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Speaker 1: There Are No Girls on the Internet as a production

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Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio and Unbossed Creative. I'm Bridget Todd and this

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Speaker 1: is There Are No Girls on the Internet.

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Speaker 2: Hello.

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Speaker 1: I have missed talking to y'all so so much, and

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Speaker 1: a lot of you all have sent me very kind

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Speaker 1: messages of support. Cance have been a way, so I

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Speaker 1: just wanted to say thank you. It really really means

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Speaker 1: a lot to me, and I know that we have

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Speaker 1: kind of a lot to catch up on, so we're

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Speaker 1: going to be back very soon with brand new episodes.

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Speaker 1: But in the meantime, have you heard about the economic

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Speaker 1: blackout plan for February twenty eighth. So it turns out

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Speaker 1: everybody is just sick to death of everything rising prices, authoritarianism,

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Speaker 1: and the quickness with which some companies just abandoned any

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Speaker 1: kind of commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion work just

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Speaker 1: because Trump said so. So I joined my friends Samantha

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Speaker 1: and Annie over at the podcast stuff Mom ever told

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Speaker 1: you to get into what all of it means To

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Speaker 1: take a listen.

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Speaker 3: Okay, this is Annie and Samantha a of the stuff

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Speaker 3: I never told you procure if I hurt you, and welcome

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Speaker 3: to a very special stuff. We never told you. We

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Speaker 3: were so excited to be joined once again by the

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Speaker 3: very well read, the very well missed Bridget Todd. We

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Speaker 3: have missed you so much, Bridget.

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Speaker 2: We're so good to have you.

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Speaker 4: Oh, you were very well missed.

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Speaker 2: I missed you all so much.

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Speaker 1: Thanks for having me here, Like, uh, yeah, I used

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Speaker 1: to kind of rely.

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Speaker 2: On shooting the shooting with y'all.

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Speaker 1: I'm nice to have that outlet. I've missed it so much.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for having me here.

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Speaker 4: Then it took us twenty minutes to get to the

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Speaker 4: recording part because of your conversation. I was like, oh, yeah,

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Speaker 4: we actually need to do things, but I missed talking

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Speaker 4: so with Bridget. So we need to know all the details.

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Speaker 3: Yes, yes, and you, I mean you always this so

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Speaker 3: much going on right now, and so much in the

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Speaker 3: technology sector and so so much in so many sectors

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Speaker 3: that I just have a lot of trust in you, Bridget.

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Speaker 3: So you have been very well missed. Which is the Yeah,

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Speaker 3: I think something I just made up right then, But

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Speaker 3: but I know this is a loaded question.

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Speaker 2: How have you been?

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Speaker 4: What's been going on?

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Speaker 1: If anyone watches Real Housewives of New York, there's a

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Speaker 1: meme of Derenda saying how have I been?

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Speaker 2: Not well, that's that question. Not well, I mean I

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Speaker 2: have I have gone.

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Speaker 1: I had the worst year of my life last year,

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Speaker 1: and I do want to say, like a big part

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Speaker 1: of that was Annie and saman that you both really

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Speaker 1: being such good friends and good collaborators and like really

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Speaker 1: giving me a lot of space. And so I want

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Speaker 1: to say like thank you for all the support. And

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Speaker 1: so I've had a personally rough go and then on

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Speaker 1: top of that everything else that's happening. It feels like

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Speaker 1: I went offline and when I came back, the world

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Speaker 1: was spiraling, and so yeah, I have been experiencing despair personally,

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Speaker 1: and then I feel like everybody else kind of also

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Speaker 1: met me in despair, and it's like, oh, we're all

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Speaker 1: in despair together.

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Speaker 4: Welcome, which is essentially crying in each other's arms for

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Speaker 4: different reasons, but it all meshes together because the world's

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Speaker 4: on fire.

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Speaker 5: Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, and here we are, like yay, Bridgid,

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Speaker 5: tell us about it, talk to us about this stuff,

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Speaker 5: Please make say some things.

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Speaker 1: Well, we were talking off Mike about how complicated it

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Speaker 1: is as people who make podcasts and make contact. It's

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Speaker 1: like you have to find this balance of like not

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Speaker 1: wanting to severely bum everybody out, and you know, we're

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Speaker 1: not just people who make podcasts, Like I listen to

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Speaker 1: podcasts for fun, and I find myself being like, you know,

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Speaker 1: I can't handle anything real right now, I need to

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Speaker 1: just distract myself with some fluff. I think I think

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Speaker 1: we're all both as content creators and as people who

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Speaker 1: take in content and appreciate media.

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Speaker 2: We're all trying to find this like sweet spot.

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Speaker 1: I don't know if y'all listening can identify with this,

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Speaker 1: but I've really been struggling with how much to take

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Speaker 1: in to not have me completely be spiraling, and how

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Speaker 1: much to take in to keep me informed, trying to

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Speaker 1: find that balance.

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Speaker 4: Right I think the big conversation is like knowing that

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Speaker 4: we have a responsibility and making sure like we're not

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Speaker 4: the complete like we're we can't stop everything, but we

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Speaker 4: do have a responsibility in witnessing it and making sure

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Speaker 4: we're calling it out. But at the same time, sometimes

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Speaker 4: that means that our well being is out the window

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Speaker 4: when we see too much. What do we see way

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Speaker 4: too much? And so having that balance of being like, yes,

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Speaker 4: I'm ready to be refreshed and fight again is so

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Speaker 4: hard to do what it feels like it's a constant

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Speaker 4: new fight exactly.

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Speaker 1: I saw this post that I feel like really summed

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Speaker 1: up where I'm at, where it was like, certainly, if

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Speaker 1: I read one more piece of contact or one more

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Speaker 1: news article instead of going to sleep, I will feel

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Speaker 1: totally in control of what is happening.

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Speaker 2: I yes, that could have been written by me. Oh

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Speaker 2: my goodness.

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Speaker 5: Yes.

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Speaker 3: Well, okay, speaking of we were discussing a friend of

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Speaker 3: mine who every day is sending me these texts where

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Speaker 3: I can tell she feels she has no control and

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Speaker 3: I'm kind of like, you need to you need to

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Speaker 3: find something else. I don't not all day, not all

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Speaker 3: the time, this is not good for you. But where

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Speaker 3: we are going to talk about one of the things

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Speaker 3: she used to do to distract herself, which was go

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Speaker 3: to Target the store Target that was like one of

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Speaker 3: her favorite things, and now she's very conflicted about all

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Speaker 3: of it. And I know that we're going to talk

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Speaker 3: about that Virginite.

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Speaker 1: Yes, yes, And so I have to say, like shout

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Speaker 1: out to Annie's friend because her and me both I

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Speaker 1: there's a target that is very close to my apartment,

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Speaker 1: it's walking distance to my apartment.

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Speaker 2: I will just like walk around.

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Speaker 1: Target just for like a scenery change, like the same

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Speaker 1: way people will be like, oh, take a walk in

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Speaker 1: the park.

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Speaker 2: I'm like, oh, let me see what Target has. It's

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Speaker 2: a terrible habit.

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Speaker 1: Y'all can call me out, like totally totally own that

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Speaker 1: it's not good behavior. But I heretofore have loved Target,

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Speaker 1: Like there's just something about walking around, like they really

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Speaker 1: like get the people who are chopping there. And I

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Speaker 1: think that's one of the reasons why the whole thing

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Speaker 1: with Target and DEI is it feels personal to me.

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Speaker 1: It feels kind of heartbreaking because listen, Walmart stores like that.

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Speaker 2: It's like they're not stores where I.

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Speaker 1: Would imagine there are people who see me and like,

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Speaker 1: you know, get me as a shopper. Target feels occupies

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Speaker 1: a very different space in my consciousness. So when I

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Speaker 1: hear that some effery is happening with Target, I really

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Speaker 1: don't like it.

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Speaker 2: Does that make sense?

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Speaker 4: You definitely have to go through your list of like,

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Speaker 4: well all that I can't go there anymore. I can't,

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Speaker 4: and your list starts dwindling, especially when you like for

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Speaker 4: the longest time, we kind of not champion because there's

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Speaker 4: still a corporation at the end. But for a while

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Speaker 4: they were doing some things that were like, Yay, finally

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Speaker 4: you're doing some good initiatives at least bringing on great

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Speaker 4: products for a diverse group of people, which is apparently

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Speaker 4: the problem, and actually standing up for it. So it

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Speaker 4: seemed so to come back and be like, what the

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Speaker 4: hell exactly that?

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Speaker 1: So I want to get into all of that. But

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Speaker 1: for folks who are I know what's going on. The

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Speaker 1: Trump administration kicked off with a grip of executive orders

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Speaker 1: I guess, like targeting wokeness through things like overhauling DEI initiative.

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Speaker 2: So this happened in the federal government.

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Speaker 1: Like currently right now, folks who work on anything even

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Speaker 1: tangentially DEI related within the federal government have been placed

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Speaker 1: on leave. I live in DC, and that that is

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Speaker 1: like what's happening with federal workers both in the District

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Speaker 1: of Columbia and nationally is like a whole other conversation.

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Speaker 1: It really is horrible and I think it will effect

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Speaker 1: impact all of us. I think we will all be

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Speaker 1: less safe because of it. So just wanted to name that.

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Speaker 1: But when it comes to DEI. It is not just

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Speaker 1: the public sector, because Trump also issued executive orders meant

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Speaker 1: to quash DEI programs in the private sector as well.

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Speaker 1: He directed agency heads to drop list of publicly traded

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Speaker 1: companies to investigate their DEI programs. So this is not

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Speaker 1: a totally new thing. I know that when I am

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Speaker 1: was on stuff I'm ever told you a while ago,

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Speaker 1: we were talking about the Supreme Court decision back in

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty three about affirmative action. So another sort of

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Speaker 1: side effect of that Supreme Court ruling was that some

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Speaker 1: of these big private companies started reassessing the legality of their.

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Speaker 2: Programs after that ruling. So it's not totally new.

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Speaker 1: But Trump being in the White House and sort of

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Speaker 1: starting off his administration with, you know, signaling all of

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Speaker 1: this pressure on DEI programs really has taken it to

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Speaker 1: a new level.

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Speaker 3: Yes, And I feel like a lot of companies have

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Speaker 3: come out of the woodwork, not just companies but other

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Speaker 3: like universities and all this, and they're like, yeah, we'll

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Speaker 3: just get rid of that as quickly as possible. It's

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Speaker 3: so ready to be like yep, okay, didn't want it gone, yes, So.

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Speaker 1: Like I mean so like, as somebody who covers technology,

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Speaker 1: I have really I'll say, not shocked, but disappointed when

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Speaker 1: it comes to tech companies. How quickly they were like, look, gone,

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Speaker 1: gone gone. After having to sit through years of listing

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Speaker 1: to these companies talk about or maybe even lie about

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Speaker 1: the way that they support women, LGBTQ people, black people like,

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Speaker 1: and I think with technology they have the power to

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Speaker 1: shape so much of our world and so much of

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Speaker 1: our culture that what they do really can set the tone.

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Speaker 1: And so yeah, it just sucks that we spent any

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Speaker 1: time at all pretending that these companies gave a crap about.

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Speaker 2: Any of us.

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Speaker 1: And then how quickly they're like, oh, just kidding. So

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Speaker 1: I'll run through a little bit of where we're at

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Speaker 1: with some of these companies. So Facebook just immediately went

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Speaker 1: along with Trump like we'd be here all day if

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Speaker 1: I listed all the ways, but just a taste, you know. Obviously,

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Speaker 1: they rolled back through DII programs, they rolled back fact

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Speaker 1: checking immediately, they lifted restrictions on saying things like quote

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Speaker 1: women are property on their platforms. And so if that

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Speaker 1: is an attitude that you happen to hold, that women

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Speaker 1: are property, you can say that on Facebook all day long,

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Speaker 1: and it is not a problem. You also saw a

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Speaker 1: Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg doing things like ordering the removal

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Speaker 1: of tampons from all men's bathrooms in company offices.

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Speaker 2: So these weird things.

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Speaker 1: Where as Mashville put it, this decision was not about

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Speaker 1: cost cutting or efficiency. It took effort and served no

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Speaker 1: practical purpose and sent a clear message about the company's

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Speaker 1: shifting priority.

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Speaker 2: So these things that are clearly like.

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Speaker 1: They're not about cost cutting, they're not about, you know,

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Speaker 1: making the company more efficient. They're just about making it

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Speaker 1: clear where they're at, which mission accomplished, because I really

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Speaker 1: have a very clear understanding of where Facebook is at. Zuckerberg,

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Speaker 1: of course, went on a bunch of podcasts dressed like

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Speaker 1: a recently divorced nightclub promoter and talked about how Facebook

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Speaker 1: needs more quote masculine energy at their companies now. Now, again,

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Speaker 1: keep in mind, this is not a company that Time

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Speaker 1: magazine describes their current workforce as almost seventy percent mail.

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Speaker 2: So I guess that's like not mail enough. We need

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Speaker 2: it to be more male.

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Speaker 1: I don't know, I don't know how much more mail

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Speaker 1: you can get other than like one hundred percent, But okay,

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Speaker 1: we're just.

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Speaker 4: Kind of like the opposite once again of being like,

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Speaker 4: you want to be really masculine, but a part of

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Speaker 4: your masculinity is like being impressive to women. So were

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Speaker 4: you being so impressive towards each other? Like bro okay,

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Speaker 4: which I kind of missed the days where we were

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Speaker 4: talking about him and fighting with Elon.

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Speaker 2: I know you would go.

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Speaker 4: Back to those days, But how did it happened to that?

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Speaker 2: So he had a window where people didn't hate him.

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Speaker 1: And what's funny is that I was just reading this

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Speaker 1: study that was like, oh, remember when Mark Zuckerberg like

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Speaker 1: changed his look and was trying to go for like

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Speaker 1: a softer, gentilour approach. Turns out everybody still hates him.

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Speaker 1: And I was like, oh, who even Dido? Who even

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Speaker 1: did the study? You're like, what's this's the study? But

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Speaker 1: there is a study that apparently that little window where

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Speaker 1: people didn't hate his guts did not last and had

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Speaker 1: no lasting impact. So he really squandered that tiny sliver

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Speaker 1: of goodwill that he got from people from that like

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Speaker 1: one week or whatever. People didn't completely hate his guts.

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Speaker 4: Right, I think the whistleblowers in his life just really

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Speaker 4: was not having it, so I also missed them me.

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Speaker 1: Too, Francis Hogan, where you at if we need you?

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Speaker 4: Okay, speaking of big companies, we know like there were

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Speaker 4: several big CEOs and executives that were aligned and excited

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Speaker 4: to do exactly what Trump has been wanted to do,

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Speaker 4: including Amazon, right.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, they scaled back their DEI programs pretty quickly.

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Speaker 2: Google.

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Speaker 1: I will say two companies that did not immediately scale

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Speaker 1: back to EI or Apple and Microsoft. Both of those

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Speaker 1: companies kind of reaffirmed their commitment to DEI. Companies are

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Speaker 1: so companies. So I don't want to be like giving

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Speaker 1: them too much ra rock credit. Microsoft has been very

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Speaker 1: chummy with Trump, But I do want to give credit

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Speaker 1: where credit is due on DEI specifically because I do

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Speaker 1: think like it's a choice. You know, one of the

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Speaker 1: big companies that did not scale back DEI, that will

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Speaker 1: talk more about in a bit as costco. Right, And

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Speaker 1: so these companies, even despite these executive orders, these companies

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Speaker 1: don't have to immediately comply. Immediately complying with these executive

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Speaker 1: orders is a choice, right, And so I wouldn't even

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Speaker 1: like a lot of people have described this moment as

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Speaker 1: sort of a mask off moment, especially when it comes

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Speaker 1: to tech companies, I wouldn't even say I agree with this.

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Speaker 1: I don't think that these companies have like necessarily not

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Speaker 1: wanted to do inclusion work all along.

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Speaker 2: I don't think that that.

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Speaker 1: I think the people who run these companies will just

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Speaker 1: align themselves with whoever is in power and whatever is

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Speaker 1: the favorable position at the moment. And so I don't

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Speaker 1: even think it's a mask off moment. Like I don't

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Speaker 1: think Mark Zuckerberg is showing his true colors.

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Speaker 2: I don't think he has true colors.

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Speaker 1: These are people who not who don't have genuine values

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Speaker 1: or backbone. And so if you don't really have if

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Speaker 1: you don't really value anything, it's not really a mask

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Speaker 1: off moment because your value is just power and money.

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Speaker 4: Right. And it's interesting because we've had so many conversations

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Speaker 4: about places like Google and tech companies like them, and

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Speaker 4: how their initial setup was kind of like, we're the

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Speaker 4: cool nerds that you want to come work for. We're

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Speaker 4: the ones that's offering you know, unlimited PTO, but we

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Speaker 4: really don't think you should take it. We're the ones

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Speaker 4: that's bringing in women of color to be leaders, but

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Speaker 4: not really because we want to fire them. Because they're

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Speaker 4: talking too much and giving too many suggestions. Like it's

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Speaker 4: interesting to see how quickly that they were like, oh,

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Speaker 4: finally we don't have to pretend to be the cool

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Speaker 4: nerds and just be uh at the alpha males that

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Speaker 4: we've been training to be.

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Speaker 1: Essentially, So, I actually think you're spot on, and I

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Speaker 1: do think we really need to have more conversations about

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Speaker 1: the cultural dynamic of some of these tech leaders and

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Speaker 1: some of these tech companies, because I think it is

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Speaker 1: how we sort of got into this mess in some ways,

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Speaker 1: because you know, if you think back to like, you know,

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Speaker 1: think back to the day the early days of platform

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Speaker 1: was like Instagram, the early days of iPhone technology and

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Speaker 1: the people who made it occupied a very specific place

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Speaker 1: in our cultural popular imagination. Right, it was Google offices

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Speaker 1: that looked really cool, that had pinball machines and open offices.

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Speaker 2: Right. Google's motto used to be don't be evil.

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Speaker 1: Until they dropped that motto officially in twenty eighteen.

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Speaker 2: I think they might have just taken off the don't right.

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Speaker 1: Maybe it's now like a little bit evil for a

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Speaker 1: tree is fine. I think that we gave them so

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Speaker 1: much space and so much runway to be these cool

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Speaker 1: nerds who we're going to be using technology to improve

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Speaker 1: all of our lives, and we kind of trusted that

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Speaker 1: that's what they were doing. And I think that because

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Speaker 1: of that trust, now when we check back in and

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Speaker 1: it's like, wait, are you guys actually still invested in

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Speaker 1: building a better future, and they're like, now, we're invested.

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Speaker 2: In making money through exploiting you.

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Speaker 1: Actually, I think that's where we're at, And so I

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Speaker 1: think it's really you're so right to bring up the

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Speaker 1: sort of cultural dynamics that are running some of these

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Speaker 1: companies and in tune shaping our understanding and attitude around them.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I'm not gonna lie. One of the best,

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Speaker 4: most like immediate examples was TikTok TikTok with that's like

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Speaker 4: trying to fight the government. I'm here for you, We're

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Speaker 4: here for your voice and where we want to represent

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Speaker 4: for your First Amendment right, and then being like, oh,

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Speaker 4: we love Donald Trump, He's gonna save us. Let's give

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Speaker 4: money to him. Like it's such a switch quick turnaround.

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Speaker 4: We were all like, oh, we were rooting for you

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Speaker 4: for a split second, like we were kind of doubting

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Speaker 4: you and a few things, but now like, oh, they

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Speaker 4: were such a quick turnaround of exactly what we saw

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Speaker 4: play out, except it took a little while longer.

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Speaker 1: I had the exact same feeling, Like I remember thinking, oh,

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Speaker 1: TikTok Ceo is like this young guy, he's so savvy.

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Speaker 2: Blah blah blah.

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Speaker 1: How quickly he turned heel right, So like, don't trust

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Speaker 1: any of these leaders. I don't care how savvy they look.

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Speaker 1: I don't care how young they are. Like tech, a

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Speaker 1: tech company will break your heart. A tech company will

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Speaker 1: exploit you, take your money, get rich off of it,

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Speaker 1: and then expect you to champion them like a damn

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Speaker 1: luminary because of it.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely not.

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Speaker 4: I mean again, Target, For a split second, really we

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Speaker 4: really were like, Oh, they're bringing in black women own products,

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Speaker 4: and we want to cheer that on. They're standing up

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Speaker 4: for the LGBTQ plus community. We love that, you know,

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Speaker 4: really seeing like their pain beyond their minimum wage and

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Speaker 4: people are being like, we're excited, and then it turned

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Speaker 4: to this.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so let's get into it.

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Speaker 1: So on January twenty fourth, Target announced they were going

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Speaker 1: to be rolling back their DEI initiatives, including programs to

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Speaker 1: foster and promote black owned businesses in its stores. This

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Speaker 1: is following Trump's signing of the executive order ending DEI

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Speaker 1: programs federally. So they sent around a memo by staff

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Speaker 1: member Kira Fernandez, Target's chief Community impact and equity officer

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Speaker 1: and a black woman herself. In this memo, the company

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Speaker 1: said they were going to stop conducting external diversity surveys

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Speaker 1: and submitting information to the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index,

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Speaker 1: which evaluates corporate policies on LGBTQ plus inclusion. The memo said,

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Speaker 1: quote throughout twenty twenty five, will be accelerating action in

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Speaker 1: key areas and implementing changes with the goal of driving

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Speaker 1: growth and staying in step with the evolving external landscape.

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Speaker 1: And so just like what you were saying, Sam, this

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Speaker 1: is particularly notable because Target really did seem like one

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Speaker 1: of those retailers that was making and signaling investment in

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Speaker 1: things like inclusion, especially after twenty twenty. So Target their

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Speaker 1: headquarters is based in Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed.

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Speaker 1: So in twenty twenty, Target reiterated its racial equity Action

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Speaker 1: and Change initiative, which involves things like anti racism training

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Speaker 1: for employees and prioritize hiring and promoting black staff, and

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Speaker 1: they really look to grow the number of black owned

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Speaker 1: businesses at Target. In twenty twenty one, Target pledged to

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Speaker 1: invest two billion in black owned businesses by the end

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Speaker 1: of twenty twenty five as part of this program. And

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Speaker 1: so here's the thing that I always like to talk

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Speaker 1: about when it comes to things like DEI and inclusion.

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Speaker 1: These programs don't just exist because they're like the nice

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Speaker 1: thing to.

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Speaker 2: Do, which they are. They're good business. They make companies money.

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Speaker 1: These companies exist to make money, and it turns out

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Speaker 1: that inclusion is good for business. Target's chief executive officer

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Speaker 1: Brian Cornell told Fortune's Leadership Next podcast in twenty twenty

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Speaker 1: three that all of these like inclusion and diversity focused

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Speaker 1: initiatives quote, fueled so much of our growth over the

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Speaker 1: last nine years. So they are definitely cashing in and

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Speaker 1: making money off of traditionally marginalized people as a consumer block.

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Speaker 4: I wonder how close to that goal were they when

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Speaker 4: twenty twenty five happened, like just giving those billions out

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Speaker 4: of investments, Like were they actually that closed or maybe

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Speaker 4: I wonder conspiracy theories, like they were nowhere near something

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Speaker 4: like let's just roll it back and pretend like it

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Speaker 4: never happened because we're not going to meet this.

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Speaker 1: I mean, that wouldn't surprise me whenever, So this is

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Speaker 1: like like a hot tip for them. Whenever a company

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Speaker 1: is like, we pledge to do X, y Z thing, right,

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Speaker 1: it's always good practice to follow up because half the

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Speaker 1: time they've done nothing and they're just like not counting

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Speaker 1: on anybody following up.

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Speaker 2: So it's like they can say anything.

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Speaker 1: They could say we pledged to do whatever, and it's

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Speaker 1: like if if no one's following up, they can just

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Speaker 1: get all the good pr and goodwill without actually doing

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Speaker 1: the thing that they voluntarily said they were gonna do.

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Speaker 4: Right, no one asked for these numbers.

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Speaker 2: You brought this up.

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Speaker 3: This I'm sure you've run into this before. Bridget as

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Speaker 3: a medium that depends on advertisers sometimes, like during like

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Speaker 3: Pride Month, they'll be like, this company is gonna do

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Speaker 3: this and do this and do this, and I'll be like, okay,

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Speaker 3: tell me how silence. I never hear it from them again,

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Speaker 3: Like hmm.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I wasn't expecting. I wouldn't have said that. I

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Speaker 2: thought you were gonna like ask a follow up.

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Speaker 3: Basically, people to donate to your companies that you're gonna donate, Like, well,

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Speaker 3: what are you gonna do though?

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Speaker 4: What you They're gonna give them moneys to those organizations

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Speaker 4: and then write it off as their taxes as if

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Speaker 4: they donated the money and not the customers. Obviously, any

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Speaker 4: come on, so naive. I am honestly like that whole

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Speaker 4: rolling up of like the change, and then everybody's like,

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Speaker 4: don't do that because they're using this as a tax break.

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Speaker 4: I was like, Oh, yeah, that's sell bug. Oh damn it.

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Speaker 4: Why are so evil?

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Speaker 2: I mean, like that's the thing.

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Speaker 1: Like I want to be clear, it's not like I'm

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Speaker 1: It's not like.

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Speaker 2: Like I ask.

440
00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:39,639
Speaker 1: Someone who is very critical of things like capitalism. I

441
00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:42,560
Speaker 1: didn't think Target was really my friend or really my

442
00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:44,520
Speaker 1: ally even when they did this stuff. So it's not

443
00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:47,159
Speaker 1: I'm not expecting any corporation or any company to like

444
00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,960
Speaker 1: truly meaningfully be an ally. But I do think these

445
00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,879
Speaker 1: companies that go out of their way to signal to me,

446
00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:56,960
Speaker 1: you know, as a black woman consumer, that like we

447
00:22:57,040 --> 00:23:00,280
Speaker 1: care about you, we we like understand that you are

448
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,800
Speaker 1: are fueling our profit margins, so like let's try to

449
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,679
Speaker 1: be aligned with like giving you the customer experience that

450
00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:09,800
Speaker 1: you want. I do think that matters, and so especially

451
00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:13,719
Speaker 1: a company like Target. I don't know if folks really

452
00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:18,800
Speaker 1: understand the role that Target plays, especially for Black women,

453
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,720
Speaker 1: like you know, back in the day. So look, if

454
00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:24,440
Speaker 1: you like, back in the day when I first grew

455
00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,080
Speaker 1: my hair out natural, there were not a lot of

456
00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,680
Speaker 1: mainstream stores where you could walk in and find a

457
00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:35,200
Speaker 1: well stocked natural haircare aisle. Target was one of the first, right,

458
00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:39,000
Speaker 1: and so it really I think went another way to

459
00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:41,359
Speaker 1: curry a lot of favor with Black women as a

460
00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:43,840
Speaker 1: consumer base because of that kind of thing being like, oh,

461
00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:46,119
Speaker 1: what is it that you actually use, what is it

462
00:23:46,119 --> 00:23:47,840
Speaker 1: that you're actually looking for? How can we fill the

463
00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:52,360
Speaker 1: niches in your you know, shopping situation. I think Target

464
00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:55,280
Speaker 1: did that very well, and I think it really positioned

465
00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,639
Speaker 1: them as a place where they were signaling to the

466
00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,240
Speaker 1: people who actually give them money, like, Hey, we see y'all,

467
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:04,359
Speaker 1: we know what y'all need, we know what we're listening

468
00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:07,720
Speaker 1: to you. As the cut points out, the retailers Black

469
00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:11,320
Speaker 1: owned brands span categories from home to apparel and beauty,

470
00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:15,040
Speaker 1: including hair care brands the Dough Camille Rose and the

471
00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:18,600
Speaker 1: viral mel and beauty brand the lip Bar. These brands

472
00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:21,359
Speaker 1: fill avoid in the market, making products for various skin

473
00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,560
Speaker 1: tones and hair textures available. For example, the Dough has

474
00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:27,760
Speaker 1: its viral curl defining moves beloved by the natural hair community.

475
00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:33,240
Speaker 1: So it really did play a particular role I think

476
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:35,480
Speaker 1: in a lot of black women's shopping diets.

477
00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:40,040
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, and it was, like you said, a

478
00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:47,679
Speaker 3: mainstream store to do it, And it felt I don't know,

479
00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:52,200
Speaker 3: we like you've said, we have said in their companies

480
00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:55,280
Speaker 3: they're not allies. But it felt nice to be like, Okay,

481
00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:59,960
Speaker 3: I can go here and this place is with me.

482
00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:04,720
Speaker 3: He kind of gets me. This seems like a it

483
00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:07,960
Speaker 3: doesn't feel as bad that I'm going here, you know,

484
00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,760
Speaker 3: I don't feel the same guilt maybe right somewhere else.

485
00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,679
Speaker 4: I think this also brings into the conversation about the

486
00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:19,800
Speaker 4: fact that they need to like erase this as in

487
00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:23,320
Speaker 4: like take this out because of why so this is

488
00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:30,560
Speaker 4: obviously a bigger conversation and trying to make a publicity

489
00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:33,760
Speaker 4: stunt essentially just like bringing off products and bringing saying

490
00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:38,000
Speaker 4: like okay, so diversity in equity and inclusion in these

491
00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:41,280
Speaker 4: what does that mean exactly? And in this conversation. It's

492
00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:45,520
Speaker 4: pretty much saying, Okay, we will now exclude a certain

493
00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:50,119
Speaker 4: group of people that were excluded previously before this time,

494
00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:54,600
Speaker 4: and by doing so, we're going to make white supremacts

495
00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:59,879
Speaker 4: feel more comfortable because they were uncomfortable with I don't know,

496
00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:02,800
Speaker 4: shopping with people of color, like such a conversation like

497
00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:06,280
Speaker 4: they but why why is this so important that Target

498
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,160
Speaker 4: needs to do this, Like they were making money off

499
00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:11,280
Speaker 4: of this and they're so afraid of or I guess

500
00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:13,520
Speaker 4: maybe they are just white suppromus one of those two

501
00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:18,359
Speaker 4: things in order to satisfy a group of people who

502
00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:22,359
Speaker 4: didn't even know it was a thing. For like the

503
00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:24,159
Speaker 4: longest time. People were just like, oh, what is this

504
00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,280
Speaker 4: new stuff? Okay, moved on, except when people finally said

505
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:28,879
Speaker 4: this is black oman and they're like, oh my god. What.

506
00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:30,119
Speaker 1: Yeah.

507
00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:31,720
Speaker 2: I mean, that's a really good question.

508
00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:35,560
Speaker 1: I honestly think that in this moment, it's just about

509
00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:38,600
Speaker 1: signaling alignment with Trump and the new administration. I think that, like,

510
00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:44,719
Speaker 1: you know, Target has been making good money off of

511
00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:50,600
Speaker 1: marketing toward marginalized people, right. I mean, y'all remember when

512
00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:54,280
Speaker 1: the last time that Target was in the crosshairs of

513
00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:58,560
Speaker 1: a lot of extremists because they had a well stocked,

514
00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:01,480
Speaker 1: robust pride section and for pride things like that, like

515
00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:04,399
Speaker 1: and Target caved on that. Like I will say, like,

516
00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:09,159
Speaker 1: so I think it really just illustrates that these companies,

517
00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:13,960
Speaker 1: whatever is in power, whatever is the like, they don't

518
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:18,200
Speaker 1: actually have values or backbones, and we shouldn't necessarily even

519
00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:19,080
Speaker 1: be expecting them to.

520
00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:22,119
Speaker 2: They'll they'll just cave and bend to whoever is in power.

521
00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:25,720
Speaker 1: And what makes it even more frustrating is like after

522
00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:30,600
Speaker 1: they they will do that, after they signaled that they

523
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,840
Speaker 1: want to be more aligned with these communities. So Chantel Powell,

524
00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:36,639
Speaker 1: who is a black entrepreneur who makes a deodorant for

525
00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:39,199
Speaker 1: kids called play Pits, which was stocked at Target, she

526
00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:43,160
Speaker 1: put it really well. She said, quote, it's frustrating corporations

527
00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:45,679
Speaker 1: jumped on the bandwagon to support black businesses when it

528
00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:48,880
Speaker 1: was trendy. Now that it's easier to discard us, that's

529
00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:51,600
Speaker 1: what they're doing. And so yeah, I just don't think

530
00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:55,360
Speaker 1: that these companies give a crap. Really, They it's all posting,

531
00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,680
Speaker 1: it's all signaling, like they don't really have any kind

532
00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:02,320
Speaker 1: of like values genuinely stick to or a firm like

533
00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:06,960
Speaker 1: in moments of you know, upheaval. The thing that you

534
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:09,920
Speaker 1: can always go back to as your north star is values.

535
00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:11,520
Speaker 1: Like as a contact creator, I had to have a

536
00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:15,240
Speaker 1: whole conversation when Trump took power of like, well, what

537
00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:16,960
Speaker 1: are my values and what am I doing in this

538
00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:18,840
Speaker 1: moment to actually serve the people that I want to

539
00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:21,679
Speaker 1: be in community with. When you when you have values,

540
00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,440
Speaker 1: that is always your north star. These companies do not

541
00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:27,080
Speaker 1: have any value, so of course they're gonna blow wherever

542
00:28:27,119 --> 00:28:27,640
Speaker 1: the wind.

543
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:30,600
Speaker 4: Blows, right, They're they're gonna do the bottom line, which

544
00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:34,800
Speaker 4: there's so much again, like in this conversation about how

545
00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:38,440
Speaker 4: who was easily discarded first? And this is all about

546
00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:41,720
Speaker 4: the virtue signaling as they want to stay because as

547
00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:46,520
Speaker 4: robust as their like stock was, it wasn't you still

548
00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:49,600
Speaker 4: have to like purposely find it. And it was a

549
00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:51,960
Speaker 4: shock to see it, like it's I remember the many

550
00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:54,640
Speaker 4: times were like, oh that's cute. Oh look it's you

551
00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:57,360
Speaker 4: know a black owner or a black creator who did this.

552
00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:00,640
Speaker 4: That's amazing because it's one out of one hundred, you know,

553
00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:03,920
Speaker 4: to see it was notable because there wasn't that many.

554
00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:09,360
Speaker 4: So even the most like diverse products were just literally

555
00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:11,200
Speaker 4: one out of fifty one out of one hundred, Like

556
00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:12,040
Speaker 4: it still wasn't.

557
00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,640
Speaker 1: I remember back when extremists were targeting Target because of

558
00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:16,800
Speaker 1: the pride.

559
00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:19,640
Speaker 2: Stuff and the LGBTQ stuff, people would get upset.

560
00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:24,000
Speaker 1: Because Target sold chest binders right for trans folks, and

561
00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:26,800
Speaker 1: it's like, okay, so you don't need a chest binder.

562
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:28,920
Speaker 2: Why is it so horrible that like.

563
00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:31,760
Speaker 1: Out of out of what one hundred, It's like when

564
00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:34,560
Speaker 1: you go into the underpant section of Target, ninety nine

565
00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:38,680
Speaker 1: point nine percent of garments are designed for SIS people

566
00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:41,200
Speaker 1: and they have one product for trans people, and it's

567
00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:44,280
Speaker 1: the end of the world. Like, how is that really

568
00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:47,040
Speaker 1: the biggest complaint that you can make right now?

569
00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:52,520
Speaker 4: Right? I mean our sports bras alone, yes, are just

570
00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:56,240
Speaker 4: as offensive to me sometimes, but anyway, why would you

571
00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:59,880
Speaker 4: uh no, in all of those statements. It really like,

572
00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:02,680
Speaker 4: as much as we want to tell that they were inclusive,

573
00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:08,960
Speaker 4: they weren't. And the amount of hate that people will

574
00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:11,160
Speaker 4: give in order to make a sleep again, we know

575
00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:15,360
Speaker 4: that haters in general to want to create controversy, so

576
00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,920
Speaker 4: they would go out trying to look for anything that

577
00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:21,040
Speaker 4: they're like, this is controversial, this is this? Why does

578
00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:22,920
Speaker 4: this have to be this and half the time again

579
00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:26,200
Speaker 4: it was misinformation or disinformation and being like this black

580
00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:31,360
Speaker 4: product for the black community was often created by white corporations.

581
00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:33,120
Speaker 4: Like we saw that many times.

582
00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:38,400
Speaker 1: Absolutely absolutely so when Target announced their intention to pull

583
00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:42,640
Speaker 1: back from these initiatives, people were not happy. Some like

584
00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:46,000
Speaker 1: Minneapolis Council Member Jason Chadez and Strike for All, which

585
00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:48,840
Speaker 1: is an advocacy organization run by former Senator Nita Turner,

586
00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:51,960
Speaker 1: called for a boycott of Target in response, which is

587
00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:55,520
Speaker 1: currently still going on. This was a little bit tricky

588
00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:59,560
Speaker 1: in that Target backing away from DEI does not mean

589
00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:02,040
Speaker 1: that like black and brown owned companies are going to

590
00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:05,120
Speaker 1: be pulled from the shelves. And so you saw a

591
00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:07,680
Speaker 1: lot of black creators and black entrepreneurs being like, well, wait,

592
00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:09,720
Speaker 1: if you boycott Target and you're not going to go

593
00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:12,640
Speaker 1: to Target, it will hurt us even more because that's

594
00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:15,640
Speaker 1: less people who are buying our items from the shelves.

595
00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:19,120
Speaker 1: Maya Smith, who is a black woman and the founder

596
00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:22,840
Speaker 1: of the Dough the haircare brand, shared the statement on Instagram,

597
00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:26,240
Speaker 1: saying pulling black dollars from these retailers doesn't hurt the

598
00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:28,400
Speaker 1: corporations as much as it hurts the brands you love.

599
00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:31,520
Speaker 1: It also feeds into false narratives that we're only here

600
00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:35,120
Speaker 1: because of DEI initiatives, not because of the countless sacrifices

601
00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:38,120
Speaker 1: and creativity we've poured into creating a lasting impact on

602
00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:42,440
Speaker 1: the textured hair category. Through the dough, you might say like, oh, well,

603
00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,920
Speaker 1: I'll just buy directly from this brand rather than buying

604
00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:49,200
Speaker 1: it from Target. But Powell, the founder of Playpits That

605
00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:53,120
Speaker 1: Kids deodorant company, said that buying directly online might not

606
00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:55,760
Speaker 1: actually be so helpful for some of these black owned brands.

607
00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:59,680
Speaker 1: She said, big box retailers are a predictable revenue stream.

608
00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:02,840
Speaker 1: Online I might make two thousand dollars one day and

609
00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:05,000
Speaker 1: two hundred the next, but with Target, I have a

610
00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:08,280
Speaker 1: consistent flow of income. It's also a convenient opportunity for

611
00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:12,000
Speaker 1: my customers to shot my products. For moms, convenience is key,

612
00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:17,280
Speaker 1: and so I get where these creators are coming from.

613
00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:19,280
Speaker 1: I do want to spotlight that one of my favorite

614
00:32:19,280 --> 00:32:23,000
Speaker 1: black creators, who has the brand Oh Happy Danny, immediately

615
00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:25,640
Speaker 1: announced that she was cutting ties with Target and like

616
00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:28,200
Speaker 1: phasing herself off the shelves as soon as Target made

617
00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:34,400
Speaker 1: this announcement. But you know, I do understand the complexities

618
00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:39,040
Speaker 1: here because it is not a clear cut situation. And

619
00:32:39,120 --> 00:32:41,000
Speaker 1: I don't want to say that I have the answer,

620
00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:45,800
Speaker 1: but I understand that people want solidarity from some of

621
00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:48,520
Speaker 1: these black creators that they see on the shelves at Target.

622
00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:49,600
Speaker 2: But I also.

623
00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:51,400
Speaker 1: Understand that, hey, if you're a black creator and a

624
00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:54,880
Speaker 1: black entrepreneur, you do have a harder time compared to

625
00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:57,920
Speaker 1: your non black counterparts, right, And so you know, people

626
00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:00,920
Speaker 1: are basically saying, like, well, why should I be expected

627
00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:02,840
Speaker 1: to miss out even more because of a decision that

628
00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:03,640
Speaker 1: Target made.

629
00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:05,960
Speaker 2: I can really understand both positions.

630
00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:06,560
Speaker 5: Right.

631
00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:10,320
Speaker 4: It's one thing to say we're gonna boycott McDonald's and

632
00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:14,680
Speaker 4: Starbucks and the such, but doing specific things with these

633
00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:18,800
Speaker 4: creators who have brands, it's it is hard. Like we've

634
00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:20,720
Speaker 4: talked about the fact that also it's really hard for

635
00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:24,200
Speaker 4: individuals in general to try to figure out what's a

636
00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:27,040
Speaker 4: good company because all these grocery stores or all these

637
00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:30,120
Speaker 4: stores they have something, whether it's anti union, whether they

638
00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:33,400
Speaker 4: don't pay their employees enough, or whether they're rolling back DEI,

639
00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:36,800
Speaker 4: or whether they you know, gave to the Republican Party

640
00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:40,360
Speaker 4: or Donald Trump themselves. It's really hard to try to

641
00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:44,840
Speaker 4: do conscient just buying when you are stuck. And again,

642
00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:49,240
Speaker 4: we talked about disabilities previously about how it's also impossible

643
00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:52,240
Speaker 4: to not do delivery service for a lot of disabled people,

644
00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:56,760
Speaker 4: even though like corporations like Amazon is awful, however they

645
00:33:56,920 --> 00:33:59,280
Speaker 4: give access to those who can't go well, Like, it's

646
00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:02,280
Speaker 4: such a hard conversation about what to do and how

647
00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:06,560
Speaker 4: to truly support without hurting the people you're trying to support.

648
00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:11,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, I've really been struggling with this in my personal

649
00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:17,360
Speaker 1: life as well, Like I am trying to boycott Target

650
00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:22,359
Speaker 1: and Amazon. But you know, easy for me to say

651
00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:27,319
Speaker 1: as an able bodied person with discretionary income and no kids, right, Like,

652
00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:30,320
Speaker 1: if you're a busy new parent or somebody with a disability,

653
00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:31,880
Speaker 1: I don't regard to you anything that you got to

654
00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:33,520
Speaker 1: do to get through the day. But I know that

655
00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:36,560
Speaker 1: I personally do have some wiggle room, right, And so

656
00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:40,239
Speaker 1: what's been interesting to me is I'm I wouldn't say

657
00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:44,680
Speaker 1: I'm boycotting any particular company for any particular stance. However,

658
00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:48,720
Speaker 1: I'm really just reassessing the role that these companies play

659
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:53,319
Speaker 1: in my habits more generally, right, Like Amazon is a

660
00:34:53,400 --> 00:34:56,279
Speaker 1: terrible company, they are terrible for the world in so

661
00:34:56,400 --> 00:35:00,759
Speaker 1: many reasons, and Amazon's owner Jeff Bezos is incredibly buddy

662
00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:03,640
Speaker 1: buddy with Trump. When Trump was inaugurated, you saw the

663
00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:08,399
Speaker 1: whole line of techholes, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos. I live

664
00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:13,560
Speaker 1: in DC, Jeff Bezos owns Amazon. Jeff Bezos owns where

665
00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:16,600
Speaker 1: I get my healthcare one medical he bought that. Jeff

666
00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:19,600
Speaker 1: Bezos owns my local newspaper, The Washington Post.

667
00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:20,160
Speaker 2: He owns that.

668
00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:23,120
Speaker 1: Jeff Bezos owns where I do my grocery shopping, Whole Foods,

669
00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:26,040
Speaker 1: he owns that. Like how much of my life does

670
00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:30,319
Speaker 1: one billionaire get to control? And so it's not even

671
00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:33,760
Speaker 1: about one specific policy, It's more that I am trying

672
00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:35,840
Speaker 1: to reject that entire dynamic.

673
00:35:35,920 --> 00:35:37,000
Speaker 2: And one way that I'm.

674
00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:39,960
Speaker 1: Doing that on a small personal level is just trying

675
00:35:39,960 --> 00:35:45,440
Speaker 1: to buy shop small, shop local, my local places when

676
00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:48,239
Speaker 1: I can, and shop less in general, Like do I

677
00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:49,680
Speaker 1: need to be consuming so much?

678
00:35:49,719 --> 00:35:50,800
Speaker 2: Who is this supporting?

679
00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:53,480
Speaker 1: Who am I empowering with my dollar when I go

680
00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:56,040
Speaker 1: in and mindlessly buy something I don't even really need.

681
00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:57,560
Speaker 2: And so I don't think.

682
00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:02,920
Speaker 1: It has to be some kind of a big boycott. Necessarily,

683
00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:06,680
Speaker 1: you can just through small ways desides. You know, I want,

684
00:36:06,719 --> 00:36:08,720
Speaker 1: I want to participate in this kind of an economy

685
00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:10,360
Speaker 1: less and less, and I just think that's true for

686
00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:11,480
Speaker 1: so many people.

687
00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:14,520
Speaker 4: Right, But yeah, we still have to keep in consideration

688
00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:17,840
Speaker 4: and like as a whole who has the privilege to

689
00:36:17,840 --> 00:36:19,799
Speaker 4: do that? You know, we talked about you and I

690
00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:24,360
Speaker 4: and Annie have reliable cars that can take us places.

691
00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:27,120
Speaker 4: I said, Annie has a dot dot dot because her

692
00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:27,960
Speaker 4: car's getting there.

693
00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:34,400
Speaker 1: Annie question MARKMN her Honda is still running.

694
00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:46,960
Speaker 4: Not a sponsor. This is kind of going off topic,

695
00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:49,279
Speaker 4: and I do want to ask what your thoughts are

696
00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:52,760
Speaker 4: because I've seen a few posts saying like February twenty

697
00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:57,120
Speaker 4: eighth is a blackout day where people being told don't

698
00:36:57,120 --> 00:36:59,920
Speaker 4: buy anything, don't consume anything. Let that be the day

699
00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,279
Speaker 4: that no one buys things. If you can, are those

700
00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:05,160
Speaker 4: things like are those things effective? Does that do where

701
00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:07,880
Speaker 4: one day a lot more people do not consume and

702
00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:10,799
Speaker 4: so therefore like kind of make a dip in that day?

703
00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:14,520
Speaker 4: Are things like that a viable way of protesting some

704
00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:15,880
Speaker 4: of these evil corporations?

705
00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:18,160
Speaker 2: Oh? I think absolutely.

706
00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:20,279
Speaker 1: So It's funny that you bring this up because I

707
00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:24,840
Speaker 1: was just reading a post on Reddit by that witchy

708
00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:28,720
Speaker 1: lady was like three why's, and they said. The title

709
00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:31,080
Speaker 1: of the post is to those saying boycotts won't work.

710
00:37:31,120 --> 00:37:34,680
Speaker 1: From a former retail worker, and they write, I keep

711
00:37:34,719 --> 00:37:37,960
Speaker 1: seeing misinformation being spread to the tune of boycotts don't work,

712
00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:39,879
Speaker 1: No one cares. They'll be back at targeted no time.

713
00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:42,120
Speaker 1: I'm here to share my experience as a retail worker.

714
00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:44,439
Speaker 1: I've worked retail at four different chains, and I asked

715
00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:45,880
Speaker 1: that other retail workers chime in.

716
00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:48,120
Speaker 2: They absolutely have the ability.

717
00:37:47,719 --> 00:37:50,399
Speaker 1: To work because these businesses care way more about their

718
00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:54,120
Speaker 1: numbers than the average consumer who has never worked retail realizes.

719
00:37:54,280 --> 00:37:56,640
Speaker 1: When I was working for corporate owned women's clothing store,

720
00:37:56,840 --> 00:38:00,239
Speaker 1: we could hourly updates about meeting our goals literally typed

721
00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:03,040
Speaker 1: into our ears. Numbers got reported to the team daily.

722
00:38:03,239 --> 00:38:04,920
Speaker 1: Everyone knew when we were hitting our goals and when

723
00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:06,959
Speaker 1: we weren't, and when we were pushed to sell, sell, sell.

724
00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:09,520
Speaker 1: I was just the tiny little cog in the machine.

725
00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:11,759
Speaker 1: But if that's what's being said and pressured onto me,

726
00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:14,680
Speaker 1: imagine what these big wigs and their boardrooms are talking about.

727
00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:17,600
Speaker 1: I think that the February twenty eighth economic boycott has

728
00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:20,000
Speaker 1: the power to scare them. Why because I saw my

729
00:38:20,080 --> 00:38:23,480
Speaker 1: direct managers ubsess over these numbers on an hourly basis.

730
00:38:23,719 --> 00:38:26,719
Speaker 1: Please join the economic boycott on February twenty eighth. You know,

731
00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:29,000
Speaker 1: money talks, which is why they are trying so hard

732
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:30,880
Speaker 1: to tell you that it doesn't matter. They're doing it

733
00:38:30,920 --> 00:38:35,400
Speaker 1: because it does matter. So that's just one retail worker's opinion.

734
00:38:35,719 --> 00:38:37,240
Speaker 1: But I got to think that they're on the money

735
00:38:37,239 --> 00:38:40,919
Speaker 1: with something because you know, especially in a time where

736
00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:42,840
Speaker 1: we don't feel like we have a lot of power

737
00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:44,720
Speaker 1: or a lot of agency or a lot of voice,

738
00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:49,480
Speaker 1: our money, our spending power, our economic power really does

739
00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:50,239
Speaker 1: have weight.

740
00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:51,360
Speaker 2: Like that is power.

741
00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:52,359
Speaker 3: Right.

742
00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:55,319
Speaker 4: I'm glad you read that because I go back and

743
00:38:55,360 --> 00:38:59,520
Speaker 4: forth on again understanding what is effective, on what isn't,

744
00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:02,239
Speaker 4: whether boycott is or isn't effective, Who is able to

745
00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:05,560
Speaker 4: do what and participate in who is being hurt by

746
00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:08,279
Speaker 4: some of these protests. Of course, I don't give a

747
00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:10,560
Speaker 4: shit about the corporation who know they're evil. I'm not

748
00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:13,080
Speaker 4: talking about them in general, but like again, like the

749
00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:16,520
Speaker 4: entrepreneurs who have products in these different companies that I've

750
00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:18,640
Speaker 4: also seen them talk about Amazon that like that does

751
00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:21,479
Speaker 4: help with cells, It gives me money, like it gives

752
00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:25,200
Speaker 4: us whatever ratings or whatnot, which again I'm not touting Amazon.

753
00:39:25,200 --> 00:39:27,040
Speaker 4: I paused my membership and all of that. I've done

754
00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:29,120
Speaker 4: it because I was like, I feel too dirty because

755
00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:30,920
Speaker 4: I was depending on it so much, because I didn't

756
00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:33,720
Speaker 4: want to go out to target and actually walk about

757
00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:37,719
Speaker 4: and see people. But all of that in conversation of like,

758
00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:39,960
Speaker 4: if this does work, then we need to be shouting

759
00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:43,480
Speaker 4: it louder, because yeah, we want to at least be

760
00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:48,359
Speaker 4: effective and doing the things as effectively as possible if

761
00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:50,680
Speaker 4: we are able to do so, and being prepared for it.

762
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:53,319
Speaker 4: And honestly, outside of a couple of TikTok posts, I

763
00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:54,560
Speaker 4: haven't seen much about it.

764
00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:57,400
Speaker 2: Have y'all the economic blockout?

765
00:39:57,719 --> 00:40:00,560
Speaker 4: Yeah I have.

766
00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:03,440
Speaker 2: But I am like pretty deep into a lot of

767
00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:04,600
Speaker 2: like buy.

768
00:40:04,560 --> 00:40:08,840
Speaker 1: Nothing, sham the cogs of capitalism in these small ways

769
00:40:09,080 --> 00:40:12,560
Speaker 1: online spaces. But I guess I'm curious if my friends

770
00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:15,200
Speaker 1: who were like not in those spaces, if they're seeing

771
00:40:15,239 --> 00:40:17,040
Speaker 1: any of it at all. People listening might be like

772
00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:19,640
Speaker 1: there's an economic boycott on February twenty eighth being planned.

773
00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:21,839
Speaker 2: I've never heard of it.

774
00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:25,200
Speaker 4: You haven't, So that's the question is, like how how

775
00:40:25,239 --> 00:40:28,680
Speaker 4: widely is it being spread. Hey, y'all, there's an economic

776
00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:31,560
Speaker 4: blackout on the twenty eighth of February. If you're listening

777
00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:36,160
Speaker 4: to this on the day is released, Yeah, the part

778
00:40:36,239 --> 00:40:38,160
Speaker 4: we're podcasts. I don't know when this is going to be.

779
00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:40,360
Speaker 2: So here's a little bit of information I just found.

780
00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:43,480
Speaker 1: So, according to CBS, behind the boycott is a group

781
00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:47,360
Speaker 1: called the People's Union USA, a self described grassroots organization

782
00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:50,279
Speaker 1: founded by John Schwartz, a fifty seven year old dad

783
00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:52,800
Speaker 1: from Queens, New York, who said that he's been promoting

784
00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:55,520
Speaker 1: the consumer blackout for wests on social media. The People's

785
00:40:55,600 --> 00:40:58,120
Speaker 1: Union says it has no political affiliation, but focuses on

786
00:40:58,239 --> 00:41:02,120
Speaker 1: quote fairness, economic justice, and real systemic change. So the

787
00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:05,480
Speaker 1: call to action, or rather in action, is asking that

788
00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:09,400
Speaker 1: American consumers refrain from making any purchases at major retailers

789
00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:12,480
Speaker 1: on Friday, February twenty eighth. The protest comes as people

790
00:41:12,560 --> 00:41:15,680
Speaker 1: continue to endure rising prices on everything from food to gas,

791
00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:18,719
Speaker 1: to housing and new utilities, epitomized by the soaring cost

792
00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:21,600
Speaker 1: of eggs, which in January averaged four to ninety five

793
00:41:21,719 --> 00:41:24,920
Speaker 1: a dozen. So, yeah, that is the information. If you're

794
00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:28,040
Speaker 1: interested in participating. You can go online and find out more.

795
00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:32,040
Speaker 1: But I understand because like again, like it for me,

796
00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:36,319
Speaker 1: it's really not about any one policy or store. It's

797
00:41:36,360 --> 00:41:40,080
Speaker 1: like I do not want to continue to participate in

798
00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:44,040
Speaker 1: an economic system that just continues to exploit me. And

799
00:41:44,080 --> 00:41:46,279
Speaker 1: I understand that, Like we're in capitalism, so what am

800
00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:49,360
Speaker 1: I gonna do? But like I can do in small ways,

801
00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:51,480
Speaker 1: I can opt out of that system more and more,

802
00:41:51,560 --> 00:41:56,279
Speaker 1: like I've been really you know, it's it sounds so

803
00:41:56,320 --> 00:41:58,560
Speaker 1: small and stupid, and in some ways I understand that

804
00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:01,360
Speaker 1: it is. But like I've been and growing herbs on

805
00:42:01,400 --> 00:42:03,600
Speaker 1: my balcony, so when I need fresh herbs, I'm not

806
00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:06,280
Speaker 1: running to Target. I just have them on my balcony.

807
00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:08,560
Speaker 1: I've been cooking more at home. I've been like, rather

808
00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:11,240
Speaker 1: than going on and buying new stuff, I'm like using

809
00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:12,440
Speaker 1: free groups and.

810
00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:15,040
Speaker 2: Like, you know, things like that, of like I just.

811
00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:17,879
Speaker 1: Want to participate in this economy less and less because

812
00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:22,399
Speaker 1: it is just so exploitative, right, And.

813
00:42:22,480 --> 00:42:26,000
Speaker 4: Just coming back on track onto all the information that

814
00:42:26,080 --> 00:42:29,400
Speaker 4: you are bringing us, like this is that conversation once

815
00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:31,680
Speaker 4: again when I come back in the confused era of

816
00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:34,719
Speaker 4: like DEI and why it's so offensive to people and

817
00:42:34,760 --> 00:42:37,839
Speaker 4: why they think is so harmful when in actuality it's not.

818
00:42:39,520 --> 00:42:42,560
Speaker 1: Well you know who definitely doesn't find it harmful, and

819
00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:47,440
Speaker 1: that's Costco. So the same climate that had companies like

820
00:42:47,520 --> 00:42:51,360
Speaker 1: Target abandoning their DEI initiatives and their inclusion work so quickly,

821
00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:54,759
Speaker 1: Costco exists in that same environment and guess what, they

822
00:42:54,760 --> 00:42:55,920
Speaker 1: didn't cave on anything.

823
00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:56,920
Speaker 2: So to be.

824
00:42:57,080 --> 00:42:59,560
Speaker 1: Super clear, I know I've said this before, but DEID

825
00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:02,040
Speaker 1: and inclusion is not just like the right thing to do.

826
00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:03,319
Speaker 2: It is profitable.

827
00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:06,120
Speaker 1: It makes companies money, you know, just like that Target

828
00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:08,839
Speaker 1: executive saying that supporting an inclusion in twenty twenty made

829
00:43:08,880 --> 00:43:11,839
Speaker 1: the company money. Being able to cast a wide net

830
00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:13,840
Speaker 1: when you're doing things like hiring and being able to

831
00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:16,479
Speaker 1: attract all different kinds of people who want to spend

832
00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:21,080
Speaker 1: money with your brand is good business. So Costco got

833
00:43:21,120 --> 00:43:24,920
Speaker 1: approached by the Trump administration and was trying to be

834
00:43:25,160 --> 00:43:28,400
Speaker 1: They were trying to pressure Costco into dropping their DEI programs,

835
00:43:28,400 --> 00:43:30,920
Speaker 1: and Costco basically was like, no, our programs are fine.

836
00:43:30,840 --> 00:43:31,840
Speaker 2: Y'all can kick rocks.

837
00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:36,840
Speaker 1: Nineteen Attorneys general led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton,

838
00:43:36,880 --> 00:43:39,000
Speaker 1: which by the way, he's a real piece of work.

839
00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:41,840
Speaker 2: Google him if you've got a saberamanut because he's a

840
00:43:41,880 --> 00:43:42,560
Speaker 2: real piece of work.

841
00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:46,680
Speaker 1: And Iowa Attorney General Brenna Burdair are currently trying to

842
00:43:46,719 --> 00:43:50,400
Speaker 1: pressure Costco into abandoning their DEI initiatives. They sent Costco

843
00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:54,600
Speaker 1: a letter saying, with three hundred thousand employees, Costco likely

844
00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:57,160
Speaker 1: has at least two hundred thousand employees who are potentially

845
00:43:57,239 --> 00:43:59,920
Speaker 1: victims of a legal discrimination because they are white, Asian, man,

846
00:44:00,239 --> 00:44:02,640
Speaker 1: or straight. Even if only a fraction of those employees

847
00:44:02,640 --> 00:44:05,239
Speaker 1: were to file suit and only some of these proved successful,

848
00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:08,320
Speaker 1: the cost to Costco could be tens of billions of dollars.

849
00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:13,960
Speaker 1: So that's like pretty clearly a threat to essentially extort Costco.

850
00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:18,560
Speaker 1: Costco's board's response was, our board is considered as proposal

851
00:44:18,560 --> 00:44:21,160
Speaker 1: and believes that our commitment to an enterprise rooted in

852
00:44:21,200 --> 00:44:24,680
Speaker 1: respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary. The report requested

853
00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:27,880
Speaker 1: by this proposal would not provide meaningful additional information to

854
00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:31,520
Speaker 1: our shareholders, and the board thus unanimously recommends a vote

855
00:44:31,560 --> 00:44:33,000
Speaker 1: against this proposal.

856
00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:38,759
Speaker 4: First of all, I hate they included as but I

857
00:44:38,880 --> 00:44:41,640
Speaker 4: know they do, but like I'm still like aah it'stop that.

858
00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:45,160
Speaker 4: But all these things I will say on a good

859
00:44:45,239 --> 00:44:47,160
Speaker 4: note because there was a moment where I was iffy

860
00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:48,719
Speaker 4: with Costco for a split second. I was like, I

861
00:44:48,760 --> 00:44:53,560
Speaker 4: can't go nowhere because there had an almost union strike. However,

862
00:44:54,200 --> 00:44:58,160
Speaker 4: before it could go down, Costco followed the lead and

863
00:44:58,239 --> 00:45:01,360
Speaker 4: actually worked with the unionized members and gave them the

864
00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:05,000
Speaker 4: raises that they deserved. So kudos. It worked out. It

865
00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:07,200
Speaker 4: took a little pressuring, but I'm glad to know that

866
00:45:07,239 --> 00:45:11,839
Speaker 4: they're not anti union, so that is a plus BT dubs,

867
00:45:11,840 --> 00:45:13,800
Speaker 4: because that's one of the big questions. Like the last

868
00:45:13,800 --> 00:45:16,000
Speaker 4: five years, I feel like I've just seen more and

869
00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:20,239
Speaker 4: more conversations about whether it's DEI or it's anti union,

870
00:45:20,280 --> 00:45:21,480
Speaker 4: and I'm like, why do you have to be so

871
00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:25,000
Speaker 4: mean to your people's But like seeing that they were

872
00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:28,480
Speaker 4: able to actually be on top of it is nice, nicest,

873
00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:31,080
Speaker 4: not on top of it, but finally like understanding everything

874
00:45:31,200 --> 00:45:35,560
Speaker 4: from every aspect. It felt like, Okay, maybe I need

875
00:45:35,560 --> 00:45:37,560
Speaker 4: to buy a freezer from them so I can store

876
00:45:37,600 --> 00:45:40,680
Speaker 4: the large amounts of food they sell.

877
00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:44,360
Speaker 1: I mean, I find there one dollar fifty cents hot dogs,

878
00:45:44,360 --> 00:45:48,360
Speaker 1: delightful and my late father rest his soul He loved

879
00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:50,520
Speaker 1: to brag about how you could return anything to Costco

880
00:45:50,560 --> 00:45:53,440
Speaker 1: for cash no matter what. He was like a real

881
00:45:53,560 --> 00:45:56,040
Speaker 1: abuser of that policy.

882
00:45:56,360 --> 00:45:58,960
Speaker 2: You know what gotta do, what you gotta do, and

883
00:45:59,280 --> 00:45:59,799
Speaker 2: you know, I might.

884
00:45:59,800 --> 00:46:02,520
Speaker 1: I'm saying this because I think that like Costco is

885
00:46:02,560 --> 00:46:05,880
Speaker 1: some like idealist crusader. Ally, I'm sure they're terrible in

886
00:46:05,880 --> 00:46:08,719
Speaker 1: a million other ways, but I think that they are

887
00:46:08,719 --> 00:46:12,040
Speaker 1: a company that likes making money, and they have done

888
00:46:12,080 --> 00:46:15,480
Speaker 1: the math and they have probably realized that their DEI

889
00:46:15,560 --> 00:46:19,800
Speaker 1: and inclusion policies help them make money. And it seems like, honestly,

890
00:46:19,800 --> 00:46:22,160
Speaker 1: I have to say like, it does seem like Target

891
00:46:22,200 --> 00:46:26,440
Speaker 1: is experiencing some financial consequences here. To be clear, retail

892
00:46:26,440 --> 00:46:29,000
Speaker 1: shopping is down generally in part I think because of

893
00:46:29,040 --> 00:46:32,359
Speaker 1: things like inflation and rising prices and economic uncertainty and

894
00:46:32,400 --> 00:46:37,080
Speaker 1: like changing consumer habits. But Target and Walmart both saw

895
00:46:37,160 --> 00:46:39,680
Speaker 1: their retail numbers fall in the wake of pulling their

896
00:46:39,719 --> 00:46:44,000
Speaker 1: DEI initiatives, while Costco did not. Again, I don't specifically

897
00:46:44,040 --> 00:46:45,839
Speaker 1: know if this is because of the boycott or because

898
00:46:45,840 --> 00:46:49,680
Speaker 1: of DEI, but this is according to retail brew foot

899
00:46:49,719 --> 00:46:52,359
Speaker 1: traffic is down at Target stores. According to data from

900
00:46:52,440 --> 00:46:55,959
Speaker 1: placer Ai prepared exclusively for retail brew. In the week

901
00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:58,880
Speaker 1: that began January twenty seven, foot traffic fell four percent,

902
00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:03,040
Speaker 1: fell eight point six percent the week beginning February third,

903
00:47:03,280 --> 00:47:05,879
Speaker 1: and three point nine percent the week beginning February tenth.

904
00:47:06,080 --> 00:47:08,640
Speaker 1: This was the first drop in traffic this year for Target,

905
00:47:08,719 --> 00:47:11,040
Speaker 1: with foot traffic for the first four weeks of twenty

906
00:47:11,120 --> 00:47:14,160
Speaker 1: twenty five up between five percent and eleven point eight percent.

907
00:47:14,600 --> 00:47:19,760
Speaker 1: Walmart was the same. Meanwhile, Costco has seen traffic rise

908
00:47:19,920 --> 00:47:22,200
Speaker 1: for the same three week period, up by five point

909
00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:25,000
Speaker 1: eight percent on the week beginning January twenty seven, five

910
00:47:25,000 --> 00:47:27,279
Speaker 1: point seven percent on the week beginning February third, and

911
00:47:27,320 --> 00:47:30,240
Speaker 1: four point six percent on the week beginning February tenth.

912
00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:35,120
Speaker 1: So is this the result of like people boycotting Target,

913
00:47:35,239 --> 00:47:37,680
Speaker 1: not going to Target, you know, not wanting to shop

914
00:47:37,760 --> 00:47:39,400
Speaker 1: at places that have these kinds of policies.

915
00:47:39,840 --> 00:47:42,239
Speaker 2: I don't know, But what I do know is that

916
00:47:42,880 --> 00:47:44,040
Speaker 2: women have money.

917
00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:48,279
Speaker 1: In fact, most financial decisions being made in households are

918
00:47:48,320 --> 00:47:49,440
Speaker 1: being made by women.

919
00:47:49,920 --> 00:47:52,680
Speaker 2: Black people have money, Queer people have money, trans people

920
00:47:52,719 --> 00:47:54,080
Speaker 2: have money. We spend money.

921
00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:57,000
Speaker 1: We have real economic power, and I think all of

922
00:47:57,040 --> 00:47:59,560
Speaker 1: us really have to understand that, and like understand what

923
00:47:59,600 --> 00:48:03,040
Speaker 1: that means, that it matters where we put our money,

924
00:48:03,080 --> 00:48:05,880
Speaker 1: it matters who we choose to financially support, and like,

925
00:48:06,280 --> 00:48:09,279
Speaker 1: and I agree with that person's comment on Reddit that

926
00:48:09,400 --> 00:48:11,600
Speaker 1: like the fact that they keep trying to convince us

927
00:48:11,600 --> 00:48:13,880
Speaker 1: that it's not powerful, it doesn't matter, should be a

928
00:48:13,920 --> 00:48:15,520
Speaker 1: signal to all of us that it actually does.

929
00:48:16,760 --> 00:48:20,239
Speaker 4: Yeah, you're right. With all the misinformation and disinformation they

930
00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:23,319
Speaker 4: that we get, it wouldn't be surprising that corporate people

931
00:48:23,320 --> 00:48:25,200
Speaker 4: would want us I think this doesn't work, so that

932
00:48:25,239 --> 00:48:26,680
Speaker 4: we would stop doing it.

933
00:48:28,040 --> 00:48:28,600
Speaker 2: Exactly.

934
00:48:29,800 --> 00:48:34,120
Speaker 3: Yeah, Like, no, I you haven't hurt me at all,

935
00:48:34,160 --> 00:48:42,680
Speaker 3: And secretly they're getting those numbers, Oh no, Yeah, Yeah,

936
00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:45,960
Speaker 3: it'll be interesting to see what happens. And I know,

937
00:48:46,280 --> 00:48:50,560
Speaker 3: I know for a lot of us, US and our listeners,

938
00:48:50,640 --> 00:48:53,040
Speaker 3: it is something that we're all wrestling with these ways

939
00:48:53,960 --> 00:48:58,319
Speaker 3: we can make these changes in this system, and there's

940
00:48:58,360 --> 00:49:00,840
Speaker 3: so many different factors to it. But yeah, I definitely

941
00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:03,200
Speaker 3: where you put your money and who you choose to

942
00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:06,520
Speaker 3: support with your money, that's a big one. That's a

943
00:49:06,520 --> 00:49:08,240
Speaker 3: big one, very.

944
00:49:08,120 --> 00:49:12,600
Speaker 1: Important, especially now like this is the tapic And again,

945
00:49:12,840 --> 00:49:14,800
Speaker 1: just I think I've said this, but I want to play.

946
00:49:14,680 --> 00:49:17,120
Speaker 2: It clearly, like easy for me to say.

947
00:49:16,920 --> 00:49:19,200
Speaker 1: I am a I'm not a parent. I live in

948
00:49:19,239 --> 00:49:23,440
Speaker 1: an easily walkable community, you know, I am able bodied,

949
00:49:23,440 --> 00:49:25,239
Speaker 1: like easy for me to say. But like, if you're

950
00:49:25,280 --> 00:49:28,440
Speaker 1: someone for whom that is the case, you can, you know,

951
00:49:28,600 --> 00:49:31,080
Speaker 1: be choosy about how and where you spend your money.

952
00:49:31,120 --> 00:49:32,360
Speaker 2: Not everybody has that luxury.

953
00:49:32,400 --> 00:49:34,960
Speaker 1: And if you are somebody who's listening, who does, that's great,

954
00:49:35,040 --> 00:49:36,799
Speaker 1: Like we should be the people who are making those

955
00:49:36,880 --> 00:49:37,680
Speaker 1: kinds of decisions.

956
00:49:38,840 --> 00:49:44,960
Speaker 3: Yes, absolutely, well, thank you so much, Bridget. We're so

957
00:49:45,080 --> 00:49:47,560
Speaker 3: happy to have you back on. It was so good

958
00:49:47,600 --> 00:49:50,880
Speaker 3: to talk with you. Where can the good listeners find you?

959
00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:54,759
Speaker 1: Ah, this has been a pleasure. I miss shooting the

960
00:49:55,000 --> 00:49:58,960
Speaker 1: s with you all. And if you want to shoot

961
00:49:58,960 --> 00:50:01,120
Speaker 1: the s with me, you listen to my podcast Their

962
00:50:01,120 --> 00:50:02,719
Speaker 1: Own Our Girls on the internet or follow me on

963
00:50:02,760 --> 00:50:04,120
Speaker 1: Instagram at Bridget Marie and DC.

964
00:50:04,960 --> 00:50:09,040
Speaker 3: Yes yes uh and go do that listeners, And if

965
00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:10,799
Speaker 3: you would like to contact us you can. You can

966
00:50:10,840 --> 00:50:13,360
Speaker 3: email us at hello at Stuffwenevertold You dot com. You

967
00:50:13,400 --> 00:50:15,400
Speaker 3: can find us on blue Sky at mom Stuff Podcasts,

968
00:50:15,440 --> 00:50:17,520
Speaker 3: or in Instagram and TikTok at stuff When Never Told you.

969
00:50:18,040 --> 00:50:19,759
Speaker 3: We're also on YouTube. We have tea public store, and

970
00:50:19,800 --> 00:50:21,040
Speaker 3: we have a book you can get wherever you get

971
00:50:21,080 --> 00:50:23,200
Speaker 3: your books. Thanks as always to our super producer Christina

972
00:50:23,239 --> 00:50:25,240
Speaker 3: and executive producer Maya and your contributor Joey.

973
00:50:25,320 --> 00:50:25,719
Speaker 4: Thank you.

974
00:50:26,000 --> 00:50:27,719
Speaker 3: Thanks to you for listening stuff I'll Never told you

975
00:50:27,760 --> 00:50:29,279
Speaker 3: to production of my Heart Radio. More podcast from my

976
00:50:29,320 --> 00:50:30,839
Speaker 3: Heart Radio, you can check out the I Heart Radio app,

977
00:50:30,840 --> 00:50:32,719
Speaker 3: Apple Podcast wherever you listen to your favorite ship