Target saw foot traffic fall for the eighth consecutive week, extending a losing streak that began just a few days after the company announced it would end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program in late January.
For the week that began March 17, foot traffic fell 5.7% YoY for Target, according to data from Placer.ai. That’s compared to the 7.1% it fell last week, and an average weekly decline over the last eight weeks of 6.2%.
In a March 4 earnings call, when it reported a 3.1% Q4 loss and a non-specified sales decline in February, Target executives were bullish about its Easter assortment boosting business. But if it has so far, it’s not reflected in the foot-traffic data. What may have taken the spring out of the Easter Bunny’s hop for Target is a 40-plus day boycott coinciding with Lent (so ending on Easter) spearheaded by Black clergy for which more than 150,000 have signed up, exceeding organizers’ stated goal of 100,000.
maybe you can be skeptical of the data source–but i think it is fairly reasonable to conclude, at this point, that trying to ditch DEI to placate conservatives has at the very least not helped Target
Target positioned itself in a specific way that set it up for this self-imposed wound. “Come shop here so you don’t have to deal with Walmart” only works when your slightly-more-affluent consumer base is racist and sexist as fuck.
As it happens, they’re not.
Except for my medications, which I am now working to move to another pharmacy, I haven’t bought anything at target since I learned about the boycott
Lmaooooooo get rekt.
I still know a bunch of conservatives who are still boycotting them over the trans bathroom issue.
Fuck ‘em.
Yep. I’ve joined the buycot for Lent. I put off all purchases there until after Easter and Passover are over.
I concerned that the declining traffic is attributed to their anti-DEI move, when overall consumer spending is likely down. I’m Not saying it boycotts haven’t had an effect, but that may be hard to measure.
Inasmuch as polling would be a useless gauge, that’s true. But it’s rather simple do to a YoY or QoQ compared with peer retailers. Given that both Walmart and Amazon have also abandoned DEI initiatives, that adds noise, but there will definitely be parseable data.
I somehow doubt shareholders will be thrilled with the final numbers.
