Archived New hires coming while my hours cut

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I depend on target for my living...it's my only job. I want 40 hours a week and can work anytime they
need me 24 hours a day 7 days a week.. After Christmas they cut me down to 28 hours a week. 2 weeks ago they got rid of most of the temporary
workers that they had hired for Christmas, so I thought that I would then get more hours. Wrong......they just hired 2 NEW people for my department
so my hours are still down but the new pepole are getting hours . Even worse, when we are scheduled till 11pm, if its a slow night they send most of us home at 9 or 930.
Why do they spend money training new people when the ones they already have want more hours? Most all the people in my store work 2 jobs because hardly anyone gets 40 hours any more....
Im thinking of getting another job also to make ends meet.
 
Part of it is to have options in case of call outs, our flow team is going to have to hire because we are having too many call outs and it's hurting every other process.. It's also partly to avoid paying benefits. 32 hours would entitle you to full-time benefits and unfortunately they try to avoid that as much as possible.
 
I DO get full time benefits....I get insurance, vacation, the whole 9 yards. But if my average hours get too
low I wont be eligible for the insurance any more!
Part of it is to have options in case of call outs, our flow team is going to have to hire because we are having too many call outs and it's hurting every other process.. It's also partly to avoid paying benefits. 32 hours would entitle you to full-time benefits and unfortunately they try to avoid that as much as possible.
 
I depend on target for my living...it's my only job. I want 40 hours a week and can work anytime they
need me 24 hours a day 7 days a week.. After Christmas they cut me down to 28 hours a week. 2 weeks ago they got rid of most of the temporary
workers that they had hired for Christmas, so I thought that I would then get more hours. Wrong......they just hired 2 NEW people for my department
so my hours are still down but the new pepole are getting hours . Even worse, when we are scheduled till 11pm, if its a slow night they send most of us home at 9 or 930.
Why do they spend money training new people when the ones they already have want more hours? Most all the people in my store work 2 jobs because hardly anyone gets 40 hours any more....
Im thinking of getting another job also to make ends meet.

Honestly, what is new? With the exception of the 90's and earlier, TMs have never been able to consistently get 40 hours. This will never change. Even if your store had not hired those two new people, you would still not be getting 40 hours.

For one thing, it's not fair to give one TM 40 hours and then deny it to everyone else. So how would you feel about this situation:

Sam walks in and complains to his ETL that he never gets 40 hours and he wants 40 hours.

His ETL says "Hey I like you. No problem. I see that ncc1701 has 30 hours this week, so I'll cut him down to 15 so you can have 40. And next week I'll do the same thing, and I'll keep doing it forever. In fact, I might even start cutting from a few other TMs just to make sure you always get 40 hours. I don't really care if ncc1701 only gets 5 hours as long as you get 40 Sam."

It wouldn't be so great then, would it?

The fact is, your ETLs can only give you hours by taking hours from someone else.... who probably also needs them.

Furthermore, Target doesn't want to give TMs that many hours because then they have to start paying out benefits to any TM getting lots of hours.... which costs them a lot more money.

The only way to get 40 hours consistently is to promote to TL. That is pretty much all there is to it.

The best option is to apply for a job outside of retail that is a full time position. That way you will always get 40 hours.
 
I DO get full time benefits....I get insurance, vacation, the whole 9 yards. But if my average hours get too
low I wont be eligible for the insurance any more!
Part of it is to have options in case of call outs, our flow team is going to have to hire because we are having too many call outs and it's hurting every other process.. It's also partly to avoid paying benefits. 32 hours would entitle you to full-time benefits and unfortunately they try to avoid that as much as possible.

Again, ncc1701, the world does not revolve around you. Consider yourself lucky. Many TMs like me do not have benefits. The company intentionally tries to cut hours below 32 to not pay benefits. The fact you were lucky enough to escape this fate does not change the fact the company tries to cut people below the hours needed for benefits. Many TMs at your store do not have benefits. The fact you have benefits means you are pulling in more hours than the majority of TMs, and it means you average 32+ hours a week. That is damn better than most TMs get.

You are not entitled to 40 hours a week. Obviously 4th quarter has just ended, and that means mass hour cuts across the board. You need to stop making it seem like this is something personal against you, or because 2 new TMs were just hired. The fact is, 4th quarter just ended. I promise you damn near ever TM in the company just had their hours cut, and 2 new TMs at your store wouldn't have changed that. You need to stop blaming other TMs who have nothing to do with it, and start blaming HQ for giving the stores such little payroll to begin with.
 
Many of us who have had between 32 to 40 hours a week for the past couple of years have found ourselves cut down to 20.
Sorry to say but it seems to be endemic across the company and worse than it normally is for this time of year.
 
Many of us who have had between 32 to 40 hours a week for the past couple of years have found ourselves cut down to 20.
Sorry to say but it seems to be endemic across the company and worse than it normally is for this time of year.

I don't know what you mean by "many".... The vast majority of TMs don't pull in those kind of hours consistently. But just because you have doesn't mean it will keep happening forever.

My advice to anyone who wants 40 hours? Promote to TL.
 
why not just keep the temps?

I could live on 35 hours a week but not 28. I still want to know, if they need a certain number of team members why did they lay off the Christmas workers and then immediately hire new people, why not just keep the Christmas workers (who were already trained)?
A lot of them were really good workers.


I depend on target for my living...it's my only job. I want 40 hours a week and can work anytime they
need me 24 hours a day 7 days a week.. After Christmas they cut me down to 28 hours a week. 2 weeks ago they got rid of most of the temporary
workers that they had hired for Christmas, so I thought that I would then get more hours. Wrong......they just hired 2 NEW people for my department
so my hours are still down but the new pepole are getting hours . Even worse, when we are scheduled till 11pm, if its a slow night they send most of us home at 9 or 930.
Why do they spend money training new people when the ones they already have want more hours? Most all the people in my store work 2 jobs because hardly anyone gets 40 hours any more....
Im thinking of getting another job also to make ends meet.

Honestly, what is new? With the exception of the 90's and earlier, TMs have never been able to consistently get 40 hours. This will never change. Even if your store had not hired those two new people, you would still not be getting 40 hours.

For one thing, it's not fair to give one TM 40 hours and then deny it to everyone else. So how would you feel about this situation:

Sam walks in and complains to his ETL that he never gets 40 hours and he wants 40 hours.

His ETL says "Hey I like you. No problem. I see that ncc1701 has 30 hours this week, so I'll cut him down to 15 so you can have 40. And next week I'll do the same thing, and I'll keep doing it forever. In fact, I might even start cutting from a few other TMs just to make sure you always get 40 hours. I don't really care if ncc1701 only gets 5 hours as long as you get 40 Sam."

It wouldn't be so great then, would it?

The fact is, your ETLs can only give you hours by taking hours from someone else.... who probably also needs them.

Furthermore, Target doesn't want to give TMs that many hours because then they have to start paying out benefits to any TM getting lots of hours.... which costs them a lot more money.

The only way to get 40 hours consistently is to promote to TL. That is pretty much all there is to it.

The best option is to apply for a job outside of retail that is a full time position. That way you will always get 40 hours.
 
"I could live on 35 hours a week but not 28. I still want to know, if they need a certain number of team members why did they lay off the Christmas workers and then immediately hire new people, why not just keep the Christmas workers (who were already trained)?
A lot of them were really good workers."

A lot of seasonal TMs are the worst of the worst. Most get let go for that reason alone.

The others? Some of them are students who only want to work the holiday and then don't want to work anymore. Some may have found another job. Lots of reasons they don't stick around.
 
Holiday hires are always used as an opportunity to scope for new talent (trans: someone desperate enough to stay if asked) so they can get rid of deadwood (underperformers who are one CA from being out the door).
If the majority of your holiday help was let go & your available pool is too low, they'll hire because you need a large enough pool of reliable TMs with a variety of availabilities to make sure that you can call someone in when needed & they'll come.
For new TMs to get the hang of their core roles (& to see if they can handle a full schedule), they'll start off with a lot of hours.
So your first focus is on working YOUR wants & needs around the needs of your store: cross-train/learn other areas, keep a set of red & khaki in your car, keep your cell phone ON & ANSWER when they call.
That's how you build up hours during the famine.
 
I depend on target for my living...it's my only job. I want 40 hours a week and can work anytime they
need me 24 hours a day 7 days a week.. After Christmas they cut me down to 28 hours a week. 2 weeks ago they got rid of most of the temporary
workers that they had hired for Christmas, so I thought that I would then get more hours. Wrong......they just hired 2 NEW people for my department
so my hours are still down but the new pepole are getting hours . Even worse, when we are scheduled till 11pm, if its a slow night they send most of us home at 9 or 930.
Why do they spend money training new people when the ones they already have want more hours? Most all the people in my store work 2 jobs because hardly anyone gets 40 hours any more....
Im thinking of getting another job also to make ends meet.

I think some of it may have to do with HR's numbers. HR gets hit for every TM that leaves and I am guessing the amount of the ding depends on the reason for why the TM is "no longer with the Company". Maybe Seasonal hires being let go hurts HR's Team scores and this is a way to improve them near the end of the FY.

Just a Guess.

One additional comment about hours - when I started with Spot as a Signing TM, I got crap hours at first. My STL told me that I should learn, cross train, and do anything I can to "make myself more valuable to the store and company." So I asked a lot of questions, volunteered for every swap shift I could, and made myself as visible as possible to HR and the ETLs who determine who to call for call out replacements. Soon, I was getting near full time hours every week because I was flexible enough to step into almost any TM role.

This put me on the radar for promotion and in under a year I made TL. I understand not every TM can have open availability or is able to work in certain work centers, but being motivated to step in when high command needs someone helps leverage your talent. I was a full time student while in signing and as a TL so my availability was limited but I had pulled some long days (and made sure my leaders knew it) to help out in a pinch.
 
Watch your average hours too. Tl's aren't getting 40 anymore, like 33 hours..


MY new TL is...40 hours, every single schedule. My old CTL would only schedule 36 hours or so. Its rediculous how low my hours are now. I am at 22 hours next week as a PA and in those 22 hours 8 of them are from C+S shifts. I dont mind though. This has made me finally look to get out and not be complacent hoping to get to TL someday. Funny thing is I am trained in Salesfloor, Market, Backroom, Electronics, and AD Team and can work any time and any shift.
 
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@ ncc1701:

Unfortunately this is very common company wide. Post-Christmas to March payroll SUCKS BIG TIME. Plus, this past Christmas time, a lot of stores didn't make the sales as predicted.

Everyone who mentioned it before is right, stores will try to cut hours from TMs who try/need full-time benefits. This is a very easy cost-effective measure as of late for Target.

Another thing is headcounts and turnover. Stores are mandated by Corporate to have a certain number of TMs on staff. By Corporate's idea, it doesn't matter if 10 Fulltime employees all working close to 40 hours can cover lanes for a week. Headcount requires that there be 20-25 TMs to cover the lanes.

In my opinion and number of others, this is how Target (probably underhandedly) tries to create turnover. Stores cut hours dramatically causing several TMs to look elsewhere for better hours and wages. Then the stores hire new people to replace those TMs. This leads to the question....Why would Target want to pay you $9.50 an hour when they can pay a new hire to do the same job at starting wage of like $7.25. That is why so many Target-lifers have been pushed out.
 
@ ncc1701:

Unfortunately this is very common company wide. Post-Christmas to March payroll SUCKS BIG TIME. Plus, this past Christmas time, a lot of stores didn't make the sales as predicted.

Everyone who mentioned it before is right, stores will try to cut hours from TMs who try/need full-time benefits. This is a very easy cost-effective measure as of late for Target.

Another thing is headcounts and turnover. Stores are mandated by Corporate to have a certain number of TMs on staff. By Corporate's idea, it doesn't matter if 10 Fulltime employees all working close to 40 hours can cover lanes for a week. Headcount requires that there be 20-25 TMs to cover the lanes.

In my opinion and number of others, this is how Target (probably underhandedly) tries to create turnover. Stores cut hours dramatically causing several TMs to look elsewhere for better hours and wages. Then the stores hire new people to replace those TMs. This leads to the question....Why would Target want to pay you $9.50 an hour when they can pay a new hire to do the same job at starting wage of like $7.25. That is why so many Target-lifers have been pushed out.

They can do that but they get what they pay for. I mean this is the same company that makes management out of people with no retail experience, no target experience, and maybe no other job experience total to run the stores, all the while having capable and competent TLs and TMs that are just as qualified if not more than the new management that comes and goes every couple months. I know when I leave I am putting "no opportunity for advancement" as the reason, as well as not enough hours. Ive been a Shift Leader at my previous job and have a 4 year degree yet I cant even get a TL position, its rediculous
 
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not to sound as pessimistic as this will come off but; everyone at the store level is disposable. as everyone mentioned earlier they hire those seasonal TMs because they can. keep the exceptional ones since, hey, they're trained. but otherwise the company figures theres no paperwork to fire avg-underperformers so let them go and start again in Jan because guess what - a new 90 day cycle without having to worry about benefits, and perhaps getting better quality TMs.

the best way to get more hours is to endear yourself to those who can call you in or put you on their schedules. if you do get called - always pick up. and when you pick up - always say yes. don't think about it, don't hesitate. just being a reliable "fill-in" is worth its weight in gold sometimes. when i was a hardlines TM i would get called RELENTLESSLY. why? because i worked hard, people liked me - and more important than all of that maybe was that HR knew i would pick up the phone if they called me. back then it never mattered what my hours were - in fact i was going to school so i really didn't want to work more then 3-4 days a week, but i almost without question usually had 40 or close to it.

like everybody else already mentioned; this time of year is always a squeeze for hours.
 
@ ncc1701:

Unfortunately this is very common company wide. Post-Christmas to March payroll SUCKS BIG TIME. Plus, this past Christmas time, a lot of stores didn't make the sales as predicted.

Everyone who mentioned it before is right, stores will try to cut hours from TMs who try/need full-time benefits. This is a very easy cost-effective measure as of late for Target.

Another thing is headcounts and turnover. Stores are mandated by Corporate to have a certain number of TMs on staff. By Corporate's idea, it doesn't matter if 10 Fulltime employees all working close to 40 hours can cover lanes for a week. Headcount requires that there be 20-25 TMs to cover the lanes.

In my opinion and number of others, this is how Target (probably underhandedly) tries to create turnover. Stores cut hours dramatically causing several TMs to look elsewhere for better hours and wages. Then the stores hire new people to replace those TMs. This leads to the question....Why would Target want to pay you $9.50 an hour when they can pay a new hire to do the same job at starting wage of like $7.25. That is why so many Target-lifers have been pushed out.

They can do that but they get what they pay for. I mean this is the same company that makes management out of people with no retail experience, no target experience, and maybe no other job experience total to run the stores, all the while having capable and competent TLs and TMs that are just as qualified if not more than the new management that comes and goes every couple months. I know when I leave I am putting "no opportunity for advancement" as the reason, as well as not enough hours. Ive been a Shift Leader at my previous job and have a 4 year degree yet I cant even get a TL position, its rediculous

This is retail.... No one at the stores is important. Even STLs are little ants in the eyes of HQ.

ETLs are not even really managers. What I mean by that is that they are really enforcers rather than managers.

It is no accident that Target hires ETLs straight out of college with no work experience.... That is exactly what they want. People who have no clue what it means to even have a job easily follow orders. ETLs simply carry out the commands of HQ that they receive on workbench, via e-mail, and from the DTL. In other words, they are more like enforcers than managers. The old saying "Even among slaves, someone has to be in charge" is applicable here.

But even those ETLs are easily replaceable in the eyes of HQ. Hell, HQ doesn't want ETLs to stick around too long..... especially once they start questioning the status quo/appear to be thinking on their own. In that case, they would much rather prefer another 21 year old drone in that persons place.

Now, on the other hand, try to get a salaried management job at HQ. You damn well better have gone to one of the best colleges, graduated with high honors, and have a boat load of impressive internships to back you up if you want the job. Why? Because they need the exact opposite kind of manager at HQ than they need at the stores. At HQ, they want managers who actually come up with ideas and control things on their own. At the stores, they want managers who went to low-end schools, weren't the brightest bulbs in the box, and are basically only capable of following the ideas of others. (I.e. the brains at HQ)
 
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@ ncc1701:

Unfortunately this is very common company wide. Post-Christmas to March payroll SUCKS BIG TIME. Plus, this past Christmas time, a lot of stores didn't make the sales as predicted.

Everyone who mentioned it before is right, stores will try to cut hours from TMs who try/need full-time benefits. This is a very easy cost-effective measure as of late for Target.

Another thing is headcounts and turnover. Stores are mandated by Corporate to have a certain number of TMs on staff. By Corporate's idea, it doesn't matter if 10 Fulltime employees all working close to 40 hours can cover lanes for a week. Headcount requires that there be 20-25 TMs to cover the lanes.

In my opinion and number of others, this is how Target (probably underhandedly) tries to create turnover. Stores cut hours dramatically causing several TMs to look elsewhere for better hours and wages. Then the stores hire new people to replace those TMs. This leads to the question....Why would Target want to pay you $9.50 an hour when they can pay a new hire to do the same job at starting wage of like $7.25. That is why so many Target-lifers have been pushed out.

They can do that but they get what they pay for. I mean this is the same company that makes management out of people with no retail experience, no target experience, and maybe no other job experience total to run the stores, all the while having capable and competent TLs and TMs that are just as qualified if not more than the new management that comes and goes every couple months. I know when I leave I am putting "no opportunity for advancement" as the reason, as well as not enough hours. Ive been a Shift Leader at my previous job and have a 4 year degree yet I cant even get a TL position, its rediculous

This is retail.... No one at the stores is important. Even STLs are little ants in the eyes of HQ.

ETLs are not even really managers. What I mean by that is that they are really enforcers rather than managers.

It is no accident that Target hires ETLs straight out of college with no work experience.... That is exactly what they want. People who have no clue what it means to even have a job easily follow orders. ETLs simply carry out the commands of HQ that they receive on workbench, via e-mail, and from the DTL. In other words, they are more like enforcers than managers. The old saying "Even among slaves, someone has to be in charge" is applicable here.

But even those ETLs are easily replaceable in the eyes of HQ. Hell, HQ doesn't want ETLs to stick around too long..... especially once they start questioning the status quo/appear to be thinking on their own. In that case, they would much rather prefer another 21 year old drone in that persons place.

Which I think will ultimately lead to targets eventual downfall. That along with trying to be walmart but failing miserably
 
@ ncc1701:

Unfortunately this is very common company wide. Post-Christmas to March payroll SUCKS BIG TIME. Plus, this past Christmas time, a lot of stores didn't make the sales as predicted.

Everyone who mentioned it before is right, stores will try to cut hours from TMs who try/need full-time benefits. This is a very easy cost-effective measure as of late for Target.

Another thing is headcounts and turnover. Stores are mandated by Corporate to have a certain number of TMs on staff. By Corporate's idea, it doesn't matter if 10 Fulltime employees all working close to 40 hours can cover lanes for a week. Headcount requires that there be 20-25 TMs to cover the lanes.

In my opinion and number of others, this is how Target (probably underhandedly) tries to create turnover. Stores cut hours dramatically causing several TMs to look elsewhere for better hours and wages. Then the stores hire new people to replace those TMs. This leads to the question....Why would Target want to pay you $9.50 an hour when they can pay a new hire to do the same job at starting wage of like $7.25. That is why so many Target-lifers have been pushed out.

They can do that but they get what they pay for. I mean this is the same company that makes management out of people with no retail experience, no target experience, and maybe no other job experience total to run the stores, all the while having capable and competent TLs and TMs that are just as qualified if not more than the new management that comes and goes every couple months. I know when I leave I am putting "no opportunity for advancement" as the reason, as well as not enough hours. Ive been a Shift Leader at my previous job and have a 4 year degree yet I cant even get a TL position, its rediculous

This is retail.... No one at the stores is important. Even STLs are little ants in the eyes of HQ.

ETLs are not even really managers. What I mean by that is that they are really enforcers rather than managers.

It is no accident that Target hires ETLs straight out of college with no work experience.... That is exactly what they want. People who have no clue what it means to even have a job easily follow orders. ETLs simply carry out the commands of HQ that they receive on workbench, via e-mail, and from the DTL. In other words, they are more like enforcers than managers. The old saying "Even among slaves, someone has to be in charge" is applicable here.

But even those ETLs are easily replaceable in the eyes of HQ. Hell, HQ doesn't want ETLs to stick around too long..... especially once they start questioning the status quo/appear to be thinking on their own. In that case, they would much rather prefer another 21 year old drone in that persons place.

Which I think will ultimately lead to targets eventual downfall. That along with trying to be walmart but failing miserably

Honestly, you have to admit things have been going pretty good for the company as far as pulling in tons of cash is concerned.

Yea, we can remember the good old days when the stores looked great, everyone wasn't running around crazy trying to get their work done, and there were plenty of TMs available at all times..... but honestly, that only sucks for us as TMs. The company is still managing to pull in cash.

I don't really think any of this will lead to Targets downfall. Obviously it hasn't hurt the company in any major financial way. Does it suck for us as TMs? Yes. Does it suck for HQ or profits? Not really.
 
@ ncc1701:

Unfortunately this is very common company wide. Post-Christmas to March payroll SUCKS BIG TIME. Plus, this past Christmas time, a lot of stores didn't make the sales as predicted.

Everyone who mentioned it before is right, stores will try to cut hours from TMs who try/need full-time benefits. This is a very easy cost-effective measure as of late for Target.

Another thing is headcounts and turnover. Stores are mandated by Corporate to have a certain number of TMs on staff. By Corporate's idea, it doesn't matter if 10 Fulltime employees all working close to 40 hours can cover lanes for a week. Headcount requires that there be 20-25 TMs to cover the lanes.

In my opinion and number of others, this is how Target (probably underhandedly) tries to create turnover. Stores cut hours dramatically causing several TMs to look elsewhere for better hours and wages. Then the stores hire new people to replace those TMs. This leads to the question....Why would Target want to pay you $9.50 an hour when they can pay a new hire to do the same job at starting wage of like $7.25. That is why so many Target-lifers have been pushed out.

They can do that but they get what they pay for. I mean this is the same company that makes management out of people with no retail experience, no target experience, and maybe no other job experience total to run the stores, all the while having capable and competent TLs and TMs that are just as qualified if not more than the new management that comes and goes every couple months. I know when I leave I am putting "no opportunity for advancement" as the reason, as well as not enough hours. Ive been a Shift Leader at my previous job and have a 4 year degree yet I cant even get a TL position, its rediculous

This is retail.... No one at the stores is important. Even STLs are little ants in the eyes of HQ.

ETLs are not even really managers. What I mean by that is that they are really enforcers rather than managers.

It is no accident that Target hires ETLs straight out of college with no work experience.... That is exactly what they want. People who have no clue what it means to even have a job easily follow orders. ETLs simply carry out the commands of HQ that they receive on workbench, via e-mail, and from the DTL. In other words, they are more like enforcers than managers. The old saying "Even among slaves, someone has to be in charge" is applicable here.

But even those ETLs are easily replaceable in the eyes of HQ. Hell, HQ doesn't want ETLs to stick around too long..... especially once they start questioning the status quo/appear to be thinking on their own. In that case, they would much rather prefer another 21 year old drone in that persons place.

Which I think will ultimately lead to targets eventual downfall. That along with trying to be walmart but failing miserably

Honestly, you have to admit things have been going pretty good for the company as far as pulling in tons of cash is concerned.

Yea, we can remember the good old days when the stores looked great, everyone wasn't running around crazy trying to get their work done, and there were plenty of TMs available at all times..... but honestly, that only sucks for us as TMs. The company is still managing to pull in cash.

I don't really think any of this will lead to Targets downfall. Obviously it hasn't hurt the company in any major financial way. Does it suck for us as TMs? Yes. Does it suck for HQ or profits? Not really.

They are allready moving towards being walmart though. What would make someone want to shop here instead of walmart if there is nobody to help them on the floor, long lines at the cash register and higher prices? Plus online shopping is becoming more and more popular and lets be honest targets online site is horrendous. There will come a point where they cant keep cutting and cutting from the stores and will have to make profit another way
 
They are allready moving towards being walmart though. What would make someone want to shop here instead of walmart if there is nobody to help them on the floor, long lines at the cash register and higher prices? Plus online shopping is becoming more and more popular and lets be honest targets online site is horrendous. There will come a point where they cant keep cutting and cutting from the stores and will have to make profit another way

You say that like it's a bad thing. "Being walmart".

That doesn't mean target will fail.... in fact, being like wal-mart will probably help the company.

Wal-mart is the 3rd largest company *in the world*. They have over 2 million employees. They pull in over $400 billion a year.

Ever been to a wal-mart recently? They have longer lines than Target, actually less TMs available to help people, and the ones that are available treat you like absolute garbage. Obviously, these things don't really matter.... otherwise wal-mart wouldn't be doing well.

The fact is, in this economy all people care about are neat "things" and low prices. They don't really give a damn about the sales staff. Yea, they might complain about no good service or long lines, but guess what? You still have what they want at a price they want. They will buy it, and they will be back for more.

As long as Target can pull off little gimmicks like "Neiman Marcus" in soft lines and other little marketing tricks (which, IMO, they have actually been getting even better at over the years....), as well as keep things priced well with sales/TPCs/price-cuts/clearance they will do just fine.
 
Basically what I mean to say is that you can't take peoples complaining too seriously. Look how many TMs bi** & moan about hours, benefits, etc. Look how many TMs swear up and down they are going to quit, but even after they keep getting treated worse every year, they are still there.

Guests are the same way. Ask your guest service TMs how many guests swear to god that they will "NEVER SHOP AT TARGET AGAIN!" when they complain at guest service. Then ask your guest service TM how many of those same guests they see shopping in the store a week later. The fact is, most people who say they are not going to shop some place ever again, quit their job, etc are completely full of it. There is almost never any real follow through.
 
You're right, at the moment Spot is killing it by getting to be more like Uncle Wally.
Treat the staff like crap, bring in most of your stuff from China, pretend to want to help but don't really, expand into other countries, sell that redcard, it's all making the bucks.
But the long run is another story.
Look at what happened to the big box book stores.
The two companies managed to crush just about all the competition and became the powerhouse businesses.
Nobody could stop them.
Then the paradigm changed.
Now Borders is gone and B&N is shutting down stores left and right.
Do I know what the change is going to be exactly?
No but I can certainly see some things that would keep the company from going down the tubes in the near future and not expanding beyond capacity is part of that.
Taking better care of your employees and fostering innovation is another.
 
You're right, at the moment Spot is killing it by getting to be more like Uncle Wally.
Treat the staff like crap, bring in most of your stuff from China, pretend to want to help but don't really, expand into other countries, sell that redcard, it's all making the bucks.
But the long run is another story.
Look at what happened to the big box book stores.
The two companies managed to crush just about all the competition and became the powerhouse businesses.
Nobody could stop them.
Then the paradigm changed.
Now Borders is gone and B&N is shutting down stores left and right.
Do I know what the change is going to be exactly?
No but I can certainly see some things that would keep the company from going down the tubes in the near future and not expanding beyond capacity is part of that.
Taking better care of your employees and fostering innovation is another.

The fact is, Target and Wal-mart are creating something called a monopoly. That is the "change" you aren't sure about.

Monopolies are freaking great if you are the companies that have them. And guess what? Once you are a monopoly - you can get away with all kinds of crazy sh** you never could have dreamed of before you got monopoly status. Want to hire 100 TMs and limit them to 5 hours a week forever? No problem. Where are they going to go? Sears? Oops, ran them out of business last year. Some new retailer called XYZ Retail? No problem, we'll run them out of business or buy them out a week after we set our sights on them.

What most people are not seeming to realize is that Target and Wal-mart are only *enhancing* their ability to get away with this kind of stuff, not weakening it. As times goes on, they can get away with it more and more. That's why that is exactly what they have been doing! Every year, more cuts, more new outrages. Who is stopping them? No one. They are only getting stronger as time goes on. Hell, in the last few years look at how many of their major competitors have gone out of business. It has only been getting easier for them to get away with this stuff.

Basically, Wal-Mart and Target will be unstoppable short of government action (don't count on it) to stop them from killing the last remaining competition. I can pretty much guarantee you that Best Buy, Sears, and probably all the Kmart companies (that includes Sears) will be out of business within the next 2-3 years.

We are soon going to have a situation like Coke and Pepsi. Only two choices, but neither option is getting weaker because of it. Once we are down to 2 choices, that becomes the new reality. You have two choices. Don't like it? Too bad. No one is going to do a damn thing about it.

Read about the history of the robber barons and companies like US Steel in the early 1900's. They were basically god-like and destroyed every single competitor in the entire country, and were only stopped due to government intervention. This time, the government has no interest in stopping it.
 
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