Target

The field of players offering same-day delivery of orders placed online is getting increasingly crowded. But only a handful are likely to succeed in wringing a profit from this high-cost service. Many of the biggest names in e-commerce have already launched some form of same-day or expedited delivery, including Amazon Fresh, eBay Now, Uber Rush and Google Shopping Express. In addition, a number of smaller entities are trying to squeeze into service niches that will allow them to survive among the giants. 

A Target staffer explained the reason for the delays and offered cookies to customers waiting in line to check out at the downtown Minneapolis Target store Sunday night. Target confirmed Sunday night that a "glitch" in its system had caused delays at registers at some of its U.S. stores, but added that it's not in any way related to a data security issue or a hacker. Customers around the country took to social media Sunday night reporting long checkout lines due to ­registers not working. Target didn't elaborate on the exact problem or problems. 

Millennials aren't smitten with Target, and the company knows it. Last fall, Target learned that to millennials, the company is nothing more than a big-box store. Buy from Target online? Who does that? Not millennials, apparently. "Target has traditionally been a store where people want to go in and feel and touch the products," says Jim Porçarelli, chief strategy officer at Active International, a corporate trading company. "It's been a destination." But the internet changed the way consumers shop, and millennials have replaced suburban moms as the country's most powerful marketing influence.

A gun reform group on Wednesday called on discount retail chain Target to ban the open carrying of firearms in its stores. The petition from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America follows demonstrations by a pro-gun group bringing long guns into Target stores. Following the petition, Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder wrote in an email, "The safety and security of our guests and team members is our highest priority. Target doesn't sell firearms or ammunition and is committed to following all state and federal laws. However, I don't have any specific information to share regarding this organization."

In advance of next week's annual shareholders’ meeting, Target defended its management and oversight of customer data despite the extensive hacking it experienced last year. In a letter to shareholders filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Roxanne Austin, the interim chairwoman of Target's board, listed steps the company had taken toward increasing information security since the breach last year, and described the security apparatus in place before the attack. "Breaches are occurring across the economy and are affecting a wide range of victims including the U.S. government, technology and defense industries, and more traditional companies, like retailers." 

There's been a lot of talk recently about the eyebrow-raising pay gap between retail company CEOs and the store employees below them. At last week's Code Conference, Wal-Mart's CEO (who reels in $10 million per year) said he was no different then Wal-Mart's store employees, including the 30,000 who are paid at minimum wage. Two days before that, the Los Angeles Times ran an unforgiving piece on the subject, saying that "… many CEOs now pull down so much more than their own employees that it's an ugly insult to working families." 

Upscale department store Nordstrom is reportedly looking for potential buyers for its private-label credit card portfolio. Joining fellow retailers Macy's and Target in unloading namesake store credit cards to banks, Nordstrom announced May 15 it will work with Goldman Sachs and Guggenheim Securities to search for a financial partner for its $2 billion credit card receivables, according to a Bloomberg News report. Macy's (under its then-parent Federated Department Stores) sold its credit card portfolio to Citigroup in 2005, and Target closed its credit card portfolio sale with TD Bank Group last year.

Target has formed a digital advisory council as part of its efforts to accelerate its digital transformation. Target said the council will help guide the retailer's omnichannel strategies and push it to innovate faster and discover new ways to leverage technology to enhance the shopper experience — both online and in-store. In addition to forming the new council, Target is bolstering its internal digital talent with plans to hire at least 50 new software engineers this year for Target.com and mobile product teams. 

Target wants to help host your book club … online. As the retailer works to build a more competitive e-commerce experience, it's partnering with a startup e-book subscription service called Librify to give customers an online platform for buying, sharing and discussing their favorite books. The official launch is still several months off, but the announcement comes ahead of BookExpo in New York City this week, the biggest event of the year for the publishing industry. Librify, which started beta testing with select users in March, offers a social-subscription service for e-books. 

Target may have been knocked down by a huge holiday season data breach last year, but its most recent quarterly earnings report and continuing replacement of top management show the retailer has other, bigger problems to address. Target's Canadian expansion has suffered from poorly managed inventory planning and a lack of understanding of the Canadian market. Meanwhile, merchandise even in U.S. stores has lost its gotta-have-it quality, and foot traffic had been slowly declining even before the breach happened. "They're behind the curve right now," says Sandy Skrovan, U.S. research director for Planet Retail, a retail research and advisory firm.