Archived Bait & Switch

[Sweet Pea]

After a week working here I have come to the realization that Target pulls the old “bait & switch” scam.
In orientation you hear words like “team”, “inclusivity”, “fun”. All from smiling people who tell you Target is awesome and by 2020 they will hire at $15 and we are here to help one another, and bla bla bla.
Then you get your “New Team Member” badge and you put it on your new red shirt you bought bc you don’t own any already. And you throw on your khakis and you feel so special and excited to be a part of the Great Target Team ready to make all families lives better! They have promised you a brand new shiny car.
Then it hits you. There never was a new shiny car. And the smiling people don’t smile at you anymore. They barely acknowledge your existence. And the word “team” is a joke. And no one does their job correctly. Everyone is miserable. No one cares. There is no fun to be found anywhere. No one answers calls for help or calls from customers. They kinda sorta tell you what to do then disappear and you are just left to figure it out on your own. You just stand there feeling completely fooled and let down. All they have given you is an old rusty clunker.

 

[Walmart]

Accurate.

 

[KindaOverIt]

Brilliant description. Welcome to the disillusioned club! Also, the $15 by 2020 is a joke. If another lead tells me this I'm going to laugh in their face. Telling us that now in late 2018 is silly. Especially for the TMs who have been there for years and have to watch new hires coming in making the same amount as them.

So cool, I, someone who has been when the company since 2014, will make $15 by 2020 . . . along with the 18 year old coming in the door!

OP, just do enough to get by. Giving this job your all will earn you nothing in the end. The raises are a joke because like I said--they don't matter (for the grunts like us). Eventually you'll just make the same as everyone else.

With that said--pretend to care! They will come after you if you're new and openly negative. Older team members can get away with being openly bitter. You don't have that luxury

 

[15 Sec. Remain]

After a week working here I have come to the realization that Target pulls the old “bait & switch” scam.
In orientation you hear words like “team”, “inclusivity”, “fun”. All from smiling people who tell you Target is awesome and by 2020 they will hire at $15 and we are here to help one another, and bla bla bla.
Then you get your “New Team Member” badge and you put it on your new red shirt you bought bc you don’t own any already. And you throw on your khakis and you feel so special and excited to be a part of the Great Target Team ready to make all families lives better! They have promised you a brand new shiny car.
Then it hits you. There never was a new shiny car. And the smiling people don’t smile at you anymore. They barely acknowledge your existence. And the word “team” is a joke. And no one does their job correctly. Everyone is miserable. No one cares. There is no fun to be found anywhere. No one answers calls for help or calls from customers. They kinda sorta tell you what to do then disappear and you are just left to figure it out on your own. You just stand there feeling completely fooled and let down. All they have given you is an old rusty clunker.

*Twils banjo notes*

I remember them days of ol' "Fast, Fun, & Friendly". Now a days, Modernization ripped it right out.

 

[Kartman]

Shit like this is why I loved being a CA. Outside most of the time - just me and my 4-wheeled babies. They always smiled when they'd see me coming to take them home.

 

[GoodyNN]

Do keep in mind that we just hit holiday. This week in particular is just about bottom of the barrel. The busiest, most frustrating, most exhausting time of the year. Many of us are feeling burnt out before we even walk through the door, sometimes still burnt from our last shift, sometimes just from other stuff happening in our lives. And with so many new team members coming on board, it can be hard for the long-timers to remember names and faces. In fact, some people have gotten to the point where they don't make an attempt to get to know the seasonal hires because so many will be gone in two to three months.

Now, you do absolutely have valid points. Of course a potential employer is going to paint it all as sunshine and rainbows to get you in the door and on the books when they need bodies the most. But it should get better. At least a little.

 

[Irinia19]

Sweet Pea, just finished my first week too. I agree 100%.

 

[redeye58]

4-wheeled babies.

Lol, love it

 

[Kartman]

Hey!

They all had names... even the new ones.

 

[signingminion]

This is the time of year I go the extra mile to make sure newbies feel welcome. Several remember me out of everyone their first weeks. It doesn't get me a raise or promotion, but it hopefully makes it less of a pit to work in.

 

[Shadowholleman]

That’s probably the best description of the Target experience and culture that I’ve heard in some time.

That said, this is the WORST and hardest time of the year to come on board ... everyone is over worked, stressed, and ready for the holidays to be over. So, do your best and make the best of the time in the clunker!

 

[Pinballmaster]

The first couple of weeks are hard. I considered quitting after only a couple of days. The overall atmosphere seemed very doom and gloom. Nobody talked in the break room. Even managers didn't introduce themselves. Very weird vibe. You just have to start conversations and seek others with similar personalities as you. Only then can you have some fun. I really enjoy working at my store. Most of my coworkers are really fun people. Most of the customers are pretty nice too, minus the scammers. In no way shape or form is this a dream job, but I find it far more enjoyable than jobs that paid me 3 times what I'm paid now. Look for the positives and give it a couple months. $15 an hour by 2020 is likely. While the stock price is down due to recent lack luster earnings I expect Target to have a massive holiday quarter especially in toys. Profits will be up. Target has been ambitious as of late when it comes to discounts and coupons. They are quickly stealing market share from Amazon & Walmart. Do your best and hang in there.

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

After a week working here I have come to the realization that Target pulls the old “bait & switch” scam.
In orientation you hear words like “team”, “inclusivity”, “fun”. All from smiling people who tell you Target is awesome and by 2020 they will hire at $15 and we are here to help one another, and bla bla bla.
Then you get your “New Team Member” badge and you put it on your new red shirt you bought bc you don’t own any already. And you throw on your khakis and you feel so special and excited to be a part of the Great Target Team ready to make all families lives better! They have promised you a brand new shiny car.
Then it hits you. There never was a new shiny car. And the smiling people don’t smile at you anymore. They barely acknowledge your existence. And the word “team” is a joke. And no one does their job correctly. Everyone is miserable. No one cares. There is no fun to be found anywhere. No one answers calls for help or calls from customers. They kinda sorta tell you what to do then disappear and you are just left to figure it out on your own. You just stand there feeling completely fooled and let down. All they have given you is an old rusty clunker.

Welcome to target! Lol

 

[Kartman]

LOL x 10

 

[Sweet Pea]

Thanks everyone!! The thing is I REALLY do care! And I like doing my job correctly. And I like helping other team members when they need help. I also enjoy making guests happy and I want them to feel welcome. This attitude has spilled over from my old job at Hallmark. The holidays were crazy there too but honestly it was my favorite time bc we stayed busy.
I have figured out I have to be the one to start conversations w my TMs. Say good morning when we pass each other and so on. I’ve actually got a few people to respond back! Lol.
I plan on staying if they ask me to. I hope they do bc they would be losing someone willing to accept a clunker and be just as proud of it as I would have the shiny new car. (I’ll just buy that new car spray. 😉 )

 

[NKG]

Being a new team member during Q4 sucks. I can see how its frustrating. I suggest seeking out a team member that knows your work center well and become buddies with them. They will be able to help you get through this holiday season. However, I think you need to look at it in other people's eyes. Your a new team member. I don't have time past your 2 weeks to train you. I'm gonna expect you to do your job within the realm of your training. If you want to know if Target carries something, use the Target app. If you set your phone to your store, it will even tell you the aisle. Google- this will help if you seriously can't find something or guest has a question on a product. Learn the Target lingo and help other team members out.

 

[seasonaldude]

Some advice from a fellow noob, but one who has been there longer than you: It takes time. Everything at Target does function better when we all work together as a team. The thing is that when you're new, you are not really a part of the team yet. No one knows if you'll be there next month, or even next week. Some people don't ever become part of the team. Others do. Those who do help other team members and do the work right become part of the team. We work together, each doing our part to make the store function. We have fun, but not too much. There's work to do afterall.

I'm hardlines. I normally work in toys so at this time of year there are 10,000 flow TMs in my section in the morning. At first, they were all like "who the hell is this guy?" Now, those who are part of the team respect me, work with me, and defer to me about how the section is to be done. There are a couple who don't talk to anyone, hardlines or inbounds TMs, that aren't part of the team. I hate when I see them in toys. I know they don't care and won't do things right. Those who are part of the team will do things right. They know my eccentricies: focus on your freight, don't touch my pulls vehicle (except for the one inbounds TM who I'll let because I know he likes lingering around toys to help guests and he does a great job of it) , ask before flexing something out, that shopping cart with a bunch of random stuff in it is mine don't touch it or add more to it because it's sorted how I want it sorted. At the same time they know that if they run a vehicle out before they are finished unloading the truck because they need room, I'll work it if I can. They know when the truck has been big that I'll run through with a cart, gather all their cardboard off their u-boats, and toss it in the baler so they can focus on pushing. They know they can hand guests off to me whenever they need/want to.

We're a team. We all do our parts. We have fun and joke around. It just takes time to integrate yourself into the team and for everyone to understand what your role is. It will get better if you stick around and find a way to become part of your store's team.

 

[Far from newbie]

A welcome to everyone that is new. It’s been a while but I remember being new; I maintained a positive attendance record, kept an upbeat attitude, asked a lot of questions, always tried my best and did what I could to make improvements. I have seen that a seasonal hire is the hardest time to start. We are really too busy to give you undivided attention, you have a lot of competition to stay past January, we may not remember your name because there ar too many new hires at once to learn them all and we get frustrated when many new tm don’t really try that hard to do well because they really only want to be here temporarily. If you want to be retained you must make yourself noticed. So few seasonal tm are asked to stay, you must give the leadership team a reason to keep you, something you did to make yourself stand out from the others. Do NOT : gossip, talk negatively, have poor attendance, take extended breaks, eat/drink on the salesfloor, get caught using your phone, wear earbuds, be disrespectful - to anyone, refuse to do a task, refuse to help a guest, steal. Good luck.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Welcome. I will you out when I can. I do follow up with your training to make certain that you understand your job. Help guests, push product, & make sales when opportunities happens.
No slacking, please.

 

[Sweet Pea]

If you want to know if Target carries something, use the Target app. If you set your phone to your store, it will even tell you the aisle.

Great advice!! I totally didn’t think of using my phone app. I just fumble my way around the my device.
Thanks!

 

[Bullseye01]

Remember this, the Holidays will be over by mid January, a lot of the seasonals that messed everything up will be gone, schedules back to normal, trucks back to normal, backroom back to normal.....YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

 

[MajorChomp]

For me Target was exactly what I thought it be, retail. I’ve worked retail long enough so I’m used to it. Every retail job I had did the same every where

Skeleton crew, want 1000 things done, big transitions for holidays (valentines, Mother’s Day, summer, Halloween and the dreadful Christmas resets), seasonal hire comes in for Q4, no training thrown into the fire, double trucks many days for holidays and Q4, not enough people to push the trucks, many don’t make it for next year, Transitions again for post Christmas, hours get severely in January. Rinse and repeat.


The only difference is how each company did a few things differently here and there but it’s all the same in the end to me. I’ve worked Best Buy, Toys R Us, JCPenney, Lowe’s,they all share the same exact problems


So for me I’m so used to it it really doesn’t phase me lol. I just go in, do my job, help the guests and have fun with my team while doing it. And when I clock out I clock out even mentally and don’t think about it until I go back in next day.

Retail isn’t for everyone and isn’t the ideal industry especially for work/life balance especially with holidays.

 

[qmosqueen]

Retail at if finest... Bait and switch is as old as time , it will always exist in some form.

 

[starfishncoffee]

Great advice!! I totally didn’t think of using my phone app. I just fumble my way around the my device.
Thanks!

The phone app is a lifesaver when there are no devices to be found, but also a great way to subtly educate guests about the app by showing them what it can do FOR THEM while they're in the store. "See? The app acts like a price scanner and will automatically add any Cartwheel offers. Wow! That sweater is part of a coupon offer we have this week." (Also sneakily driving sales. Driving sales is huge.)

And, welcome. I started as a seasonal and it is overwhelming and frustrating. You've gotten some good advice here. Hang in there!

 

[SnowWhiteOfAnA]

Great advice!! I totally didn’t think of using my phone app. I just fumble my way around the my device.
Thanks!

The my device should have the target app too, but be warned, it will say the store has items in stock when the item is definitely not in stock. It takes up to 24 hrs to update.

Ask someone to show you how to use the my device properly if you're struggling.