On Wednesday, Fortune reported, the company announced plans to spend $20 million to add private single-stall locking bathrooms at all of its stores where that option is not currently offered.
The company already has single-stall bathrooms anyone can use at about 1,400 of its 1,800 stores, Target spokesperson Katie Boylan said.
The report directly blamed the drop in shopper traffic at least partly on the retailer’s “transgender-friendly” bathroom policy, which the retailer does not intend to alter. Target shoppers will still be allowed to “use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.”
However, Boylan said Target decided to add single-stall, lockable bathrooms in all of its stores “because we’re listening.”
The transgender bathroom policy announced in April prompted hundreds of thousands of people to sign petitions and pledges to avoid the retailer.
Company officials downplayed the impact of the customer reaction in May when the next quarter report revealed plunging numbers and again this week when the numbers fell further.
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