Monday, December 23, 2013

The Target backlash continues...

The backlash against Target continues, and now it's not just all about the massive security breach that affected the retailer over Black Friday weekend.

While Target offered a "10% off weekend" to try to lure shoppers back to stores, I heard on NPR this morning that sales were still down 3-4%. Not good news for a major retailer during the Holiday season.

Also: JP Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, told customers on Saturday that they would be limited to $100 in cash withdrawals and $300 in total purchases per day if they had used Chase debit cards at Target during the recent security breach. While the limit does not apply to Chase credit cards, many news outlets interviewed affected customers over the weekend who were not happy about the limits placed on their debit cards in the last few days before Christmas.

And finally: Beyonce has no love for the Bullseye at the moment. Business Insider reports the pop star (shown here) walked through a Walmart store in Tewksbury, Mass., on Friday night, announcing that everyone there would get a $50 gift card. With 750 customers, the tab came to $37,500. Beyoncé was sending Target a message: Boycott my new album and I'll give my love and dollars to a competitor.

The controversy surrounds the release of Beyoncé's latest album, "XO." On Dec. 13, Beyoncé surprised fans and brick-and-mortar retailers with the sudden release of the album only at Apple's iTunes store for the first week. The 14-track, 17-video digital album was priced at $15.99. The album became an overnight bestseller, with more than 1 million copies sold so far. But some retailers, such as Target and Amazon, were not amused by her one-week exclusive deal with Apple, and have refused to carry the album as a result.

2 comments:

tina said...

There are a lot of people who have dealt with Beyonce here in Houston (including my husband) before she hit it big and I have never heard a good thing about her. So anything that I hear about her, I tend to be a bit leery. Walmart stinks anyway. It's dirty and their stuff is low quality.

Target Addict said...

Tina: thanks for your perspective. A lot of media outlets are calling Beyonce's gift card giveaway a bit "FU" to Target and Amazon, as a response to them not being pleased she gave the iTunes store first crack at selling her new album. Just this past July (see link below) Beyonce was seen at a shopping spree at Target, so clearly she's fickle about which retailer she's loyal to.

http://target-addict.blogspot.com/2013/07/beyonce-hearts-target_15.html