People are upset in Manhattan. It appears they’re going to lose a convenient and relatively affordable shopping alternative.

Tears and sadness for shoppers in East Harlem. Their beloved ⁦@Target⁩ store will close next month. The convenience, the value, the location…irreplaceable. EWN at 4 & 5:30. pic.twitter.com/ZjoMWJjUz9

— Joe Torres (@joetorresABC7) September 27, 2023

The company says it was purely a business decision – theft and “organized retail” crime were taking too great a toll on their bottom line, and, as John wrote on Tuesday, the East Harlem store would be one of nine closed across the country for those reasons.

The scheduled closing is 21 October and once they started getting word about it, it seems the neighborhood is really bent out of shape.

…”Where are the people in the community going to go now?,” asked Kathering Griffin. “They would have to go to the Bronx.”

…In this tight knit community of Black and Latino families, where specialized mom and pop stores and street vendors line the avenues, Target represents values and convenience for general merchandise at an affordable price – all for people on a fixed-income and all within walking distance from home.

“You don’t have to go to Jersey. You don’t have to go downtown. You walk down the block, you come to Target, it’s like home,” said Martiza Fabian. “And it’s so sad that it’s going.

There’s a fair amount of skepticism being expressed, too, about how much “theft” Target had at the location. But if you read into this tweet ranting about the closure, it seems to validate what Target is saying about the store. The OP is calling Target liars because everyone knows you can’t steal anything there – it’s all “locked up – even the lotion“!

And, of course, racist.

Target has expanded a lot in NYC in recent years, including in Hells Kitchen, UES, East Village, etc.

Let's be real, they just don't want to be in #EastHarlem bc it's not gentrifying the way they hoped it would when they first opened in 2010. 🙄https://t.co/FQLZFRilGi pic.twitter.com/lXfmtnnUr2

— Zee's Autumnal Attire 🍂🍁🍂 (@ZiaJD) September 27, 2023

*scratches chin*

Why for you think it’s that way to begin with? There are too many law abiding citizens in the area?

These people are pieces of work.

In a press statement, the corporation said it had been hit pretty hard by “shrinkage,” which is retail code for “five-finger discounts,” plus threats and violent incidents had seen dramatic increases. Who needs to have their employees trying to function under those conditions?

…“During the first five months of this year, our stores saw a 120% increase in theft incidents involving violence or threats of violence,” he said. Using the industry term “shrink” for lost or stolen products, he added that profits “expanded by more than $800 million compared with a year ago. And despite the fact we’ve experienced more than a percentage point of cumulative profit pressure from higher shrink since 2019.”

And there were a few people willing to admit that, maybe, yeah – merchandise had been strolling out of the store at an unsustainable rate. So, just possibly, certain of the locals had brought this on themselves and ruined a good thing for everyone in the area.

…“This store has been a lifeline for many East Harlem residents, providing jobs and stability for their families,” said Deputy City Council Speaker Diana Ayala, whose district encompasses East River Plaza.

Natasha Sam, who has lived in this corner of Manhattan for 25 years, said Target is one of the few places people in the area can go for affordable goods.

“Before, you used to have to go into the city to get some stuff that we don’t have in the neighborhood,” she said. “It’s just heartbreaking.”

…Early on Wednesday morning, three store employees and an NYPD officer were watching the front door. Employees say they are not allowed to interfere with thefts, which were a daily problem until NYPD posted the officer recently.

“They would just come with a trash bag, fill it up with anything, and just walk out the store,” said Miguel de la Cruz, who delivers Target products for the service Shipt. “That was pretty bad. So it makes sense that they closed it.”

So, in point of fact, thefts “were a DAILY problem” and the stuff was going out by the trash bag full when it got taken.

I could see where Target might have a problem.

Now the shoplifters are upset.

Can’t please everybody.