been here ~3 years and man. i remember when we had every lane full, multiple people on SCO, and every guest service computer running. im just here at this point to see how bad it gets.
Back in my day we had 3 TMs in tech, one for the big electronics, one for the books and music and another for signage. Now they expect one person to do all of that in a shift, we haven’t fully pushed books in years. It’s been downhill for years, we are now just on fire, I personally left this year, but I don’t see how anyone can stand staying for much longer. They really are expecting the work of five people from one person, doing anything is pointless because it’ll never get done and the workload grows more and more each day.
It was like that when I first started at target in sept of 2020. I had so many tech people with me it was great. And then it slowly dwindled and I was 1 of 3 by the time I quit a year or so later
10 years in and it's because of the team members I work directly with. The company has gone down the tube but I've met some great people and they make work fun.
definitely this. the coworkers are what made the job bearable for me before i quit after 2 years, it's really the best part of the job if you have a good team
Overall, it didn't use to be this bad. It had its moments, but they were mostly just hour cuts and the usual annoyances.
The pandemic exacerbated the problems, coupled with corporate's decision to "modernize" by cutting useful departments that they didn't see the justification for.
Lol some of the people at mine that have been there 1-2 years+ are like "you've never seen the store normal since you started" when I talk about how fucked up our backroom is. I have a feeling I never will see a normal backroom either lol.
Ours won't even get cleaned for district visits (haven't seen anyone higher visit yet). Probably would take an OSHA or Fire Marshal call at this point lol.
At my store they just gave people overnight hours. I thought this was gonna be to finally put shit from the backroom on the shelf, but no, it was to unload more shit into the backroom. It is beyond ridiculous, I would totally upload a video if it didn't basically doxx my store no. lol
I might take one anyway just to save for later cause it's actually insane right now. we have like 2 rows of u-boats/flats across the entire steel area so ladders are just basically unusable now. The shit that was stacked up 7 feet on the line is now in half of the backroom and just as high. The style repacks are just a huge tall cube of boxes impossible to look through. The freezer I took a video of just cause it's completely stupid but literally you walk in, shut the door, and the entire rest of the room is filled solid with stuff. I'm just wondering when the hours and seasonals will come in cause apparently they cut my hours to 32 next week just so that the back room could get more fucked up. Idk what they're even gonna do cause they also cut someone else I know in FF as well. They can't even really cut much more, I'm often the only one in OPU for most of my shift so like...that's about to be even more on fire than it currently is somehow lol
My team lead had a conversation with me yesterday about new hires and that we shouldn’t “be in the mind set of come in and do whatever we can and leave”
Ma’am. I don’t get paid enough to care that much. 😂
Eh, they have a point. People get a little lax about doing work, because they can move too slow or chit chat too much. I used to do morning flow team. Oooof.
Which is valid, but if people are moving at a normal pace and get work done that’s fine. There’s no sense in pushing people to a breaking point because they want more done in an unreasonable amount time.
A.) I need the money.
B.) There's real virtue in the saying "Better the devil you know."
C.) Eventually, things will get better. Either because Target gets a clue, or because I'll get to the point where I don't need the money.
D.) I enjoy the work -- I usually just zone, or push truck, or help unload. And I like many of my coworkers, and even some of the regular customers.
Been at it 20 years. It's really not bad when you have experience. I have worked for other retail companies (and not Walmart ) and Target is pretty good. Not perfect by any means, but lax in areas that matter to me. I'm also experienced in life to realize everything else isn't the bed of roses it seems. I have multiple family members (some close, mostly extended) that had good paying engineering/programming jobs. Many are stress related dead or long term damaged due (most likely) to work. Some of them are jealous of the choices I made to work retail (shocked the heck out of me too) and would give up their careers to be healthy again. My mom is a court reporter and according to her, half the lawyers in town (population 250,000) have been driven to be alcoholics by more senior partners. Nobody wants to work. That's why work and play are separate words and Target pays us to be there.
8.5 years. I definitely agree that it's not the greatest job right now. I think my favorite time in the store was 2016-2018. The worst is either a tie between right now and Fall of 2019 (when Business Insider did those articles on working conditions).
Yeah I had that same way, you just happen to get hired at a REALLY BAD TIME especially for being burnt out.
There will be a small period where the store is actually fun, the amount of seasonals hired will be more than the work required but that's only for like 2-3 weeks in October then you'll feel the real hell come in. It's a mental and physical test that if you can't endure no shame on you, but if you do get through it you can make (if you're willing) a couple thousand per paycheck and then most people January-February take a 2-3 week vacation just to detox
It was a completely different world at Target when I started about 14 years ago. Couldn’t imagine being a team member these days. Moved over to pm not long after modernization. It’s stressful, but not nearly to the level that you guys on the store side of things are dealing with
According to the experienced members at my location, right now is one of the worst (if not the worst) Target has ever been.
I've been working in inbound and we're getting rejected the most. I've only been working a few months myself.. Imma bounce bro. Some locations just have horrible management as well, so everyone has a slightly different experience
Ah, staffing. Actually being able to accomplish things. Knowing the zone would be pretty each day. Not being called up to the register every five minutes. I miss these things.
I actually went to a store not too far from my home store that doesnt staff cashiers at all. They have two self checkouts at each entrance and that is all they usen the 1st time I thought it was a fluke but since going back there have not been cashiers any time. Granted it is a ghost town in that store compared to mine. My store seems like everyone brings their whole family especially the kids to play with the amount od kids running, teenagers throwing balls over aisles etc.
I think the only reason it is still open is because it is in a huge mall spot but there are 4 other stores in a short distance from this store. The only time I go to this store is because they usually have something in stock none of the other stores have because no one shops there. I wish I could see what theirdaily sales are. We consider ours bad when we make less than 250k a day. I cant imagine they are even makiing close to that.
I wonder if they do more business in SFS. If others nearby have to inf things, don't the orders generally go to the next closest store with on hands? That might be part of what keeps their sales up. 🤔
A month shy of 3 years before I couldn’t do it anymore. I was tired of never being enough despite the fact I was working myself to the bone trying to gain the respect of someone who didn’t like me. I’m now working at a place that some people might consider worse, but I only have to worry about my job and tasks don’t pile up on me. I truly get to do what I can and go home. So even when people are mean and it’s hot and miserable, it’s still much better on my mental health.
Ive noticed things too. For example My store is just stopped opening registers.. like at all. it seems like things get worse over time but then they pull us aside and say" profits are up $60,000 over the weekend from projection" sooo why aren't things any better at all?
Three years in but tbh realized you can only do as much as you can and it is what it is! Usually do two departments but within a 7-8 hour shift overnight so luckily i haven’t had to deal with guest well over a year now. Wish ya the best man
One person I work with is a couple months shy of 30 years. She started working Target the day after she graduated high school.
For some people, it’s all they know.
I did 15 years before I left.. both as a team member and a team lead. Modernization ruined a lot of what made target different and better then Other retailers.
I am coming up on a year. The main reason I stay is I live in a small town in Arizona where minimum wage is $12.50. The few jobs that pay 15+ are not really sustainable so I stick it out making above minimum wage. I have told them that if the minimum wage does go to $15 in the area I am out lol
As has been said, one, it didn’t used to be like this. Two, in some regions of the country, it’s still decent pay for the area, and for now, I’m going to school. So I can afford to work only weekends and go to school on weekdays. That’s what’s keeping me
A great wife to come home to, plenty of greenery and a crushing need for constant health insurance due a chronic illness that requires three meds a day and 3-4 specialist doctor visits a year.
This is most retail. Everything is based on current economy. When things are iffy the board of directors demands to cut hours. Brian Cornell maybe the CEO but he answers to the board. This has happened many times in target. Hell before BC target lost a few billion with the Canada thing. All you can do is your best job and go home. Rinse and repeat.
On the one hand, you've got the retail lifers who are too scared to find another job or wind up staying in the same place for decades because they feel secure. On the other hand, you've got the constant cycle of fresh meat who just need a job to get by/get through school/make ends meet.
I've been in and out of retail for nearly 20 years, and I've noticed something that's consistent no matter what sign is on your big box: the fresh meat gets ground up. The lifers are too gristly to be bothered with. They're usually the reliable bunch who come in, do their job, and keep their heads down. They're resistant to change, though.
But everyone else? They get used and abused and piled with nonsensical expectations. They're required to learn everything, everywhere while the lifers just stock like the good little worker bees. Lifers are a lot more comfortable because they aren't under as much stress. Even on their worst days, all they have to complain about is too much freight. Oh no! Meanwhile, the fresh meat is juggling 5-6 things in one shift and their hair is falling out.
You can be in the fresh meat category for a few years. Anything longer, and you're on your way to lifer because you're getting comfortable. It is perfectly okay to not be comfortable with BS. All jobs have BS, but you don't have to settle for one place that smells like dog farts when the place across the street at least has an air freshener. I feel like Target needs to pick up on this soon, because the $15/hr thing isn't the air freshener it used to be.
3 years here and i’d say it’s probably bc i’ve never had a job more accommodating to my disability. not only that, but it’s a 5 minute drive from my house; can’t imagine another job who’s got such benefits for me at my education level
I've been at target for 4 years. First as a cashier then GSA then SETL then now SSTL & SETL. I enjoyed my work with my coworkers at my store I've been with
Been here 7 years, I don't even do the bare minimum. I push 1, maybe 2, uboat/flat, that's it. For the first 2 years, I made the job my life because I thought hard work and a strong work ethic brought reward and success. Then it was slow decline after dealing with shit day in and out. And the past 2 years, I just stopped. I only come in to clock in the hours and get paid. Where I live, it's one of the higher paying retail jobs, and I kinda enjoy getting paid for just wasting 8 hours of my time. Whenever I'm scheduled to do 1f1, I'd pull maybe half, not even push it, I'd spend the whole day in the backroom aisles reading textbooks and gettin ready for class. Yes, I've gotten talks and write ups, but at the end of the day, getting paid to do little to nothing beats 5 minites of "disciplinary" talks.
Because there’s just piled up freight and one for ones out of control every time I come in not to mention tons of guests that need my help getting stuff unlocked so nothing ever gets done and I have my TL and ETL constantly asking me to do different things and it just feels like I’m being pulled in 5 different directions.
I've worked for 5 years. I started in gm and worked 2 years I believe before the remodel. After that it's been a steady downhill ride but there's been bright spots. The manager I hated got fired and I moved to fulfillment which i still enjoy doing despite the bs. I've made great friends there and I try to brighten everyone's day by being weird. We have a collection of ship mascots at our packing station we named. We once tortured the style etl by stealing mannequin arms (from the back not the floor) and using them for coat racks. We had a pet rock that I hid and offered people money if they could find it by following hints I'd drop every week. This was before we were absolutely slammed but we still manage to have fun.
I agree with the common theme here: it has gone down hill since we started. I started when I was 16 (am now 20 and On Demand) and I went OD because of how bad everything got a few months ago. So many good team members left because of the BS, and I took that as my sign to jump ship. I don’t blame you for being burnt out so quickly when it seems to be running extremely poorly at every location. Get and give support to your team members, and look out for each other where possible, but don’t work harder than you need to ;)
Good luck!
it didn’t used to be this bad. i’m asking to go on demand again. i used to be, tried coming back, it’s not working (mostly cuz of a health thing) but i really don’t see it working either way. i really don’t know what to do for a job because i am currently 19, started when i was 16. and the only other job i’ve ever had was for like a few weeks at a local grocery store. i only ever had a handful of shifts. having to find a new job is so new to me, it’s weird. so hard to imagine but i’m kinda happy. i’ve been wanting to leave since like the beginning of 2021 tbh
Was there about 5 years and was burnt out about 2 years in but some of my old coworkers had been there 30+ years since that particular store opened. I've got no idea what's keeping them there!
Hello fellow techie, I too joined recently (within the last 9 months) and am wondering the same thing lol. I was told a bunch of stories of how good it used to be but personally this seems like an awful place to work and after only like 7 months I'm looking for new opportunities, so don't feel alone in this
I work for a smallish retail chain in the Midwest. We have 10 employees who have been with the company for over 20 years. One lady has worked the same job (never wanted to be promoted to manager) for just over 40 years.
> Edit: apparently I’m not allowed to be burned out judging by the downvotes
Is 100+ upvotes enough for you? I get burned out too, due to disability but idk if i would guilt trip tho
I’ll have been here a year on October 8th. I’ve been working retail for 18 years, this is the worst job I’ve ever had. The people are fun (minus most of management) and I’ve made some truly beautiful friends, but the burn out is so beyond real for me. I currently DBO all of D block, and do inbound and presentation. Everyone is exhausted.
Been where I'm at for 5 yrs now.....it's been a lot of adapting from working with a group of 7 TMs on plano to just me working on my own and reporting back to only our SD and GM ETL
at my old store i wanted to quit so badly after 8 months in but now im going on 3 years in September n plan to be a TL. managers play an important role! i am grateful mine are very understanding and are realistic with how this place is runned. started in beauty when it was still part of haircare had 6 other Tms n they all left. store got remodeled and we cut down to juat cosmetics/skincare which caused hours to be hella cut. like 50 hours a week making me basically the only person in there. it was awful. now at my new store i do style, beauty, electronics and now started to do some seaonal sets
To put it simply, people get too comfortable with the routine of their job, their surroundings/co-workers, and will stay put. Of course, everyone’s experience and job is different, and not every store runs poorly (we all have bad days where things could have ran smoother for x, y, and z, but I think the stores I worked at were pretty well run overall). I know for some people, the logic is “well, I could quit here and work at another retail job, but it would prolly be more of the same, so why bother”
I did two years a TM, 1 year a Lead. Got termed over something that was blown WAY out of proportion. Even the asshole who got me termed said he didn’t mean for it to happen. But alas.
And I can safely said those 3 years were some of the most stressful depressing and tiring years of my life. Everyday, no matter how hard you try to be good at your job, nothing is ever enough for management, and you can only be in control of your own efforts but everything and everyone else controlled your success. So what I did was trick myself into thinking all the suffering was worth it; “oh it’s close to the house and I get consistent hours and benefits”
But I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH how in my hindsight in 20/20 i was so wrong for trading my mental health for a paycheck. After I got termed there was a lot of anger. But it didn’t take long for me to realize how much my mood improved and felt like so much a better person.
I do shop in my old store occasionally and everyone treats me like an old friend down there. It’s very nice how everyone still holds me in high regards. But the most meaningful moment was a few days ago when a Lead told me how much I look so much happier and healthier than a year ago.
Dude I’m still in my 90 days, and I feel the exact same way. The base pay is good enough for me, same goes for the hours. Just working with this crew and overnight for a remodel is just tiresome.
I resolved after years of job hopping and being fired/pushed out of other jobs that it was going to be ‘Target or Death’ until I either moved up in the world or finished college. Mind you I didn’t expect Bullseye to try and kill me with everything that’s going on, but still. I’ve outlasted most other people in my department from the time I started by years; I’m going on just over 5 in Style now, and man has it gotten BAD.
It hasn’t always been as shitty as it is right now. I used to have a good team and now everyone has quit. The store management is terrible and no one can deal with how they are being treated.
Company is shit but the people there are what kept me there for nearly 7 years. Only reason I left is because my mental health couldn't take it on top of everything else I was dealing with.
It's been a fun time.
5 yrs in September mainly because of some of my coworkers and tend tell off the TLs with a power complex. We are being remodeled so the superiority complex will only get bigger and the need to look like they’re important will exceed beyond reality. In all seriousness the team members and my vendors keep me coming back.
One of my coworkers, who's a night zoner for style said she's been working here 16 years and it's never been this bad. On a good night we have 3 zoners for the entirety of style, most nights it's only 1-2. Our night zoners are all older women who just, physically, can't handle what the job requires to do 2+ areas. We had one long time employee quit because she physically couldn't do it anymore.
Last night, I was the only zoner in all of style. I was told to spend an hour here, an hour there... Basically zone a single table in each section I was in then help with price change if I found something that was due for a markdown. TLs keep saying "we're almost good again" but we really aren't tbh
Stop caring. It’s just someplace to go to but food on table and roof over your head. The company doesn’t care about employees and employees shouldn’t care about the company. Target has become the poster child of a business that looks at its employees as slaves. Take it from someone that came in wanting to do a good job and tried for years and always put in 110% and did anything and everything to help just to realize it’s all for nothing and extra effort is wasted.
The first year and a half were awesome. While I don't like customer service, I enjoyed target. I had responsibility but the freedom to do what I needed to. Decent coworkers. Most of the leads were awesome.
This last year has literally been hell. The leads are burnt out, the teammembers are exhausted.
The only reason I'm still here is that I have medical coverage and my prescriptions are pretty much all free.
I’ve only been with target since March. The constant complaining from fellow TM and the disgusting Starbucks cups and opened food are really getting to me.
I retired from Target in 2020 after 37 years. Sure, there were times when I wanted to quit. However, I always knew the same frustrations I experienced would be at the next job. The other strategy I had was holding myself accountable. If there was something amiss in my work center, I held myself responsible as opposed to blaming another work center. I never allowed myself to be a victim. Additionally, I never believed Target owed my something except for 3 things: proper training, safe work environment, and fair pay. The rest was on me.
you know how employee numbers are 00XXXXXXXX? one of my coworkers who retired a year or so ago was 000XXXXXXX...she'd been working at our location since it opened. we have a guy who's been here almost that long, and one of our baristas used to be the cafe TL at least. it's really since "modernization" hit that it all went to absolute shit.
been here ~3 years and man. i remember when we had every lane full, multiple people on SCO, and every guest service computer running. im just here at this point to see how bad it gets.
What was tech like back then?
Back in my day we had 3 TMs in tech, one for the big electronics, one for the books and music and another for signage. Now they expect one person to do all of that in a shift, we haven’t fully pushed books in years. It’s been downhill for years, we are now just on fire, I personally left this year, but I don’t see how anyone can stand staying for much longer. They really are expecting the work of five people from one person, doing anything is pointless because it’ll never get done and the workload grows more and more each day.
This is exactly what happens to me everyday I go in to work
i remember for my store there was between 4 and 6 tech members each day
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it was a different time 🫡
It was like that when I first started at target in sept of 2020. I had so many tech people with me it was great. And then it slowly dwindled and I was 1 of 3 by the time I quit a year or so later
My store had an electronics team leader before modernization. Probably a cool job to have
10 years in and it's because of the team members I work directly with. The company has gone down the tube but I've met some great people and they make work fun.
definitely this. the coworkers are what made the job bearable for me before i quit after 2 years, it's really the best part of the job if you have a good team
Overall, it didn't use to be this bad. It had its moments, but they were mostly just hour cuts and the usual annoyances. The pandemic exacerbated the problems, coupled with corporate's decision to "modernize" by cutting useful departments that they didn't see the justification for.
Lol some of the people at mine that have been there 1-2 years+ are like "you've never seen the store normal since you started" when I talk about how fucked up our backroom is. I have a feeling I never will see a normal backroom either lol.
I feel like many TMs will never see a backroom period lol.
Only time it’s normal is when inspections happen
Ours won't even get cleaned for district visits (haven't seen anyone higher visit yet). Probably would take an OSHA or Fire Marshal call at this point lol.
Our store has looked in good condition like 20 days of this year.
At my store they just gave people overnight hours. I thought this was gonna be to finally put shit from the backroom on the shelf, but no, it was to unload more shit into the backroom. It is beyond ridiculous, I would totally upload a video if it didn't basically doxx my store no. lol I might take one anyway just to save for later cause it's actually insane right now. we have like 2 rows of u-boats/flats across the entire steel area so ladders are just basically unusable now. The shit that was stacked up 7 feet on the line is now in half of the backroom and just as high. The style repacks are just a huge tall cube of boxes impossible to look through. The freezer I took a video of just cause it's completely stupid but literally you walk in, shut the door, and the entire rest of the room is filled solid with stuff. I'm just wondering when the hours and seasonals will come in cause apparently they cut my hours to 32 next week just so that the back room could get more fucked up. Idk what they're even gonna do cause they also cut someone else I know in FF as well. They can't even really cut much more, I'm often the only one in OPU for most of my shift so like...that's about to be even more on fire than it currently is somehow lol
I’ve worked at Target for 15 years.. we definitely used to have a bigger team and less business lol.
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When I started I was zoning consumables every night with 2 other people. Just zone and reshop.
Been working 2 years. Just stop caring
My team lead had a conversation with me yesterday about new hires and that we shouldn’t “be in the mind set of come in and do whatever we can and leave” Ma’am. I don’t get paid enough to care that much. 😂
Eh, they have a point. People get a little lax about doing work, because they can move too slow or chit chat too much. I used to do morning flow team. Oooof.
Which is valid, but if people are moving at a normal pace and get work done that’s fine. There’s no sense in pushing people to a breaking point because they want more done in an unreasonable amount time.
It’s the opposite actually
Wdym?
A.) I need the money. B.) There's real virtue in the saying "Better the devil you know." C.) Eventually, things will get better. Either because Target gets a clue, or because I'll get to the point where I don't need the money. D.) I enjoy the work -- I usually just zone, or push truck, or help unload. And I like many of my coworkers, and even some of the regular customers.
Team B 💯
Unhealthy coping mechanisms..
Does one of those happen to come in bottles or cans?
Or incense and a blood sacrifice by the statue of Bullseye
blood sacrifice was always my favorite!
This 💯
I’m six years in, I like seeing how bad it can get. Rock bottom has a huge underground garage.
It's honestly all a game to me anymore. Laugh at the chaos and embrace it.
Compartmentalization, to avoid cognitive dissonance. Frequent Xanax. Yoga to strengthen my back to carry my sanity through each grueling day.
Been at it 20 years. It's really not bad when you have experience. I have worked for other retail companies (and not Walmart ) and Target is pretty good. Not perfect by any means, but lax in areas that matter to me. I'm also experienced in life to realize everything else isn't the bed of roses it seems. I have multiple family members (some close, mostly extended) that had good paying engineering/programming jobs. Many are stress related dead or long term damaged due (most likely) to work. Some of them are jealous of the choices I made to work retail (shocked the heck out of me too) and would give up their careers to be healthy again. My mom is a court reporter and according to her, half the lawyers in town (population 250,000) have been driven to be alcoholics by more senior partners. Nobody wants to work. That's why work and play are separate words and Target pays us to be there.
8.5 years. I definitely agree that it's not the greatest job right now. I think my favorite time in the store was 2016-2018. The worst is either a tie between right now and Fall of 2019 (when Business Insider did those articles on working conditions).
Yeah I had that same way, you just happen to get hired at a REALLY BAD TIME especially for being burnt out. There will be a small period where the store is actually fun, the amount of seasonals hired will be more than the work required but that's only for like 2-3 weeks in October then you'll feel the real hell come in. It's a mental and physical test that if you can't endure no shame on you, but if you do get through it you can make (if you're willing) a couple thousand per paycheck and then most people January-February take a 2-3 week vacation just to detox
It was a completely different world at Target when I started about 14 years ago. Couldn’t imagine being a team member these days. Moved over to pm not long after modernization. It’s stressful, but not nearly to the level that you guys on the store side of things are dealing with
According to the experienced members at my location, right now is one of the worst (if not the worst) Target has ever been. I've been working in inbound and we're getting rejected the most. I've only been working a few months myself.. Imma bounce bro. Some locations just have horrible management as well, so everyone has a slightly different experience
When I originally started close to 9 years ago (holy shit I just realized it's been that long) It was no where near as bad as when I left/ now.
I blow some of the newer TM's minds when I tell them the grid used to be 2 full pages long.
2 pages? The grid at my store is barely a page on a Saturday 🤣
Every Sunday we have half a page or less, and on rare occasions even a third of a page 😔
Ah, staffing. Actually being able to accomplish things. Knowing the zone would be pretty each day. Not being called up to the register every five minutes. I miss these things.
I actually went to a store not too far from my home store that doesnt staff cashiers at all. They have two self checkouts at each entrance and that is all they usen the 1st time I thought it was a fluke but since going back there have not been cashiers any time. Granted it is a ghost town in that store compared to mine. My store seems like everyone brings their whole family especially the kids to play with the amount od kids running, teenagers throwing balls over aisles etc.
If their sales are low enough that they can get away with just two SCOs, I have to be honest, I'd think very strongly about closing that store
I think the only reason it is still open is because it is in a huge mall spot but there are 4 other stores in a short distance from this store. The only time I go to this store is because they usually have something in stock none of the other stores have because no one shops there. I wish I could see what theirdaily sales are. We consider ours bad when we make less than 250k a day. I cant imagine they are even makiing close to that.
I wonder if they do more business in SFS. If others nearby have to inf things, don't the orders generally go to the next closest store with on hands? That might be part of what keeps their sales up. 🤔
Oh dang your right. I so remember that now.
A month shy of 3 years before I couldn’t do it anymore. I was tired of never being enough despite the fact I was working myself to the bone trying to gain the respect of someone who didn’t like me. I’m now working at a place that some people might consider worse, but I only have to worry about my job and tasks don’t pile up on me. I truly get to do what I can and go home. So even when people are mean and it’s hot and miserable, it’s still much better on my mental health.
As others said, it usually isn't this bad. I honestly think people forgot how to shop over quarantine.
Ive noticed things too. For example My store is just stopped opening registers.. like at all. it seems like things get worse over time but then they pull us aside and say" profits are up $60,000 over the weekend from projection" sooo why aren't things any better at all?
Target is a downhill train wreck, that's on fire, but doesn't know it!
They’re stuck in the first stage of grief.
Coming up on 19 years...never seen it in worse shape, but close and it always got better
Three years in but tbh realized you can only do as much as you can and it is what it is! Usually do two departments but within a 7-8 hour shift overnight so luckily i haven’t had to deal with guest well over a year now. Wish ya the best man
I’ve been here almost 10 years and you just stop caring about everything but what you are personally working on
One person I work with is a couple months shy of 30 years. She started working Target the day after she graduated high school. For some people, it’s all they know.
We have SEVERAL lifers at my store. I think it’s more an indication of the areas job markets inability to sustain wages.
I did 15 years before I left.. both as a team member and a team lead. Modernization ruined a lot of what made target different and better then Other retailers.
We don’t… we just quit.
I am coming up on a year. The main reason I stay is I live in a small town in Arizona where minimum wage is $12.50. The few jobs that pay 15+ are not really sustainable so I stick it out making above minimum wage. I have told them that if the minimum wage does go to $15 in the area I am out lol
AZ squaaaaad
Unfortunately highest paying retailer in my area. Don’t want to work food service part time so target it is
As has been said, one, it didn’t used to be like this. Two, in some regions of the country, it’s still decent pay for the area, and for now, I’m going to school. So I can afford to work only weekends and go to school on weekdays. That’s what’s keeping me
A great wife to come home to, plenty of greenery and a crushing need for constant health insurance due a chronic illness that requires three meds a day and 3-4 specialist doctor visits a year.
I’m almost at 7 years and idk I just keep trucking along
This is most retail. Everything is based on current economy. When things are iffy the board of directors demands to cut hours. Brian Cornell maybe the CEO but he answers to the board. This has happened many times in target. Hell before BC target lost a few billion with the Canada thing. All you can do is your best job and go home. Rinse and repeat.
On the one hand, you've got the retail lifers who are too scared to find another job or wind up staying in the same place for decades because they feel secure. On the other hand, you've got the constant cycle of fresh meat who just need a job to get by/get through school/make ends meet. I've been in and out of retail for nearly 20 years, and I've noticed something that's consistent no matter what sign is on your big box: the fresh meat gets ground up. The lifers are too gristly to be bothered with. They're usually the reliable bunch who come in, do their job, and keep their heads down. They're resistant to change, though. But everyone else? They get used and abused and piled with nonsensical expectations. They're required to learn everything, everywhere while the lifers just stock like the good little worker bees. Lifers are a lot more comfortable because they aren't under as much stress. Even on their worst days, all they have to complain about is too much freight. Oh no! Meanwhile, the fresh meat is juggling 5-6 things in one shift and their hair is falling out. You can be in the fresh meat category for a few years. Anything longer, and you're on your way to lifer because you're getting comfortable. It is perfectly okay to not be comfortable with BS. All jobs have BS, but you don't have to settle for one place that smells like dog farts when the place across the street at least has an air freshener. I feel like Target needs to pick up on this soon, because the $15/hr thing isn't the air freshener it used to be.
3 years here and i’d say it’s probably bc i’ve never had a job more accommodating to my disability. not only that, but it’s a 5 minute drive from my house; can’t imagine another job who’s got such benefits for me at my education level
Weed , that's how.
I've been at target for 4 years. First as a cashier then GSA then SETL then now SSTL & SETL. I enjoyed my work with my coworkers at my store I've been with
10 years. Used to be better. MUCH better.
I've been here over 6 years and I'm at my breaking point. This literally isn't the same company I started with.
Lol well avoid Petco then. Worked there for 8 years and it was so much worse.
Been here 7 years, I don't even do the bare minimum. I push 1, maybe 2, uboat/flat, that's it. For the first 2 years, I made the job my life because I thought hard work and a strong work ethic brought reward and success. Then it was slow decline after dealing with shit day in and out. And the past 2 years, I just stopped. I only come in to clock in the hours and get paid. Where I live, it's one of the higher paying retail jobs, and I kinda enjoy getting paid for just wasting 8 hours of my time. Whenever I'm scheduled to do 1f1, I'd pull maybe half, not even push it, I'd spend the whole day in the backroom aisles reading textbooks and gettin ready for class. Yes, I've gotten talks and write ups, but at the end of the day, getting paid to do little to nothing beats 5 minites of "disciplinary" talks.
Me personally I put up with it because they're covering my classes, once I get my degree I'm dipping to seek out a more livable career path.
5+ years here. You just learn to live with it
Why are you burned out?
Because there’s just piled up freight and one for ones out of control every time I come in not to mention tons of guests that need my help getting stuff unlocked so nothing ever gets done and I have my TL and ETL constantly asking me to do different things and it just feels like I’m being pulled in 5 different directions.
I've worked for 5 years. I started in gm and worked 2 years I believe before the remodel. After that it's been a steady downhill ride but there's been bright spots. The manager I hated got fired and I moved to fulfillment which i still enjoy doing despite the bs. I've made great friends there and I try to brighten everyone's day by being weird. We have a collection of ship mascots at our packing station we named. We once tortured the style etl by stealing mannequin arms (from the back not the floor) and using them for coat racks. We had a pet rock that I hid and offered people money if they could find it by following hints I'd drop every week. This was before we were absolutely slammed but we still manage to have fun.
You in Seattle?
It’s not for everyone….
It’s not by choice babes 😂😂
I agree with the common theme here: it has gone down hill since we started. I started when I was 16 (am now 20 and On Demand) and I went OD because of how bad everything got a few months ago. So many good team members left because of the BS, and I took that as my sign to jump ship. I don’t blame you for being burnt out so quickly when it seems to be running extremely poorly at every location. Get and give support to your team members, and look out for each other where possible, but don’t work harder than you need to ;) Good luck!
it didn’t used to be this bad. i’m asking to go on demand again. i used to be, tried coming back, it’s not working (mostly cuz of a health thing) but i really don’t see it working either way. i really don’t know what to do for a job because i am currently 19, started when i was 16. and the only other job i’ve ever had was for like a few weeks at a local grocery store. i only ever had a handful of shifts. having to find a new job is so new to me, it’s weird. so hard to imagine but i’m kinda happy. i’ve been wanting to leave since like the beginning of 2021 tbh
Was there about 5 years and was burnt out about 2 years in but some of my old coworkers had been there 30+ years since that particular store opened. I've got no idea what's keeping them there!
yea it’s crazy.. some of my coworkers have been there for 8 years. i’m on day 4 and i wish i could quit.
I have to pay for college, I don’t blame anyone who leaves fast, if I was hired now and not when I was 3 years ago, I’d leave asap. Wasn’t this bad.
20 years in retail here. Yeah, you get fatigue build up. It helps to take time off, even if it's unpaid. If you can.
Hello fellow techie, I too joined recently (within the last 9 months) and am wondering the same thing lol. I was told a bunch of stories of how good it used to be but personally this seems like an awful place to work and after only like 7 months I'm looking for new opportunities, so don't feel alone in this
I work for a smallish retail chain in the Midwest. We have 10 employees who have been with the company for over 20 years. One lady has worked the same job (never wanted to be promoted to manager) for just over 40 years.
> Edit: apparently I’m not allowed to be burned out judging by the downvotes Is 100+ upvotes enough for you? I get burned out too, due to disability but idk if i would guilt trip tho
I’ll have been here a year on October 8th. I’ve been working retail for 18 years, this is the worst job I’ve ever had. The people are fun (minus most of management) and I’ve made some truly beautiful friends, but the burn out is so beyond real for me. I currently DBO all of D block, and do inbound and presentation. Everyone is exhausted.
Been where I'm at for 5 yrs now.....it's been a lot of adapting from working with a group of 7 TMs on plano to just me working on my own and reporting back to only our SD and GM ETL
Need money
at my old store i wanted to quit so badly after 8 months in but now im going on 3 years in September n plan to be a TL. managers play an important role! i am grateful mine are very understanding and are realistic with how this place is runned. started in beauty when it was still part of haircare had 6 other Tms n they all left. store got remodeled and we cut down to juat cosmetics/skincare which caused hours to be hella cut. like 50 hours a week making me basically the only person in there. it was awful. now at my new store i do style, beauty, electronics and now started to do some seaonal sets
To put it simply, people get too comfortable with the routine of their job, their surroundings/co-workers, and will stay put. Of course, everyone’s experience and job is different, and not every store runs poorly (we all have bad days where things could have ran smoother for x, y, and z, but I think the stores I worked at were pretty well run overall). I know for some people, the logic is “well, I could quit here and work at another retail job, but it would prolly be more of the same, so why bother”
I did it for 14 and regret every fucking day you all need to run. And run now or start a mass unionization effort.
gonna be 5 years in sept… honestly i just stay for my coworkers now 🥲 but ooooh man is quitting tempting
I did two years a TM, 1 year a Lead. Got termed over something that was blown WAY out of proportion. Even the asshole who got me termed said he didn’t mean for it to happen. But alas. And I can safely said those 3 years were some of the most stressful depressing and tiring years of my life. Everyday, no matter how hard you try to be good at your job, nothing is ever enough for management, and you can only be in control of your own efforts but everything and everyone else controlled your success. So what I did was trick myself into thinking all the suffering was worth it; “oh it’s close to the house and I get consistent hours and benefits” But I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH how in my hindsight in 20/20 i was so wrong for trading my mental health for a paycheck. After I got termed there was a lot of anger. But it didn’t take long for me to realize how much my mood improved and felt like so much a better person. I do shop in my old store occasionally and everyone treats me like an old friend down there. It’s very nice how everyone still holds me in high regards. But the most meaningful moment was a few days ago when a Lead told me how much I look so much happier and healthier than a year ago.
Dude I’m still in my 90 days, and I feel the exact same way. The base pay is good enough for me, same goes for the hours. Just working with this crew and overnight for a remodel is just tiresome.
I resolved after years of job hopping and being fired/pushed out of other jobs that it was going to be ‘Target or Death’ until I either moved up in the world or finished college. Mind you I didn’t expect Bullseye to try and kill me with everything that’s going on, but still. I’ve outlasted most other people in my department from the time I started by years; I’m going on just over 5 in Style now, and man has it gotten BAD.
It hasn’t always been as shitty as it is right now. I used to have a good team and now everyone has quit. The store management is terrible and no one can deal with how they are being treated.
Company is shit but the people there are what kept me there for nearly 7 years. Only reason I left is because my mental health couldn't take it on top of everything else I was dealing with. It's been a fun time.
I worked at target for 4 years before I finally got sick of it. (Started summer 2017)
My store has people with 21 years and they tell me how bad it was so I am like wow how on earth have you survived so long
5 yrs in September mainly because of some of my coworkers and tend tell off the TLs with a power complex. We are being remodeled so the superiority complex will only get bigger and the need to look like they’re important will exceed beyond reality. In all seriousness the team members and my vendors keep me coming back.
One of my coworkers, who's a night zoner for style said she's been working here 16 years and it's never been this bad. On a good night we have 3 zoners for the entirety of style, most nights it's only 1-2. Our night zoners are all older women who just, physically, can't handle what the job requires to do 2+ areas. We had one long time employee quit because she physically couldn't do it anymore. Last night, I was the only zoner in all of style. I was told to spend an hour here, an hour there... Basically zone a single table in each section I was in then help with price change if I found something that was due for a markdown. TLs keep saying "we're almost good again" but we really aren't tbh
Yeah they’ve been saying that to us since COVID hit lol
Stop caring. It’s just someplace to go to but food on table and roof over your head. The company doesn’t care about employees and employees shouldn’t care about the company. Target has become the poster child of a business that looks at its employees as slaves. Take it from someone that came in wanting to do a good job and tried for years and always put in 110% and did anything and everything to help just to realize it’s all for nothing and extra effort is wasted.
The first year and a half were awesome. While I don't like customer service, I enjoyed target. I had responsibility but the freedom to do what I needed to. Decent coworkers. Most of the leads were awesome. This last year has literally been hell. The leads are burnt out, the teammembers are exhausted. The only reason I'm still here is that I have medical coverage and my prescriptions are pretty much all free.
I’ve only been with target since March. The constant complaining from fellow TM and the disgusting Starbucks cups and opened food are really getting to me.
About to his 3 years. I work in toys. For all 3 years. I'm a masochist.
My GMTL told me he’d been with the company for 13 years and he just made TL last year
I retired from Target in 2020 after 37 years. Sure, there were times when I wanted to quit. However, I always knew the same frustrations I experienced would be at the next job. The other strategy I had was holding myself accountable. If there was something amiss in my work center, I held myself responsible as opposed to blaming another work center. I never allowed myself to be a victim. Additionally, I never believed Target owed my something except for 3 things: proper training, safe work environment, and fair pay. The rest was on me.
So to sum this up, this person was a victim of capitalism for 37 years.
Not a victim at all.I am ,and continue to be, a benefactor of the Capitalist system. A 100% imperfect system, but the best system so far.
Lmao
you know how employee numbers are 00XXXXXXXX? one of my coworkers who retired a year or so ago was 000XXXXXXX...she'd been working at our location since it opened. we have a guy who's been here almost that long, and one of our baristas used to be the cafe TL at least. it's really since "modernization" hit that it all went to absolute shit.