Last summer, Target found itself the target of a boycott (see what I did there?) over its decision to prominently feature merchandise and literature promoting leftist gender ideology, including items aimed at children. It was mere months after Bud Light suffered a significant blow to its reputation when it aligned with Dylan Mulvaney, sending shockwaves through its consumer base, so I would say that the retail giant should have known better.
As boycotts gained momentum, Target witnessed a staggering decline in market value, and attempts to relocate pride displays to less conspicuous areas not only failed to appease its critics but angered LGBTQ activists who thought the company was giving in. But, Target wasn't giving in. Despite the backlash, Target continued to promote its woke merchandise and LGBTQ grooming propaganda throughout the year, complete with LGBTQ pride-themed Christmas merchandise.
it was obvious that the company wasn't backing down, and part of that had to do with the fact that the company's leadership believed that the best strategy was just to weather the storm and hope people forgot about the controversy and sales would recover.
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“We anticipated some of the headwinds at play throughout the second quarter, including the continued pullback in discretionary spending,” Christina Hennington, the chief growth officer for Target, said in November. “Other headwinds were incremental, including the strong reaction to this year’s pride assortment.”
Despite the apparent refusal to acknowledge that customers really don't want their children indoctrinated while shopping, the company seemed willing to go down with the ship. But, a small victory was achieved this week when we learned that while Target will continue to offer Pride merchandise, only select stores will carry the products.
"Last year, Target sold an assortment of Pride products at all of its more than 1,900 stores. This year, it's selling in a smaller, undisclosed amount of stores based on market feedback, the company said. All of its Pride merchandise will be available online, according to a statement released Thursday," reports the Star Tribune.
Target, which has sold a large variety of LGBTQ-friendly products in the past, has also reduced the number of items in the collection compared with past years.
Last summer, Target faced backlash in some stores, on social media and from conservative media outlets for some of its merchandise.
The outrage and subsequent calls to boycott appeared to stem from select products including swimwear made for transgender people that some incorrectly said was offered in children's sizes. Target also pulled apparel and accessory items from U.K.-based brand Abprallen, which critics accused of expressing "satanist" views in its designs. The designer — who identifies as a gay trans man — said in an Instagram post that the claims were false and based on designs that weren't part of the three items initially sold at Target.
While Target's leadership maintains that it remains "committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month and year-round,' this move is clearly a retreat — just as we saw happen with Bud Light when it desperately sought to make amends with its customers after the Dylan Mulvaney debacle.
Let's keep the pressure on!
