Archived Promoted to..well, you know...

[Promoted2guest]

I applied to Target one summer because my semester-long substitute teacher assignment was coming to an end, and I needed a way to get by for the summer. A new store was opening in my area, and I thought I'd try my luck. I got hired for a front end position and before long, I found my stride and began making friends to boot. Before long, I became a trainer in my area and it started to look like this would be more than just a summer job. A year or so later, I started applying for supervisory positions, since I had acquired a lot of knowledge and I was ready to share it and take it to the next level. It ended up taking several tries, but I finally got the position I had worked so long to get. I was training new team members and earning respect and a reputation for developing, nurturing, and supporting them, more so than others before me. I also earned kudos from ETLs for bringing results to the front end. I also had built a reputation as one of the most reliable team members in the store, happily filling in for folks who called out, and often even calling in on my days off and offering to come in if needed. Then, on a night when we were short-handed and running badly behind schedule on closing procedures, I accidentally made an error in those closing procedures and was put on a final action. Just a few weeks ago, I made another error in my closing procedures, and despite explaining myself and the situation, I was termed after five years at my store.
What's next? Currently, my former co-workers are reeling and feeling really upset about my termination. Some are planning to leave soon because it's clear that our store leadership has its priorities out of whack. I'm looking at my possibilities right now, and have been applying for supervisory and management positions with other companies. Returning to teaching is not out of the question. Au Revoir, Target, and good luck to all those that I've trained and developed over the past five years. May you find your own way out in due time, on your own terms.​

 

[commiecorvus]

Sorry to hear about your 'promotion' .
We all make mistakes but it sure seems like they were looking for reasons.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Sorry to hear about your status. Good luck.

 

[doxie71]

Sorry to hear about that. Good luck in finding something else.

 

[Mhugh220]

That tends to be the Spot way. There are a few things that TMs at all levels can do to get an immediate FW, followed by a termination after the second infraction within a year. Leaving a perimeter door unlocked, messing up stuff in the cash office, key handling, arm/disarm alarm, are some of the things TMs can do, mostly ETL/LOD stuff. But to support what c0mmiecorvus said, usually these infractions are enforced if they want to terminate you or don't care if you are terminated. I've seen other ETLs miss locking an exterior door. Most get a slap on the wrist, however if you are a poor performer, or don't fit in, you'll get the FW. It can be the fastest, sometimes only way to expedite the termination process.

Good luck with finding another position. If you were at least a TL that background should help if you're continuing your search in retail. But it looks like you may also have a degree so that should be even more helpful during the job search.

If you love Target, don't count them out for future employment. The ETL/STL team transitions often. Just because you were termed doesn't mean you can't be rehired. When I was training for ETL-Log, the ETL-Replen. was fired from the same store a few years earlier. He worked 4 years as a TM, fired for a "fight", rehired 2 years later and worked his way to ETL-Replen. Now he is the top ETL-Log in the district. This is an isolated example from one of the best Target stores in the company. I've seen tons of ETL/STL teams within the DMV area and this team is by far the best, keeping the team together long-term and promoting from within their own store.

 

[Barcode]

Details about term? I'm guessing you were a GSA and it involved an error leaving money out, or key violation. They take those things quite serious when it comes to safe&secure. I got a counseling for leaving money out in the CO, and had to be extra careful after that.

 

[Promoted2guest]

Barcode, you're right on the money. Mhugh, though I'm determined to "show them" and find a comparable or "better" position with another company, I'm not ruling out reapplying in the future. I found out that I'm eligible to reapply after 90 days, which is only about 9 weeks away at the moment. If it comes to that, I will have to decide if I would rather apply to the same store, where I would have a lot of people who would support my rehire, or another store, where I wouldn't be as well-known. Either way, I'm determined to not let my "promotion" hold me back or keep me down.

 

[Retail Girl]

Ugh...those little mistakes are killer. Last summer, I closed GSA, and then followed myself the next morning. I discovered the next morning that I had left the leftover change fund bag with the bills in it laying on the counter at the register where we store our change. It had been sitting there since an hour before close the night before until I put in the change fund the next morning and discovered my stupidity. The other GSA who was there that morning told me I needed to tell the LOD so if there was any money missing, they would know what happened.

The LOD was NOT happy, to say the least. But all he said to me was, "you cannot let that happen again." And I never heard another word about it from anyone.

I suspect that they were in a position where they couldn't do much...they could have put me on a FW for that, I realize, but when the closing LOD and I put the bags in the safe the night before, she (as well as I) failed to catch it on the double check that it wasn't there. So she was technically just as culpable, since she signed off on all the bags being there. And since she was in the pipeline/final development for STL, that would have risked her promotion as well.

I got darn lucky.

 

[mrknownothing]

OP, I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors.

 

[Barcode]

These situations suck, but they usually do give you a chance to not let it happen again. On top of my CO mistake that I got a counseling for, I did leave a bag below the counter at Food Ave one night, had to run out and get it when me and the LOD were counting bags. Luckily he didn't seem to care much lol, he just asked where it was, and I said it was out of sight under the counter and he just shrugged and seemed to think it wasn't a huge deal lol.

 

[Cel]

These stories are why I'm super paranoid when closing and in the CO. They may occasionally get a little annoyed that I don't blaze out of the CO in 80 minutes but I'd rather a little tongue-clucking for taking an extra 30 mins or whatever than deal with the potential consequences of making a serious mistake. It's not that I'm not prone to making them, I'm just constantly double-checking myself on that kind of stuff to the level of paranoia. Making sure register drawers are closed, bags are always locked into the proper drawer/safe/the drop slot on the beast, etc.

Hell one LOD (an ETL) thought it was hilarious that I would always watch her to make sure the safe was closed and the CO armed on closing nights..until the night she forgot to close the safe and was walking out of the CO for the night.

 

[Promoted2guest]

Guys, I'm happy to report that I start a new job as a supervisor for another retail company in a few days .

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Guys, I'm happy to report that I start a new job as a supervisor for another retail company in a few days .

Great! Thanks for the update.

 

[commiecorvus]

Congratulations.