December 5, 2011 - deartarget

Lame GSTL

Hey guys!

To be honest, I don’t hate Target… yet.

Now that I am a seasonal employee at Target, I see things a little bit differently.
First off, I was smart enough to NOT apply at the Target’s within 5 minutes of my home. I would never deal with such craziness for minimum wage. I went ahead and applied at a Target close to my college that was in a much nicer area. Wonderful idea might I add. I was surprised to see that starting pay was actually 50cents more than what I was expecting. I know that may not seem that much to most people but its better than my last two jobs and I am as they say, a starving student paying everything on my own.

My department as a Sales Floor Team Member was Softlines but I would of course have to learn how to be a Cashier. On the day of orientation we were asked if any of us would like to stay for more reading and possibly get trained for cashier. I stayed because not only was it more hours but maybe they would like me just a tad bit more than the ones who said no thanks.

It was only a couple of us, less than 4 who were “training” and we were set up with fake cards and all of that without supervision. I went on to my department which I picked up quickly and always did a good, fast job. The majority of this department knew my name and a little about me and they always complimented me and at times when I let them in a little, I would once in a while say, “thanks, I hope they’ll see what you see in me and keep me permanently.” Most of the employees would say, “don’t worry about it you’re doing a really good job,” and they all seemed genuine.

A good two, three weeks passed and then on my schedule I see, cashier. I let one of the HR members know that I have yet to be trained as a cashier. She immediately adds another shift to my schedule, the day before I am scheduled as a cashier. My team trainer who trained me how to work a cashier was awkward, intimidating and I even felt like this team trainer would blackmail me for some reason one of these days. We went through the different types of payments and we called it a day.

1st day Cashiering

I wanted to run away and never come back to Target. This is coming from a person who has worked with a POS system and the old school registers from my two previous jobs. My plastic bags were all stuck together and without the softest touch, would rip. I wouldn’t mind if this was one item but I was put in a register close to the food section. I eventually had a customer who wanted to pay with EBT, use a stack wad of coupons with one of them being a receive A $____ gift card when you spend $_____ or more. Well, her EBT card was acting funky and for some reason my register wouldn’t allow me to give her the gift car. With no GSTL in sight, I had to not only turn on my light but also press the Help button. The GSTL of course never came within 5+ minutes and I had developed a line of people at that point with no one responding for back up. Screwed right? Luckily, a HR member came out and saw me and took the guest’s issue and fixes it. The GSTL decides to come at that point and I say, “I’m sorry so and so came by and helped me.” GSTL looked so pissed off and left without saying a word.

Then, this lady and her kid load up what seems to be her second load of merchandise and once again gives me the same coupon. Here i am thinking wtf did i do to deserve this. Stuck at the same situation, I once again see my GSTL nowhere in sight and I have no choice but to press the Help button. He comes by 5+ minutes later and rudely says to me, “What the hell happened now,” in front of the guest. I was so angry and even the guest felt sorry for me. I explained the situation and the GSTL took her to another register and solved the situation. I think it would have been a wonderful idea to take this chance to see the GSTL fix the situation, that way in case were it to happen again, I could know how to do it this time. That never happened, the GSTL shot down my idea and left without saying a word.

Time passes by and the GSTL goes, “have you even be trained?”

-________- No shit sherlock! I wouldn’t be standing here if I didn’t know even the slightest thing of working a register. It wasn’t my fault, your team trainer was crazy and that your EBT card sample wouldn’t work. It’s not like your training guide goes into further details and what to do in specific situations!!

I came home with a headache that day. I have cashier several days now and everything else has been smooth, especially when that particular GSTL is not on duty! Just the other day I got my 1st RedCard which this GSTL saw me do and didn’t even acknowledge it. This store has had permanent employees who have yet to event get a person to sign up for one, and here I am getting one within my 1st week. Knock on wood this doesn’t jinx it!

On another note, it is stated as our responsibility to take our breaks and all that crap. Well, as a cashier I kind of follow it difficult to achieve. Few lanes open and guests left in right with carts full of merchandise, I hardly get the chance to take a breath by the time I look at the time, my break has been way overdue. I don’t get what the point of having a GSTL know what time we are in or out if they themselves don’t seem to care if we get our 15 minute breaks. How hard is it to find a worker on the floor to say, so and so has to take a break, we’re in over our heads, jump on a register. There have been other employees who have complained about this too, sometimes they say that have been dying to go restroom for hours but can’t seem to pry themselves away from their registers because of all the guests waiting.

I am so far thankful for the other cashiers, employees who help me out in that moment, not some GSTL that is rude to me and quite frankly, not much of a help.I just wish to be back in my department, get recognized for my hard work and be kept as a permanent employee because so far, there hasn’t been enough shit to have me walk out from this store just yet.

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