The year 2025 is not shaping up to be the best for the American company Target. After closing the second quarter of 2025 with a 1.9% decline in comparable sales, and following the boycott they faced for abandoning their DEI initiatives at Trump’s directive, they have decided to take action and look for solutions. One of the proposals has been to implement the “10-4” program, through which they aim to improve customer relations. This was explained to Bloomberg News by the store director, Adrienne Constanzo, who stated that changes are being made ahead of the holiday season.
Target’s ex CEO, Michael Fiddelke, also supported this initiative, arguing that stores need to be more welcoming. These types of programs are also used at Walmart and Disney, where they seem to yield positive results. In addition, they also launched the Target Circle 360 membership, offering multiple benefits to subscribers for $99 a year. The current CEO, Brian Cornell, acknowledged that the company’s performance was not meeting the executives’ expectations, and announced changes in labor policies and improvements in the customer experience, as well as an increase in the prices of its products.
Target
Founded by George Dayton in 1902 in Minneapolis, United States, its original name was Dayton Dry Goods Company. It wasn’t until 1962 that it first opened under the name Target, advertising itself as a discount store with quality products at more affordable prices. Its physical presence is limited to North America and the District of Columbia, with a total of 1,900 stores. However, it offers international shipping to numerous countries, including Canada, Mexico, China, India, and the European Union, through its website. Among the pages of its catalog, a wide variety of products can be found, including clothing, home goods, electronics, food, toys, and seasonal items.
Changes at Target
The data seems to indicate that 2025 is not shaping up to be the best year for Target, a situation the company itself has acknowledged. According to its figures, comparable sales fell 1.9% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2025. In addition, the company has faced (and continues to face) a consumer boycott in response to yielding to pressure from Donald Trump to abandon its DEI initiatives, through which the company promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion among both its employees and customers.
In this context, store director Adrienne Costanzo told Bloomberg News about the brand’s new intentions: “As we enter the holidays, we are making adjustments and implementing new ways to increase connection during the most important time of the year”. These adjustments refer to the implementation of the ’10-4′ program, through which the aim is to train staff on how to interact with customers, showing greater friendliness and enhancing their in-store experience. According to Target, ‘key consumer metrics increased when shoppers were greeted or acknowledged.’ This type of measure is not new, as major competitors like Walmart or Disney already make use of them.
Reaction on social media
Like any measure, there have been voices both in favor and against it. Some believe it is a measure that will put more pressure on employees, while others argue that it should be the usual attitude in all stores and customer-facing businesses.
Other initiatives
In addition to the new “10-4” program enrollment measure, Target has gone further. Since last April, it launched a membership called Target Circle 360. With an annual payment of $99, subscribers have access to:
- Unlimited, free same-day delivery on orders over $35.
- An extra 30 days to return your items.
- Free two-day shipping on hundreds of thousands of items.
- 5% off in-store and online.
- Automatic deals and exclusive partner perks.
New announcements
Following his appointment last June, Target’s new CEO, Brian Cornell, acknowledged that they “were not satisfied” with the company’s 2025 performance. Because of this, they hope these new initiatives will improve the company’s numbers, although he also announced changes related to the pricing of their products.
