Target CEO Brian Cornell is under pressure as the company continues to navigate low holiday sales numbers during what should be among the busiest times of the year. Amid all of this, the company is also working its way through the public relations debacle that saw the company selling inclusive Santa Claus dolls along with LGBT celebrating nutcrackers to commemorate the Christmas holiday, a Christian tradition.
Cornell spoke briefly about these issues in a comment shared by INC in which he blamed market factors and other exogenous indicators for the decline in sales compared to Target’s forecasting and the expectations of its shareholders. He says that shoppers seem to be putting off their holiday shopping until closer to the last minute this year and seems sure that the sales will tick up in the coming days.
He says that things like high-interest rates and high amounts of credit card debt are “forcing (shoppers) to make trade-offs in their family budgets.” These tradeoffs, much to the chagrin of Cornell, has been in the form of shopping at stores like Target less frequently.
However, some other groups choose not to shop at Target for completely different reasons. A group of Christian mothers launched a petition this week to boycott Target following what was seen as a lack of respect toward the Christmas message when the company began selling LGBT nutcrackers during the Christmas season.
In a quote shared by The American Tribune, the group said, “Target has made a deliberate decision to display controversial products instead of wholesome ones at Christmas — a Christian holiday. This is a terrible plan on Target’s part, especially at this time of year, the season that should be the most profitable time of year for companies.”
While it may seem like a simple financial decision to sell LGBT Christmas gear, some experts are warning that there is more at play with the continued perceived disrespect toward the Christmas spirit. Meg Kilgannon, senior fellow for Education Studies at the Family Research Council, mentioned that this may mean far more than many consumers are able to realize at first glance.
She said, “Target selling sexually themed Christmas ornaments is more evidence that we live in a post-Christian society. The virgin birth of the Savior of the world in a stable in Bethlehem is what we celebrate. The goodness, truth, and beauty of that reality are not improved or enhanced by woke merchandising campaigns”
Between economic problems that are causing individuals to lower their discretionary spending budget this year and problems with ethics that may be causing even more shoppers to stay away from their local Target locations, this holiday season may spell trouble for the retail giant despite the cool and calm front that CEO Brain Cornell is showing to the public.
As has been seen with Bud Light, angering the wrong set of people can have devastating affects on a business and its bottom line. Target is poking the bee hive with its new decorations. However, if it can get away with this stunt, it may be that the brand is too big to fail.
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