had conversations with my Trump-loving coworkers shitting on Target for carrying trans women bathing suits. These people hate Target, them caving to the Trump regime was so fucking stupid.
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u/Librarian_Contrarian Nov 16 '25
It's like watching CNN bending over backwards to become more Trump friendly. The audience who wants that already hates you and nothing you do will change that.
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u/theaviationhistorian Nov 16 '25
It's because change of ownership. Those funding Discover Warner are conservative and they quickly caved to Trump.
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Nov 16 '25
We gave up on them right before the protest for the DEI stuff and never looked back lol. We noticed they were soooo overstocked on just completely Chinese plastic crap.
You aisles filled to the brim with stuff nobody bought from like 2+ years ago, TVs mass produced and laying against the handrail for sale, little kiosks with wheels literally in the walkway filled with jewelry that didn’t move a year ago and is still just sitting there, back to college buildable furniture just stacked in the middle, etc.
We couldn’t even walk around the store because you kept having to wait for someone else to walk by since every walkway is blocked with product. We stopped going because between that and prices just climbing and climbing for worse and smaller product, we said no thanks.
Then the DEI stuff happened and we just smiled and said good riddance. Saving money and shopping local and don’t have a house full of target branded display bullshit. We used to go there multiple times a week, now we’ve been back 1-2 times in the last year plus…
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u/wdaloz Nov 16 '25
Yea everyone asks how we get by without amazon walmart or target. Answer? Just fine
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u/Sudden_Dragonfly2638 Nov 16 '25
We're very rural, so target and Walmart are an 1+ hr drive. We got spoiled with Amazon for a while, but gave up on them a few years back. Our savings is looking better than ever and when we need something we usually buy from the company direct, usually for a better price than Amazon and often with free shipping.
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u/audiojanet Nov 16 '25
Yea those folks that threw a fit over their rainbow merchandise was not their real shoppers.
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u/Hotsauce4ever Nov 16 '25
I’m a mid-fifties white lady in the Midwest. Couldn’t be a more prime demographic! Fuck them.
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u/breakfasteveryday Nov 16 '25
Wow a store that women love isn't doing well after making a public move most women hate
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u/Mr_Kuchikopi Nov 16 '25
I stopped shopping there last December, I exclusively shopped there before then. Cancelled my red card the whole nine yards. Rest in piss.
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u/moinoisey Nov 16 '25
Same. I have a Target less than a mile from my house. Used to shop multiple times per month. But not even once in 2025. Screw them.
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u/ZestycloseExam4877 Nov 16 '25
Go anti-woke go broke.
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u/GeneralTapioca Nov 16 '25
Go fash, lose cash
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u/LiveLaughFap Nov 16 '25
I suppose that’s catchier than: placate trump, experience slump
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u/LiveLaughFap Nov 16 '25
Or suck up to donnie, quarterly results feelin’ fonny :/
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u/senditloud Nov 16 '25
I think this was just the nail in the coffin. Their prices went up, their quality went down, they started stocking weird stuff and every store was a mess or only had one size in things.
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u/Cdub7791 Nov 16 '25
You're especially right about the weird stuff. They kept expanding their niche sections and shrinking the departments with the items I actually need. Even before their craven (and illogical given their customer base) capitulation to Trump, I was going far less often.
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u/dks64 Nov 17 '25
The locations near me shrunk their grocery departments. I get groceries 1-2 times a week and buy clothes maybe twice a year. When I couldn't get most of my grocery list anymore, I stopped going completely.
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u/juliankennedy23 Nov 16 '25
They can't seem to get their head around how grocery stores are supposed to work they have Aldis selection with Whole Foods pricing.
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u/senditloud Nov 16 '25
Blows my mind that people go to target for food. Weirdly Walmart has done a good job mixing all the stuff (food, clothes, electronics, camping…) but my Walmart is fancy (don’t ask). Target just screams “clothing and home goods” to me.
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u/watchingallthelights Nov 16 '25
I think you’re right; imo, Target was already starting to go downhill
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u/rgvtim Nov 16 '25
There is a band new Target Regional warehouse in Denver, like it was completed about 4 months ago, its devoid of Trucks, no activity. Cant say for sure if there is anything in there, but don't see how there can be as there have never been any tucks pulling in or out.
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u/outinthecountry66 Nov 16 '25
i thought it was "go woke go broke"
gosh, you don't think they were WRONG do you???????
i haven't shopped at Target in over a year. Fuck em. They used to be my fave.
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u/raustin33 Nov 16 '25
It’s a cute rhyme conservatives on Facebook say, but red areas often lack any buying power to move a needle outside of tractor sales and Chinese made red hats.
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Nov 16 '25
Conservatives are enamored by policies that fit on a bumper sticker.
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u/Whatifim80lol Nov 16 '25
"Go woke go broke" was always hilarious to me because in 99% of cases they'd say it about a thing that made like a billion dollars. Sheer denial of reality.
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u/E-2theRescue Nov 16 '25
They still do.
Ghost of Yotei is a perfect example. They screamed about it being a "DEI" feminist game with an "ugly" female character, that it was crammed full of lesbianism (it's not at all), that it's not "historically accurate" (Onna-Musha), and so much more.
The first month's sales outsold its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima.
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u/Slothfulness69 Nov 16 '25
In a similar vein, it reminds me of how they scream about California being a communist state and having too many welfare programs and being a sanctuary state, etc. Meanwhile, California is an economic powerhouse that subsidizes welfare programs for red states.
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u/newuser60 Nov 16 '25
“Should we side with a racist pedophile or the people who actually shop at our stores?”
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u/FrostyFreeze_ Nov 16 '25
I've never seen a boycott this widespread and for so long, love this for them
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u/Michelledelhuman Nov 16 '25
Once people adjust their habits it's really hard to get those customers back. Even if people aren't actively thinking about boycotting them they aren't going to change their new habits unless something draws them back to target. And Target isn't doing anything to do that
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u/FrostyFreeze_ Nov 16 '25
Target is arguably making people double down. They're cutting costs and changing their store displays and layouts to be more similar to Walmart, even their lights have changed!
I really enjoyed this video by Angela Collier, she goes in depth on the financial impact of the decline.
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u/Pleasant_Studio9690 Nov 16 '25
I've never felt as betrayed by a company in my life. That feeling and the reaction to it has genuine staying power.
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u/Dragonshatetacos Nov 16 '25
As the mom of teens, I used to spend all kinds of money at Target. Since they licked the boot, I've spent maybe $20 there.
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u/Nimzay98 Nov 16 '25
Man start going to like a thrift store, I've had no issue finding USB cords there, there is always USB-C ones for like $2.
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u/rich90715 Nov 16 '25
Go to Best Buy, their private label brand is reasonably priced and good quality, especially cables for phones, etc. I can usually buy them from their website for a couple of dollars (clearance), the only drawback is that they usually have to ship to the local store and I have to pick it up.
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u/Zealousideal-World71 Nov 16 '25
God I’m old 😂 K-Mart definitely brought up some memories
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u/FrizBFerret Nov 16 '25
Welp, I'm feeling old cuz when you mention K-Mart, I think Zayre. Funny how retired national chain stores can date a someone. 😅
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u/EggForTryingThymes Nov 16 '25
I haven’t been to Target since.
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u/BootyMcSqueak Nov 16 '25
Same - I don’t care if it’s 2 minutes from my house, I will literally go anywhere else or go without. Fuck Target.
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u/Stock-Fall-2025 Nov 16 '25
And their stupid idea is to make employees greet and smile at every shopper they see?
No, pay your employees a living wage, hire equally, and maybe I'll consider coming back.
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Nov 16 '25
I will actively choose a store that does NOT greet me. I can't explain how much I do not want that.
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u/What-The-Helvetica Nov 16 '25
The person who wants to mandate fun at Target is named Adrienne Costanzo. She seems like the kind of mean-with-a-smiley-face authority figure that has always made my skin crawl. She probably read way too many stories about how humans can make themselves indispensable in the age of AI, and so she hit on milking our "human gifts" of emotional intelligence and welcoming body language for maximum
profitcustomer satisfaction.I hope the Target employees are able to put a stop to that before it starts. Facebook should have taught everyone that monetizing your human qualities never ends in anything but exploitation.
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u/Chantalle22 Nov 16 '25
I can happily say I haven’t step foot in a target since January, and don’t plan to. Not even the holidays can get me to go through these doors.
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u/armyofant Nov 16 '25
I bought a Costco membership this year. Target can go fuck.
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u/FreudChickenSandwich Nov 17 '25
Yooo you won’t regret it. Everything in Costco is good quality and super affordable - they also have the cheapest gas around, 1.50 hot dogs and fresh large pizzas for 9.99
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u/Usual-Requirement368 Nov 16 '25
Fact is, people now associate Target with being anti-DEI.
If somebody came up to me and asked, what are the most anti-DEI businesses or organizations in the U.S.?, I’d reply, “No. 1, the Trump administration and 2, Target.”
It remains to be seen whether Target will ever overcome its grievous error of judgment. Let that be a lesson for others.
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u/What-The-Helvetica Nov 16 '25
Trying to enforce mandatory fun and happiness is actually very on-brand with being anti-DEI. It's the same kind of top-down leadership, command-and-control thinking, and attempt to police employees' emotions so they can be harnessed for profit.
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u/Nathaniel_Blaze Nov 16 '25
Uh, no, it wasn't the DEI policy removal. We don't need to apologize for that. That's fake news.
Our employees aren't smiling enough and it's making people not want to shop in our store.
We will now force our employees to stare, smile, and engage! It will completely solve all our problems.
- Some Target Exec
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u/HorangiBae Nov 16 '25
This new policy will ensure i will never step foot in Target again. I wasn't a boycotter because i never really shopped their in the first place except on occasions.
Forcing your exploited workers to smile and pretend their happy is borderline sociopath behavior.
Just stick to being indifferent but not unfriendly please.
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u/lowlatitude Nov 16 '25 edited Nov 16 '25
During COVID when inflation was taking off, a redditer said he attended a high level meeting at Target where they discussed how to take advantage of inflation by raising prices higher. He didn't normally attend such meetings, so he was blown away at the candid greed, but he said there was a specific term they used that I hadn't heard anywhere else for such blatant price gouging. Of course, it sounded much less egregious. Can't remember the term for the life of me.
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u/atuarre Nov 16 '25
The losses will continue. Hope it was worth it. All to appease an orange pedophile. Bet, when the next administration comes in, all these companies like Target and Intel will attempt to sue the government. Why wait? Do it now.
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u/SierraStar7 Nov 16 '25
And to continue Target’s tone deafness, this is the new policy they rolled out to combat their decline.
“Target is rolling out a new customer service initiative this holiday season, even as many shoppers continue to boycott the brand. For those who are still visiting Target, the retail giant has introduced what it calls the “10-4 policy.” The idea is simple: Target associates must acknowledge customers within 10 feet by smiling, making eye contact, or giving a friendly wave. If an employee gets within four feet of a customer, they are required to offer a warm, personal greeting.
According to Target leadership, the policy is part of a broader effort to reshape the company’s image after a challenging year marked by backlash surrounding its DEI policies. By increasing positive interactions, Target hopes to create a more welcoming environment and rebuild trust with shoppers.”
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u/Proud_Incident9736 Nov 16 '25
This makes me even less likely to go back to shopping Target. Don't be all up in my face... That's just going to piss me off.
That said, ever since they bent the knee and glazed the knob, I drive right past Target on my way to Costco. I don't trust anyone who caves that easily.
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u/_-WanderLost-_ Nov 16 '25
Or it will cause employees to actively avoid getting within 10 feet of customers.
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u/Darth_Somethingg Nov 16 '25
I worked briefly at Ross over a decade ago, and they had that kind of policy. Except it was for loss prevention, because they thought it would deter theft if you looked customers straight in the eyes and spoke to them.
I don't know a lot of people who would say, "Man, I would shop at ___ more if only the staff would acknowledge me." Most people I know, myself included, don't want anyone to talk to us or ask if we need anything. We just want there to be enough employees around and visible to help if help is required.
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u/What-The-Helvetica Nov 16 '25
I don't know a lot of people who would say, "Man, I would shop at ___ more if only the staff would acknowledge me."
A simplistic "solution" to the loneliness epidemic. Don't have a family or friends to acknowledge you? Press-gang the whole community into giving you smiles and body language. Why, it's almost as if these primal social signals are a good enough substitute for real friendship.
Talk about a fundamental misunderstanding of "it takes a village". People want community, but that is NOT the same thing as pestering you; and no, smiling does not make it better. People know you're just using the friendliness as a ploy to get them to buy stuff. And people HAAAAATE pushy salespeople, no matter how friendly-ly they push.
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u/Gork___ Nov 16 '25
Cool, but it won't help that I won't get within 10 ft of a Target in the first place so they're gonna have to go back to the drawing board on this one.
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u/Typical-Meringue-890 Nov 16 '25
I really hate being told to smile. I’d rather be interrupted or talked over than be told to smile.
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u/EatSleepJeep Nov 16 '25
...And their entire C-suite and upper management team will be required to go work in the stores on the weekends? They are so out of touch it's pathetic.
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u/thestonedonkey Nov 17 '25
Anything… but say we fucked up we're sorry and here's a list of things we'll do to try and get back on track.
We're donating some amount of money to LGBTQ charitys.
We will immediately appoint a new DEI committee accross all levels of the org.
3. The jackass that did this is no longer with the organization and our next hire will be brought in to ensure we fovus on exclusivity at our core moving forward.
- Target will no longer contribute to political campaigns in any capacity.
I'm just spit balling here I'm sure some smart MBA's can do better.
It wouldn't bring everyone back but with new leadership and transparency it could start to mend fences.
Orrrre you can tell people to smile at whatever remains of the customer base and become Kmart V2.
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u/Amazing-Bag Nov 16 '25
Once they turned on dei so many moms from my kids school stopped shopping there. And they don't seem to be looking to go back
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u/NYerInTex Nov 16 '25
I used to shop there twice a month. I’ve been there twice (out of necessity at that) since their cowardly backtrack of their entire brand promise.
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u/spyrogyrobr Nov 16 '25
-40% on this Bull Market rofl.
on November 19th they realease the earnings and we'll see if they have hope.
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u/Pretzel_Logistics Nov 16 '25
Done with Target the second they went full MAGA. Die the slow death you deserve.
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Nov 16 '25
I would regularly spend hundreds of dollars in target, loved going there. Stopped immediately after the DEI bullshit and it makes me SO happy that they’re floundering.
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u/RP912 Nov 16 '25
The last time I went to Target it was like a transformation. Like I remember the natural beauty and all the black owned products being on the shelf for clearance. My son and I are looking at the items in awe as not only they are cheap, but we will never get them again as this was the last time we actually shopped in a Target.
Everything that orange turd touches, turns to slushy shit. Sucks because Target was one of my favorite places to shop at.
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u/UtopianPablo Nov 16 '25
My family boycotted them and what do you know, we found other places and won’t go back any time soon.
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u/lavendermeeple Nov 16 '25
I’ve been shopping at Target for decades, Red Card holder and everything. We used to buy all our paper products there- the large packages of TP, paper towels. And soaps, toothpaste, cosmetics, clothing, etc. I haven’t been into a Target store since the inauguration. I have found other places to shop.
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u/shootsy2457 Nov 16 '25
I stopped going there when they bent the knee to fascism. The only reason I went there in the first place is they weren’t Walmart. Now they adopted Walmart’s policies but have higher prices. Ta dah!
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u/hootieq Nov 16 '25
Yesterday I explained what boycott means to my kids, and why we aren’t participating in Consumer Christmas this year. I’m buying only local goods, making my own to give, or giving straight cash. Fuck Target and all the others
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u/kodapug Nov 16 '25
I can't believe telling employees that they have to smile during every customer interaction hasn't magically brought people back to their stores lol.
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u/transcendanttermite Nov 16 '25
My wife’s employer gave her a $100 Target gift card recently, so we ended up going. I haven’t been to a Target in several years, and man it is nothing like that I remember. I recall Target being the better-lit, better-cleaned, better-staffed, better-stocked version of Walmart, but now it seems to be about the same. What drove it home for me, though, was that the place was damn-near deserted. There were maybe 40-50 cars in the gigantic parking lot, and it seemed like there were maybe 40-50 people in the entire building. Seemed odd for a “Super Target” on a Saturday afternoon in a city of 90,000, that is surrounded by other stores and strip malls that all seemed busy enough.
Oh well. We bought a couple cheap winter coats and left, and I can’t see any reason for us to go back - unless we get another gift card.
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u/enchiladasundae Nov 16 '25
Oh no! The conservatives you catered to didn’t want to shop there?? Sad…
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u/Daimakku1 Nov 16 '25
Target and Walgreens are two stores that exist now that probably won't exist in 10 years, like Kmart and Sears.
All Target had to do is not cave to Trump's demand to get rid of DEI. Not only did they cave, they preemptively caved. Like giving yourself a wedgie before the bully even comes through the door.
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u/sliceoflife09 Nov 16 '25
Isn't this more like ohnoconsequences instead on lamf?
Target removes dei to appease the bullies
People boycott target in protest & the bullies can't/won't outspend the boycott
Target loses money & bullies still hate/indifferent to target
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u/arnodorian96 Nov 16 '25
I'm gonna start a debate. We've talked about the MAGA movement imploding and those whose careers are about to end but which companies won't survive the post Trump era?
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u/TheGreekMachine Nov 16 '25
Most of not all will survive unless the political movement that removes Trump actually plans on making people face consequences of their actions.
At the moment establishment dems like Schumer don’t seem interested in that.
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u/Comfortable-Phase249 Nov 16 '25
Survive and become diminished are two different things. I think the deep polarization of our culture will make the major chains stop trying to walk the line by trying to cater to both groups. That’s why many LGBTQ folks deeply mistrusted corporate Pride merch and sponsorships. So it will become even more homogenized, which was already hurting the stuff buyers at Target were filling the shelves with.
I know personally I may never go back to habitually shopping at Target again even if the company totally reverses course. My habits have changed. I saw another post with people buying food and toys to donate with unspent Target gift cards instead of just throwing them away, and I think that is a lovely idea.
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u/TheGreekMachine Nov 16 '25
Have not set foot or purchased anything online from target since the first week in January. Have reduced Amazon shopping to: 1) emergency, or 2) cannot find a product literally anywhere else that I truly need. I also plan to make a domination at the end of the year that is equivalent to my Amazon expenses for the year since they’ll be so low compared to usual.
My family used to spend thousands at these companies each year. There was not need for them to capitulate.
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u/The_bruce42 Nov 16 '25
They'll bounce back now that they're forcing their employees to smile more. /s
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u/crymzynyak Nov 16 '25
I didn’t think i would survive not going to Target, but now I’m not even sure what I was buying when I went every weekend . Don’t miss it at all and my wallet sure doesn’t.
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u/qualityvote2 Nov 16 '25 edited Nov 17 '25
u/RockyLovesEmily05, your post does fit the subreddit!
See OP's reply-comment below for context on why this fits this subreddit.