Is Target This Desperate for Shoppers?

That’s a recent headline directly from Business Insider, reporting on Target’s summertime blues after announcing dismal second-quarter earnings. Then, the company said it was spending $20 million to install single-stall, lockable bathrooms in all of its stores, in a weak effort to respond to the backlash regarding its dangerous restroom and fitting room policy that puts women and girls in danger.

Finally, during the last weekend of August, Target offered a 10 percent discount on every product in its stores and online, reports the American Family Association (AFA, www.afa.net) in a recent Action Alert to its more than one million friends and supporters. AFA’s #BoycottTarget campaign, which began in April, has garnered more than 1.4 million signatures.

“Struggling to make up for deep losses, Target has demonstrated just how desperate things are becoming for the company that lets men use the women’s restrooms and dressing rooms,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “This unusual sales tactic came just one week after Target reported a massive 7.2 percent drop in sales in the second quarter, which included the months of AFA’s highly successful #BoycottTarget campaign.

“Rather than tossing a 10 percent discount to shoppers,” Wildmon added, “Target should consider a policy that will keep women and girls 100 percent safe in its stores. As AFA has stated many times, adding more bathrooms doesn’t fix the issue. Not allowing men in women’s facilities is the only solution. We still believe Target doesn’t value the safety of families, and because Target refuses to address our concerns, the boycott will remain.”

AFA continues to ask shoppers to take action in several ways:

• Voice your concerns on Target’s Facebook page.
• Read about the open letter AFA sent to Target CEO Brian Cornell here.
• Sign the #BoycottTarget pledge. Encourage family and friends to sign the pledge, too.
• Call Target to let its executives know you’ve signed the #BoycottTarget pledge—Guest Relations, (800) 440-0680, option 1, then 1 again.
• Share the boycott information on social media and be sure to use #BoycottTarget.
• Visit afa.net/target for more tools and information on the #BoycottTarget initiative.

To interview a representative from American Family Association, contact Jen Retallick, 610-584-1096, ext. 100, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com or Deborah Hamilton, 610-584-1096, ext. 102, 215.815.7716.