Target's (NYSE: TGT) stock tumbled 13% on Nov. 16 in response to the retailer's third-quarter report. That deceleration was exacerbated by soaring inflation, which curbed consumer spending on discretionary items, as well as supply chain disruptions, which prevented it from quickly refreshing its inventories. When a retailer faces slowing comps growth and rising inventories, it generally needs to use margin-crushing markdowns to generate fresh sales and clear out its excess merchandise.