As noted by National Review’s David French, boycotts are usually much “more noise than substance.” However, this was not the case with a boycott launched at Target after the retail giant made a liberal statement by announcing their controversial transgender bathroom policy last April, which opened their fitting rooms and restrooms to “gender identity” as opposed to biological sex.
“We welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity,” reads the statement from Target, posted in a company blog. “Everyone deserves to feel like they belong.”
The swift and fierce blow-back from consumers against the company’s liberal activism hit the company – hard. Business Insider reports:
The boycott cost the company millions in lost sales and added expenses. Shopper traffic and same-store sales started sliding for the first time in years after the blog post, and the company was forced to spend $20 million installing single-occupancy bathrooms in all its stores to give critics of the policy more privacy.
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Sales fell nearly 6% in the three quarters after the post compared with the same period last year, and same-store sales have dropped every quarter since the post.
A petition rebuking Target’s new policy was signed by over 1.4 million people, who accused the retail giant of putting women and children at risk in order to promote their liberal agenda.
The anti-Target movement gained even more momentum in large part due to corporate watchdog group 2ndVote. The conservative group launched an #AnywhereButTARGET campaign in November, asking conservatives to cast their second vote with their wallets by abstaining from the store.
“2ndVote is marking the start of the Christmas shopping season by launching the #AnywhereButTARGET campaign to allow conservatives direct communication with Target and highlight alternative retailers for Christmas shopping,” read 2ndVote’s press release.
“Conservatives have many other options to Target this season and that’s why we’re choosing #AnywhereButTARGET,” said executive director Lance Wray. “When a company as large and well-known as Target chooses to insert itself directly into such a radical movement that seeks to ultimately destroy religious liberty and completely goes against our conservative values, it’s our role as an organization to give conservatives a way to communicate directly with the company.”
Not only did Target feel conservatives’ disapproval in their pocketbook, the boycott lead to the company spending $20 million on single-occupancy bathrooms in an attempt to skirt their bold trans policy. Clearly, conservatives can make a significant impact on the culture by voting with their wallets.