Black-owned businesses can survive without anti-DEI Target
Black consumers, be careful with Black-owned businesses who care more about luxury than equality
When I heard the news about Target removing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) language and promotions, my first thought was, “And?” This retail chain has been problematic to me since 2019. When one store became my go-to after dodging another one, it seemed like all the racial profiling co-workers figured out they should work at the second store during the pandemic. After a report to the Better Business Bureau in 2023, I tapped out completely.
Still, I understand why some Black-owned businesses may want you to still shop there so Target doesn’t have an excuse to stop selling their products. Then, those same Black-owned and woman-owned businesses will be back to square one. Still, the products, the talent and (assuming this is applicable) their Internet visibility doesn’t disappear because they’re no longer at Target. Be wary of any company (or person) that tells Black consumers to continue to shop at an anti-DEI organization only to then continue to promote more anti-DEI companies. At some point, you’ll have to wonder, “Are we supporting Black businesses or did you just want a Cadillac?”
So is it hypocritical of me to continue to promo Amazon products, knowing they’ve removed DEI language? I’m having an internal fight with this one. On one hand, like retail chains, the convenience, the pricing and the accessibility makes it easier for people to buy items they can’t get in their own neighborhoods — and yes, that includes Amazon’s convenience.
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As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn a percentage for each purchase with my referral links.
On the other hand, I really like how easy it is to find woman-owned, Black-owned and other marginalized-group owned products on Amazon. I especially like spreading the word about them. Library books may have taken their pan-African flags off of Black books but online stores still see the significance of not trying to blend everything in. For now, and as long as I can see Black-owned and woman-owned businesses, I’ll continue to partner with Amazon.
The following post (below) was originally written on February 6, 2020.
Writer’s note: Initially when I wrote this post (Feb. 6), I had no intention of mentioning the store chain nor location (Target, 2209 Howard St., Evanston, IL). But I went in there today (Feb. 11) to see if anything had changed since my last visit. Per usual, the suffocating behavior continues. The self-checkout rep (the same lady who decided it was “too many people in line” the last time I was there) immediately walked over to fiddle with brand new bags at my register, wanted to know why I didn’t have a bag, and came back to stare at me when I purposely got back in line to buy a handful more items.
Other customers (all white) completed their transactions without interruption. When I finished paying, she conveniently walked away from the register I was paying from. I’ve had enough. I’m naming names, filling out the survey, writing to headquarters and the Better Business Bureau, and I’m never going to this store location again.
Recommended Read: “Post-COVID, are retailers getting amnesia about drive-ups and curbside pick-ups? ~ Has the worldwide pandemic forever changed customer attitudes?”
I love one particular store chain*. They have my favorite vegetarian items, household products, electronics and beauty essentials. Being able to find a combination of all four perks is important to me. I’m not the kind of consumer who wants to go to eight different stores to grocery shop. My weekly grocery runs are at this popular discount chain* and a higher-end grocer, then pretty much everything else is bought online. But I have a bone to pick with one store location, and it’s primarily due to the self-checkout experience. I dodge it unless I’m already nearby (and usually drive past it even then), primarily because I am profiled by store employees and/or management every time.
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As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I want to continue promoting cool products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. As of the first date of Black History Month 2025, each new post will ALWAYS include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site to verify that Amazon Black-owned logo.) I am (slowly) doing this with older, popular posts too. If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
I’m no stranger to retail. In college, I worked for Walgreens (two years as a cashier, a few months as a photo tech). During spring and winter breaks, I was a cashier and gift wrapper at Borders Books, Music and Cafe. Immediately after graduation, I worked for Walmart (eight months as a photo tech).
Recommended Read: “Could more bookstores survive if they act like libraries? ~ Are libraries helping millennials be even more antisocial?”
So ringing items up, checking prices, correct bagging and price verification is not new to me. It’s the primary reason I prefer self-checkout. I can get in and out, knowing full well my manufacturing coupons were used correctly, the prices are accurate, the bags are not stuffed to capacity and store membership points are credited. The only problem I have is related to the employees at self-checkout in this location — either management and/or the employees have a tough time understanding the self part of self-checkout. In turn, I end up frustrated after every visit to this store location, so I drive past it 99.9 percent of the time during my next grocery run.
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As an Amazon affiliate, I do earn a percentage from each sale while using my referral links.
When the self-checkout profiling began
It started off small. First there was the white, female cashier who stood behind me to watch me ring up every item. Then there was the cashier who wanted to “help” bag items for me at self-checkout, but not the other three (white) customers purchasing their items. Then there was the cashier who jogged over when I accidentally scanned an avocado instead of typing in the code, loudly yelling, “I knew you would do that!” By incident number three (same cashier all three times), I walked away altogether and she asked me about paying. Meanwhile an older white lady was waving her hand for assistance.