Target is a company. They are in a dog-eat-dog competitive business. Unfortunately, they are sacrificing the fundamentals which made Target so brilliantly successful for quite a few years.
IMHO, those fundamentals include:
1) Quick checkout with a real human being who helps create a low-friction purchase experience. No lengthy, long lines. Multiple checkout lanes open.
2) Uncluttered, spacious "racetrack" main aisles. No big displays blocking shoppers and their carts from savoring the total shopping experience.
3) Accurate price tags adjacent to merchandise. Expired sale tags removed immediately after sales expiration.
4) No expired food products in market. Routinely pull outdated items from the shelves, special emphasis on dairy products. No spoiled produce -- there should never ever be tacky unsightly overripe bananas, and other fruit and vegetables which are visually and obviously spoiling. Also, NO dented cans or damaged-looking cereal boxes, please!
5) Actual cleaning of the restrooms as needed during the day -- not just having somebody "check the boxes" on the restroom inspections supposedly every hour, without actually looking in depth for stuff needing attention (overflowing toilets or lack of TP, anybody?)
6) Easy-to-understand promotional sales. Clearly indicate which specific brands, sizes and styles are for SALE prices. Don't expect the guest to understand the fine-print exclusions.
7) Apparel, shoes, bedding and linens should all have price tags or bar codes attached.
8) All merchandise on the sales floor is brand-new and in undamaged packaging. Returned clothing only put out if it's literally unused. See this from the guest's perspective.
9) Low-friction guest service experience. Have enough staff available to handle busy periods at the service desk, as well as OPU and drive-up.
Target does many things very well and remains a desirable place to shop, IMHO. The problem though is that actual customers around America are becoming annoyed. Few guests have went on social media about this, but the elimination of the 1% rewards bonus for Circle users didn't help foster guest loyalty. I notice more guests seem irritated when I gotta ask if they participate in Circle, they gotta press the "Not Now" button in order to finish the purchase.
Far too many chain stores which once had been massively successful have disappeared. Linens-N-Things, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Radio Shack, Sears, K-Mart, Pier 1 Imports, The Good Guys, Computer City, Circuit City and now Rite Aid. You can't predict future success based on the past. I don't think you can replicate the way Target was before 2008 or whatever. But Target should revisit exactly what made our stores and business incredibly successful, providing a brilliant and attractive value proposition for American families and households from all walks of life -- Democrat, Republican, Socialist, straight, gay, married, divorced, single father, single mother, child, teenager, student, retiree, plumber, electrician, elementary teacher, car repair specialist, salesperson, Evangelical Christian, mainline Christian, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, agnostic, atheist and so on. For six decades, Target has become the store of middle America's dreams, providing affordable and appealing goods. Target can't fix the problems of our larger society, they really need to recapture some of Target's original "secret sauce" while providing truly exceptional shopping experiences and staying relevant and contemporary. By focusing on the excellence of the business and less emphasis trying to appease social and political causes, Target will benefit far more Americans.
And so for your original question, "Does Target truly care?" It's a huge company and I think there is some of that in our stores today (I honestly would say that about my own store). I just don't know if the Minneapolis corporate HQ folks understand that your question is being asked by some of their own TMs, not just from guests (customers).
We visited three Target stores across the US to get a sense of what the retail chain could be doing better as sales growth stalls.
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