The nine Target stores that call Palm Beach County home are staples for local families looking to grab various supplies or find the perfect dorm accessories and even cute new outfits.
It's the place, from Boca Raton to Royal Palm Beach to Palm Beach Gardens, where you go with a shopping list and leave with 10 extra items you weren't planning on getting but were a "total need."
And as we come upon spooky season, many will head to Target to purchase Halloween costumes, but the company has come under fire for this very reason.
Target apologized for a Halloween circus clown costume that critics said appeared to conjure Blackface and 19th-century minstrel shows.
The costume, sold as the "Kids' Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume,"
prompted a social-media backlash.
"As a company, we know we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry. The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment," Target said in a statement.
Target said it has pulled the costume that was sold as part of its seasonal Hyde and EEK Boutique brand.
It was the latest in a series of reputational blows that have undercut sales — from its handling of its Pride Collection in 2023 to its diversity, equity and inclusion policies after President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Target joined a broad corporate retreat after Trump issued a series of executive orders aimed at eliminating "illegal DEI." It backtracked efforts to boost representation of Black employees and support Black-owned suppliers, saying it needed to stay in step with "the evolving external landscape."
The policy U-turn was widely viewed as a betrayal by Black Americans who had embraced the retail giant and fueled its fortunes.
Some shoppers expressed new disappointment in the Minneapolis-based retailer they once affectionately called "Tarzhay."
"So, Target, you really don't have anyone left in Minneapolis to say, 'Hey, that's racist?' Y'all cut DEI and now you've got a minstrel clown costume for kids on your website," one user said on Threads.
Target, which has seen two resurgent straight quarters under new CEO Michael Fiddelke, pledged to do better.
"We know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners," the company said in a prepared statement. "Removing the costume is an important first step, and the company is looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change to ensure this won’t happen again."
Target has little room for error, Brett Husslein, an analyst at Morningstar, told Reuters. "As Target begins to gain traction in repairing its brand reputation, this is exactly the kind of stuff they want to avoid," he said.
Arianna Otero covers breaking news for the Palm Beach Post. Contact her via email at AOtero@pbpost.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Halloween costume blackface backlash latest stumble for Target stores
