Foot traffic to Target declined for the tenth straight week, according to Placer.ai.

• Visits to Target fell 7.9% the week of March 31, per the latest data.
• Walmart’s foot traffic has also fallen for 10 consecutive weeks, while visits to Best Buy are down from a slight rise in mid-March.

Why it matters: Consumers are pushing back against retailers that have rolled back their DEI initiatives.

• 19% of US adults have stopped using/purchasing from brands that contradicted or reversed their DEI efforts, according to March 2025 data from Ad Age and The Harris Poll.
• Gen Z adults are twice as likely (40%) as millennials and over four times more likely than baby boomers to stop buying from brands due to DEI pullbacks.

Walmart reversed its DEI policies in November 2024, while Target announced it would scale back its DEI programs in January.

• These reversals sparked significant consumer backlash, including a 24-hour economic blackout on February 28, a 40-day Target boycott in March, and a weeklong Walmart boycott in April.

On the other hand, Costco, which has upheld its DEI policies, has only had positive growth since the start of the year.

• Monthly foot traffic rose 7.5% in March, while Target visits dropped 6.5% month-over-month and Walmart visits dropped 3.8% month-over-month, per Placer.ai.
• Costco reported net sales of $25.51 billion for the five weeks ending April 6, 2025, an increase of 8.6% YoY.
• Costco's US comparable sales grew 7.5% in the same time period.

The bottom line: Although it's too early to determine how deeply DEI rollbacks will affect retail sales, retailers should proceed with caution.

• With potential tariffs fueling economic uncertainty, consumers may soon face tough choices about where—and with whom—they spend their money.

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