Archived True Nature of Target

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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.
 
The first store leader I was hired under and the first ETL logistics leader loved me and gave me hours just to clarify. It was only when they were replaced by younger and more inexperienced leaders is when I felt I became expendable and worthless to them as my hours were constantly cut.
 
I still don't know what to do anymore except join the military which completely stresses me out causing me to cry myself to sleep everyday. I don't know what to do anymore and most of my time is spent searching for what people think the afterlife is going to be like as I don't have much of a desire to live anymore. So many stupid people seem to have jobs and make a living some how but the hard working mentality people like myself seem to struggle the most. Everything hurts now. All the time.
 
Few quick questions.
When you fill out applications, do you call them afterwards? Do you fill them out online or in person? (Although I do understand that the majority of places force to you fill out applications online now.) Have you tried using Monster.com yet? I personally have got two jobs and dozens of calls by posting a free resume on that website. (Keep in mind I myself am not a college grad, so it's not like I got those calls based off of schooling). Many hardworking intelligent people get depressed because they expected to be further in life than they currently are, or because everyone else seems to be so happy, the trick is to just keep at it. It's much more satisfying to get something the hard way. You don't truly appreciate being on top if you haven't seen rock bottom. You say you're demoralized by those kids that had it easy, but I pity them. They may not know true hardship, but they'll never know self worth either. I was in a very similar position than you not that long ago, homeless, depressed, demoralized. But even though I'm by no means financially stable now, just sleeping in a bed feels like a great luxury. Something little that those rich kids take for granted. I can appreciate the simpler things, and although at the time I was miserable and had nothing to look forward to, and although I don't miss those times at all, I can at least appreciate the significance those days have on the full story of my life.

I'm not sure if that helps at all, but I genuinely hope that it does
 
Make sure you say in applications, if asked, that the reason for leaving was reduction in hours or inconsistant number of hours. Potential employers accept that. You have every right to feel whatever you feel but please don't give up. Go to your local unemployment office. They can help you write a good resume. You may be a nice person and a hard worker but if you don't convey that well on paper or online you will not get a call back. I have a college education, relevant work experience and a killer resume. It took me 4 years to find something worth leaving Target for. Hang in there!
 
I still don't know what to do anymore except join the military which completely stresses me out causing me to cry myself to sleep everyday. I don't know what to do anymore and most of my time is spent searching for what people think the afterlife is going to be like as I don't have much of a desire to live anymore. So many stupid people seem to have jobs and make a living some how but the hard working mentality people like myself seem to struggle the most. Everything hurts now. All the time.

Join the military! I did! :)

About a week left now until I ship out for basic.
 
I still don't know what to do anymore except join the military which completely stresses me out causing me to cry myself to sleep everyday. I don't know what to do anymore and most of my time is spent searching for what people think the afterlife is going to be like as I don't have much of a desire to live anymore. So many stupid people seem to have jobs and make a living some how but the hard working mentality people like myself seem to struggle the most. Everything hurts now. All the time.

Join the military! I did! :)

About a week left now until I ship out for basic.

I thank you for your future service.
 
When you get to your duty station, don't get married! Stay in the barracks and save as much money as you can for when you get out!
 
When you get to your duty station, don't get married! Stay in the barracks and save as much money as you can for when you get out!

I've never served, but if i ever did, this would be the best piece of advice i could give anyone (other than to not get married, at all. ever).
 
Yeah I've heard horror stories about military relationships.. Not going there.

Too much work wading through those who are genuine, and those who are dog tag chasers... Lolz
 
The job search part can be tough I speak from experience but don't let it get you down.
The only thing you can do is keep going back each day and trying again.

G-d speed Barcode.
Thank you for your service.
 
Yeah I've heard horror stories about military relationships.. Not going there.

Too much work wading through those who are genuine, and those who are dog tag chasers... Lolz

sigh I've met WAY too many pregnant 19 year olds in this town. I had the wife of someone in my SO's Marine platoon/shop/thingie (shows how much I know) ask why I was working at Target like it was the most shocking thing in the world. You know, while she went through three credit cards trying to pay for her new makeup and shoes.

We call girls like those dependapotomus's, and you stay far far FAR away from them!
 
To the OP, it's hard to stand up for yourself and refuse to stay late when you need the money. So thank you for that. It sounds like you don't have a TL fighting for you, asking you to come in when he works or stay late when he works, which sucks. Maybe the TL at my store (not mine BTW) doesn't give a shit about payroll. I'm not sure how old you are, but moving back in with your mom and saving money is not the end if the world. I would trade all my school loan debt for an easy job and just live paycheck to paycheck.
 
Universe,

What you have posted here has struck a chord with me. Believe me when I say that many others have been exactly where you are now. Because of the fact that the economy is in such bad shape, it seems that retail is seemingly the only game in town in a lot of places. That is truly a shame.

I don't know where you live, but you mentioned HEB. Are you in Texas? I actually worked for HEB for a stint as a "shelf edge specialist" between May 2012 to February 2013. I worked at one of the Plus stores in san antonio, and when I gave my two weeks notice earlier this year, I was earning $10 per hour. My job responsibilities included executing price changes in the store, setting planograms, and working the cycle & exception counts to ensure on-hand accuracy.

I know that HEB gets rave reviews from certain people, but from my experience, it wasn't all that great. I was more than happy to walk away from $10 an hour in this instance. To date, I'd say it was in fact the most abusive and stressful work enviroment that I ever had to deal with. Too many chiefs, not enough indians, and the micro-management went above and beyond the extreme. Heb, just like Target, also doesn't want to give anyone a full time job, as far as guaranteed hours are concerned. Sound familiar? They also weren't very flexible when working with schedules...at least that was my experience. During November and December of last year I was only averaging 8 hours a week. I was also not allowed to just leave and clock out when my shift ended...I was told that I basically had to "ask" for permission if I wanted to leave! Same was true if I wanted a lunch break. It wasn't uncommon for the team to work 10 hours straight without a lunch break, because we were jammed up with work. It seemed that taking a break was, in fact, discouraged.

As for Target, one of the problems is that, other than the team leads, almost no one else...including top performers...are given guaranteed full time hours. It's a great job for someone who already has a full time job and is looking to make a little bit of extra money.

Anyway, I think you could have handled your situation differently. Instead of making them fire you, you should have continued to keep up your work ethic, and then quit and gave two weeks. That way, once you are gone, they will come to more fully appreciate the kind of worker you are/were.

My advice to you is...if retail is the only game in your town, try the home depot. They do have a couple of full time spots in each department, but it is hard to get full time. But if you like dealing with customers and can stomach getting yelled at all day and taking abuse from them, it is not impossible. The pay isn't all that great, but if you get full time, you are guaranteed 40 hours each week, even when sales slip. In fact, the pay is so sucky at home depot that I think I'd make more as a team lead at target..lol. However, if you work for HD you can pick up some skills like learning how to use forklifts and other lift equipment...which may come in handy working somewhere else.

all the best,
 
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