According to the updated guidance, workers must wear only clearly red shirts, eliminating shades like burgundy or pink, and small logos like the Nike swoosh are allowed but larger graphics such as band pictures are prohibited. Red plaid or checkered shirts are acceptable if they are clearly red, and employees who lack a compliant top or prefer not to wear one can opt for a company-provided red vest. Target is also refining its pants policy: employees can wear khakis or denim, but any denim must be blue.
Team members will receive a red shirt ahead of the summer rollout and a coupon for 50 percent off a denim purchase. The new employee guidance is the latest change under new Target CEO Michael Fiddelke, who took the helm in February, as the dress code updates are part of Target's push to turn around several years of weak sales driven by soft consumer demand. Target has faced backlash tied to social and political controversies, including boycotts following the rollback of its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives early last year, and criticism for not publicly opposing ICE actions in Minneapolis, where it is headquartered.
There's so much pride in Target and there's so
CEO Michael Fiddelke acknowledged that Target needs to win back trust with customers, but he did not specifically cite employee dress codes as part of his strategy to improve the in-store experience.