this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2023
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414
Target blamed theft and violence for 9 store closures. Crime is higher at locations it kept open nearby (www.cnbc.com)
submitted 11 months ago by return2ozma@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
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[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 53 points 11 months ago (2 children)

These small format Target stores suck. That’s why they’re closing. They try to have the same number departments as a regular Target, but since they don’t have the space, they only ever have a limited selection of everything.

It’s a broad, yet shallow selection of products. Most other small retailers focus on something and have a narrow selection of categories, but a deep array of products within those categories.

I used to work for Target’s delivery company, and I always hated supporting those little stores. They’re a disaster.

[–] snooggums@kbin.social 30 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Pretty sad that they can't just admit they didn't work out as a business model instead of trying to blame it on "crime".

[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

It's very convenient for them. Everyone from DM up is a screaming out of touch conservative who (a) never wants to admit they were just shitty managers, and (b) it helps push the national image of their wealthy executives and shareholders which is to kiss Republican ass.

I'll never forget their smug faces coming in, checking out store on Thanksgiving. Each year it would just get earlier and earlier. They stopped in for like 20 minutes then peaced off back to their families.

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 4 points 11 months ago

tl:dr Target lies again

[–] HeyJoe@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago (1 children)

We don't have them near me but I went on a trip last year and sadly forgot my belt... so I found a target to hit as it was the closest store near me. It's the first time I saw this smaller version and I agree it was awful. They did not have a single belt. I hope they fail or at least rebrand because I would like to know that I am going to a butchered version of target before getting there so I can avoid it.

[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, I don’t know why they didn’t just call them something different so people go in with different expectations.

They’re more like a Super CVS than a Target.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago

“Target Express”.

They could possibly succeed if it was more like “order online and pick up” only, dumping the retail shopping space

[–] thisisawayoflife@lemmy.world 43 points 11 months ago

"Corporate executives are all worthless liars. News at 11."

[–] urist@lemmy.blahaj.zone 29 points 11 months ago

We Americans depend on companies like Target to sell us groceries. They take our money and sequester it for the desires of their shareholders, out-compete local businesses, and often pay their staff too little to live with dignity in our communities. And yet we depend on them and reward them by shopping at their stores.

Even this isn’t enough for them. They would rather denigrate the communities they serve than admit they are simply closing less profitable stores. Why? Simply PR. It’s not just Target, Walmart has done this exact thing too.

They keep installing self checkouts and pretending it’s everyone else’s fault when shrink goes up. (I have nothing personal against self checkouts, before anything writes me a long response).

Corporations act as psychopaths and expect us to respect them, to respect the social contract between us. They ignore this same social contract when it suits them.

[–] PP_BOY_@lemmy.world 24 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

Obligatory fuck Target on virtue of being another shitty megacorp but two different points are being disingenuously conflated into one in this article.

Yes, it's probably true that Target keeps stores open in higher-crime areas and yes, it's probably also true that Target has blamed the closure of certain stores on theft in comparatively less-criminal areas, but those two facts don't conflict with each other and are really only tangently related.

[–] walter_wiggles@lemmy.nz 26 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] admiralteal@kbin.social 20 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Yep, "Organized Retail Crime" is a straight-up moral panic. As are most of these modern crime stories about how everything is getting more dangerous and blah blah blah. It's just conservatives and capitalists lying to achieve conservative and capitalist goals.

The real objective here, as far as retailers are concerned, is to force communities to spend more of their limited policing budget on providing security services for their stores so that they don't have to. And, of course, to have a convenient excuse to close down a poorly-performing store without as much of a PR headache from the community left behind.

Shop local. These national chains exist to funnel money out of communities. That's their purpose. That's the only reason they exist. And if your city council doesn't make it just as easy for a local to open a business as a megacorp, hold your city council to task.

[–] JustZ@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

You're not wrong but you're missing the larger context of what many know to be true, and that is that Target is lying.

Target has reasons to lie and will not provide evidence to support it's claim, which is just hard to believe. You'd have to steal a lot of stuff beyond what they expect to be stolen each year to cut into the profit margin of a Target store, let alone cut in enough to permanently close down a location....like almost an unbelievable amount.

This article provides yet another piece of circumstantial evidence that Target is lying.

[–] TurnItOff_OnAgain@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

Agree. While it's on a lower crime area, it's also possible that sales were also lower at those stores, so crime took a larger chunk of revenue. Or a million other things. Correlation does not equal causation.

[–] Drinvictus@discuss.tchncs.de 14 points 11 months ago

Because if you blame it on the management you'll piss of the shareholders

[–] walter_wiggles@lemmy.nz 13 points 11 months ago

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/target-is-blaming-theft-for-store-closures-but-landlords-say-otherwise-1.1981914

Last quote from the landlord is gold.

[–] SeaJ@lemm.ee 10 points 11 months ago

When I heard Target was closing a couple stores here in Seattle because of theft, I assumed it was the one downtown. When I read that it was the one in Ballard, I immediately knew the reasoning was bullshit. Nobody went to the one in Ballard. That is also not a high crime area (there is an upscale grocery store right across the street that has no theft issues). I knew they were just jumping on the theft excuse that has been debunked.

[–] BlackNo1@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

steal from your local target

[–] SphereofWreckening@ttrpg.network 6 points 11 months ago

Be aware that Target has a sophisticated anti-shoplifting system with literal forensic labs in Minneapolis and Las Vegas. Stealing is possible, but much more difficult than most stores.

Remember, always know your mark.