Archived Missing the "Old" Target

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I've been with Target for a long time, and I find myself thinking more and more about the old way we used to do things. Target from 10 years ago seemed to care about the guests a lot more, and it was definitely more fun to come to work.

For instance-- in Hardlines we used to close with at least 5 people, and the zone every night was impeccable. When one team member finished in their area, they would go help another until everyone was done. Reshop was always finished. There was a great sense of pride in the way the store looked, and since salesfloor departments had Team Leads over them, there was accountability. The store was always a pleasure to shop in, because it was neat and clean and organized. 1 + 1 was always used when calling for backup, and guests were always treated as a priority--team members were required to be polite and helpful, and engage every guest on the salesfloor. Shirts were tucked in and nametags were required, and that was enforced. For the team members, we had "team building" activities--barbecues, Family Fun Day, different contests and games and incentives. We had Reindeer Run (was that a company-wide thing, or just our district?) to ensure all stores in the district were ready for the holidays, and then Bounceback.

All it seems about now is money. Cutting hours, maximizing profit and the bottom line. Guests can barely find a team member on the floor anymore, much less expect them to be fast, fun, and friendly. Team members are pressured to finish ridiculous amounts of work during their shifts, instead of focusing on the guests. The guests have to shop around tubs, carts, and trash cages. The stores look like crap because we can't do a proper zone with the amount of people scheduled. Dress Code? Ha. And team building activities are non-existent, unless you count some cookies in the break room on occasion. Nobody looks forward to 4th Quarter anymore, because it just means more work with the same shifts.

I know ASANTS, but I feel like every Target store eventually is going to be run with an uber-crosstrained skeleton crew, and that Target is no longer going to be known for it's great team members. Does anyone else feel this way?
 
I liked it when it was Reindeer Run; 'Readiness Run' just sounded stupid.
I remember a lot of what you mentioned & I can remember when I was proud to say I worked for Target.
Now, it's a sad joke.
Kinda like 'expect more, pay less'.
 
I've been with Target for a long time, and I find myself thinking more and more about the old way we used to do things. Target from 10 years ago seemed to care about the guests a lot more, and it was definitely more fun to come to work.

For instance-- in Hardlines we used to close with at least 5 people, and the zone every night was impeccable. When one team member finished in their area, they would go help another until everyone was done. Reshop was always finished. There was a great sense of pride in the way the store looked, and since salesfloor departments had Team Leads over them, there was accountability. The store was always a pleasure to shop in, because it was neat and clean and organized. 1 + 1 was always used when calling for backup, and guests were always treated as a priority--team members were required to be polite and helpful, and engage every guest on the salesfloor. Shirts were tucked in and nametags were required, and that was enforced. For the team members, we had "team building" activities--barbecues, Family Fun Day, different contests and games and incentives. We had Reindeer Run (was that a company-wide thing, or just our district?) to ensure all stores in the district were ready for the holidays, and then Bounceback.

All it seems about now is money. Cutting hours, maximizing profit and the bottom line. Guests can barely find a team member on the floor anymore, much less expect them to be fast, fun, and friendly. Team members are pressured to finish ridiculous amounts of work during their shifts, instead of focusing on the guests. The guests have to shop around tubs, carts, and trash cages. The stores look like crap because we can't do a proper zone with the amount of people scheduled. Dress Code? Ha. And team building activities are non-existent, unless you count some cookies in the break room on occasion. Nobody looks forward to 4th Quarter anymore, because it just means more work with the same shifts.

I know ASANTS, but I feel like every Target store eventually is going to be run with an uber-crosstrained skeleton crew, and that Target is no longer going to be known for it's great team members. Does anyone else feel this way?


I haven't been with Target for as long as you have as a team member, but I have been a loyal Target shopper for decades. This is definitely not the Target of old.

I have been in retail in general my entire adult life and Target is the first place I've worked at where you leave the store not having finished closing it properly. You just did not do that. The store had to look perfect for the next day and all product must be put back on the salesfloor in its home.

I don't get Target anymore. Even moreso now that I work there.
 
One thing I thought I would never miss: Chat Sessions. Back when they at least faked caring about us. Now they don't even bother faking it. ETLs, make that TLs and up just straight up don't care and cannot even be bothered to fake it any more

-- Edit --
so spell check, it might spell the word right but that does not mean it is the word that "should" be there :)
 
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Like the OP I miss the old Target. I remember a time when I went to work and at the end of the clocked out and was tired as hell. However my etl ALWAYS thanked me for my hard work. Now, I clock out I am tired as hell and nobody says thank you or anything. I am not the kind of person that wants and or needs to be constantly thanked but once in a while does wonders for your morale and the store as a whole. Saying thank you...doesn't cost anything...doesn't affect the bottom line or payroll it simply shows that you appreciate someone going above and beyond . I miss the good ole days However, I also know they are sadly gone forever and will never be back.
 
Every day is reshop in the morning after huddle. No matter if you have a 10 hour pog or not. And it's ridiculous. They are not saving hours. I just throw shit wherever because everything is in the wrong place anyway. The zone is sooooo bad. When we did the dog toys pog, it looked like people just dumped reshop in there.
 
I haven't been with Target long enough to know the "old Target." So at least from a new perspective, I actually like a lot of things Target does, however a lot of things Target does are inconsistent and half assed.

For example, let's look at online orders. How well do you think online orders have been going? Why do I have to manually check an app to see if any orders came in? Why is there no notification system if they're apparently so urgent? And why is there no back up system for when the MyGo app is down? I have to ask the guest to cancel their order so I can charge them in store? Yeah that's really shitty and totally makes us look like a bunch of idiots.

I can't complain much on scheduling woes and moral issues, because I think they're pretty much the same amongst most minimum wage/retail work. Luckily in my store, my scheduling issues have never been an issue, and I feel totally appreciated. But that sort of goes to my issue of consistency. How good a Target is seems to have a lot to do with what kind of people happen to be working there. I like the freedom that comes with having a lot of gray areas, but the downside is some people really get screwed that way.
 
I was with you until you brought up the dress code. I don't mind denim week and allowing us some individuality.
I think the OP was talking more about the plain sloppiness in dress code that is allowed. We have one TM who could give Pigpen from Peanuts a run for his money. Also, some of the "red" shirts worn by TMs, TLs, and ETLs now would not have been allowed back then. In addition, we would be able to wear our favorite team shirt one day during the playoff seasons. We would also have silly hat day where we could wear funny hats. All of these things helped build morale and didn't cost the company a thing. Then someone at corporate thought those things weren't "brand" and they were stopped. We also would occasionally have a jean day where we could wear any brand of neat jeans. I don't wear them now during Jeans Weeks because I don't like the fit of Target brand jeans.
 
From a certain standpoint, it's much easier to work at the new Target. Less accountability for sure. I think I could literally half my work now and no one would notice. Softies revisions are far easier than 10 years ago. Now, my direction is to tie them in. If nothing batches, just move on, because that means it's probably flexed out somewhere already. Easy peasy.
 
Nothing was better than the way the store looked in 4 quarter, a perfect zone, risers tall and full through the store, a big beautifuly decorated Christmas area. Lots of staff. Food and events all the time. A sales floor full and impact. If you were a sales floor team lead you were expected to know if your end caps were making money and if not replace them with something that would sell. Actual training that would last for days. STLs that had lots of experience as ETLs, ETLs that had been around a long time and knew everything, DTLs who taught you things on store visits instead of just following a check list. Food avenue that cooked food from breakfast to cheese steaks. Specialists who knew and had pride in their areas. Full time time workers who stayed with company for decades. Actual leadership. Going that extra mile to help a guest.
 
I haven't been with Target for very long, but I was an occasional shopper before working for Spot, so I can relate to the OP. I can't stand how much of a mess my store is, and I wish there were more ways to get to know my fellow TMs. We do food days, but they're not really social. Sometimes it seems like we're a team in name only.
I know ASANTS, but I feel like every Target store eventually is going to be run with an uber-crosstrained skeleton crew, and that Target is no longer going to be known for it's great team members.
lol, uber-crosstrained. That's funny. I wish I were ubercrosstrained so I could pick up more shifts. My store won't let me try any other work centers.
One thing I thought I would never miss: Chat Sessions. Back when they at least faked caring about us. Now they don't even bother faking it. ETLs, make that TLs and up just straight up don't care and cannot even be bothered to fake it any more
Yeah, it does feel that way. I barely feel any connection with my own ETL. She's in her office most of the time. I wasn't thanked by management for doing good work until a new GSA came in a few weeks ago, and I was completely shocked. It really made me feel like I mattered to the store.

However, it's not all bad. My ETL-HR recently started giving out career growth forms to see if he can help us with any goals we have. And my ETL-HL is super cool and is always willing to help. One of our interns also asked me if there's anything I'd like to see done differently at the store. It's a really good feeling knowing that they care.
 
I'll be with target 2 years in Oct. It hasn't been very long but things have changed so much. I remember having at least 1 TM in each department to zone at night. Now we're lucky to have 3 and we wave zone the messiest aisles.
 
I remember the old Food Ave from the 90's man. It was much bigger. Used to look almost like a little restaurant and the popcorn didn't taste like it had been sitting out for there days. Now it's just a pizza hut express that has popcorn and hotdogs.
 
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I miss just the fun events in general. Now everything is tied to a metric. Make RedCards for the month and you get "chip and dip" day or make your compliance goal and get "cereal day". Not much of a morale booster if you ask me. Sometimes our store does cookouts but they are few and far between. The only time we splurge for food is Thanksgiving weekend and inventory night. In all honesty a lot of the time we schedule fun events and then no one follows up on them (even if we DO make the goal).

I've worked for Spot for 16 years now and I remember what made it fun. Now it's totally not that (I try to make it fun for my team, however). I miss the days of RedCard prizes that actually made you want to champion them, store-wide softball games, actually getting to dress up for Halloween, jeans day Friday, and just an overall fun atmosphere.
 
It's a never-ending downward spiral.
1. Sales are down so the quick & dirty fix is to cut payroll.
2. No payroll means not having people to stock, do tasks, help guests, etc.
3. The store has empty shelves, looks sloppy & guests can't find anyone to help them or ring them out so they leave.
4. Declining number of guests means drop in sales.
Repeat steps 1-4 ad nauseum until business fails completely.
Evidently the old axiom "you gotta spend money to make money" no longer applies.
 
I miss the Target I used to work at, nothing fast, fun or friendly anymore. Nobody held accountable for anything, they showed up! Everyone used vacation hours so the STL could get recognition for saving hours! Just backstock everything or flex it like nobody is watching! Store is a mess but hey, the DTL says it looks great!
 
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