Why You’re Seeing Fewer Pride Displays and Posts This Year
By Movieguide® Contributor
People are noticing fewer Pride displays at stores this year after last year’s backlash against Target’s Pride collection.
“There seems to be a lot less Pride stuff in the businesses that I frequent this year. Even the brands that I follow, they’re not posting as much about Pride,” Allie Beth Stuckey pointed out in a recent episode of her “Relatable” podcast. “Most of them did last year. One in particular had a whole rainbow apparel display. This year, nothing.”
Stuckey said others she talked to noticed the same thing.
“There is no reason to push gender…and people’s sexual preferences in spaces where the general public is,” she explained. “We just want politeness. We just want neutrality.”
Target released a statement about backlash concerning their Pride Month collection, saying, “We are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.”
Part of those adjustments include stocking Target stores with Pride-related items “curated based on consumer feedback” depending on “historical sales performance,” per a statement from the company.
It’s unsurprising Target changed their business model concerning Pride, as they saw a major dip in profits following last year’s controversy. Movieguide® previously reported:
Target reported a drop in overall sales after customers complained about the store’s transgender and Pride merchandise.
According to Fox Business, “sales slipped 5.4% while the $24.8 billion in total revenue was 4.9% lower than last year.”
Their market value has dropped from $74 billion to $57.7 billion.
Fox Business also reported that Target expects to see “annual comparable sales to decline in the mid-single digit range, compared to its prior forecast of low-single digit decline to a low-single digit increase.”
Target said they expect shares to land somewhere between $7 and $8, compared to its previous range of $7.75 to $8.75.
Target CEO Brian Cornell admitted that the reaction to the store’s Pride collection did impact sales and said they would exercise caution when making future partnerships.
“As we navigate an ever-changing operating and social environment, we are applying what we learned,” Cornell said, per the BBC.
Chief growth officer Christina Hennington also pointed to “the strong reaction to this year’s Pride assortment” as a reason for the dip in sales.
“The reaction is a signal for us to pause, adapt and learn,” she said, according to CNN.
As Movieguide® states, things that promote moral content and family values typically excel, while excessive content turns consumers off. Target and other businesses’ changing models when it comes to Pride items is an indicator that they recognize that highlighting this type of content is bad for business.
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