by TYLER DURDEN at zerohedge.com
One week after Target CEO Brian Cornell revealed that “woke” capitalism is “great” for their brand and “the right thing for society,” the mega-retailer has been scrambling to avoid a disastrous “Bud Light moment” by forcing some stores to remove LGBTQ Pride merchandise as consumer boycott calls mount.
A Target insider told Fox News that South and rural America stores are removing controversial LGBT-themed products ahead of June Pride month to avoid further backlash. Some products ranged from “tuck-friendly” swimsuits for transgender people to gender-fluid coffee mugs. The insider said the reasoning behind such an abrupt move is “to avoid the kind of backlash Bud Light has received in recent weeks.”
Facing a potential sales-slamming debacle akin to the 24% hit Bud Light has taken, the person said an “emergency” conference call was held with store managers and senior district directors last Friday to dismantle Pride sections on retail floors.
“We were given 36 hours, told to take all of our Pride stuff, the entire section, and move it into a section that’s a third the size. From the front of the store to the back of the store, you can’t have anything on mannequins and no large signage,” the insider said.
The person who has worked for the retailer for over two decades said execs are “terrified of a Bud Light situation” as boycott calls soar on social media.
A Target spokesperson said the changes on the floor were in response to “threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and wellbeing” following the introduction of the Pride products. We were unable to find any accounts of violence directed against Target employees or stores on social media.
As they’re prone to do, major outlets like NBC News took Target’s vague reference to employees’ “sense of safety and well-being” and turned them into headlines referring to “threats to employees.”