Starting on Wednesday, Target will begin a 40-day consumer boycott for its decision to reduce its diversity, equity, and inclusion ( DEI ) initiatives. The opposition, spearheaded by Rev. Following the recent policy changes made by the Atlanta-based megachurch priest, Blake Bryant, follows the agency’s efforts to promote racial justice and minority hiring.
” We’re asking people to withdraw from Target because they have turned their back on our community,” Bryant told CNN.
The ban comes at a difficult period for Target, which is already dealing with increased taxes and monetary challenges. It also coincides with Lent. The company made changes to its” Belonging at the Bullseye” method, the removal of hiring goals for minority people, and the breakdown of an executive council focused on cultural justice in January. Target said it is still committed to inclusivity but wants to “adapt to the growing external landscape.”
The business ‘ La reset is in line with a wider trend among major companies responding to legal and political force from conservative parties and the Trump presidency. Despite its generally liberal stance on racist and LGBTQ issues, Target has received harsher criticism than rivals like Walmart or John Deere. Customers have been particularly outspoken online, and Anne and Lucy Dayton, the sons of a Target co-founder, have called the company’s behavior” a betrayal.”
According to Bryant,” Black people spend upward of$ 12 million dollars each day, and we would expect some commitment, civility, and camaraderie.”
Some people worry that the protest might unintentionally hurt Black-owned businesses. The Lip Bar, a Black-owned beauty product sold at Target, has a CEO who expressed fears on TikTok, saying,” We don’t want these majority businesses to suffer or be impacted adversely.”
Target reiterated its commitment to equality, stating that it will continue to support minority-owned businesses, but it did not comment on the ban.
The discussion may already be having an impact on Target’s foot traffic, according to earlier indications. retrieved from Placer. According to ai, which uses phone location data to track business visits, the decline in customer visits to key retailers has been the biggest in recent weeks. According to researcher Joseph Feldman of Telsey Advisory Group, visitors started to decline in the middle of January, soon after the business began to reduce its DEI initiatives.
The protest adds to Target’s already-present financial strains, including the effects of taxes and declining sales. CEO Brian Cornell warned on Tuesday that the Trump administration’s tariffs on Latino imports could cause price increases for make as soon as this year. Cornell told CNBC,” Those are groups where we’ll try to protect prices, but the buyer will likely see value increases over the next couple of days.”
