Why Boycotting Target Stores Misses the Point

This morning’s episode of “Morning Coffee with me, Professor Alex,” I wanted to discuss a few things that are really bothering me, especially with the boycott of Target stores.

First, I’m definitely on board with this upcoming “economic blackout” protest scheduled for February 28th. I believe we, the people, have the power, and we need to remind the government of that. I have been consistent with that message in my blogs and social media. But going after Target is the wrong move!

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The Shiny Object is Target Stores. Don’t Fall For It!

I understand the issue with boycotting Target stores. I get why people are upset about DEI, but I think we’re going about it the wrong way. I have friends and family who work there, and they genuinely love their jobs. Boycotting Target is just going to hurt them. The real problem, as I see it, stems from the Supreme Court and these state-level lawsuits.

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We need to focus our energy on companies that are openly anti-DEI, like those led by Jamie Dimon of Chase, instead of targeting businesses just trying to avoid hundreds of millions, if not billion-dollar lawsuits like the one filed by the State Attorney General of Florida. This includes suing Target for having “trans” merchandise. WTF? You would think in a free, democratic society, a corporation can run its business as it sees fit and sell whatever items it chooses, of course, so long as it is not an illegal product. But “trans” merchandise. Why is that on the top of the list of things to accomplish for the government? I know why, and so do you.

I’m also concerned about the potential of a constitutional crisis. If the Executive Branch gets to pick and choose which laws to enforce, that’s a huge problem. And, honestly, the Supreme Court has a lot to answer for.

Finally, I address the voter ID issue known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act). I understand the concerns about voter suppression, but I think the narrative about targeting women so they are prevented from voting is reaching a conclusion with limited facts. Yes, some people face challenges getting the required documents to prove identification, but we need to stop spreading misinformation. It’s hurting our cause.

We need to be smarter about our activism. Do our research, “target” the right companies, and stop spreading disinformation. Let’s focus our energy where it will actually make a difference.

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Update:

Target CEO Brian Cornell has had his salary reduced substantially. His peak salary was $77.5 million in 2020, which means it was a carryover from the year before. His salary and bonuses have been reduced substantially every year since then.

For 2024, his salary was almost $10 million, which means he can still afford to pay the mortgage this month. Also, from his peak salary of $77 million plus, I’m sure he still has some of that money socked away. Even if he lost half of his income in 2020, he’ll be fine. I can’t say the same for the employees.

There’s no doubt that the DEI backlash has affected sales, but it seems sales have been declining each year since the coronavirus pandemic. So while I know the online world is cheering, believing their economic blackout was a success, I’m not so sure. Again, there’s no doubt it had an effect, but revenue has steadily decreased. There’s no denying that since COVID-19, consumers have changed their shopping habits substantially.

So while I agree with a salary reduction for Target CEO Brian Cornell, I still don’t agree with the exorbitant salaries for CEOs. Which is why I keep arguing that the real victims are the employees. Now, to distinguish between the Tesla boycotts. Elon Musk has seen his company Tesla, drop in sales globally. But the Tesla boycott is different.

With Tesla, the boycott is about Musk. He is the face of Tesla. Sure, the employees will also suffer, but Musk with DOGE has taken over the federal government and has done nothing but destroy it. Whatever the consequences of Musk’s actions that affect Tesla, he brought upon himself. The same cannot be said of Target.

Target is not only reacting to court rulings, but lawsuits in the billions from State Attorney Generals who have nothing else to do but contribute to their war on “Woke.” It’s sad, it’s pathetic, but at the end of the day, Target has to choose between the lesser of two evils, and that’s never a great position to be in.

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