Editor’s Note: Epic Economist does a fine job of disseminating financial news and analysis, but they lean centrist political and always avoid mentioning areas of Cultural Marxism that contribute to the downfall of companies. In this case, it’s crystal clear to our readers that one of the biggest reasons for Target’s recent woes is that they went full-groomer over the summer with LGBTQIA+ Supremacy merchandise pushed aggressively during “Pride Month.” So know that just because the elephant in the room isn’t mentioned in the video, it’s well known by our audience as a root cause of Target’s demise. Here’s Epic Economist…
Target’s products are going to get more expensive this fall. The company’s CEO is warning about tougher conditions for shoppers and also raising the alarm about the state of the U.S. economy. The retailer is one of the biggest general merchandise companies in America, and its household goods, groceries, and clothing are about to face some of the steepest price increases since 2019.
If you are a frequent shopper at other retail giants, you probably have noticed that Target’s prices are already notably higher. Even after offering deep discounts to get rid of inventory in 2022 and bearing a 90% profit drop, the company still had to pass higher supply chain costs to shoppers over the past year. And now, it is trying to stabilize its balance sheet by introducing significant price markups on thousands of products.
The Minneapolis retailer’s chief executive officer has issued a dire warning to U.S. consumers for the second half of the year. Brian Cornell said he expects rising interest rates, which makes credit cards more expensive to use, and higher prices on food and energy to continue to put a strain on shoppers.
The big-box store chain missed sales expectations in the second quarter, and according to its latest earnings report, revenue also came lower than expected. Executives pointed to a growing economic malaise, and uncertainty from the restart of student loan repayments as some of the reasons for the deteriorating outlook for the months ahead. Despite falling sales volumes and a tighter environment for consumer spending, Target says it will have to continue hiking prices to improve profitability and meet its financial goals.
Fiddelke noted that price increases are “always the last lever” the retailer pulls, but “external conditions led us to raise prices across a broad set of items in multiple categories,” he added.
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Other retailers are doing the same. Home Depot, the nation’s largest home improvement retailer, reported declining sales in its second-quarter earnings results. The company noted that it’s seeing weak sales volumes in several big-ticket items like patio furniture and appliances. For that reason, it has decided to raise the price of smaller home-improvement items to offset its losses.
At this point, Target is considered as one of the highest-priced retailers of 2023. A Business Insider comparison between Target and other major retailers found that Target’s prices are on average 15% to 25% higher than some of its competitors. With consumers having to cover for the company’s financial losses via higher prices, it’s understandable why Wall Street isn’t seeing a bright future for the retailer in the months ahead.
Americans are sick and tired of price increases, and they are likely to search for better deals at other stores instead of going to Target. Even though the markups may help Target to boost revenue in the short term, it will hurt consumer confidence, and ultimately, do more harm than good to its bottom line in the long run. At a time when big retailers are facing a heightened risk of bankruptcy, Target should be actively considering better strategies to bolster its performance and avoid experiencing even more hardships in the future.
Video and article via Epic Economist.
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