{"id":12445,"date":"2010-08-05T06:58:19","date_gmt":"2010-08-05T11:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=12445"},"modified":"2010-08-05T06:59:53","modified_gmt":"2010-08-05T11:59:53","slug":"chantings-points-memo-donating-to-emmer-is-bad-for-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=12445","title":{"rendered":"Chanting Points Memo: Donating To Emmer Is Bad For Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

Somebody on Twitter pointed me to this PiPress \u00a0story<\/a> claiming that Target’s stock value is suffering because of its donation to MNForward, which is supporting Tom Emmer in this fall’s Minnesota Gubernatorial race.<\/p>\n

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“Shares in the Minneapolis-based discount retailer have declined 3.5 percent since the morning of July 27, when Target Chief Executive Gregg Steinhafel first defended the donation, prompting critics to call for a consumer boycott,” Tom Webb writes for the Pioneer Press.<\/p>\n

Perhaps things are finally sinking in at Target headquarters. Last week,\u00a0Target execs issued a statement<\/a> amidst all the public scrutiny, saying that they’re brainstorming ways to make amends.<\/p>\n

“At Target, we listen to our guests, our team members and our communities — and we have heard them on this issue. We are committed to doing better and regret that we have let down our team members and guests. We are evaluating ways to make sure they know the high value we place on our relationships with them,” Target folks said in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Interesting claim. \u00a0Could it be that Target’s stock price took a hit precisely <\/em>because of the news of its donation to a PAC supporting Tom Emmer?<\/p>\n

That would be very bad indeed.<\/p>\n

So I took the liberty of checking the stock prices for four leading consumer big-box stores for the past month or so. \u00a0I compared:<\/p>\n