When Target gave a tepid annual sales forecast for its new fiscal year on Tuesday, it quickly blamed “ongoing consumer uncertainty” and “tariff uncertainty,” which its finance chief said was forcing it to remain “appropriately cautious.”
There is no denying consumers across the economy have begun to pull back, and that President Donald Trump’s tariffs on major trade partners including Canada, Mexico, and China has unnerved business executives and shoppers alike. But Target’s problems go deeper than just a jittery economy, and can be traced to a series of unforced errors and strategic mistakes.
