Target reveals astonishing scale of sales decline after controversial DEI stance

Sales at Target fell more than expected in the first quarter as the retailer faced boycotts for ditching its DEI efforts and felt the impact of President Trump's tariffs.

Target cut its forecast for the rest of the year warning that sales would slip further as its customers pulled back on spending amid an uncertain economic environment.

Earlier this year the company conceded to the Trump administrations attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives by scaling back its own efforts.

However, the retreat created a fierce customer backlash leading to store boycotts that further damaged sales.

Sales for the company fell 2.8 percent to $23.85 billion in the quarter, Target announced on its first quarter earnings call on Wednesday.

The results were lower than the $24.23 billion Wall Street expected, according to FactSet.

'I want to be clear, we're not satisfied with these results, so we're moving with urgency to navigate through this period of volatility,' Target CEO Brian Cornell said.

“..no, it’s due to Walmart having better prices!”

I wrote most of my MBA papers on Walmart as they publish an astonishing amount of data. But several times I studied and contrasted Walmart and Target. At the time, 2009, the average patron of Walmart made $25,000. At the same time the average patron of Target made $75,000. Target made a concerted effort to have higher value items and a wider variety of those items than Walmart. Where they did have the same items, say Crest toothpaste, Walmart kept their prices roughly ten percent below any store within a certain distance of each Walmart. Walmart did regular surveys of competitors to ensure the lower prices but done on a store-by-store basis and only those who were close by competitors. But overall, Target had a more “artistic” and higher quality selection of home items like art, furniture and sports equipment.

I interviewed patrons of both Walmart and Target. The average Target patron was upper middle class and judging by bumper stickers, very left leaning liberal. I’d roll through the parking lot and usually counted ten or so COEXIST bumper stickers. When they went DEI, they probably thought they were parroting the views of their average patron. But those same people didn’t want a trans woman in the bathroom with their daughter. Trans was never widely adopted by the rank-and-file Democrats, just the crazy loud ones.

This has nothing to do with economy. It is all about their perversion at all levels. They pushed the trannys in the bathrooms with little girls over a decade ago. At that time I quit giving them my money. Pi$$ on them.

What was funny was the 2020 Antifa/BLM riots — they tore the ‘Ell out of the Target.

2023: CEO Brian Cornell said “woke” capitalism was good for business and that marketing products that are LGBTQ-friendly was “the right thing for society.”

2025: With declining sales, Cornell says 'I want to be clear, we're not satisfied with these results'

Sounds like they need a leader with a vision. Anyone know what happened with the shareholder lawsuits?

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