"We faced unexpectedly high costs, driven by a number of factors, resulting in profitability that came in well below our expectations, and well below where we expect to operate over time."

Target CEO Brian Cornell, commenting Wednesday after the retailer reported disappointing earnings in its first quarter, as reported by CNN Business in its story, “Target Posts a Stunning Drop in Profit. Stock Plunges.” According to the news story, Cornell said during the earnings call that "while we anticipated a post-stimulus slowdown...we didn't anticipate the magnitude of that shift."