Target’s reputation and in-store traffic continue to spiral downward as new data reveals the toll of its decision to pull back on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. According to TheStreet, the Minneapolis-based retail chain has suffered four consecutive months of year-over-year foot traffic declines, including a 9% drop in February, followed by 6.5% in March, 3.3% in April, and 1.6% in May. Placer.ai’s latest analytics confirm that Target is losing ground to competitors like Walmart and Costco, who have posted gains during the same period. The company’s retreat from DEI was confirmed in January when it ended anti-racism training, stopped promoting Black-owned businesses, and abandoned its participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s corporate equality survey. It also scrapped its internal DEI goals, sparking immediate backlash from civil rights groups, Black consumers, and Black-owned media.
“This has raised a red flag to Black America,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). “We’ve not had direct communication with Target’s CEO, Brian Cornell, and we intend to intensify our efforts to get this issue resolved in the interest of 50 million African American consumers across the nation.” The NNPA launched a selective buying and public education campaign after Rev. Jamal Bryant’s “Target Fast” attracted nearly 200,000 supporters. The NAACP issued a consumer advisory citing Target’s broken promises on racial justice. The anger has not subsided.
“Target’s manipulated silence toward the Black Press sends a powerful and troubling message to Black America—that our voices, platforms, and influence are expendable,” said Bobby Henry, publisher of the Westside Gazette and NNPA chairman. “True diversity requires long-term investment. When companies pull back, we must do the same. Black consumers are speaking with their dollars every day.” Tracey Williams-Dillard, publisher and CEO of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, which operates near Target’s corporate headquarters, criticized the company’s DEI reversal as ill-timed and harmful. “The timing was disturbing,” she said. “It was a slap in the face.”
The company’s performance shows clear consequences. Target reported a 3.8% drop in comparable in-store sales during the first quarter of 2025. Cornell, on a recent company earnings call, admitted “we’re not satisfied” with the performance and pointed to “the reaction to the updates we shared on Belonging in January” as one of several headwinds. According to Caliber, Target’s reputation has also suffered, with its Integrity and Leadership Scores both dropping from 65 to 58. The company’s Recommendation Rate fell nearly 25% between January and May.
The latest Business Insider review of Target stores in Wisconsin, California, and Washington, D.C., uncovered inconsistent customer experiences. Some stores were clean and organized but lacked foot traffic, while others had locked-up products, out-of-stock inventory, and insufficient staff to assist customers. In one D.C. location, shoppers frequently had to hunt down employees to access basic items behind security cases. Despite the backlash and boycotts, Target says it remains committed to inclusion. “Target is absolutely dedicated to fostering inclusivity for everyone – our team members, our guests, and our supply partners,” a company spokesman told Black Press USA. “Today, we are proud of the progress we’ve made since 2020 and believe it has allowed us to better serve the needs of our customers.”