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By Hugh Cameron
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The rolling protests that have swept the U.S. in recent weeks continue with a "permanent boycott" of Target commencing this week.
John Schwarz, founder of The People's Union USA, said in a post to Instagram last week: "What we are doing between June 3 and June 9, that week, we will be calling for the permanent boycott of Target."
Newsweek has reached out to Target and Schwarz via email for comment.
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Why It Matters
Multiple boycotts of major corporations have taken place this year, fueled by anger over the rollback of diversity policies as well as a wider groundswell of anti-corporate sentiment. The companies themselves, including Target, have acknowledged the impact of these actions on both their reputations among consumers and their bottom lines.
What To Know
The retail giant has been battling with boycotts of its stores since February. These were initially sparked by the company's decision to scale back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and were led by dozens of Black churches across the country. In addition to the reinstatement of these policies, organizers made several requests of Target, some of which have been met.
However, the boycott set to hit Target stores from Tuesday is unrelated to the ongoing DEI-related protests, and is led by People's Union USA, a grassroots group committed to taking "power back from the corporations." In addition to Target, it has organized boycotts – or "economic blackouts" – against several companies in recent weeks, including Amazon, Walmart and General Mills.
In previous boycotts, or "economic blackouts," the group had called on supporters to refrain from shopping at large stores and online, and to rely on independent small businesses. However, Schwarz is now encouraging Americans to shop "anywhere else but Target," as "they've had their chance."
"I literally mean that," he said. "If you've got to shop at Walmart or Amazon, places we boycott, instead of Target, do it. Target needs to be shut down, this corporation needs to feel the full power of the people."
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While it has not commented on The People's Union USA boycotts directly, in its annual report released in March, Target acknowledged that there had been an "adverse reactions" to changes in its DEI initiatives.
Last month, its first-quarter earnings revealed a 3.8 percent year-over-year decline in comparable sales, with the 4.7 percent growth in digital sales failing to offset a 5.7 percent drop in store sales. In addition, the number of in-store transactions dropped 2.4 percent. CEO Brian Cornell cited the "reaction to the updates we shared on belonging in January" as one of the "several additional headwinds" faced by the company in the quarter, and said the company would be "moving with urgency to navigate through this period of volatility."
According to location analytics platform Placer.ai, foot traffic at Target stores was down 6.2 percent in April from March.
The company's share price has also fallen by 30 percent since the beginning of February, prompting Reverend Jamal H. Bryant, the pastor who led the DEI-focused boycott, to say: "We have cancelled Target."
What People Are Saying
John Schwarz, founder of The People's Union USA, said in a video posted to Instagram: "Economic resistance is working. Target, Walmart and Amazon are all feeling it, talking about it. They are talking about the boycotts. They are talking about The People's Union USA. My friends, we are fighting for theses corporations to finally pay their fair share of federal income taxes to alleviate that from the American worker. We are also fighting for these companies to hold manufacturers and themselves to a reasonable profit margin cap and equality across the board."
"June 3 through the 9, we are calling for the permanent banning of Target," he added.
Corporate ethics consultant Roger Steare, corporate philosopher in residence at the Cass Business School, told Newsweek that the boycotts and buyouts of major corporations "reflect a society deeply divided by political and moral extremism."
"This divide cannot be bridged by the leadership of these firms," he said. "What leaders ought to do is be clear and consistent about the moral values that they DO decide to stand by as a workplace community - and then stick with them. That's what we call integrity. Flip-flopping on values is hypocrisy."
A Target spokesperson previously told Newsweek: "At Target, we have an ongoing commitment to creating a welcoming environment for all team members, guests, and suppliers. It's core to how we support and grow our business. We remain focused on supporting organizations and creating opportunities for people in the 2,000 communities where we live and operate."
Pastor Jamal Bryant, in an interview with CNN last week, said: "This boycott against Target is the most boycott by Black people in 70 years since the Montgomery Bus Boycott. They've lost $12 billion in valuation. Their stock tumbled from $145 a share to $93 dollars a share. The CEO's salary was cut by 43 percent. And so I just want to put an asterisk of what happens when our community mobilizes and stays focused. We have cancelled Target."
What Happens Next?
The Target boycott will continue into next week, after which The People's Union USA has announced plans to boycott McDonald's from June 24 to June 30, and for a nationwide Independence Day boycott targeting multiple companies on July 4.
Update 6/2/25 10:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional comment.
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