February 27, 2015 - rage
A means to an end
About 8 years ago I started working at Target and went back to school, because I wanted to be an ETL. Yeah, I wasn’t aiming too high in life, so let me explain where I was coming from when I made that decision. I was on my last few years of my Army contract when I started working at Target. The Army can be a bit stressful at times believe it or not 😛 Yeah, backstocking a truck for 8 hours per day isn’t mentally stimulating and I know I could have done better, but it was stable and the easiest job ever. It was just nice to have an easy, laid back job. No getting rained on, no dumbass officers to deal with, and no deployments. Not paradise, but not bad either. I live a modest lifestyle and figured if I can get by just fine working here then why not go for ETL, so I could afford to do stuff like buy a nice house in a quiet neighborhood and have kids. Strike one happened when I found out that a college degree is required and the worst part is they don’t care what degree you get. It’s supposed to show dedication and commitment, but apparently military service isn’t good enough.
I went back to college, took charge whenever I could to demonstrate my suitability for leadership, and made my intentions clear. It didn’t matter where they placed me, I would own that area and constantly seek ways to improve it. The rare times when a TL position was open and I would apply, I got the run around. I realized that skill doesn’t matter, but if you’re in the “good ol boy club” then you can get promoted. If it wasn’t the good ol boy club, it was always someone from outside the store. After a few years of this shit I realized that my efforts were in vein. They don’t promote within and the leadership make some of the most elementary mistakes possible (severely understaffing, insufficient training, hiring useless people etc) that any effective leader would have immediately corrected. Then a few years ago this VIBE shit happened and everyone went from attempting to use logic in decision making to using big, important sounding words, happy feelings, giving the guests whatever they want, pushing red cards down their throats, and damn near shitting themselves every time someone actually does sign up for one. This company rewards idiocy while punishing/not utilizing talent. The people running it don’t know how to run a business nor inspire people, they think saving 5% is the equivalent of winning the lottery, there’s no loyalty on any level, senior management obviously doesn’t understand the words “logistics” or “supply chain” and managed to lose $5 billion in 2 years (failed expansion into Canada ring a bell?)… I hope someone got a standing ovation for that brilliant idea! As a bonus, I found out that at my store we’re paying someone $40k per year to do a half assed job cleaning the parking lot while we keep getting our hours cut, because a multi-billion dollar corporation doesn’t have enough payroll. Did someone start eating paint chips and huffing fumes? This is a horrible way to run a business! Anyway, last year I knew I had to move on, but wasn’t sure of my next move.
Now here I am one year later at a new store. I’m at a store that’s in the top 10 for the group, the leadership is good (aside from the red card pushing thing), I like everyone I work with, the guests aren’t usually that bad, and I get my hours. Guess what Target? Too little, too late! You already turned your back on me and I’m finally ready to move on. I’ve already got the ball rolling to go back to college and this time it’s not for you, it’s for me. It might be next month or it might be a few months, but either way 2015 will be the last year that I’m at Tarshit! I might actually be able to do things this year like have a pleasant Thanksgiving dinner with family or better enjoy life in general with both friends and family, because I’m not imprisoned in a building with people who think the floor is where garbage goes and that I exist to shop for your stuck up ass!
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Congratulations! It's nice that you're finally seeing past all the garbage, and ready to make changes in your life for the better. Step 1. Fuck Tarshit! 🙂
There's definitely no advancement opportunity at this pathetic company unless you kiss serious ass. I mean it says a lot when GSTLs who have been with the company for ages stay where they are. It's "cooler" to bring in kids fresh outta school with no work/life experience with a piece of paper declaring them "educated", rather than people who actually know what they're doing. In fact I wonder if anyone who has worked at Tarshit who got a degree and still wasnt able to land an ETL spot... better yet, who WAS able to land a job as an ETL after obtaining a degree. May be It's because most of the current employees have opened their eyes to how stupid the Tarshit management team is. I don't know, either way congrats on seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!
"Career Opportunities" are for the select few. Young, recent college grad, external. Very rarely do people "move up" the ladder. It is more of a "unicorn" situation then the standard practice. Quality companies have a well publicized job board/ internal job postings process. Here people leave and the spots are mysteriously filled.GOOD LUCK... You will be so much better off ANYWHERE else.
Couldn't agree more! I just don't get their stupid logic, especially since its not working out in their favor with idiots running the show LOL.
Good for you- you are going to find awesome opportunities out there for your talent! Unfortunately that really is how it works- the company has so many processes and procedures and steps and documentation to run people in circles, because passive aggressive.
My store didn't care about military members either. In fact, the only military member in my store and the only manager that I actually respected and liked was hacked when they were cutting hours. Pretty sure he moved on to a better job, but that was what sparked my hate of working there and ultimately getting fired.