Walmart Hits the Target in Showing Their Pride This Year

June 6, 2024
HANK ORSO

Walmart Hits the Target in Showing Their Pride This Year

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Wait...Walmart? Arkansas Walmart? Home to lime-green stretch pants MAGA-loving denizens Walmart? Center of the vortex of gun-toting, anti-Woke, big-box-loving shoppers Walmart? That Walmart?! What beautiful bizarro world did yer boy Hank here wake up in when Walmart gives a big F-You to what many consider to be their Bible Belt Base and says "We're getting on target and showing our Pride just like always, despite the possible repercussions?"

Hey Target, take note!

The announcement was made by Target a while back that it was scaling back its Pride merch in the Red States in response to the usual hate-filled mouth foaming that occurred after its displays and stores were vilified by the conservatives last year, as written about by The Advocate's John Casey. As Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said in a conversation with House Speaker Mike Johnson on Johnson's podcast last year, I do not think being caught in a Target store is honoring God. I would not want to be in Target when the Rapture comes.” But Casey affirms that Target's reasoning behind the acquiescence is a lot of corporate doublespeak. Target says that their move is in the best interest of the safety of store employees. But as Casey explains:

Target capitulated to hate because it was making bets with the bottom line. It’s always, always, always about the bottom line. It’s called the retail wars for a reason. The goal is not to be the nicest brand on the block but the most lucrative. Target lost its bottom-line bet and has now alienated our community, while still incurring the wrath of the far right.

In addition, Target has other shenanigans to answer for when it comes to their Pride merch. Namely, pulling a Trump and not paying its design artists! As artist Shanée Benjamin explains in the IG video you see below, she and other artists were unceremoniously dropped after creating and working on Pride designs for the company which is now "pandering to the hateful right/Trumpsters" as reported in The Advocate.

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Other artists like @HeyBeefCake also shared their Target woes.

So enter Walmart which, unbeknownst to this old codger, has been a strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community for years, through its Pride merch and #PrideAlways, but also expanded employee benefits for LGBTQ+ employees. As they rolled out their Pride plan this past weekend, they are making the adamant claim that Pride is "Not just a slogan. #PrideAlways is a reminder to lead with love."

And it seems that holding the supportive line is more on target for most companies than Target! According to Greg Owen over at LGBT Nation, 78% of companies had no plans to be swayed by conservative backlash, and move forward with their Pride as planned! Target on the other hand is one of the 30% who are making changes, and in Taget's case, that means eliminating Pride merch from half of their over 2000 stores! For a company that was closely aligned with the community in years past, this could prove to be a marketing disaster. As The Advocate's Casey states, conservatives will avoid Target because of last year, and we gays will avoid it because of this year.

“If there are lessons to be learned from last year, it’s ‘what are your values?’ And how are you standing in your values to authentically engage?” asks Gerry Rodriguez, senior vice president of brand purpose at Edelman, as quoted in Owen's piece. “Clients that I’m working with a lot, they’re focusing on local and making sure that their employees feel seen and heard. They’re showing up where they’ve shown before and understanding that allyship is more than just reading the chapter saying the words and changing your logo to a rainbow.”

Wait...does this mean I have to start shopping at Walmart?! Okay, fine.