When you go shopping, there's no guarantee that the products you need will be there—even if they were on your last trip to the store. Products go missing from shelves all the time for all sorts of reasons, from recalls to supply chain problems, but out-of-stock items have become even more prevalent over the past couple years. Now, both Dollar Tree and Target are pulling the same product from their stores, but this time it's over pushback from a major organization. Read on to find out what you will no longer be able to buy at either retailer.
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PETA has gotten several retailers to end the sale of certain products.
iStockA number of major U.S. retailers have made the voluntary decision to pull products from shelves following calls from nonprofit organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In 2020, Costco stopped selling Chaokoh coconut milk after PETA launched a campaign alleging that Chaokoh's parent company based in Thailand uses chained monkeys to pick coconuts. Publix also ended the sale of this product in March 2022 amid continued protests from the animal rights organization.
PETA also convinced CVS to ban the sale of greeting cards featuring great apes wearing costumes, displayed in studios, or interacting with humans in 2021, claiming these unnatural images "mislead consumers" into believing the species is doing well despite being classified as endangered.
And the organization isn't finished yet.
Dollar Tree and Target are ending the sale of another item.
ShutterstockIf you're trying to trap rodents invading your space, you'll want to be aware of a major change happening at Dollar Tree and Target. Both retailers have recently pulled glue traps for rodents from their inventories, the New York Post reported on June 2. According to the news outlet, Dollar Tree told PETA about a year ago that it was committed to ending its sale of these traps.
As of now, Dollar Tree said it may still "have a very small residual number of these [traps] in [its] stores," but it confirmed that it has "no plans to replenish" the products once they're sold out, PETA told the Post. Target, on the other hand, just revealed its decision to stop selling glue traps for rodents, with PETA confirming the retailer's move on the organization's website June 2. The animal rights group told the Post that as of May 16, Target has dropped this product from its website.
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Advocates say the traps "inflict prolonged suffering."
ShutterstockPETA said Target's decision follows a push from its own organization, as it has been "informing the company that the trays coated with a sticky adhesive inflict prolonged suffering on animals." In Aug. 2021, the animal rights organization sent a letter to Target CEO Brian Cornell, urging him to end the sale of at least one specific brand of glue traps for rodents. At the time, PETA said that Target's sale of Tomcat brand glue traps were likely illegal under California law, which prohibits causing animals unnecessary and unjustifiable pain.
“By selling Tomcat glue traps, Target sentences small animals to hideously slow and painful deaths and can turn buyers into lawbreakers," Jared Goodman, PETA's vice president and deputy general counsel for animal law, said in August. "PETA is calling on the company to get these vile traps off its shelves."
These are not the only retailers who are no longer selling glue traps.
iStockDollar Tree and Target are just two of the retailers who have stopped selling this type of product over the years. According to PETA, hundreds of companies have banned glue traps for rodents after protests from the organization. This includes other major retailers like Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, and Dollar General. But PETA said at least one company—Home Depot—is still selling the traps, despite protests from the organization.
"Wildlife—including birds, snakes, mice, rats, and squirrels—who get stuck in the glue struggle desperately to escape, sometimes chewing off their own limbs before succumbing to shock, dehydration, asphyxiation, or blood loss," PETA said. "Glue traps fail as a long-term solution because they neglect to address the source of the problem: As long as food remains accessible, more animals will move in to take the place of those who have been killed."
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