- Retailer Target drastically cut back on its annual Pride collection after facing protests last summer.
- Now, instead of thousands of LGBTQ+ themed products, the store stocks about 75 items.
- Target said it made the changes “based on customer feedback and sales trends.”
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Retailer Target’s annual Pride collection is a shadow of its former self after facing protests from conservative groups last summer.
For a decade, the company has offered a special collection of products sourced from the LGBTQ+ community to celebrate Pride Month in June, but last year announced it was “rethinking” its cultural merchandising strategy.
This year’s Target Pride is likely to be smaller, shorter and quieter than previous years — and there’s a good chance it won’t even be held at all.
Target’s online Pride collection on May 28th.
the goal
Last May, Target’s Pride collection featured more than 2,000 items online, but this year the selection is limited to just a few dozen items, with fewer than 75 items available as of May 28 in areas Business Insider surveyed, including California, New York, and Wisconsin.
Now, instead of bold statements and functional clothing, the selection includes more subdued rainbow-themed clothing and accessories, some alcoholic beverages, pet products, and a cutting board that reads “It’s Giving Charcuterie.”
A seasonal display at Target in Madison, Wisconsin.
Dominic Reuter/Business Insider
The company announced earlier this month that it would only carry Pride products in select stores across the U.S., rather than all of its roughly 2,000 stores.
Business Insider visited a store in Madison, Wisconsin on Tuesday and found that the Target did not yet carry any Pride merchandise, even though the company’s website and app said the items were available in the store. A customer service representative at the store confirmed to BI that online orders can be fulfilled in-store, and told BI that the in-store displays are scheduled to be available starting June 1.
For now, the space that was previously home to a storefront Pride display has been turned into a summertime “Swim and Sand Shop,” which a few days ago was set up for a pickleball promotion.
A Pride Month display at a Target in Wisconsin last year.
Dominique Reuter/The Insider
In an interview last year, as conservative criticism was gaining momentum, CEO Brian Cornell pushed back against the idea that Target was “too woke.”
“When you think about Target’s purpose, it’s to help all families, and that word ‘all’ is really important,” he said. “We want to do the right thing to help families across the country.”
“I think these are simply good business decisions, the right thing to do for society and great for our brand,” he added.
A year after those comments, we’re getting a better sense of what exactly changed as Target shifted its strategy, which the company said was the result of sales trends and customer insights.
“Our goal is to enable a culture of compassion for our LGBTQIA+ team members not just in June but all year round,” Carlos Saavedra, Target’s vice president of brand marketing, said in an email to the company’s Pride+ Business Council earlier this month. “We remain committed to this incredible community and are excited to celebrate Pride with you all.”