Target Smear (legend debunked)

[Tiger6]

Yesterday there was about Target Corporation, and their mistreatment of veterans and the military. I contacted Target, and below is the reply to my letter:

[Tiger6]

Thank you for contacting Target Stores to inquire about our support of veterans and our soldiers.

Unfortunately, Target has been the victim of a lengthy e-mail smear campaign since 2002, initiated by a person who didn't receive a donation that he requested. This e-mail campaign grossly misrepresents our support of veterans. Due to the nature of the Internet and e-mail communication, this false information has taken on a life of its own and been perpetuated and repeatedly modified manytimes by unknown writers. The National Veterans of Foreign Wars posted a press release on their Web site on December 6, 2002 to help clarify this issue and show their support of Target at http://www.vfw.org/news/target.htm

Target is owned by TargetCorporation, a company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota since it's founding by George Dayton in 1902. Target is not now and never has been foreign owned. Our company has supported many charitable causes throughout its history, and that includes veterans organizations. For years, Target has donated funds and volunteer hours to local and national veteran and military organizations around the country.

Charitable Giving Examples: Target displays our support of our veterans and troops on our Web site atwww.target.com. Click Community Giving, and Community Bulletin to view. Some examples of our giving include: Target is a contributor to the World War II Memorial and a sponsor of the national 2003 tour of "The Wall that Heals," a Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund outreach initiative that honors our veterans and has a strong educational component for schools. For more information, please visit the Web site at http://www.vvmf.org/index.cfm?SectionID=3

In addition to supporting veteran and military organizations on a national scale, we also support local organizations, some of which include:

Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association in Jackson Heights, New York Yankee Air Force Museum in Ypsilanti, Michigan Hays County Veterans in San Marcos, Texas Kenny Nickelson Memorial Foundation for Homeless Veterans in Manhattan Beach, California

Reservist Benefits: Target Corporation is proud to count many veterans and military reservists among its more than 300,000 team members nationwide. To help support these team members, Target Corporation provides benefits for activated reservists, including pay differential, that surpass those benefits required by law. The Reserve Officers Association has recognized our company for these benefits. The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve also lists Target on their Web site at http://www.esgr.org/employers/outstandingEmployers.asp

Giving Policy: Target gives to diverse causes that reflect all types of guests in a wide variety of communities. While every cause is worthy, Target receives thousands of grant requests every year and unfortunately is unable to grant funds or partner with every organization. For more information that describes the guidelines and the application process, visit any Target store and ask for the grants brochure or go to target.com and click on "Community Giving."

Marines Toys for Tots Target has complete respect for the Toys for Tots program and all the volunteers who make this program a success every year. Target has a longstanding policy on no-solicitation by any group or organization at our stores. This policy includes the use of our store locations as collection or drop off sites for any type of activity. The only organization that we allow to solicit at our stores is the Salvation Army during the holiday season.

We appreciate the time you have taken to inquire about this issue. We wholeheartedly support our veterans and active duty personnel, and we appreciate the opportunity to personally convey our commitment to you. Please share our information with anyone who has contacted you about this issue.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Hanson Group Team Leader Target Guest Relations www.target.com

[Peach]

THIS IS AN URBAN LEGEND THAT HAS BEEN DEBUNKED AT LEAST TWICE ON FR THIS WEEK!

[Skooz]

Thanks for posting this.

Hopefully this will, once and for all, put this matter to rest.

[Dedbone]

Don't blindly post everything that comes into your mailbox, See this http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/target.asp

[Skooz]

Don't blindly post everything that comes into your mailbox,

He isn't. He posted Target's response to the urban legend. IMO, that is far more compelling than Snopes.

[Constitution Day]

BUMP! I am sick to death of seeing this in my inbox, and getting sick of seeing it on FR too.
Thanks for posting the real story!

[Peach]

So sorry. This debunks the urban legend; I didn't read it and thought it was one more post of the legend itself.

[ChadsDad]

Only post it if it's written by George Carlin.

[biggerten]

Perhaps the root of this story is in the fact that Target is a part of Dayton-Hudson-Marshall Field stores.

Dayton's, of course, is where Senator Mark Dayton, D-Minnesota, got the $12 million to buy - I mean fund his run for - the senate seat he now occupies. Big time liberal.

By the way, Senator Herb Kohl, D-Wisconsin, got his money from Kohl's department stores. He owns the Milwaukee Bucks as well. Another big time liberal looking to put his habd in your pocket.

On principle, my wife and I stay away from Marshall Fields, Target and Kohl's.

Screw the rich liberals.

[Guillermo]

Kohl's is the suckiest store that's ever sucked, in the history of all the sucky stores.

It really sucks!

[Guillermo]

Target sucks too.

[Snuffington]

Perhaps the root of this story is in the fact that Target is a part of Dayton-Hudson-Marshall Field stores. Dayton's, of course, is where Senator Mark Dayton, D-Minnesota, got the $12 million to buy - I mean fund his run for - the senate seat he now occupies. Big time liberal.

It's a little more complicated than that. The company was founded by prior generations of Daytons, but they no longer own or run it (and haven't for quite some time). They're minority share holders now.

Also, the Target corporation is now the name of the parent company. It was officially changed from "Dayton-Hudson" to Target around five years ago, to better reflect the core business. Within the past couple of years, the department store names "Dayton's" and "Hudson's" were retired, and all the department stores are now named "Marshall Field's."

Mark Dayton never had anything to do with the running of the company in any case. He just inherited the fortune previously created by his family.

[hellinahandcart]

Hopefully this will, once and for all, put this matter to rest.

It won't. The truth is never circulated with the same zeal.

Bill Clinton still made the Israelis release Mohammed Atta from prison, and Ollie North still couldn't make Al Gore understand the danger posed by Osama Bin Laden. There's still asbestos in tampons, too.

[sweetliberty]

"The truth is never circulated with the same zeal."

Well, I DID send this out to my email list, and I did NOT send the original.

[biggerten]

You're right on all counts, but I needed to spell it out the way I did to 'connect the dots', so to speak.

Senator Dayton, as you pointed out, does not run the company. He has merely lived off of the Dayton name, leading a liesurely liberal life of the idyll rich in 'public service'. Never lead a real life, never held a real job, never worried abouy a thing in his life, yet indentifies with the little people like myself, who do these things everyday.

Oh, he did a brief stint as a 'teacher', notice that he didn't continue with that profession, it merely calls into question his dedication.

Oh yeah, he does worry about taxes. The family trust is headquartered in South Dakota, to avoid paying Minnesota (where he purports to live) taxes. Of course that's not HIS fault.

Married into the Rockefeller family, brother in law to Senator Rockefeller, D- West Virginia. Another liberal rich guy!

When running for office, he promised to return his salary to the public - broke his word on that one, didn't he?

Now, maybe I'm wrong, but my my basic point is that he's a liberal rich guy who knows much better than I how to spend my money.

[Snuffington]

Now, maybe I'm wrong, but my my basic point is that he's a liberal rich guy who knows much better than I how to spend my money.

Actually, you might be going a little soft on him. He has a reputation for being dim-witted and flighty even for a spoiled liberal rich kid.

(And you were correct earlier, regarding him effectively buying his Senate seat. The funny thing is he isn't THAT rich, so he's in a bit of trouble come re-election time, being unable to afford the same size campaign on his own again.)

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Kohl's is the suckiest store that's ever sucked, in the history of all the sucky stores.

So you are say that their vacuum cleaners are wonderful?:)

[E Rocc]

Hopefully this will, once and for all, put this matter to rest.

It won't. The truth is never circulated with the same zeal.

Bill Clinton still made the Israelis release Mohammed Atta from prison, and Ollie North still couldn't make Al Gore understand the danger posed by Osama Bin Laden. There's still asbestos in tampons, too.

And Febreeze kills pets, Google is conspiring against President Bush, Ken Starr favors censorship, James Madison claimed our government was based on the Ten Commandments, and Bill Gates will pay you to forward an e-mail.

The worst thing about these things is that they can be used intentionally and maliciously, especially against commercial products by competitors. They found out that some of the rumors about AOL a few years back were started by the marketing departments of other ISPs.

-Eric

[flashbunny]

The Kohl family sold their interest in Kohl's stores a long time ago. Kohls is now a publicly traded company.

And kohls doesn't suck, you just need to know when to shop - when they are having their clearance sales is the best time.