I had a few years under my belt with Target as a flow member and I actually enjoyed it for the most part. At least as far as a part time job goes. Mastered unloading the truck, working on the line, stocking the shelves all in record time in comparison to at least everyone that still continued to work there. Within my first year I knew more than those few that have been with the store for 6+ more years. Even mastered the pricing work division being called the fastest and most accurate by a 14 year pricing leader that jumped out of that division as fast as he could and transferred to another store being the market manager. I enjoyed the physical work being a physically fit person.
As I was under, from what I was told, a brand new store leader and a brand new logistics leader. I was getting 40 hours a week if not pretty close to that on a constant basis. I was praised for my attendance, work ethic, guest service, and training abilities. They even put a picture of me on the wall for a little while with one other that was also commended on their guest service.
Eventually it became difficult because I was never getting consecutive days off. Unloading that truck and stocking heavy sections like pets which involves lifting kitty litter and giant bags of dog food puts quit the toll on a person. Even as physically fit as I was. Most of the time my back would hurt or become injured along with wrist and finger pains. I knew that I was great at what I did and I'm sure I was appreciated for all the hard work but the rewards were minimal in comparison to the amount of energy I was giving this Target store. Considering the amount of lazy workers that didn't do much of anything and still complained about their job I gradually became frustrated even though I didn't want to.
Couldn't really hold a lease on my own with a part time Target position for any apartment complex. As I'm sure most know you have to make like 3 times the rent of your apartment in a certain period which I couldn't do. My rent was only 550 a month which is actually pretty good. I knew I had to find another job or at least a different job all together in order to meet the demands of my rent, electricity, and food bills. But as I fill out applications to corporations that seem to give bonuses and bigger wages none of them ever called me for an interview. Which was quit discouraging in this world as people who I worked with at this Target store seemed to find better jobs and leave within their first year with the store for $10 an hour jobs with HEB. Not even HEB called me for an interview as I tried just as well.
Eventually the brand new ETL or logistics leader was transferred to another store while someone else in the store with no experience in the position became my new logistics leader. Didn't think there would be much of a change with my hours but I was wrong. As shortly as time went on they hired more team members. With those new team members there were fewer hours for me. After a while my pricing hours were cut and given to those new team members and my pay check was becoming a lot smaller. I figured I could at least manage this job as a 2nd job if I could just find a real 1st job. I thought I would at least be scheduled for those 3 truck days a week and the auto-fills days in between. At one point even the presentation work division became non-existent. There was literally no presentation work hours for anyone as if the store did away with the work division all together.
So my frustrations kept boiling up as I sweat constantly breaking my back to unload their truck 3 days a week and stock their shelves while being sent home before the truck was even finished on a constant basis. Sadly, I would hear the leaders above me asking those newer team members to stay while everyone else was sent home. It felt like Target was stealing money from me while there was work to be done. I could only figure that my raises caused me to lose hours so the store could save on payroll. I still had some hours but they were stretched around to 4 hours a day with still no consecutive days off. Sometimes I would only be scheduled for 3 hours in the pricing work division. Seemed like a waste of time as I walked to and from work everyday in the heat.
One day I scheduled myself as unavailable 2 days out of the week so I could at least get some rest with consecutive days off. Still available for truck days and my availability was still open for any potential 40 hour work weeks. Eventually after that they started cutting the truck days from my schedule as well only giving me 2 truck days. Over my years I went from 40 hours a week, to close to 30, then to 20, to 15 hours a week and finally to 12 hours a week. This was not something I could manage any type of living off of anymore. Believe it or not during my last year with the corporation I was getting 8 hours a week and being told it had nothing to do with my performance as a team member. They didn't have problems with me at all. But that is all they would say.
I accepted the lack of hours telling them I'm only going to be available for them on truck days which was basically 12 hours a week. Something I was constantly scheduled for regardless of my availability and willingness to do everything else for them anyways. I needed other work and I took up odd jobs cleaning houses for friends and their families just so I can make some money and taking the time to look for other work that I still cannot seem to find.
As time went on this store had great turn-over that resulted in quite a few people leaving the corporation for better jobs. As that happened they demanded I work more hours for them probably until they hired new people again just to cut my hours all over once new team members were in place. I refused. I was frustrated and completely unhappy working for the corporation as I took up my odd jobs in attempts to make more money. I would only give them 12 hours a week from then on if I were to be treated as some expendable slave that they cared nothing for.
They constantly started to harass me and pull me into the office in attempts to berate and intimidate to get me to do their slave work for such low pay, low raises, and strenuous work that I constantly did unloading their truck while lifting swimming pools and furniture off of the bottom of their trucks. Eventually I accepted losing the job due to my frustrations and decided I wanted them to terminate me. I did not want to give them the pleasure of just not showing up or turning in my two-weeks notice. I did not want to come back to this corporation that doesn't seem to care about their employees including the hard working ones such as myself.
For a while I thought it was impossible to get fired from Target like so many others have said. Nothing I did or didn't do didn't seem to cost me my job including pulling no-call no-shows like 6 times over a couple month period. I was surprised at this. But I finally figured out how to get my employment terminated. Every time they called me into their office to talk about how I need to do more hours or stay past my scheduled time, I walked out of their office. It felt great. I had to do that about 3 times until eventually I walked to the front doors for my early morning shift to be told my employment was terminated. As if I cared only getting 12 hours a week while all the new team members got more hours for making less money. I was glad they had to fire their best employee that they deemed to performer in every work division and placed a photo on the wall for guest service.
Sadly, as I was filling out applications during my employment with Target and afterwards, I still don't get any calls for interviews. I will be losing my apartment in about 5-6 months and have to move in with my mother once again. I'm really not sure how to make it this world if no one will call for an interview after filling out applications. I am told with my work ethic, physical strength, and intelligence, that I should join the military. Even though I do not want to, for I think I will be miserable not having my own place to live and being able to hang out with my friends anymore, I don't seem to have a choice as I don't even have my own car to get around. I do not like this world anymore and how it has become.
I take comfort it knowing that 20+ year veterans with the target corporation had told me that Target did not used to be like this at all. It was completely different and the turn the corporation has taken is absurd and astonishing to them. Those 20+ year veterans had always praised my employment and told me I deserve better than Target while always telling me to find somewhere else to go that would appreciate me. Sometimes I think of just offing myself as opposed to going to the military. Born into a broke family and witnessing all those wealthy kids have it so easy as their parents pay for their apartments and educations completely demoralizes me as did the Target corporation.
As I was under, from what I was told, a brand new store leader and a brand new logistics leader. I was getting 40 hours a week if not pretty close to that on a constant basis. I was praised for my attendance, work ethic, guest service, and training abilities. They even put a picture of me on the wall for a little while with one other that was also commended on their guest service.
Eventually it became difficult because I was never getting consecutive days off. Unloading that truck and stocking heavy sections like pets which involves lifting kitty litter and giant bags of dog food puts quit the toll on a person. Even as physically fit as I was. Most of the time my back would hurt or become injured along with wrist and finger pains. I knew that I was great at what I did and I'm sure I was appreciated for all the hard work but the rewards were minimal in comparison to the amount of energy I was giving this Target store. Considering the amount of lazy workers that didn't do much of anything and still complained about their job I gradually became frustrated even though I didn't want to.
Couldn't really hold a lease on my own with a part time Target position for any apartment complex. As I'm sure most know you have to make like 3 times the rent of your apartment in a certain period which I couldn't do. My rent was only 550 a month which is actually pretty good. I knew I had to find another job or at least a different job all together in order to meet the demands of my rent, electricity, and food bills. But as I fill out applications to corporations that seem to give bonuses and bigger wages none of them ever called me for an interview. Which was quit discouraging in this world as people who I worked with at this Target store seemed to find better jobs and leave within their first year with the store for $10 an hour jobs with HEB. Not even HEB called me for an interview as I tried just as well.
Eventually the brand new ETL or logistics leader was transferred to another store while someone else in the store with no experience in the position became my new logistics leader. Didn't think there would be much of a change with my hours but I was wrong. As shortly as time went on they hired more team members. With those new team members there were fewer hours for me. After a while my pricing hours were cut and given to those new team members and my pay check was becoming a lot smaller. I figured I could at least manage this job as a 2nd job if I could just find a real 1st job. I thought I would at least be scheduled for those 3 truck days a week and the auto-fills days in between. At one point even the presentation work division became non-existent. There was literally no presentation work hours for anyone as if the store did away with the work division all together.
So my frustrations kept boiling up as I sweat constantly breaking my back to unload their truck 3 days a week and stock their shelves while being sent home before the truck was even finished on a constant basis. Sadly, I would hear the leaders above me asking those newer team members to stay while everyone else was sent home. It felt like Target was stealing money from me while there was work to be done. I could only figure that my raises caused me to lose hours so the store could save on payroll. I still had some hours but they were stretched around to 4 hours a day with still no consecutive days off. Sometimes I would only be scheduled for 3 hours in the pricing work division. Seemed like a waste of time as I walked to and from work everyday in the heat.
One day I scheduled myself as unavailable 2 days out of the week so I could at least get some rest with consecutive days off. Still available for truck days and my availability was still open for any potential 40 hour work weeks. Eventually after that they started cutting the truck days from my schedule as well only giving me 2 truck days. Over my years I went from 40 hours a week, to close to 30, then to 20, to 15 hours a week and finally to 12 hours a week. This was not something I could manage any type of living off of anymore. Believe it or not during my last year with the corporation I was getting 8 hours a week and being told it had nothing to do with my performance as a team member. They didn't have problems with me at all. But that is all they would say.
I accepted the lack of hours telling them I'm only going to be available for them on truck days which was basically 12 hours a week. Something I was constantly scheduled for regardless of my availability and willingness to do everything else for them anyways. I needed other work and I took up odd jobs cleaning houses for friends and their families just so I can make some money and taking the time to look for other work that I still cannot seem to find.
As time went on this store had great turn-over that resulted in quite a few people leaving the corporation for better jobs. As that happened they demanded I work more hours for them probably until they hired new people again just to cut my hours all over once new team members were in place. I refused. I was frustrated and completely unhappy working for the corporation as I took up my odd jobs in attempts to make more money. I would only give them 12 hours a week from then on if I were to be treated as some expendable slave that they cared nothing for.
They constantly started to harass me and pull me into the office in attempts to berate and intimidate to get me to do their slave work for such low pay, low raises, and strenuous work that I constantly did unloading their truck while lifting swimming pools and furniture off of the bottom of their trucks. Eventually I accepted losing the job due to my frustrations and decided I wanted them to terminate me. I did not want to give them the pleasure of just not showing up or turning in my two-weeks notice. I did not want to come back to this corporation that doesn't seem to care about their employees including the hard working ones such as myself.
For a while I thought it was impossible to get fired from Target like so many others have said. Nothing I did or didn't do didn't seem to cost me my job including pulling no-call no-shows like 6 times over a couple month period. I was surprised at this. But I finally figured out how to get my employment terminated. Every time they called me into their office to talk about how I need to do more hours or stay past my scheduled time, I walked out of their office. It felt great. I had to do that about 3 times until eventually I walked to the front doors for my early morning shift to be told my employment was terminated. As if I cared only getting 12 hours a week while all the new team members got more hours for making less money. I was glad they had to fire their best employee that they deemed to performer in every work division and placed a photo on the wall for guest service.
Sadly, as I was filling out applications during my employment with Target and afterwards, I still don't get any calls for interviews. I will be losing my apartment in about 5-6 months and have to move in with my mother once again. I'm really not sure how to make it this world if no one will call for an interview after filling out applications. I am told with my work ethic, physical strength, and intelligence, that I should join the military. Even though I do not want to, for I think I will be miserable not having my own place to live and being able to hang out with my friends anymore, I don't seem to have a choice as I don't even have my own car to get around. I do not like this world anymore and how it has become.
I take comfort it knowing that 20+ year veterans with the target corporation had told me that Target did not used to be like this at all. It was completely different and the turn the corporation has taken is absurd and astonishing to them. Those 20+ year veterans had always praised my employment and told me I deserve better than Target while always telling me to find somewhere else to go that would appreciate me. Sometimes I think of just offing myself as opposed to going to the military. Born into a broke family and witnessing all those wealthy kids have it so easy as their parents pay for their apartments and educations completely demoralizes me as did the Target corporation.