{"id":85223,"date":"2023-05-26T06:13:41","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T11:13:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=85223"},"modified":"2023-05-26T07:06:39","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T12:06:39","slug":"85223","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=85223","title":{"rendered":"Off Target"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s not a good week to be a Target shareholder<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Target\u2019s stock price has taken a hit amid the backlash over its LGBT-themed products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York Post noted<\/a> on May 17 the retailer\u2019s stock closed at $160.96 per share, giving it a market value of $74.3 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as of Thursday morning, its stock price was hovering<\/a> around $140 a share. And its market value was down roughly $10 billion and around $64 billion.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Target is…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…I was about to say “pushing back”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it’s more “trying to deflect”: This piece is called “Target is being held hostage<\/em> by annti-LGBTQ campaign”.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No word if any “pouncing” was also involved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here’s the part were I have a question. Target accepts a certain amount of “breakage”; shoplifting, vandalism, even people opening containers to see what’s i before they buy unopened ones. They accept it as part of the cost of doing business – even more so today, when their urban stores are plagued with rampant theft and vandalism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So about this bit here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The campaign became hostile, with threats levied against Target employees and instances of damaged products and displays in stores…In the end, Target opted to protect employee safety by removing certain items that it said caused the most \u201cvolatile\u201d reaction from opponents.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

DIsplays get damaged all the time. And Target employees are no strangers to angry, hostile customers. None of which is OK. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Target is claiming there’ve been attacks, even violence, against Target workers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So where are the reports of the actual acts of violence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No video? Nothing in writing anywhere? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call me a cynic, but it almost <\/em>appears that Target is trying to deflect blame for its market bleeding away from tuck-under swimsuits for teenage boys and Satanic designers, and over to the Phantom MAGA Menace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone show me if I’m wrong, here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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UPDATE 7:03 AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Maybe the violence thing was never really a thing? https:\/\/t.co\/vCivNmf5qO<\/a><\/p>— Dad Was Right (@DadWasRight91) May 26, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>