This won't win me any popularity contests, but ...

Let me put it right on the table: we all love Target. Their hip commercials, their great style, their low prices, the feeling we get that we're a little smarter than those down-at-heel Wal-Mart enthusiasts. It's all good, right? No. It's not all good. And here's why:

* Target is behind even Wal-Mart in phasing out PVC packaging and products. PVC contains a known carcinogen and is found in packaging, shower curtains, and even children's toys.

* Target uses sweatshop labor. Its Mossimo line is manufactured by, among others, factories in Jordan where the employees are paid only sporadically, wages are below minimum, sick days are not allowed, and workers are threatened with violence if production goals aren't met. We didn't let Kathie Lee slide on this one, so why should we let Target?

* Target has a history of trouble with the EEOC and the NAACP because of its treatment of African-Americans and people with disabilities. The NAACP has urged African-Americans to boycott the chain because of its refusal to hire black people for entry-level management positions in Wisconsin, and a lawsuit brought by the EEOC maintains that the big box store "routinely destroys the applications of African-Americans." A separate suit from the EEOC, settled for $95K, claims that an employee with MS was not allowed to transfer to another position within the store, and that information concerning said employee's condition was relayed to a prospective employer. Ouch!

All things considered, shopping at Target, though addictive, is a bad bet from a moral standpoint. I realize sometimes it's unavoidable - sometimes there is no other place to find something you need. The coffee table I'm sitting in front of right now is a Target find. But I know that I'll be severely limiting my shopping trips there from now on ... it just isn't worth the weight on my conscience.