This was the first real test. Armed with the kids’ school supplies lists, we all piled in the car and headed to . . .Walmart. Ugh. I hate the Walmart experience, and their reputation as corporate citizens isn’t exactly stellar either, but there were crayons, folders and Elmer’s Glue to buy. We got all the needed supplies (but really, does a 2nd grader need 48 pencils?!) and exited about $100 lighter in the pocketbook. Since neither boy needed new clothes to start off the school year, I think we got off easy.
On Thursday, Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel announced he was sorry that the $150K donation to MN Forward disappointed some of his employees and customers. (Evidently he wasn’t sorry he made the donation, just sorry that it bothered some people.) I give him credit for owning up to the situation he created, but it’s just a first step. He has made public the political leanings of Target, and as a company they will have to live with that.
I need to get dental floss. Normally, I’d run into Target over my lunch hour, pick up dental floss and three or four other things that were either on sale or point-of-purchase impulse buys. I’d leave with my $1.49 dental floss along with $40 more of other stuff.
This exercise could be good for my bank account.
My first thought when deciding to boycott Target because of their political contributions was that it was my way to exert my miniscule fiscal pressure on the retailing giant. They used their money to show their political preferences and so would I. (A David and Goliath moment, I know.)
Right on the heels of that first thought though was that this isn’t about Target, it’s about me. Am I spending my money (and time and talent) with organizations that move the world forward in a way I appreciate? I held a view that Target was one of the good guys, a local company with a great reputation, decent products at decent prices. With that simplistic view, I was a Target fan. A big one. The news of their political contributions was like getting finger-flicked to the forehead. Wake up. Target is a big business, with big-business interests. No amount of trendy marketing taglines, aimed squarely at middle-aged mothers like me, would change that. Let’s take a step back and see if the cute clothes, cheap school supplies and fresh groceries are worth the real price I’m paying.
“It’s not like we’re going to stop going to Target”, my husband said, half statement, half question. Today was the first real temptation. I just needed to pick up vitamins and deodorant. “It’s just so easy,” he continued. “They’re everywhere.”
They are everywhere, and that’s part of the point. Running to Target has become so ubiquituous , we never question whether its presence in our lives is welcome or not. We may discover it is a welcome presence, but I’ve decided to pause to ask the question.
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