“Target has made an obvious choice on whose business they value.”
When I was getting my MBA in 2005, Wal-Mart shoppers averaged $25,000/year income and Target shoppers averaged $75,000. My guess is that Target knows who their shoppers are and made a risk decision to pursue the gay market segment believing that their larger shopping base is liberal and would not change to another store based on this move. It’s probably a decision that won’t hurt them as your typical Volvo driver doesn’t care one way or the other.
I never studied JC Penny. My guess is they didn’t know their clientele and they made a bad call. Star Bucks, on the other hand, have an elitist, yuppie clientele who will revel in making an additional statement with their increased patronage.
I write this while munching on my Chick-fil-A salad: $5.98. The clerk tells me business is up. The parking lot was 75% full at 5:00pm. The store had at least 10 employees working very fast. I don’t think Chick-fil-A will be hurt. I’ll bet sales everywhere except San Francisco are up.
Well, the ones on university campuses are not up. I actually hope some of those close because I don't want to see employees harassed or even injured. Sometimes it's best to leave hostile territory.
The ones near us are packed. It's worth the wait, to counter-protest so effortlessly.