Officially fired today.

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Sep 5, 2025
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If you've seen my prior posts, then you know that my store has had its share of drama and conflict since Q4. Ever since, I think my SD has been serious about some of the big changes coming and it's basically started with performancing out some TM's here on flow and inbound. I wasn't one of them, but our one remaining guy who usually threw the trailer was one of them and he got replaced by a very socially awkward guy who usually worked evenings and mostly just collected carts and walked the sales floor to check spill stations. We'll just call him "Brad." Inbound got stuck with him after his availability changed and the front end couldn't accommodate these changes.

My introduction to Brad was two weeks ago when I got into receiving to start the unload and he was shoving anything and everything down the line. I'm the pacesetter and I usually load flats with diapers and storage. Brad had sent a whole bunch of diapers down to the end of the lane and I politely told him that diapers and storage had to stay at the front bay of the line so I could collect them for the flats. He didn't say anything, but he just stared at me with these big confused eyes. I asked him if he understood what I was saying, but he just kept staring. My TL even had to pull me aside and tell me that Brad had "mental idiosyncrasies" and that we just had to be patient with him. Now the good news is that I really only had to deal with Brad during the unloads. The bad news is that the hour-and-a-half to two hours of unloading is just enough of him as is. One big qualm is that he was always coming in a half hour earlier than the rest of the team to help the TL prepare the line and by the time I would get there, he'd already sent a bunch of my diapers and storage down the line, despite my several times of telling him to not do that. And then during the unload, he'd almost never put all boxes on the line with the labels facing up, so I'd often have to halt the momentum of the unload by stopping to flip the boxes right side up. And there was one time last week when the TL put me in charge of using the electric pallet jack to grab a water PIPO and I couldn't grab it because Brad was just standing in front of the PIPO, blocking my path. I asked him to move, but he just stood there and stared at me with those confused eyes of his. He was just standing there like the world's dumbest a deer in headlights and it reached a point where I honked the horn at him and my TL chewed me out for that. And since I'd been on corrective action since the Holidays, the TL would occasionally remind me of being on thin ice.

But it all came to a head today when I went to receiving and of course, Brad was sending all of my stuff down the line. And one of them was one of those massive Sterilite boxes that would require a team lift. I had to run over to the line and physically grab the box while yelling at Brad to let me get it. But he kept trying to shove it down the line and it turned to an ugly display of me and him damn near wrestling over the box while I screamed at the top of my lungs for him to stop. I was somehow able to get Brad to let up, but then he started pacing receiving while fidgeting with his hands and repeating "I have to do this, I have to do this" over and over again. And that was my first time ever hearing him talk. And during the unload, Brad was doing his usual of sending boxes down the line with their labels not visible. I was in a plenty bad mood at that point and I shouted at Brad "Labels up, you fucking idiot!" And it was chaos from then on. Brad, this grown man who I had heard was in his early 30's, started wailing and bawling at the top of his lungs. And the TL was also throwing with Brad and he seemed to think that I was yelling at him. So receiving was filled with the sounds of both Brad's bawling and the TL yelling at me to leave the store and never come back. I figured that I was on borrowed time as is, so I just left and went home. So that's six years at Target coming to an end just like that.
 
The behavior you described sounds strongly like a person on the spectrum.
They are very task-oriented & do well IF properly trained, otherwise they simply do what they think is right.
Many are sensory-sensitive & are easily overwhelmed by loud noises & fast movement.
I can't imagine starting someone with so little prep.
 
Above. Conservative is not always a political term, learn that. Caution, moderation and status quo. Also appearance. Politics doesn't have a fucking thing to do with it. To add, Target doesn't always hire the most professional looking people.
 
It's not your fault but those people have to be dealt with carefully. I think that's why your tl said he has mental idiosyncrasies.

There was a cart attendant whom I worked with who was autistic. One day he was talking about he must have a certain number of hours in order to have his ssdi checks, which he gets because of his disability. I then ask what disability is that and he said autism. A few days later his job coach came up to me and said don't call him autistic.

A few years later, I saw this same guy helping a guest. I was accidentally thinking out loud that he doesn't know anything about the sales floor. Unfortunately, for him, only the words he doesn't know anything came out. He was quite upset and went to the stockroom. After helping the guest, I went back to apologize to him, saying that I meant about the sales floor, and I know more about than he does since he's just a cart attendant.

There was also a time when the electronics gal, who did seem slow to me, asked me about if it's ok to remove the do not inventory labels should be removed since inventory has ended. I said to her that no one has told her that in disbelief. Then she got upset and thought I was calling her stupid. I said, no, I was upset at the lack of communication in the store. But for some reason, she didn't believe me.
 
Tinges of purple hair, nose rings, tats, lots of tats, an attitude vs. someone conservative with an education? You're screwed. Go elsewhere.

Above. Conservative is not always a political term, learn that. Caution, moderation and status quo. Also appearance. Politics doesn't have a fucking thing to do with it. To add, Target doesn't always hire the most professional looking people.
Then why did you feel the need to make it about appearance?
Also, 'conservative' HAS been politicized, learn that.
 
Tinges of purple hair, nose rings, tats, lots of tats, an attitude vs. someone conservative with an education? You're screwed. Go elsewhere.
Wrong as usual. When it comes to screwing people over Target doesn’t give two hoots about appearance or ideology. Spot seems perfectly happy to screw over anybody with a backbone, which explains why the company is its current state of decline.

OP, sorry you got fired, best of luck in your future endeavors. There is life after Target, hope yours is awesome!
 
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