Archived “Guest” Harrassment

[totalvengeance]

I’ve been working at Target for almost 3 years and have only recently been encountering this guy. I used to work backroom a few years ago and I remember him stalking a girl in Softlines to the point where she had to get walked to her car but he never got kicked out? I’m now in consumables and a few months ago he started coming back in and tried following me and trying to get me to help him. I called AP and they kept an eye on him. So far all they have done is watched him and talked to him to stop once. It’s gotten to the point where i’m so paranoid at work and feel sick going to my shift. I feel like nothing is getting done and i’ve told every possible person about it. My own TL doesn’t even seem to care. He still comes in often but he’ll just circle the area that me or other girls are in so they can’t kick him out. It’s now 4 months later and i’ve put in a transfer request because i’m tired of having to put up with this every time I work. Is it bad that i’m leaving because of some idiot? I just need some advice, I feel lost.

 

[Him]

If the job is not taking the measures of banning this person, I suggest taking the matter to the proper authorities. You should NOT have to work in fear and should not have to transfer because of a creep!!

 

[soyaxo]

We had someone like this at Dillard’s. For our case, it was a lonely military vet. Still very unsettling....

 

[GoodyNN]

Sounds to me like it's time to go beyond the store and talk to your local police department.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

You need to talk to your etl, stl & ap without delay.

 

[Fluttervale]

If you are afraid to be at work, find new work. It doesn’t pay well enough to put up with that shit.

I was in a situation at a previous company where I thought an ex employee might try to murder me. Despite being somewhat wrong, it still made me functionally unable to continue working, because I always had the what if in the back of my head.

 

[totalvengeance]

Thank you all for the replies. I’ve told HR and they got with AP and sent an email to all the store managers that if he shows up they need to tell me so I can leave the area? I think it’s stupid that I have to hide in the stockroom while this idiot gets away with it. I’ve asked if we can get him for trespassing or call the police but AP says he technically isn’t “doing anything, he’s just making people uncomfortable” so they can’t do anything about it except talk to him. This guy is mentally not right but still he’s been harassing the store since it’s opened forever ago according to my boss. He barks at people, spins in the store, catcalls girls. It’s just aggravating. I want to call the Hotline but they’re obviously going to know its me.

 

[On6]

Technically your AP can trespass him if they want to.

But if I were you I would contact the local PD.

 

[IWishIKnew]

He is "doing something" he's stalking TMs and making them (and probably guests, too) uncomfortable. Target can ask anyone to leave for any reason they want, as long as it doesn't violate federal law.

Your store leaders are being spineless assholes. Given all of the press around harassment and the #metoo movement, you'd think they'd be a little more clued in by now, but I would say you might need to have a more forceful conversation with them or hit the hotline.

ETA: And what he's not doing, when he's circling around your department? Shopping. Target is a retail establishment, and your leaders should be appearing at his elbow to guest service his ass and make sure he's doing his shopping and then leaving and making it clear if he's not shopping, he needs to leave, and back it up with the cops, if needed.

 

[Him]

If the job is not taking the measures of banning this person, I suggest taking the matter to the proper authorities. You should NOT have to work in fear and should not have to transfer because of a creep!!

Sounds to me like it's time to go beyond the store and talk to your local police department.

Technically your AP can trespass him if they want to.

But if I were you I would contact the local PD.

Thank you all for the replies. I’ve told HR and they got with AP and sent an email to all the store managers that if he shows up they need to tell me so I can leave the area? I think it’s stupid that I have to hide in the stockroom while this idiot gets away with it. I’ve asked if we can get him for trespassing or call the police but AP says he technically isn’t “doing anything, he’s just making people uncomfortable” so they can’t do anything about it except talk to him. This guy is mentally not right but still he’s been harassing the store since it’s opened forever ago according to my boss. He barks at people, spins in the store, catcalls girls. It’s just aggravating. I want to call the Hotline but they’re obviously going to know its me.

You got All the proof from several people already @totalvengeance. Definitely go to the police ASAP! I don’t want to get “dramatic” but go to the police before this creep does something to you or someone else and then the police will be contacted. Only difference would be after something terrible has happened!! Don’t you or someone else become a victim because of something that could have been avoided!!!

 

[Saul Goodman]

Sounds like your AP is a joke. The AP at my store would've trespassed him after the first incident or two

 

[BullseyeBlues]

Had something like that happen to me at my store. I took the offer to step off stage if the creeper was spotted in store. (Would have transferred if I had transportation back then.) AP ended up having the local PD talk to the guy when trespassing him didn’t work. Nobody should have to deal with harassment when working. Sorry it sounds like your leadership doesn’t have enough of a spine to do more about what’s clearly a serial stalker targeting TMs.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Technically your AP can trespass him if they want to.

But if I were you I would contact the local PD.

Do this!

 

[pinkp2ie]

Target is private property, target can trespass for anything. Then however, let’s think how corporate would feel if target trespassed someone for wearing a yellow shirt.

 

[goingto4]

Ask your AP to draw up a safe and secure plan for you just in case something happens in store. You'll have documentation that you've been harassed.

It might be a different name now but if you tell your AP you feel threatened they have to do that plan. If not, definitely Hotline.

 

[Planosss]

I’ve been working at Target for almost 3 years and have only recently been encountering this guy. I used to work backroom a few years ago and I remember him stalking a girl in Softlines to the point where she had to get walked to her car but he never got kicked out? I’m now in consumables and a few months ago he started coming back in and tried following me and trying to get me to help him. I called AP and they kept an eye on him. So far all they have done is watched him and talked to him to stop once. It’s gotten to the point where i’m so paranoid at work and feel sick going to my shift. I feel like nothing is getting done and i’ve told every possible person about it. My own TL doesn’t even seem to care. He still comes in often but he’ll just circle the area that me or other girls are in so they can’t kick him out. It’s now 4 months later and i’ve put in a transfer request because i’m tired of having to put up with this every time I work. Is it bad that i’m leaving because of some idiot? I just need some advice, I feel lost.

So a regular guest comes in to Target. He is a loyal customer, he asks you for help. The first thought that comes to your mind is what? He is trying to F you? Get over yourself.

 

[commiecorvus]

So a regular guest comes in to Target. He is a loyal customer, he asks you for help. The first thought that comes to your mind is what? He is trying to F you? Get over yourself.

It took me a while, but one of the things I had to learn, as a man, was not to judge a women's situation from my perspective.
Would I think that somebody was there to harass me in that situation?
Probably not but that is because if you are going to fuck with me you have to be pretty direct and I'm a big boy, it doesn't happen very often.
My daughter on the other hand, locks her car door the minute she gets in and makes sure to park where there is light (which in this state where it is dark nine months out of the damned year, can be a challenge).
You don't see the world the same way a women does and be glad of it.
They have to deal with shit on a daily basis that we don't even have to think about.
I have learned to trust their instincts.
If she feels the guy is there to creep on her, I believe it.

 

[Planosss]

It took me a while, but one of the things I had to learn, as a man, was not to judge a women's situation from my perspective.
Would I think that somebody was there to harass me in that situation?
Probably not but that is because if you are going to fuck with me you have to be pretty direct and I'm a big boy, it doesn't happen very often.
My daughter on the hand, locks her car door the minute she gets in and makes sure to park where there is light (which in this state when it is dark most of damned time can be a challenge).
You don't see the world the same way a women does, and be glad of it.
They have to deal with shit on a daily basis that we don't even have to think about.
I have learned to trust their instincts.
If she feels the guy is there to creep on her, I believe it.

Seems irrational,hysterical and unintelligent.

 

[countingsheep]

I would call your local pd, explain the situation, and ask what they think would be the best course of action. Your ap is being lazy as fuck and its completely irresponsible of them. I had a guy stalk me around rtw and approach me multiple timew insisting he knew me from somewhere. He went over to shoes and watched me when I called my lod over since we had no ap that night. When he left that jerk came back with the same i know you crap. My lod had a hardlines guy switch depts with me and the jerk found me yet again in c and d. My lod made him leave. The next day the creep came back in asking about me and ap tresspassed his ass. A guests does not have to be physical or over the top to be kicked out. If he is making it clear he is a creep ap can do something about it.
Target has a strict jo harrassment policy for tms and guests bring up best practice and MAKE them address it. We have a gentleman in a motorized wheelchair that is a regular and he is old and perverted. He got straightened out when a new cashier had ap talk to him. She is 16 and he was saying very inappropriate things about his taste jn women and her body. It is NEVER ok to let this crap go. Period.

 

[HRLady]

Target has a strict jo harrassment policy for tms and guests bring up best practice and MAKE them address it.

@totalvengeance , this is what aronoiiel is talking about, straight from the Team Member Handbook:

 

[Bosch]

As I have learned if they spend money leadership doesn't care..

 

[graffiti]

From the sound of it, even if OP isn't available/transfers out he'll move on to creeping on the next female TM(s) he can find.

OP, I'm sorry your leads are trash managers. In what world is repeatedly barking at and catcalling women in public not harrassment? You should look into the laws in your state because verbal harassment is illegal in some, and I'd imagine a valid reason to trespass someone at a private establishment in all.

Meanwhile, is there any way you can ask any male TMs to guest service the shit out of him while he's there? Ideally someone in AP should be doing that if they do nothing else, but it sounds like yours have no interest in providing a safe environment. Or even female TM out of his "creeper-demographic" to do it--some of our older ladies at the front end have done that before to guys creeping on our extremely young cashiers, and they generally don't have to be told why it's so uncomfortable because they already know.

 

[FlowTeamChick]

Surprised no one has brought up the creep who ran for political office in Alabama. Yes, he did way more than stalk female employees in stores, but no doubt it started with stalking, and how do we know this guy has NOT done more than stalk, bad enough as that is?
This situation needs to be taken higher up, either within Target management or to law enforcement or both. Almost certainly, he's stalking women at other stores or other places, like his neighborhood, and I wouldn't be surprised if your local police aren't already well acquainted with him.

 

[Ringwraith917]

Make up something. Your word vs his and everyone knows he's a creep. If you are close enough to hear what he says again, claim he said something extremely inappropriate, or even threatened you (bonus points for vulgar language). No one is gonna fight for him. He gets banned from the store.

 

[commiecorvus]

Make up something. Your word vs his and everyone knows he's a creep. If you are close enough to hear what he says again, claim he said something extremely inappropriate, or even threatened you (bonus points for vulgar language). No one is gonna fight for him. He gets banned from the store.

Yeah, no.
You never know when someone can be a witness to the situation you are lying about and then you look like the crazy women who is trying to get the poor, innocent guy in trouble.
The MRA types love this shit and will jump all over it.
Don't give anybody an excuse to disbelieve you.
Deal with the facts and what is happening.
You can certainly explain how unsafe this guy is making you feel and how the situation is becoming untenable but do not make anything up.
Lean into this.
Way to often women have been put off by men, the police, college officials, their relatives, only to be badly hurt and even murdered by stalkers.