“Continued Target Boycott as Employee Raises Concerns and Customers Vow to Stay Away”

TARGET employees have noticed a significant drop off in foot traffic after eight weeks of boycotts.

The retailer has struggled to bring in customers after rolling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

Target announced that it would be getting rid of its DEI program in late January.

Data collected by Placer.ai shows that the company has seen foot traffic fall almost 6% year-over-year, as reported by Fortune.

According to Target’s earnings report, the retailer reported a 3.1% loss in Q4 as well as a non-specific sales decline in February.

“As a target worker, the boycott is legit working,” one employee tweeted.

“I’m never shopping at a target everrrrrr. And I’ve encouraged my family to boycott as well,” one consumer tweeted.

“I haven’t shopped at Target in over 2 months,” said another.

This comes after Target’s well-known Circle Week which is held from March 23 to 29.

During the week, consumers are offered exclusive deals and savings of up to 40% if they are Target Circle members.

According to Placer.ai, Target’s Circle Week attracted many customers in both 2023 and 2024, with people flocking to the chain to take advantage of discounted prices.

On launch day, consumer visits increased by 5.0% in 2023 and 4.6% in 2024.

However, as expected, foot traffic fell off during the work week — visits hovered just below daily visit averages.

One consumer expressed dissatisfaction by stating, “Haven’t been to Target in over 2 months and I will continue to boycott. I can’t imagine how many customers Target lost here in Minnesota,” on Twitter.

“Even if it means going to HyVee, Fresh Thyme and Cub to get the products I previously bought at Target.”

Several companies have ditched their DEI policies after President Trump’s executive order including Walmart, McDonald’s, Ford, and Meta Platforms.

Some of these companies, like Walmart and McDonald’s, have somewhat bounced back after many weeks of declining sales.

After seven weeks, Walmart finally saw a 0.3% traffic gain, according to Fortune.

Similarly, McDonald’s inched forward with a 2% gain, as reported by Fortune.

However, companies that have stuck to DEI initiatives have seen foot traffic significantly improve in recent times.

Costco has resisted Trump’s order to dump DEI policies, and its foot traffic rose over 5%, which marked its 13th straight week of gains over the last year.

Workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are increasingly becoming part of national political debates.

In the executive order, the president said eliminating such policies would protect “the civil rights of all Americans” as well as work towards expanding “individual opportunity.”

“Every man and woman should have the opportunity to go as far as their hard work, individual initiative, and competence can take them. In America, excellence, grit, and determination is our strength,” as stated in a fact sheet provided by the administration.

According to a Pew Research Center report from 2023, most employed US adults (56%) believe focusing on increasing DEI efforts at work is a positive thing.

“These policies don’t actually dictate who gets hired,” Jessica Fulton, vice president of Policy at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a nonprofit that aims to improve African-Americans’ socioeconomic status.

“They are ways to open doors to people who might not have access or aren’t as well-connected in an industry or occupation,” she explained.

Target did not immediately reply to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.