Kohl's has faced tepid sales growth as it struggles to attract budget-conscious shoppers still hurting from elevated inflation. In May the retail chain, which has roughly 1,100 stores around the U.S., reported a fiscal first-quarter loss of $15 million and that net sales fell more than 4% from the year-ago period.

Retail investors are once again banding together to bet on highly shorted loss-making companies such as Kohl's and Krispy Kreme this week, bringing to mind the "meme stock" frenzy that gripped Wall Street four years ago.

Few people would have picked Kohl’s stock as a candidate for a double. Thanks to a “gamma squeeze,” it became the latest meme-trade darling to gain more than 100% in a single day.