Target cuts sales outlook as retailer blames tariff uncertainty and backlash to DEI rollback

CNBC ^ | 05/21/2025 | Melissa Repko

[mn-bush-man]

Key Points

Target missed first-quarter revenue estimates as transactions fell, and the retailer cut its full-year sales outlook.

The company has been struggling to return to growth for years, and created a new office to try to accelerate its turnaround.

Target in part blamed falling consumer sentiment, uncertainty about tariffs, and backlash to its rollback of key diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for its performance.

---

TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cnbc; melissarepko; target; targetdeilie

[mn-bush-man]

Baa haa haa... "We need MORE DEI!"

[spincaster]

Target sells nothing but junk anyway.

[FlipWilson]

So in other words Target says it’s Trump’s Fault

[AppyPappy]

Not blaming tariffs but blaming “uncertainty”.

[falcon99]

Target is a Leftist company that will blame the results of all its poor decisions and management on Republican/Trump policies.

[Ex-Con777]

What tariffs are already in place and not under a 90 day pause?

EC

[pierrem15]

How about addressing theft by blacks.

[silent majority rising]

I won’t shop at Target. Haven’t in years because of their politics and are not competitive.

[HamiltonJay]

Yea, target who’s been floundering below the industry for years, but its “rollback” of DEI is the reason... eye roll

[MAGA2017]

“backlash to its rollback of key diversity”

What? LOL.

[Rinnwald]

Well, implementing DEI pissed off 50% of the people, and rolling it back pissed off the other 50%. Would have been better to have stayed out of politics, and just sold their cheap crap.

[faithhopecharity]

the only reason we ever visit Target is if it is raining outside and it is time for our walk. the Target store is so large we can get our 5000 steps all inside the store, ha!
(we purchase nothing from bathroom perverts and DEI racists, no matter how large the stores may be)

[iamgalt]

“and backlash to its rollback of key diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for its performance.“

CNBC is a rat propaganda op masquerading as a Financial news network.

[escapefromboston]

We used to have plenty of regional chains before target and Walmart gobbled them all up. I won’t miss either store if they went away.

[ridesthemiles]

NO BACKLASH TO ENDING DEI

MORE LIKELY BACKLASH AS CUSTOMERS DISCOVERED HOW MUSH DEI TARGET WAS USING.

[kingu]

I mean, Target went all in on letting men into women's bathrooms, causing conservatives to take their business elsewhere. Then they tick off the liberals by ‘canceling DEI’ - any conservative knows that this is simply a paper statement from a company that has long embraced every liberal talking point.

You've pretty much told 80% of your customers you're a scumbag - either embrace the hole you've dug yourself into and stop digging, or do something to attract back customers. Since you're not about to try to ‘attract back real families who care about their children’, might as well try back for the liberal customers.

This really should be a topic for business schools - if you're going to embrace political ideologies, pick a winning side who will stand by you, not one who's always going to look for a reason to boycott you.

[kaktuskid]

The Targets where I live have half empty shelves and trashy (clothes in the clothing department on the ground, not returned to the racks, dirty floors)

[ronnie raygun]

remember these Cretans where selling transgender apparel not to long ago

[cableguymn]

It’s a lot more of the second than it is the first. They’re just trying to find a way to blame Trump

[cableguymn]

Actually it very well could be their rollback of the DEI stuff. They pissed off all of the people on the right many years ago and we stopped shopping there. Ending DEI pissed off all the people on the left and left them with no one to shop there