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From boycotts to tariffs, it’s fair to say Target has had a rough year so far, and now customers may not be happy with this change to a favorite shopping perk. Starting on July 28, the mega-retailer is altering its price match policy, which for nearly a decade, gave customers a refund if they bought an item at Target and found the identical item for less at either “Target.com, Amazon, Walmart, or with Target Circle” within two weeks of the purchase. Customers who request and receive the price match get the difference between what they paid and what the item cost elsewhere. Going forward, the new policy will only apply to the same item bought from another Target store or the Target website, not from a competitor retailer. How can I request a price match from Target? To make use of the current price match policy before it ends, or to request a price match with items from other Target stores or the website for in-store purchases, customers must provide proof of the lower price to Guest Services at their local Target store. For Target.com or Target app purchases, call Guest Services at 1-800-591-3869. Target by the numbers As Fast Company reported, after explosive sales growth in 2021 and 2022, the mega-retailer has been flatlining. In 2023, net sales dropped $1.7 billion, or 1.6%, and declined again in 2024, though comparative year-to-year sales were up about 1% (2023 was a 53-week year). In May, Target reported first quarter earnings, including net sales of $23.8 billion compared with $24.5 billion in 2024. The company cut its annual sales projections and said it expects a low-single-digit decline for 2025, after projecting a 1% increase for sales in March. Target has a current market capitalization of $48.34 billion.
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E-Commerce
In 2017, the Trump administration cut the United Statess ties with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) completely for the first time since 1984. Then, the administration accused the international agency of holding anti-Israel bias for a multitude of reasons, including the naming of Hebron, as a “Palestinian city and certified UNESCO site. Now, the administration has announced its second leave from UNESCO after the United States returned to the agency under the Biden administration in 2023. The reasons remain the same since the initial leave with White House spokesperson, Tammy Bruce citing that UNESCOs work advances divisive social and cultural causes and that the agencys ideological agenda for international development is at odds with our America First foreign policy. UNESCOs part in America The agency aims to promote cooperation in areas including education, science, culture, and communication to foster peace worldwide. According to UNESCO, their main focuses include: Promoting quality education and science Building fair and inclusive societies Protecting heritage and fostering creativity Supporting information literacy Empowering equality With 194 member states, including the United States as of current, It is also responsible for assigning World Heritage Sites, including Americas 26 UNESCO-designated sites. Ranging from National Parks to the Statue of Liberty, these sites are protected as part of an international treaty, and are generally recognized as belonging to everyone versus one, sovereign state. Unwoke-ifying education, science, and culture The White Houses press release cites UNESCOs decision to recognize and admit the State of Palestine as a member in 2011, as a major part of what they see as anti-Israel rhetoric. In response to the Trump administrations claims, UNESCO released a statement saying that these claims widely “contradict the reality of UNESCO’s efforts, particularly in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism. In the statement, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO says this news doesn’t come as a shock as a shock, and that ultimately, theyve been preparing for the U.S.s expected leave. In February, Trump issued an executive order requiring the review of any organizations providing international support that received U.S. funding. This is the third official UN agency the U.S. has withdrawn from since Trumps second inauguration, including the World Health Organization in January and the Human Rights Council in February. Each one, with the administration attributing the cuts to efficiency concerns and anti-American, woke culture. The effect on cutting costs As of 2023, the U.S. promised to pay roughly $600 million in back dues, as prior to the first leave of the agency, the country contributed to roughly 22% of their funding. In recent years, we have undertaken major structural reforms and diversified our funding sources, Azoulay said. Thanks to the efforts made by the Organization since 2018, the decreasing trend in the financial contribution of the US has been offset, so that it now represents 8% of the Organization’s total budget compared to 40% for some United Nations entities; while at the same time, UNESCOs overall budget has steadily increased. The agency says voluntary contributions have doubled since 2018, and that ultimately, the decision to leave the agency will result in difficulties for American communities seeking site inscription on the World Heritage List, gaining Creative City status, and working with University Chairs program. However, the Paris-based agency does not expect layoffs at this time, and says they will continue to work with private American partners including those in the academic and non-profit spaces. UNESCO’s purpose is to welcome all the nations of the world, Azoulay wrote. And the United States of America is and will always be welcome.
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E-Commerce
When the KissCam at a Coldplay concert landed on a couple who tried (but failed) to duck out of the spotlight, the internet immediately got to work. In hours, the clip was just about everywhere. Endless memes, parody videos and photos of the pair’s shocked faces filled social media feeds. Online sleuths rushed to identify who was on camera. Artificial intelligence and software company Astronomer eventually confirmed that its CEO and chief people officer were in fact the couple in the video and announced the CEO’s resignation over the weekend. The incident’s fallout has, of course, generated conversations about business ethics, corporate accountability and the repercussions that conflicts of interest among leadership can cause. But there are also broader implications at play in our increasingly online world about the state of potentially being visible everywhere you go or tracked through social media surveillance.” Experts say it’s more and more common for moments that may have been intended to be private, or at least reserved to a single physical venue, to make their way online and even go global today. So in the era of lightning-fast social sharing and when cameras are practically inescapable, does being in public hold any expectation of privacy anymore? Is every experience simply fodder for the world to see? Cameras are everywhere It’s no secret that cameras are filming much of our lives these days. From CCTV security systems to Ring doorbells, businesses, schools and neighborhoods use ample video surveillance around the clock. Sporting and concert venues have also filmed fans for years, often projecting playful bits of audience participation to the rest of the crowd. In short, the on-scene viewer becomes part of the product and the center of attention. And of course, consumers can record just about anything if they have a smartphone in their pocket and, if it’s enticing to other social media users, that footage can quickly spread through cyberspace. Ellis Cashmore, author of the book Celebrity Culture, proposes that the rapid fame of last weeks KissCam moment probably answers a question many have been asking for years: Is the private life still what it was? And the answer is, of course, theres no such thing as the private life anymore, he notes. Certainly not in the traditional sense of the term. Im not sure that we can assume privacy at a concert with hundreds of other people, adds Mary Angela Bock, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austins School of Journalism and Media. We cant assume privacy on the street anymore. Some version of the KissCam has long been a staple at big events from timeouts during sports games to romantic songs played by artists at their concerts. Its easy to miss, but most venues have signs to inform the audience that they could be filmed during the event. Whats been different in more recent years, experts note, is how quickly those moments can travel beyond the physical space where they actually unfold. That isnt only limited to what shows up on a jumbotron. Sometimes it only takes one person in the crowd to capture any interaction on their phone and post the video online where it can zip around the world. Its not just the camera,” Bock says. Its the distribution system that is wild and new. Once something’s viral, doxing often follows Then there’s the second ring of exposurewhat happens after the video or photos spread. Experts point to growing instances of social media users rushing to publicly identify, or dox, the people captured on cameramuch like how quickly the internet committed to finding those involved in the Coldplay moment, for example. The LinkedIn pages belonging both to Astronomers now-former CEO and chief people officer remained disabled on Monday, and The Associated Press could not reach either for comment. But it isn’t limited to company executives. Beyond someone simply spotting a familiar face and spreading the word, technological advancesincluding AIhave made it easier and faster overall to find just about anyone in an online post. This can happen with videos and photos shared on social media each day, even if it doesn’t go viral, experts warn. Its a little bit unsettling how easily we can be identified with biometrics, how our faces are online, how social media can track usand how the internet has gone from being a place of interaction, to a gigantic surveillance system,” Bock says. When you think about it, we are being surveilled by our social media. Theyre tracking us in exchange for entertaining us. And of course, such moments can also impact people who were not actually on camera. As easy as it can be to be identified online today, the internet is notorious for cutting a broad swath or not always getting it right. That sometimes produces harassment of individuals not actually involved. At last week’s Coldplay concert, for example, many social media users speculated that a third person seen near the two caught on camera was another Astronomer employee leading to swarms of posts targeting her. But the company later confirmed that she was not at the event and said no other employees were in the video circulating online. For the now-viral moment, we can talk about whats right and wrong, and whether they deserved it, says Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York Universitys Stern School of Business. Still, its a very frightening thing to get a lot of abuse and harassment online, Taylor notes. There are real human beings behind this. Its hard to think that that these kind of viral moments will ever go away and there are few legal restrictions to stop users from sharing clips of interactions recorded from anything from a concert to the street widely online. But on an individual level, Bock says it can be helpful to think before you share and question whether somethings really accurate. Social media has changed so much, Bock says. But we really have not, as a society, caught up with the technology in terms of our ethics and our etiquette. Wyatte Grantham-Philips, AP business writer Associated Press journalists Hilary Fox and Kelvin Chan contributed to this report.
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E-Commerce
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