As a Minnesotan, it was always a point of pride for me that Target was a hometown company. Especially when they started offering opportunities to diverse businesses and providing products for a diverse shopper I felt like they represented Minneapolis well. The Minneapolis I have called home the last 20 years is progressive, open, accepting, and decidedly anti-facism. Target has also always been a top employer–if you worked for Target Corporate it was like being admitted to a top University. There was a perceived sense of prestige.

My gay friends told me about the concept of an A Gay but in Minneapolis there was something even better: a Target Gay. This is to say that Target and to be associated with Target was a wonderful thing of pride.

And then January 24 happened and the only explanation Target gave for turning on DEI was that they needed to be cognisant of what was happening in the broader culture. My ass.

I miss Target. I miss the walk through the aisles. The randomly buying 6 shirts when I went in for travel-size Advil. I have my Targets of preference scattered across the country. I drove by one of my favourites this morning just to see the state of the parking lot (not nearly as full as it used to be on a Saturday morning).

But you know what? In the 62 days since my last purchase from Target I’ve found some satisfying replacements. I know shop Pet Smart and a local pet supply store (Chuck and Don’s) for all my dog and cat supplies. The price is comparable, occasionally better. Was it hard at first to adjust my routine? Yep. But guess what? New routines are pretty easy to establish. I see the same checkout gal every Sunday at Pet Smart and there’s an odd sense of community with her that I never felt at Target. It’s nice. And, obviously, there’s so much more product to choose from.

Will I ever go back to Target? I mean, I hope so. I hope there’s a leadership change. A massive mea culpa. A recommitment in the strongest, loudest form to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its forms.

And I hope that for the country, too.