As Target continues to deal with backlash over its controversial Pride merchandise, such as tuck friendly bathing suits that forced the retailer to remove and relocate some items due to employee safety concerns, its chief rival is not seeing anything similar.
Walmart's Chief Merchandising Officer Latriece Watkins said Wednesday that their LGBTQ merchandise has not changed and probably won't change.
We have merchandise that we sell every year that supports different groups, he said. I'd say in this particular case, we haven't changed anything in our assortment, Watkins said in response to a question about the Target controversy made at the company's associate and shareholder week attended by FOX Business.
The security measures have not changed either.
He also said there's nothing in particular that we've done differently related to security.
Walmart declined to comment directly on the controversy surrounding Target or elaborate on their Pride merchandise styles. A FOX Business Pride search of the retailer's website resulted in a selection of products, including apparel, beauty, and accessories.
The middle of the road strategy has spared the nation's biggest retailer from getting embroiled in social politics and corporate wakingness, a move that Walmart's CEO Doug McMillon is not interested in.
Shareholders said the company does not wake up in the morning wanting to go and make social and political statements, in response to a question about the company's engagement with public commentary during the company's meeting Wednesday.
We're a retail chain, he said, adding, ''we're retailers''. We want everybody to feel comfortable shopping with us, and we want everyone to feel comfortable and excited about working at Walmart. In response, Fox News Digital reported that many Target locations, mostly in rural areas of the South, moved Pride sections to avoid the kind of backlashbud Light has received in recent weeks after using a transgender influencer in a promotional campaign.
For more than a decade, Target has been offering a variety of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month. Since introducing this year's collection, we have experienced threats impacting our team members' sense of safety and wellbeing while at work. We're making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior. Since the scandal began, Target has lost over $14 billion in market cap, causing shares to be close to a three-year low.
The company's Gay Pride collection has been linked to the outspoken Satanist Erik Carnell of Abprallen, who is an outspoken Satanist whose company features occult images and messages like Satan respects pronouns on brand apparel.
Walmart shares are up about 4% year-on-year, compared to Target's 12% drop.