Archived Is Target any better than Wal-Mart?

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I've often question myself about this. I usually get on Wal-Mart because of their treatment of employees, business practices and effects on local economies. But is Target any better?

It's kind of funny, it my county.. There's about 4 new Wal-Marts opening or being upgraded to Supercenters, all within a stones throw of a Target.
 
"You know Walmart lies." What my etl-hr told a tm I work with after he turned in his 2 week notice to go to work at Walmart. I would've wanted to reply (but probably wouldn't) is, "And Target doesn't?".
 
Walmart isn't perfect by any means, but they have better pay&benefits compared to Target.

The stores are much cleaner/organized recently (they're trying to copy Spot), but its still not the most sightly place to work. Target still wins in the aesthetics.
 
Target has better aesthetics and design. That's about it.

Haven't worked for Walmart and never will but I suspect this is pretty accurate.
Sad to say eight or so, years ago there was a big difference.
 
Oh yeah, the Walmart in the Portland area payed on average 50 cents to a dollar more per hour, so they paid better compared to Target.
 
Target is better to shop at. I know my Target is better to work at, because I know a few people who work for Wal-Mart, and they complain constantly about the fact that Wal-Mart is running on a skeleton crew. Our Target isn't, but we're getting close with the hour cuts and the people quitting. I hear Wal-Mart benefits are better and Wal-Mart DCs are better to work at, though.
 
I've worked both....Wal-Mart pays better starting (I was offered $.65 an hour more for the same position when I was looking for a 2nd job).....but I feel a lot more comfortable at Target than I ever did at Wal-Mart.....
 
I could never imagine working at Walmart. My store regularly does things to boost moral... I think it varies on a store by store basis. MY STL is awesome. He is forever giving prizes away and if he is ever angry you never see it first hand. He is great at his job knows every team member and makes time to talk to them. My STL before him was a complete *enter bad female name here* she would trash talk the team at the huddles and basically say you suck at life go jump off a bridge. While some of it was justified that made people work even less for her..... In terms of Walmart though I think the guest or customers you would encounter day in and day out would make life so much crappier. I shop at Walmart more frequently now as the store I work at is further away from my home and because my store does not have all the food items I need but the people in there not the workers but the shoppers are so trashy.
 
I could never imagine working at Walmart. My store regularly does things to boost moral... I think it varies on a store by store basis. MY STL is awesome. He is forever giving prizes away and if he is ever angry you never see it first hand. He is great at his job knows every team member and makes time to talk to them. My STL before him was a complete *enter bad female name here* she would trash talk the team at the huddles and basically say you suck at life go jump off a bridge. While some of it was justified that made people work even less for her..... In terms of Walmart though I think the guest or customers you would encounter day in and day out would make life so much crappier. I shop at Walmart more frequently now as the store I work at is further away from my home and because my store does not have all the food items I need but the people in there not the workers but the shoppers are so trashy.

Lol I think we can all remember when we were this idealistic.
 
I think from a customer... err, guest's point of view, Target is better/classier. From my point of view as an employee, I'd guess Target is better to work at, but probably not by much considering the inconsistent hours and crap benefits.
 
There's good and bad to both. I guess the full-time benefits are good at Walmart, but I don't know since I've been part time since I started working there. The part-time benefits are OK though I don't get dental insurance and I don't get sick time and I don't get as much vacation time. They don't drastically cut hours like Target does but I used to pick up shifts at Target on a regular basis so I was getting 40 hours a week anyhow doing overnight flow. What SLNinja said about Walmart using skeleton crews is so true, especially on the weekends. They let so many people set their schedules so that they're not available on weekends. The new people they hire have to work weekends but they often don't last.
The starting pay was less but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I worked at Target in a different state. The raises are better at Walmart and everyone gets reviewed yearly in time to get their raise on their hire date.
The stocking process is better at Target because the store is closed and we were able to bowl. We get the trashy customers once in a while and they get discussed in the breakroom or outside after they're gone. Some of them aren't customers anyhow. They're shoplifters.
I definitely prefer shopping at Target and I save more money there with my Red Card because the Walmart discount doesn't include groceries. I think I would also prefer to go back to Target for working but I'd be starting over and would probably get less at Target where I am now because the state where I live now has a lower minimum wage. I also live so close to the Walmart where I work that I can go home for lunch and often do. I wouldn't be able to do that at Target unless I move.
 
I had a guest put it in perspective for me the other day. When we are short on salesfloor I do front end backup, The women I was ringing up said "I love target, even when you guys are busy you are all smiling. Have you noticed noone at walmart ever smiles or looks happy to be there?". It is true. When I go to check out at Walmart the cashiers never look happy and you can't find anyone to help you to save your life.
 
Target has better aesthetics and design. That's about it.

It's the customers who care about the difference.

Aesthetics and design don't pay the bills so it really doesn't matter to the poor overworked & under-appreciated employees which is less awful than the other.
 
I don't think that managers work on the weekends at Wal-Mart...that can cause problems.
With Target, while the managers do get weekends off, they also work weekends. I think that the rotating schedule that Target has is great.

We're doing a re-model at my store and a couple of weeks ago I had a guest complain about a couple of things (the complaints were realistic.)....and one of the things she said to me was "If I wanted to be treated rudely, I'd go to Wal-Mart."

I agree with aveeda (post 19) in that the workers there never seem to be happy....many seem like they don't want to be there and would rather be doing something else....ANYTHING else.

I think that the biggest difference is attitude.
 
The managers at the Walmart where I work most certainly do work weekends. I'm not sure if the store manager does, but there is always at least one assistant manager there, even overnight.
Then again, like Target, every store is different.
 
My walmart store had weekend managers too. including the support managers which are basically Target equivelant of TL.
 
Who came up with the walmart managers don't work weekends, it's retail of course they do, and like target they rotate with one another.
 
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