Archived Target RedCard opinions?

[squirrely]

I was a Target shopper before I worked there, and never had a REDcard. Truth be told, I wouldn't have it now if I didn't need it to get my discount. I do think the debit is great now that I have it, but I just know I never would have signed up for it otherwise. I have the credit card that I've never even activated, just so we could make goal one week.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

My opinion is that the whole "RedCards drive guest loyalty" is complete and utter bullshit. Long lines, no team members on the sales floor, and getting haggled to sign up for a RedCard when you finally check out is going to kill guest loyalty. Stupid executives can't understand that.

I think they need to visit a store to see what really goes on. Whenever there is an announced visit everyone is on their best behavior and store looks good. I would also recommend a visit during lunch to the dinner hour.

 

[mrknownothing]

To be quite honest and based on my personal experience, I think you'd have to be mediocre at selling red cards to be cross-trained out of cashier. If you don't get enough redcards, they'll tell you that you need to become better at that before they'll consider training you elsewhere. On the other hand, if you become a beast at selling redcards, they'll want to keep you as cashier (because a store is only as good as the number of redcards it gets). The ETL who hired me made it seem like getting cross trained was a breeze. Nah. It took six months just to get trained at the service desk. Would've been longer if they hadn't been short on people and I hadn't been persistant in asking.

I was terrible at getting REDcards as a cashier and was told repeatedly that just to be cross-trained at the *service desk* I would need to improve my numbers. Not long after I was a regular closer @ the SD and, when it was convenient for them, promoted to GSA. They never took my REDcards as a cashier or service desk TM into account.

My conversion rate was abysmal, but I still managed to defect to the sales floor. I heard talk that our overall numbers went up once I wasn't there to drag them down anymore.

My store expected SD to get sign ups figuring that at the SD you had more time with the guest. Meaning more time to seal the deal.

At my store, most service desk conversions seem to happen as a result of the guest going up to the service desk wanting to know how to apply for the Red Card (not realizing they could do it at the lanes while checking out), not because they were talked into it by the service desk TM.

 

[squirrely]

My store has a SDTM who is one of our top REDcard sellers. They ask everyone and get at least 2 per shift. SD gives you more time/focus to explain the benefits I think.

 

[aj76257]

Aren't there only three main benefits to explain though? 5% off, free shipping, and 30 extra days for returns? I heard that the education funding program was discontinued earlier this year, which sucks because I feel like it was a good way to get people to sign up if they took the time to listen or do their own research. Other than that, I've noticed that redcard credit card users don't have to sign on $50+ purchases, but I'm not sure if anybody really cares about that.

 

[TeamRed]

No one really wants them right now either they have them or they think the 5 percent is just plain silly. I explain everything I've literally have had convos with guests saying oh you are going have to give me more than 5 percent to sign me up!! Now the red card king he will will text his friends on his lunch hour ( sometimes even when people aren't looking) and they'll magically come through his line and magically sign up for a red card. Red card queen she will pester other cashiers ( who she is buddy buddy with) and in return they'll sign up for her. So basically if we didn't have red card King texting his buddies or red card queen or occasionally getting the red card here and there we would be doomed.. We need it to be more than 5 percent.

 

[aj76257]

Getting friends to sign up can only last for so long though. If the point of the card is to encourage people to spend, it makes no sense that we're basically encouraged to get people to sign up who are never going to use it.

 

[TeamRed]

I know... I know it helps the red card goals and they high five him all over the place ( he even wears a crown they really encourage it) but like you said friends can only last for so long.

 

[Dave1988]

No one really wants them right now either they have them or they think the 5 percent is just plain silly. I explain everything I've literally have had convos with guests saying oh you are going have to give me more than 5 percent to sign me up!! Now the red card king he will will text his friends on his lunch hour ( sometimes even when people aren't looking) and they'll magically come through his line and magically sign up for a red card. Red card queen she will pester other cashiers ( who she is buddy buddy with) and in return they'll sign up for her. So basically if we didn't have red card King texting his buddies or red card queen or occasionally getting the red card here and there we would be doomed.. We need it to be more than 5 percent.

I live in MA and I wish the tax rate was still 5% or that redcards were for 6.25%. I would totally ask " would you like to not pay taxes on this purchase today?" Imagine the response.

 

[aj76257]

I know... I know it helps the red card goals and they high five him all over the place ( he even wears a crown they really encourage it) but like you said friends can only last for so long.

And those are just the good friends. My friends won't even listen to my pleas.

I live in MA and I wish the tax rate was still 5% or that redcards were for 6.25%. I would totally ask " would you like to not pay taxes on this purchase today?" Imagine the response.

lol, that'd be great. Tax in my county is 8% on most items though. Plus, people might misinterpret that pitch. They're still paying tax anyway, just a bit less since the subtotal is reduced.

 

[thepokeguy]

I don't bother anymore to ask for RedCards unless an ETL or GSTL is nearby lol.

All the ones I've got were guests who actually wanted to sign up for one.

 

[BigEyedPhish]

I think it's absolute bubkis that the RedCard is going to define if I get promoted out of Cashier or not. I've only gotten one and that was because they straight up were there just to sign up for a RedCard.

I've come to the conclusion that everybody either already has a RedCard, or absolutely does not want a RedCard. I was thinking maybe if the RedCard had a 25% sign on bonus off the transaction you got signed up on a LOT of people wouldn't hesitate. Or if RedCard stocked all Cart Wheel deals and you automatically got those deals if you had items that were on Cartwheel, although that would take the fun out of Cartwheeling itself.

Idk I just hate how RedCards are going to hold me hostage in my Cashier position when I was first hired to do Cart Attending but I was told "redcards really help in securing getting any transfers you want or need." and it's hard because people have no motivation to sign up for a RedCard on the spot or at all.

What is your opinion?

I'd ask to cross train "For your development, as you would like to learn more about the store".

Not only does this make you look ambitious and put you in a positive light, but also would take the RedCard bullshit off your back (a little anyways),

 

[BrohemianRapcity]

There have actually been a lot of cashiers at my store that quit within their 90 days because they just can't stand the pressure of having to get redcards.

I remember one time I was on a lane next to one of our new cashiers and when we had down time she asked me if I asked for redcards because she was a bit stressed and wanted to know if she was the only one not getting them. I said I suck at getting redcards (which is the truth) and I'm not too worried since I just took a friends shift and am normally service desk.

Within a few minutes, a guest comes up to me and just goes "Can I apply for a RedCard here?" before I even started scanning her items. The poor cashier next to me just looks at me with a face like "wtf? He's not even trying and he got one."

Turns out she quit a week later.

 

[Anelmi]

About the chip card reader....

Who gets tired of guests asking if the chip works? I mean...it's worked since November. Are you telling me you haven't been to Target in 8 months?

And then there was the guest who had just gone through the lanes to checkout and came up to Guest Services to do a return or some such thing and when he goes to pay, asks "does the chip reader work?" Whaaaaaa?

 

[sher]

Aren't there only three main benefits to explain though? 5% off, free shipping, and 30 extra days for returns? I heard that the education funding program was discontinued earlier this year, which sucks because I feel like it was a good way to get people to sign up if they took the time to listen or do their own research. Other than that, I've noticed that redcard credit card users don't have to sign on $50+ purchases, but I'm not sure if anybody really cares about that.

Free shipping isn't even really a benefit anymore. The threshold is only $25 when you use any other method of payment, though there might be some exclusions to that. Pin is required on all redcard purchases including the credit one, now

 

[aj76257]

Pin is required on all redcard purchases including the credit one, now

Yeah, and some people don't get that. Every so often I'll get someone who tells me that their redcard doesn't have a pin, and I have to explain that it does and that they probably forgot that they had to set one up. Then it takes them three tries to remember it and they mess up my speed rating.