Archived Want to leave Target so badly

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If I gave a complete testimonial of my time at Target, it would probably take a day for it to be read. I am at a crossroads at my life. I am 30 years and have sadly been at Target for 5 and a half years. I have pretty much hated the entire experience. I signed up for Target in the fall of 2008 during the recession because I was desperate for a job and settled for Target. I graduated from college in December of 2007. Talk about bad timing. Anyways, I thought my time at Target would be short and brief. Every year especially around Christmas time and New Year's, I would tell myself that this would be the last Christmas or New Year's for me and every time I was wrong. I can admit that I have made a ton of mistakes.


I got comfortable at Target with the routine of coming in and doing my thing even though I hated it with a fiery passion. I hate working at Target because I get nothing from it. Working in retail does nothing for me. One of the reasons why I went to college was to avoid working in retail. Retail is basically a step above fast food in my opinion. I know that in my time at Target, people that I know have looked down on me and thought negative of me. They will say "why are you working at Target when you have a college degree". It's like it's my fault that the economy was destroyed by evil politicians. I'm not going to get into a debate on politics. And I know this is coming off as a pity party but I don't want pity. I just want to vent out a little steam. I have made terrible choices that have put me in my situation at Target. I haven't even discussed how I have been treated at Target. I have been treated like a sweat shop worker in my opinion. I know it's retail and retail is not for thin skinned but I'm a freakin' human being. Just because someone got a helping hand through connections or affirmative action and is a boss does not give them the right to destroy me and my character. I sadly wish that I would have kept my shut when I first got hired at Target. I learned the hard way that at Target, you cannot voice your questions, comments, and concerns to ETLs. It's just not possible. They don't want to hear it. They just want to collect their bonuses and satisfy their own greed.


I have been lately thinking about an escape plan out of Target. The teaching English as second language somewhat interests me. I know that I have wasted time in my own negativity and pessimism at Target. I am seriously thinking about taking a chance at the teaching English overseas. I have always wanted to travel and I think that something like that would be interesting to do and definitely look good on a resume. I can't wait around forever at Target. Working at Target in a way has ruined my life. I know that I'm gonna sound like a big baby or a whiner but I guess I'm guilty as charged. There is basically nothing I can do at Target to redeem myself. I have been written off. Quitting Target will probably be the best decision that I have ever made in the 30 years that I've been alive. And I don't think anyone on Earth has ever hated working at Target more than I have. But anyways, just wanted to vent. Not trying to start anything with anyone. I just have to get some courage and finally take a risk in my life. I've been so disappointed in the past with failures and bad decisions that I've been scared to make any type of risky decisions. I live in fear but I know that in order to change that I have to step up and take a risk. I have to leave Target or I will be miserable for the rest of my life.
 
First and foremost be happy with yourself. By that I mean if you're disappointed in yourself for working retail then do something about it. If other people are disappointed in you for working retail, who honestly gives two fucks? If you're anything like me, then you are your own worst critic. I'm usually a lot harder on myself about things than anyone else ever is.

If you feel drawn to teaching English as a second language then go for it. You only live once, and life is far too short to be unhappy in the long term. Retail is not for everyone. I hope you find some happiness and/or peace with your station in life. Just based on some of your posts, you've got a lot of anger,resentment, negativity, etc about you. It's not healthy to carry all that around. I'm glad you've vented here. That's what we're here for!

Keep me updated on stuff. If you want someone to talk to that's been through this kind of thing, feel free to PM me.
 
As sigma said, life can be like a roller coaster. Update your resume & start looking for job opps on teaching gig.
If you have some vacation time, take a some & do something fun or different. This is a great place to vent. We are here to help you and others out. Keep us update, please.
 
Nothing wrong with ranting.
That's what we're here for.

I understand your frustration with retail, it can be soul grinding and unforgiving.
If you don't enjoy helping people or get satisfaction from reaching goals that are Sisyphean, then retail is not for you.

You might not have to take the risk of just quitting to force yourself to find another job.
Start now, you need to set aside a certain number of hours everyday for job search.
When the time comes for interviews, tell them you want the time off because you have too.

Ultimately the main thing you have to remember is ...
Illegitimi non carborundum
 
It's easy to get stuck in a routine and stay at a job just because, but five years is a little much. I know the job search thing sucks but not as much as working at Target. I got out after eight months and I'm one of those very self-motivated, self-critical people. I felt a stupid loyalty to help the backroom team because of how overworked and under appreciated we are/were.

In the end you're just slaving away for a meager wage in order to make sure a bunch of people you really don't care about can buy a bunch of crap they probably don't even need. I'm nearly your age and took the job because I was in a new state and it was the first place that offered me a Spot (tee hee). I was happy those first twenty some years saying I had never worked retail. Now I realize why that's such an awesome thing to say.
 
It's true. I do have a lot of resentment, anger, and negativity. I will admit that I had that before I started working at Target but it's probably been multiplied by a million since I began working for Target. I just have always felt out of place, like I have never truly belonged working there. I am one of the few team members at my store that has a college degree. I know that my attitude, anger, and negativity are probably why I have burned so many bridges at Target. I mean there has been so much damage done that I don't think I can ever repair. The only thing I can do is just try to sustain the damage. I've had heated arguments with team members, ETLs, and TLs. I really think it might just be the store I work at. Maybe the location I'm at is just one of the worst Targets on Earth. But that doesn't matter because there is nothing anyone can do that will make me happy at Target. I need to get some courage and leave Target in my past and never look back. I just have a very very big fear of failure. Failure is probably my biggest fear.

I think my main problem at my time at Target is that I just expected too much. I expected people to have manners and be civil and treat me decent. I expected my bosses to be competent and understanding and good at communication. I expected the team members in my department to communicate with me and help me with the workload. The backroom department is a laughing stock. We have 4 people including myself. The count of 4 is open to interpretation. I will explain. Including me, there are 2 women and a guy. One of the ladies is the opener in the backroom and she never works weekends or nights. She also never makes bales or operates the crown machine. I honestly think she does not even know how. The other woman closes in the backroom on my nights off and helps me on Saturdays. She works a few early morning shifts with the early morning backroom team. The last person is a guy that only works one day in the backroom and that's on Sunday to help me. The other days he is with the early morning backroom. The bozos in the early morning backroom team would crap their pants if they had to work backroom day. They would not be able to handle the craziness. They wouldn't be able to handle team members, TLs, ETLs, and vendors complaining about POGs, EXFs, getting bags down for the front lanes, getting a soda pallet down for a vendor, helping the grocery team with FDC, etc...
And let's not forget the always fun two nights of the week when the price change is humongous and can take 2 to 3 hours to pull and you wind up with 19 pallets of price change.
 
Sounds like you got way too emotionally invested in the whole thing. I would get annoyed and frustrated but I'd never argue or get upset, that's silly. You should know by know it's all beyond your control.

We had/have a couple more competent BR Day people that can do ALL the tasks but one doesn't work weekends and one really just closes weekdays. I'd be amazed if any store had a proper balance without the half-useless people. Otherwise your backroom day sounds like ours.

Many a day I'd be running around like a crazy person just wondering what they would do without me. Then I learned not to care either way and they'd let me go at the drop of a hat anyway. Luckily I found a reason to leave. Again, for such pathetic money I have no idea how they get ANYONE to stay longer than the eight months I managed.
 
Yeah that's true. I probably have been emotionally invested. I think it's a part of American society that needs to change. We need to break from this whole "doing your best and working hard" will go far from you in life. That's bull crap if you ask me. You have to be good at something and/or have connections or some type of charm you can use on people. Working hard and doing your best don't mean crap in my opinion. I have tried desperately not to care but I figure that I have to show that I care in order to survive at Target. I wish I could just be 100 percent apathetic at Target. That would be awesome.
 
I know exactly how you feel. I have the same exact complete hatred of Target. I have been looking for a new job for quite some time now. It truly is a soul-sucking horrible place. I hate working in retail. It's bad enough that half of the guests treat you like garbage but to also have certain TLs or ETLs treat you poorly is just too much to take. No job should negatively affect the quality of ones life the way Target has destroyed ours. Best of luck that you may soon break free from the chains of Target.
 
Well, two bad things have happened as a result of working at Target. I had to delete my Facebook because my family couldn't stand my rants about Target anymore. It's so sad that I have let a stupid a retail chain mess me up in the head so bad that I have basically alienated my entire family against me. I can't talk about Target to them in person or on the world wide web. I have also been asked by my father to see counseling as a result of Target. I will be so glad when I walk out on my last day at Target with my freedom, maybe some of my sanity back, and perhaps a tiny presence of my soul. Working at Target is a soul sucking experience. And it is one that I do not want to be a part of anymore but I just cut and run. If I am going to leave Target, I have to be going to something better. I can't settle for another crappy retail job. My family simply can't understand that. And talking to them is just mind boggling. I agree to the counseling and it's like I have to do it the second they mention it. They bash me all the time about trying to change myself yet they give me no time or chance to change. It's like they have already made their minds up and have decided what I am going to do before I even do it. It's so frustrating. I tell them that I am trying to figure out what I want to do and I am trying to change. And they call me a liar or say "you're never going to change, you love being miserable, or you have been saying you were going to change for years".
 
If I gave a complete testimonial of my time at Target, it would probably take a day for it to be read. I am at a crossroads at my life. I am 30 years and have sadly been at Target for 5 and a half years. I have pretty much hated the entire experience. I signed up for Target in the fall of 2008 during the recession because I was desperate for a job and settled for Target. I graduated from college in December of 2007. Talk about bad timing. Anyways, I thought my time at Target would be short and brief. Every year especially around Christmas time and New Year's, I would tell myself that this would be the last Christmas or New Year's for me and every time I was wrong. I can admit that I have made a ton of mistakes.


I got comfortable at Target with the routine of coming in and doing my thing even though I hated it with a fiery passion. I hate working at Target because I get nothing from it. Working in retail does nothing for me. One of the reasons why I went to college was to avoid working in retail. Retail is basically a step above fast food in my opinion. I know that in my time at Target, people that I know have looked down on me and thought negative of me. They will say "why are you working at Target when you have a college degree". It's like it's my fault that the economy was destroyed by evil politicians. I'm not going to get into a debate on politics. And I know this is coming off as a pity party but I don't want pity. I just want to vent out a little steam. I have made terrible choices that have put me in my situation at Target. I haven't even discussed how I have been treated at Target. I have been treated like a sweat shop worker in my opinion. I know it's retail and retail is not for thin skinned but I'm a freakin' human being. Just because someone got a helping hand through connections or affirmative action and is a boss does not give them the right to destroy me and my character. I sadly wish that I would have kept my shut when I first got hired at Target. I learned the hard way that at Target, you cannot voice your questions, comments, and concerns to ETLs. It's just not possible. They don't want to hear it. They just want to collect their bonuses and satisfy their own greed.


I have been lately thinking about an escape plan out of Target. The teaching English as second language somewhat interests me. I know that I have wasted time in my own negativity and pessimism at Target. I am seriously thinking about taking a chance at the teaching English overseas. I have always wanted to travel and I think that something like that would be interesting to do and definitely look good on a resume. I can't wait around forever at Target. Working at Target in a way has ruined my life. I know that I'm gonna sound like a big baby or a whiner but I guess I'm guilty as charged. There is basically nothing I can do at Target to redeem myself. I have been written off. Quitting Target will probably be the best decision that I have ever made in the 30 years that I've been alive. And I don't think anyone on Earth has ever hated working at Target more than I have. But anyways, just wanted to vent. Not trying to start anything with anyone. I just have to get some courage and finally take a risk in my life. I've been so disappointed in the past with failures and bad decisions that I've been scared to make any type of risky decisions. I live in fear but I know that in order to change that I have to step up and take a risk. I have to leave Target or I will be miserable for the rest of my life.


As disgusted as you are with being stuck in this thankless job, just remember it's never a good idea to burn bridges because in life we never know if we might be forced to recross a bridge in the future.

Leave on good terms. Just in case.

Is it possible to take a LOA & see if you can find something that makes you happier & is more fulfilling?
 
I think I have burned all the bridges at my store. Sad.
 
The first thing I want to say is: thirty is still young. Seriously. Do not beat yourself up because you're not on some magical career path yet. You have been working hard, and smart, it seems from your posts. You have five years at a solid company, that looks sweet on a resume. Wish I had that resume when I was your age.

Burned bridges are no issue. All Target will do as a reference is give your hire and leave dates, not what they think of you.

May I ask what your degree is in? Not specifically, anonymity is important, but in general is it something you could or want to pursue? Or did you wind up with a degree in an interesting subject that has little value in the marketplace? (I did.) Is it something you could or would want to teach? You communicate well.

I like your idea of teaching English, if you're sure the culture shock wouldn't get to you. Perhaps it would be the perfect getaway.

Either way, having a degree is a good thing for your future. Not at Target, but your long-term future isn't at Target. You're smart, you work hard, you will find a good fit.

But I worry about your anger. You've got to let little, medium, even big things go. Life is weird and unfair and terrible and surprising and hilarious - you know this. Keep your vision expanded, a sense of how small you are in the landscape, and yet how fully you own your unique life.

I recommend bong hits, but I understand yoga and meditation are also helpful.
 
The first thing I want to say is: thirty is still young. Seriously. Do not beat yourself up because you're not on some magical career path yet. You have been working hard, and smart, it seems from your posts. You have five years at a solid company, that looks sweet on a resume. Wish I had that resume when I was your age.

Does that really look good on a resume though? I have always worried that people look at that and think "what an ambitionless boor, he probably gets high all day" and then throw it in the shredder along with the felon apps.
 
The first thing I want to say is: thirty is still young. Seriously. Do not beat yourself up because you're not on some magical career path yet. You have been working hard, and smart, it seems from your posts. You have five years at a solid company, that looks sweet on a resume. Wish I had that resume when I was your age.

Does that really look good on a resume though? I have always worried that people look at that and think "what an ambitionless boor, he probably gets high all day" and then throw it in the shredder along with the felon apps.

Five years at one job looks good, period. You might think that some HR person will sneer at working in retail, but most know exactly how hard it is to work and to staff retail, and they know how rare it is to find someone who puts in the enormous effort for so long. It shows dedication and perserverence despite challenges. It shows (through assumption) that someone can go through a really rough spell or several, and hang on hoping the job gets better. It shows that they aren't afraid of "shit work" and don't feel entitled. Cynically speaking, it shows they are willing to subvert their own will to the company's to some degree or other.

Five years at one job ABSOLUTELY looks better than five years at five jobs. I've done the latter, and try to advertise it in my job hunt as some sort of holistic approach to the vast job market, as wanting to dip my toes in everything and get a grand overview of American working life. People don't bite, because they know in reality that if you're skipping from one thing to another, it's because you lack true passion for any of them, and might not stick around. In my case, they're right.

Some of the jobs I've been looking at that require degrees and certifications still won't consider you if you haven't worked for your current employer for a full year, despite your degree and certifications. Often times, they don't care what the job you're working is. They only want to see that you're in a habit of going to work every day.
 
Well, if I could go back to college, I would do something that involved traveling. I know the math might be hard but I always wanted to study cartography. I have always been fascinated by geography and culture. I think I need an actual hobby. I need a hobby that will me get out of the house and distract me from all the stress I'm dealing with. I just need to start some counseling sessions and vent out my frustration to a trained professional and also get a plan to start saving up money for my own car.
 
I didn't mean to enroll in college - just use the resources that are available to alumni.
 
I have been tempted to go back to college ever since I graduated. I've just been very hesitant because I owe over 40k in student loans. I'm not sure if I want more debt.
 
Well, if I could go back to college, I would do something that involved traveling. I know the math might be hard but I always wanted to study cartography. I have always been fascinated by geography and culture. I think I need an actual hobby. I need a hobby that will me get out of the house and distract me from all the stress I'm dealing with. I just need to start some counseling sessions and vent out my frustration to a trained professional and also get a plan to start saving up money for my own car.
Try some volunteering or help some senior neighbors out with their yard.
 
I was a geography major in undergrad and was actually a cartographer for 8 years before I was laid off in the Great Recession. The math actually wasn't bad. I think all I needed was two stats classes.
 
Yeah that's true. I probably have been emotionally invested. I think it's a part of American society that needs to change. We need to break from this whole "doing your best and working hard" will go far from you in life. That's bull crap if you ask me. You have to be good at something and/or have connections or some type of charm you can use on people. Working hard and doing your best don't mean crap in my opinion. I have tried desperately not to care but I figure that I have to show that I care in order to survive at Target. I wish I could just be 100 percent apathetic at Target. That would be awesome.

Overall, I have a much more positive outlook than you do, but there are some bad days where I think I understand how you feel. I've always worked very, very hard on my schoolwork, never got into trouble in high school or college, always made amazing grades, went to college for eight years, and earned a master's degree. I haven't been able to find a full time position in my field, so I'm working at Target and another place. Together, between both of my part time jobs, I don't even make a liveable wage, despite doing my very best every day and working my ass off. If my fiance didn't have a good managerial position, I'd be living with my parents at age 30. Some days it is heartbreaking to think that I went to graduate school just so I could ask "Would you like to save five percent today?" a thousand times :(
 
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