"I deserve more money because/than/for...."

[60SecondsRemaining]

This is going to be an unpopular take - but I see this posted like 30 times a week so if this post helps even one person, I'll consider it a success.

• Being older does not automatically make you better at a job.
• Doing a job for longer does not automatically make you better at a job.
• Your opinion of yourself and your work ethic compared to your peers is probably biased.
• Yes it is unfair that you work harder and accomplish more than John Doe and still get paid the same.
• Yes it is unfair more is expected of you than others.

There is no reality where things are simply handed to you for working harder. You can work as hard as you want for as long as you want and the only thing you're ever going to get is more work. It sucks, it's unfair, but that is how the world works.

If you want to elevate your situation, then separate the notion of "hard work" from "more pay/better benefits".

If you want more money, if you want more benefits, if you want a better situation - then the catalyst is you. Find something you think might be enjoyable and go learn. Go learn the fuck out of it.

Go get on youtube and watch videos
Take free Udemy classes
Take some college courses and get Target to foot the bill


Just go do the thing you want to do. Want to be a woodworker? Go buy some wood and make some shit. Want to be a computer programmer? Download visual studio, go sign up for github and start programming.

Then take all that shit you learned and go apply for jobs. Sell yourself and your skills. Plenty of jobs out there, and college degrees mean far less than they used to. "I am passionate about this thing, and I want to learn" is far more valuable than "I have a piece of paper". Getting more money, being more happy, eating more fish, whatever the fuck you want to better in your life no one is stopping you but you.

 

[ION the Prize]

Sorry, were you talking to me?

 

[qmosqueen]

i'm only here so my dog can have a better life. My job is to come home feed my dog, go for long walks and give lots of love to her.

 

[dannyy315]

I don't think anyone is saying that they are better workers just because they've worked longer. But when someone gets a raise based on their performance review and they raise the store's minimum a few weeks later, your pay shouldn't reset to that new minimum. They should take previous raises based on individual performance into account.

 

[60SecondsRemaining]

I don't think anyone is saying that they are better workers just because they've worked longer.

This is literally the exact thing communicated in dozens of posts that happen multiple times on a monthly basis.

The entire point of this post is that should/shouldn't do not matter. And they never will - if you want more you have to go and get it.

 

[60SecondsRemaining]

Sorry, were you talking to me?

No person in particular. General audience.

i'm only here so my dog can have a better life. My job is to come home feed my dog, go for long walks and give lots of love to her.

An admirable reason. And I think knowing what you do/don't want out of a job is something many people don't have so I applaud you for that.

 

[ION the Prize]

No person in particular ...

Oh.

I was hoping you were talking to me.

That's okay.

 

[happygoth]

I don't think anyone is saying that they are better workers just because they've worked longer. But when someone gets a raise based on their performance review and they raise the store's minimum a few weeks later, your pay shouldn't reset to that new minimum. They should take previous raises based on individual performance into account.

Wayyy back in the day at my old job, if they raised their starting pay or the minimum wage went up, they would adjust everyone's pay who had worked there five years or less. However, that eventually stopped, I think somewhere in the mid nineties. So it hasn't been a thing in retail for like a thousand years.

 

[dannyy315]

This is literally the exact thing communicated in dozens of posts that happen multiple times on a monthly basis.

The entire point of this post is that should/shouldn't do not matter. And they never will - if you want more you have to go and get it.

Ok, well putting that aside, I think we can all agree that if you get a higher raise on your performance review, your pay should be adjusted if they raise the store's minimum

 

[happygoth]

Older in years and longer in service does not mean better at the job, I agree. However, it also doesn't mean a given individual isn't better either. I work with examples of both.

People also can have an inflated sense of their own worth to the company, that is true as well. I know I'm the bee's knees and I have the glowing reviews, highest ratings and a merit bonus to prove it. However, I am under no illusion that Target as a company or my store in particular would collapse without me. They'd be just fine, and that's the reality.

 

[ION the Prize]

... they would adjust everyone's pay who had worked there five years or less ...

Do you mean five years or more?

If I'd worked there six, or twenty, years, my pay wouldn't have been adjusted?

 

[60SecondsRemaining]

Wayyy back in the day at my old job, if they raised their starting pay or the minimum wage went up, they would adjust everyone's pay who had worked there five years or less. However, that eventually stopped, I think somewhere in the mid nineties. So it hasn't been a thing in retail for like a thousand years.

The reason why this was stopped is that the standard method of performance appraisal raises has been shifted across the industry because it did not jive with the shareholder vision of increasing profits. Labor is the biggest overhead cost - it is also the most controllable.

Very long ago - your appraisal was written, and your score fell into a specific category. Your percentage raise was determined as an intersection of your rated performance and other factors such as market etc.

Now the standard method of performance appraisal raises has shifted. Budgets are determined at the corporate level, and that budget is passed down to the store leadership, who then break out this budget into chunks and distribute it across the teams. Your "score" is determined according to what is available in the budget, and your appraisal is written to match the score. If you are an exceptional employee, but the budget only supports average - guess what, you're getting an average review.

This is why you end up with a review that seems like it does nothing but praise and a score that doesn't seem to fit.

 

[DC Diva]

I can see your point, but what about the opposite? Reward people that do their jobs by continued employment. And those that are not performing, especially when it comes to black\white issues like attendance and punctuality, then release them. An argument can possibly be made as to why someone isn’t making prod, but you either are at work or you’re not, you are either at start up on time, or you’re not. I wouldn’t mind being paid the same as anyone else that has the same job knowledge and ability as me, regardless of how long either of us has been there. But Target needs to cut those that have reliability issues which create additional workload for everyone else on the team.

 

[60SecondsRemaining]

I can see your point, but what about the opposite? Reward people that do their jobs by continued employment. And those that are not performing, especially when it comes to black\white issues like attendance and punctuality, then release them. An argument can possibly be made as to why someone isn’t making prod, but you either are at work or you’re not, you are either at start up on time, or you’re not. I wouldn’t mind being paid the same as anyone else that has the same job knowledge and ability as me, regardless of how long either of us has been there. But Target needs to cut those that have reliability issues which create additional workload for everyone else on the team.

100% agree.

This is a problem in many organizations because it is difficult for inexperienced leaders to overcome the human element of firing someone for attendance and performance related issues. The disconnect between ground level and upper management means that the problem goes unaddressed until you start to shed talent because your performers don't feel valued. At that point the problem has reached critical mass and you probably won't recover it.

 

[Yetive]

Take some college courses and get Target to foot the bill

Seriously, do this.

 

[happygoth]

Do you mean five years or more?

If I'd worked there six, or twenty, years, my pay wouldn't have been adjusted?

No, five years or less, my guess is to make sure someone who was hired more recently wasn't making less than the new hires. If you were there more than five years, you would've or should've been making more than the new hiring rate.

 

[jackandcat]

Moral of this story: if you want to earn more money, seek a better job with a different company. Be sure to learn and apply salary negotiation skills. Sell yourself on your overall skills and abilities and interests, whether you are changing fields or looking at another job in retailing. Ironically, if you depart and work in another company for a few years and are interested in coming back to Target, you'll be in a strong position to negotiate higher wages than you ever would have achieved had you stayed at Target all those years.

 

[60SecondsRemaining]

Moral of this story: if you want to earn more money, seek a better job with a different company. Be sure to learn and apply salary negotiation skills. Sell yourself on your overall skills and abilities and interests, whether you are changing fields or looking at another job in retailing. Ironically, if you depart and work in another company for a few years and are interested in coming back to Target, you'll be in a strong position to negotiate higher wages than you ever would have achieved had you stayed at Target all those years.

Better yet, spin your skills into something desirable and get a job outside of retail.

Resume services are around 100 bucks and I promise the skills you have gained in retail ARE incredibly useful outside of retail.

Leading people = leadership/management experience for diverse teams

Setting pogs = merchandising expertise

Backroom life = inventory and logistics space management

It's all there, just get creative.

 

[JuicedSoftball1]

I've been in a bad mood a few times and was going to make a similar post lol.

Ultimately if you feel you are worth more than the next guy you need to try and move up or move out.

I know we as humans generally do not like change but if you want more $$$$ you typically gotta switch jobs.

"Doing a job for longer does not automatically make you better at a job."

I can't like that or agree with that comment enough. I've been with the company a long long time and I'd say in any given position I have held I basically figured out the majority or the tips and tricks of being the best me that I could be within a year or so. So this notion that my rate of pay should be a lot more than the next guy because of the number of years I've been there is a crazy one to me. Just because the company now pays $15-17 an hour and I only make couple bucks more per hour with 20 years of service doesnt mean I am not being adequately compensated. This notion that my service time makes me worth $25-30 an hour is just crazy. Shoooot as I've aged I've physically gotten slower so I'd argue I am worth less haha.

 

[dannyy315]

I've been in a bad mood a few times and was going to make a similar post lol.

Ultimately if you feel you are worth more than the next guy you need to try and move up or move out.

I know we as humans generally do not like change but if you want more $$$$ you typically gotta switch jobs.

"Doing a job for longer does not automatically make you better at a job."

I can't like that or agree with that comment enough. I've been with the company a long long time and I'd say in any given position I have held I basically figured out the majority or the tips and tricks of being the best me that I could be within a year or so. So this notion that my rate of pay should be a lot more than the next guy because of the number of years I've been there is a crazy one to me. Just because the company now pays $15-17 an hour and I only make couple bucks more per hour with 20 years of service doesnt mean I am not being adequately compensated. This notion that my service time makes me worth $25-30 an hour is just crazy. Shoooot as I've aged I've physically gotten slower so I'd argue I am worth less haha.

My point is that if I get my review later in April and I get a 50 cent raise or whatever, then a few weeks later they increase the store's minimum pay to $17, I want to be making $17.50. I think that's completely reasonable.

That's a lot different than saying "I deserve to be paid more because I've been here longer".

 

[SallyHoover]

I've been in a bad mood a few times and was going to make a similar post lol.

Ultimately if you feel you are worth more than the next guy you need to try and move up or move out.

I know we as humans generally do not like change but if you want more $$$$ you typically gotta switch jobs.

"Doing a job for longer does not automatically make you better at a job."

I can't like that or agree with that comment enough. I've been with the company a long long time and I'd say in any given position I have held I basically figured out the majority or the tips and tricks of being the best me that I could be within a year or so. So this notion that my rate of pay should be a lot more than the next guy because of the number of years I've been there is a crazy one to me. Just because the company now pays $15-17 an hour and I only make couple bucks more per hour with 20 years of service doesnt mean I am not being adequately compensated. This notion that my service time makes me worth $25-30 an hour is just crazy. Shoooot as I've aged I've physically gotten slower so I'd argue I am worth less haha.

I don't have a problem with the above, the problem is getting $0.00 or less than a dollar more than brand new stinking team members who I definitely do know more and do a better job then. Personally I think something minimal is deserved even if it is only $0.25 per year up to $2.00 for 8 or more years. So if wages go up a team member who has been with spot for 4 years will make $1 more than starting and someone with 8 or more will be making $2 more than starting. If the member isn't worth that, than performance them out.

 

[No I in Team]

Depends on how you measure value.

The reason you have a job is to help the company earn money. If you're meeting their bench marks and it is a merit based structure, congratulations you've earned the standard rate.

If you can demonstrate that your actions have led to increased revenues, then you'll deserve a better than standard rate.

The problem is a company like Target has no real individual published metrics to benchmark off of that are out there for easy reference. Too much subjective inputs for a quantitative measurement.

 

[No I in Team]

The originator of this post appears to have been turned down for not having the education credentials.

Hang in there.

 

[commiecorvus]

Seriously, if you train for a different department than the one you were hired for you should get a raise.
It doesn't have to be a big one but anytime you become more valuable to the company, and you do that by making it possible for them to schedule you wherever they need you, then they should pay you more.
Longevity does not mean a high level of skills but that is often the case.
If someone proves themselves highly competent, an increase in pay is obvious.

But most of all everyone deserves a living wage and not to worry about their hours cut so that they have to use vacation hours to pay their bills.
That is some kind of fucking bullshit.
It doesn't matter if you a sourdough or a rank cheechako, you deserve to be able to live on one job and not have to kill yourself to survive.

 

[happygoth]

Seriously, if you train for a different department than the one you were hired for you should get a raise.
It doesn't have to be a big one but anytime you become more valuable to the company, and you do that by making it possible for them to schedule you wherever they need you, then they should pay you more.
Longevity does not mean a high level of skills but that is often the case.
If someone proves themselves highly competent, an increase in pay is obvious.

But most of all everyone deserves a living wage and not to worry about their hours cut so that they have to use vacation hours to pay their bills.
That is some kind of fucking bullshit.
It doesn't matter if you a sourdough or a rank cheechako, you deserve to be able to live on one job and not have to kill yourself to survive.

TIL what the terms cheechako and sourdough mean lol