Popular Retailer Blaming Organized Crime For Store Closings Around the Country

In major U.S. cities like Houston, TX, and tiny towns around the country, it's becoming more normal, for retailers to close down their brick-and-mortar locations.

Target is no exception, the company has announced that they will be shuttering stores across the country due to an ongoing problem that far too many physical stores are facing.

Target is massive, with just under 2,000 stores in the U.S. alone. A few stores closing won't mean too much to them, but they have announced they'll be closing several stores in major cities. According to the retail giant, the reason for these closures is theft and organized retail crime.

"[W]e cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance," Target said in a statement. "We know that our stores serve an important role in their communities, but we can only be successful if the working and shopping environment is safe for all."

Despite these nine locations closing, Target will still be serving each of these cities. In fact more than 150 Target locations will remain open in the cities where the closures are occurring. Target has also reportedly offered all of their employees the opportunity to transfer to a different location.

Don't worry my fellow Texans, for now, there are no announced plans to close Texas Targets due to theft or organized crime. Current plans only call for store closures in New York, California, Washington, and Oregon, and that began on October 21st, 2023. Below are the locations that will be shut down.

• 517 E 117th St. in New York City, New York.
• 4535 University Way NE in Seattle, Washington
• 448 NW Market St., Ste. 100, in Seattle, Washington
• 1690 Folsom St. in San Francisco, California
• 2650 Broadway in Oakland, California
• 4301 Century Blvd. in Pittsburg, California
• 939 SW Morrison St. in Portland, Oregon
• 3031 SE Powell Blvd. in Portland, Oregon
• 4030 NE Halsey St. in Portland, Oregon