TGT Jun 2025 65.000 call

The big blunder Target made but Walmart avoided

Target's first quarter earnings fell short of analyst estimates as inflation continues to take a bite out of consumers' wallets.  Longtime retail executive and Storch Advisors CEO Jerry Storch says there was one mistake Target (TGT) made years ago that gave Walmart (WMT) an edge. "Target years ago... made a strategic blunder to basically pull out of the full-service grocery business. What you have in Target right now is really a large convenience grocery store, whereas Walmart is the nation's largest real grocery store with all the departments and fresh produce... That positions Target very poorly. They can't fix that overnight," Storch says. He goes on to explain that Walmart customers are going to get groceries every week, for example, but then purchasing higher-margin general merchandise because they are there. For Target, it's "backwards" Storch argues, saying that customers may be going once a month for general items and buying low-margin groceries since they happen to be there.  For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Catalysts. Watch the full interview with Jerry Storch here. This post was written by Stephanie Mikulich.