Archived Firing over not selling enough red cards?

[Frontlanegirl]

Sorry,

Wrong Redcards are a huge loyalty driver. A guest with a Redcard is gonna come back to target over a competitor! Having a Redcard also increases basket size by 30%.. Stop complaining and start educating! Any job is gonna require you to meet certain metrics... Whether retail or not!

Not buying this statement. I have many people who come through my line who have a red card and who choose not to use it. I've had guests tell me they have a red card and still haven't activated it. Yes, I do have regulars who know how to shop with their red card and cartwheel, but they are few. Having the merchandise in stock, at a great price, and great customer service will keep a guest coming back.

 

[snoboy8999]

Not work by the cashier, work by the leader. Way to jump on me for no reason.

 

[Flabbergasted]

I was mediocre at getting Red Cards and asked if I could be cross trained elsewhere. Since I was already doing SFS part of the time, they sent me to the back which I was fine with.

The truth is, everyone is mediocre at getting REDcards. There are a few cashiers who are able to "champion" REDcards and get numbers no one else can (invariably, there will be one or two of these at your store -- we called ours the REDcard Queen), but these cashiers are either naturally good at selling to people (most cashiers are *not* natural born salespeople), have a few tricks up their sleeve and/or are very good at making guests who don't sign up feel a little bad about it. Our REDcard queen was eventually fired because it was found out that she was being incredibly deceptive when it came to getting guests to sign up, sometimes outright lying about the benefits and telling people it was just a rewards card. She used typical salesman tricks to make REDcards look like the greatest things since sliced bread. Can't say Target does a whole lot to deter this since the damn cards matter so much to a cashier's job.

Look, I became GSA and my REDcard numbers as a cashier were not great. They aren't everything. The cashiers getting all the REDcards usually stay where they are, because why would any store want to risk losing those numbers by promoting them or moving them to other depts?

 

[SnorlaxTM]

Look, I became GSA and my REDcard numbers as a cashier were not great. They aren't everything. The cashiers getting all the REDcards usually stay where they are, because why would any store want to risk losing those numbers by promoting them or moving them to other depts?

Because I was pretty much bottom of the barrel low. My only redcards came from GS shifts aside from the rare checklane one and I didn't get a redcard until I was five months into cashiering. My then GSTL at the time told me had it not been for my attitude, customer sanctification and the fact I was willing to push carts in the snow I'd probably had been gone. And considering at the time I requested a change of workstation they were threatening low performers with termination or relocation to a different workstation, I took my chances with the back.

 

[recentlyretail]

Are you mentally incapable of understanding the concept of what "savings" means in the context of rewards cards from retailers?

1.) Companies use rewards cards to drive in sales. Advertising that customers "save" money generates PROFIT. Now, I want you to really think about this. How does you saving money = the company making more money than usual?

2.) If you have an annual budget of $1000 for groceries, that $1000 will go to either Target, or to some other competitor. You aren't saving money if you spend the same amount of money at Target with a 5% discount, than at Kroger, with no discount. It's still $1000. It's not a savings if Store A is more expensive, yet offers a discount on their higher price. In fact, because you have an incentive to spend, you're more likely to purchase more than you normally would. That's how companies profit off loyalty cards.

3.) Spending, is the opposite of savings.

4.) It's called a "loyalty card" because it means you're more likely to shop there, not because you'll save more money than you would anywhere else. With all your saved money, you're more likely to invest that money again into the same store. Hence, loyalty.

You don't have positive income or savings because of a small discount that is even less than sales tax. Your spending is most likely the same if not more, and like I said, unless you've actually done the research into your own spending trends, YOU don't even know for sure how your savings have paid off. All you have to go off of, is the tally on your receipt saying you saved $100....despite spending thousands. It's a drop in the bucket.

I'm not saying that Target's 5% isn't nice or valuable to some degree, and my skepticism doesn't mean I'm trying to say marketing is somehow insidious and evil. Both consumer and retailer benefit. However, I am saying that your outlook on the matter plays perfectly into the marketing behind it, and isn't totally logical. 5% doesn't save you money, you just leave with 5% more stuff in the long run. Your loyalty means your dollar may stretch a little further with Store A, but you're still going to spend the same amount of money, and you're likely to spend more because of the savings you think you've accrued. It's not likely you're getting positive income into your pockets, which means you aren't "saving" any money. Spending, is the literal opposite of saving. Below are some sources to back up my claims about the psychology at work here marketers use to drive sales.



Consumer behaviour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This. So much. I was just have this conversation with a coworker tonight. We and another coworker have decided we want to get shirts made advertising to NOT sign up. Lol.

And why I really came to comment --- I shopped at Target more before being an employee - for a variety of reasons -- however, I ONLY signed up for a red card because of my desire to use the employee discount. (I literally never have cash on me in excess of $20 and even that is rare.) ... That aside, the red cards 5% is silly. You really aren't saving anything. And to be honest our grocery prices are almost never better or even equal to what I can find at my local supermarket. So I will make the "extra" trip and stop at one of the three grocery stores I must pass each way when I go to and from work. I have made two purchases with my red card and employee discounting since starting & one of those transactions only happened because I had a gift card from 2014 to spend (and I'm tired of waiting for yoga shorts to return to our racks). My red card and employment has done little to increase my basket or drive my loyalty.

 

[sunshineyellow]

Ahh red cards... My least favorite part of my job.

I always hated pushy salespeople, and yet I find myself being forced to become one. I got hired as a cashier, but I get talked to more about my sales techniques than I do about my friendliness, customer service, or speed.

I'm so tired of my leaders telling me they need one red card out of me before my shift ends. What am I supposed to do? If someone doesn't want a red card, they don't want a red card. Yet my leaders seem to think I need to ask every guest at least twice, as if that'll somehow change their mind. All it does is make them (and me) uncomfortable. I find myself being less friendly and chatty because I'm so anxious about meeting my leaders' expectations.

I don't understand why Target seems to think the best way to sell red cards is through pushing their cashiers. People already get store cards pushed onto them by so many stores they visit, that they seem to just tune me out or interrupt me to say no when I start a red card spiel. Why not try switching it up and selling red cards a different way? They have 20 TV's playing random stuff at any given moment, why not make some commercials and play them there for some free advertising? Or put up some posters explaining the debit card? Maybe some little pamphlets we can drop in their bags?

Also, have the higher ups not realized the amount of people who want the debit card but don't carry checks? They could sell many more red cards if they would create a way for guests to use their bank's debit card to sign up for a red card.

 

[LUR99]

Ahh red cards... My least favorite part of my job.

I always hated pushy salespeople, and yet I find myself being forced to become one. I got hired as a cashier, but I get talked to more about my sales techniques than I do about my friendliness, customer service, or speed.

I'm so tired of my leaders telling me they need one red card out of me before my shift ends. What am I supposed to do? If someone doesn't want a red card, they don't want a red card. Yet my leaders seem to think I need to ask every guest at least twice, as if that'll somehow change their mind. All it does is make them (and me) uncomfortable. I find myself being less friendly and chatty because I'm so anxious about meeting my leaders' expectations.

I don't understand why Target seems to think the best way to sell red cards is through pushing their cashiers. People already get store cards pushed onto them by so many stores they visit, that they seem to just tune me out or interrupt me to say no when I start a red card spiel. Why not try switching it up and selling red cards a different way? They have 20 TV's playing random stuff at any given moment, why not make some commercials and play them there for some free advertising? Or put up some posters explaining the debit card? Maybe some little pamphlets we can drop in their bags?

Also, have the higher ups not realized the amount of people who want the debit card but don't carry checks? They could sell many more red cards if they would create a way for guests to use their bank's debit card to sign up for a red card.

We have little pamphlets we have to drop in their bags when we are not doing well getting red cards. When I was hired, I was asked in the interview if I was comfortable talking to guests about the red card. I said sure. I was not aware that I had to harass guests about it and get talked to if I haven't gotten one in a few days.
A lot of guests already have the red card, a lot of guests have credit cards that give them better rewards when they use it and they don't want a red card. Our red card queen haresses guests, tells them hey I see a check book in your purse etc. Our red card king is rude too. I have heard him say stuff like what? you don't want the red card?? I guess you don't want to save money, ok fine then.
I cringe every time I hear them talking like that to guests. One guest told me, she refuses to check out with them and rather waits longer until she can check out with another cashier.
When I am cashiering I am anxious the whole shift until I finally get a red card and I know, the pressure is off me now and the GSTL will move on to the next cashier who hasn't gotten one yet. I started looking for other jobs.

 

[redandkhaki]

This thread really leads me to believe their is a huge problem in the hiring process. When I interview a cashier i go into a lot of detail about their core roles and having to sell the redcard. Only the ETL-GE can do the second interview and he goes back over it again. When we started doing this our redcard numbers went way up. I will have to say when I was hired no one said a word to me about redcards and it was really hard for me to do it because i was so insecure about it. It's definitely not easy and I wish we didn't have to do it but we do.. so I keep working at it!

 

[Anelmi]

This thread really leads me to believe their is a huge problem in the hiring process. When I interview a cashier i go into a lot of detail about their core roles and having to sell the redcard

This. I was hired as a seasonal cashier. Not a single word was spoken about redcards during any part of the interview OR training process. My training consisted of me crash-learning Guest Services before I ever actually did a cashier shift. Redcards were background chatter but not a big deal...at least not for us seasonal people. But apparently, because I got 3 (!) redcards during the holiday season, I was considered good enough to become permanent.

 

[Firefox]

During my initial interview for Cashier, I was just asked "Are you comfortable selling things?" and I just figured she meant something like warranties and stuff. I had no idea.

 

[LUR99]

During my initial interview for Cashier, I was just asked "Are you comfortable selling things?" and I just figured she meant something like warranties and stuff. I had no idea.

Same here and I was hired on the spot, no second interview. I also did not receive any training like others who were hired after me because the trainer was sick. They stuck me on a register and that was it. Having worked retail for years, figuring out the register was very simple. Having the GSTL hovering around me and bugging me about red cards wasn't. The question every 30 minutes, hey LUR why haven't you gotten a red card yet? Hey LUR when are you getting me a red card. LUR so and so has gotten two red cards already, why aren't you getting one? When I was hired, I had another job offer with a different retailer (Not walmart). If they had told me at the interview, that it was my job to harass guests about red cards, I would have taken the other job. The cashiers don't have to sell any cards. They have a credit card but they don't ask about it unless the receipt prints out a prompt.

 

[BoxCutter]

I also did not receive any training like others who were hired after me because the trainer was sick. They stuck me on a register and that was it.

TTT: Typical Target Training. (It wasn't always this way.)

 

[monkeyman90]

Same here and I was hired on the spot, no second interview. I also did not receive any training like others who were hired after me because the trainer was sick. They stuck me on a register and that was it. Having worked retail for years, figuring out the register was very simple. Having the GSTL hovering around me and bugging me about red cards wasn't. The question every 30 minutes, hey LUR why haven't you gotten a red card yet? Hey LUR when are you getting me a red card. LUR so and so has gotten two red cards already, why aren't you getting one? When I was hired, I had another job offer with a different retailer (Not walmart). If they had told me at the interview, that it was my job to harass guests about red cards, I would have taken the other job. The cashiers don't have to sell any cards. They have a credit card but they don't ask about it unless the receipt prints out a prompt.

i tell everyone in the interview expectations on our redcard (or any shitty parts of their job). i know its not for everyone. but i've never had anyone tell me hey you know, i'm really not comfortable doing that. everyone lies and says what they think i want to hear.

 

[Reshop Ninja]

How did you manage to escape because they literally are trying to keep me on fucking lock up here

Have you tried talking to hr yet? That's what it took for me to get transfered to Softlines.

 

[lrou98]

I've been trying for a while to get switched to Hardlines. It's such an annoying cycle

Ask HR > Say to ask GSTL/ETL > Say to ask Salesfloor ETL > Says to ask GSTL/ETL > Says it's not up to them

and arrows fly all over the place as it makes a weird ass cycle. Honestly I might just be happy if they'll like...bend the rules and let me cashier in peace without red cards lmao

 

[lrou98]

So how does one make The Switch another department? I've been trying off and on for about 2 years. I've been going through the proper channels and I get the runaround like Kaitii explained. I like cashiering until the threats about red cards begin. I'm trained in softlines and hardlines and guest services. They don't keep me as a cashier because I'm good at selling red cards---I suck at it. I'm friendly and I like chatting with people about their day, life whatever. Red card chat is just not fun because its forced. I'm desperate to get away from cashier and I'm sad to say that but its become unbearable. I don't know how else to transfer? They have hiring signs up all year and I check their open posting site and I apply when I can. Nothing happens. I get told that this person needs to speak to this person yada yada yada. As far as I know, I'm liked amongst management and my peers. I have no corrective actions or haven't had any warnings ever. I'm sick to my stomach over this. I love everyone I work with and enjoy their company. We have fun. I don't want to do this but would leaving (do it properly) and reapplying kill any chance for rehire? I feel like this is an only option.

 

[TeamRed]

It is crazy how they push the Red cards. I used to work electronics and I actually beg to go back there and they say no can do ( no hrs yadda yadda yadda) you stay here. I mean yes we pushed them in electronics but it wasn't like a mean goal like it is up front..... In electronics it was like if you got a redcard awesome but upfront it's life or death basically. One guy gets 5-7 redcards a day but he's cheating the system ( as I found out) he's asking buddies over and over again neighbors and since he used to work at a gym and if they happen to know him ( yep more red card for him) I guess it helps if you know people.....Wish I knew people I'd be getting 5-7 red cards a day lol

 

[Sanzano]

I can say with confidence, RC crap is by far the least favorite part of my job. But any GSTL worth their salt can spin them into sounding like the greatest thing since sliced bread. At the end of the day, the pressure from ETLs and the STL can get so severe that you can't help but think, "It's either my job or theirs. " I never get upset with my cashiers or performance out someone who is genuinely trying, I coach the people who don't put in honest effort. This time of year especially, with hours like they are, there is zero room for deadweight. And unfortunately at target as a cashier if you aren't going to get RedCards, you're deadweight.

 

[Kaitii]

And unfortunately at target as a cashier if you aren't going to get RedCards, you're deadweight.

Yeah it's a darn diddly shame my 95+% speed scores, guest recognition for friendliness/bagging, and ability to zone the entirety of the front lanes within 30 minutes (give me another 10 for BP touch up) is considered dead weight

 

[ih8RedCards]

I've been at Target for just about a month now as a cashier. And I don't mind being sometimes one of only two cashiers during rush hour, I don't mind always constantly ringing up a customer for 2 hours+ straight until my break. And I don't even mind the amount of rudeness in total I receiver after an 8 hour cashier shift, and I don't even fu***** mind the thievery that some of habitual couponers try to pull off with their 50+ coupons that don't match the merchandise (Yes I check every coupon to make sure its right because I actually care that they don't steal from Target, god knows why since Target doesn't care about me) But what has got me to my braking point is the redcards. I hate redcards more than anything in my life currently, I hate how the GSA or GSTL is always on my ass about every 30 minutes about redcards. " Hey ih8redcards, so and so got two redcards what are you doing? I want you to ask every guest" I'm not going to ask guest buying some chips and soda if they want to sign up for a shitty creditcard to save 10 cents. I'm sad, I liked Target despite the excessive workload, but I'm about to quit solely because of the redcards. It is affecting my confidence and morality, I don't think I can continue. I'm going to put my two weeks in, and just because of the redcards. God bless redcards

 

[Zone]

The part that really gets me about Red Cards is the fact that Target doesn't seem to give a rat's ass about why it's difficult to sell them. I've been giving this some thought and have come to the following conclusion:

Someone's success today is everyone's failure tomorrow.

Why? Because you (almost) can't sell somebody a second Red Card. I've been picking up a lot of cashier shifts lately to help fill in the gaps from having awesome hours during Q4. In the two months since, I've noticed a particular trend. Lots of guests are already paying with a Red Card! Now, some people do have a Debit and a Credit version, but those instances are exceedingly rare.

Here's the thing. Target metrics us on the number of Red Cards obtained against the total number of transactions you had. There is no context behind that ratio. Target Corp People. I know you read this site. Please heed the following advice:

It's 2016. You should be able to track the following:
1. Did the guest pay with a Red Card? If yes, that transaction shouldn't count against us for not selling one.
2. Did the guest pay with a different credit/debit card? There has to be a way to track names and extrapolate whether or not the guest has one but is using a different payment. Hell, you give some guests 7+ coupons out of that damn Catalina thing. You know who they are! Other payments were prevalent in Q1 where some people explained they were paying off the charges they accrued for the holidays. Another convenient excuse I get is "My spouse has it" or "I left it at home after shopping online this morning".
3. Team Member Discount presented? Transaction shouldn't count. Target TMs all know how important Red Cards are. We're just trying to go on break. My store has an unwritten rule that we are allowed to not ask other TMs out of respect for their time.

Target, if you want more success at selling Red Cards, you need to look at the context behind the numbers. This brute force way of going about it is burning out your staff. Replacing us like cogs isn't going to solve the problem.

 

[Anelmi]

Thankfully my GSAs/GSTL/LOD's are fairly chill about redcards. I mean they still push them with contests and daily chats with the LOD when you are clocking out if you didn't get one but it's not like they hover on the lanes, waiting to pounce. However, I do find it interesting that whenever they are on the lanes or even at Guest Services, I *never* hear them ask about redcards. So what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander? Hmmm.....

 

[dani346]

The part that really gets me about Red Cards is the fact that Target doesn't seem to give a rat's ass about why it's difficult to sell them. I've been giving this some thought and have come to the following conclusion:

Someone's success today is everyone's failure tomorrow.

Why? Because you (almost) can't sell somebody a second Red Card. I've been picking up a lot of cashier shifts lately to help fill in the gaps from having awesome hours during Q4. In the two months since, I've noticed a particular trend. Lots of guests are already paying with a Red Card! Now, some people do have a Debit and a Credit version, but those instances are exceedingly rare.

Here's the thing. Target metrics us on the number of Red Cards obtained against the total number of transactions you had. There is no context behind that ratio. Target Corp People. I know you read this site. Please heed the following advice:

It's 2016. You should be able to track the following:
1. Did the guest pay with a Red Card? If yes, that transaction shouldn't count against us for not selling one.
2. Did the guest pay with a different credit/debit card? There has to be a way to track names and extrapolate whether or not the guest has one but is using a different payment. Hell, you give some guests 7+ coupons out of that damn Catalina thing. You know who they are! Other payments were prevalent in Q1 where some people explained they were paying off the charges they accrued for the holidays. Another convenient excuse I get is "My spouse has it" or "I left it at home after shopping online this morning".
3. Team Member Discount presented? Transaction shouldn't count. Target TMs all know how important Red Cards are. We're just trying to go on break. My store has an unwritten rule that we are allowed to not ask other TMs out of respect for their time.

Target, if you want more success at selling Red Cards, you need to look at the context behind the numbers. This brute force way of going about it is burning out your staff. Replacing us like cogs isn't going to solve the problem.

this.

i hate when people split up their transactions for this reason. and i don't like when parents are with their 5 kids and they all split up their transactions paying with gift cards and the parents still end up paying some for each kid. they could have easily put everything together and then paid with all gift cards then pay the remainder. it lowers my scores.

 

[Ashley Jude]

Our store is number one in the district for selling red cards. From what I hear they are trying to be a little bit more strict when it comes to asking people for red cards. Sometimes you have those days where you keep asking EVERYONE and no one wants to sign up or they already have one. I try to ask EVERY SINGLE PERSON that comes through my line. When I do, I feel so awful when they say no but I keep on pushing. I had one week where I got 9 red cards. One of our cashiers actually got 15 in one shift. I strive to be like her sometimes. There's just days where I'm lazy and don't want to ask, especially if I have a 4 hour shift. Our store basically is like this: If you at least try to get one red card, they will talk to you. Or have another TM talk to you about how to approach guests with facts about the red card.

Personally, I think that everyone should have a red card, even if it's a debit. It's an easy way to save the tax money when you are checking out.

 

[Firefox]

One of our cashier super-stars got 21 Redcards on Thanksgiving night. He contributed just a little bit under a third of our total Red Card count that night.