June 17, 2015 - redsredsreds
Target is Destroying My Mental Health
I started working at Target as a seasonal hire in November of last year as a cashier. Every thing was fine for the first couple of months despite the crazy holiday crowds. I was able to convince a “guest” to sign up for a red card on my first shift on my own. I almost immediately was pulled aside by the STL and the front end supervisor, gstl, whatever the fuck she’s called. The STL asked me what I knew about all of the fast, fun, friendly, vibe bullshit and I went along with it and they expressed how pleased they were that I got a red card. He then proceeded to go on and on about the importance of getting red cards and how I need to ask every guest because more red cards means more money and more shifts. It didn’t help that our store is one of the top red card contributors in the area. It was fine though because I was even praised in front of all of the other cashier trainees for being the first to get a red card.
Anyway, the first couple of months were fine and everyone was nice enough. I got a sufficient amount of red cards fairly easily (I guess because holiday shoppers were more eager to save whenever they could). On Black Friday I worked like eleven hours and got a shit ton of red cards and had a great conversion score or whatever. When the holiday season ended, however, things slowly went to shit. I was asked if I would like to stay and I of course agreed because I need money and didn’t really mind the job at the time. They said I would get less hours and I did. But the trouble really started as I gradually became more fed up with repeating the same bullshit red card lines to countless customers who would immediately get pissed off that you even had the audacity to ask such a thing. As I was asking less and less I finally had a week where I had no red cards and had worked 3o hours or so. Of course one of the GSTLs pulled me aside and talked about their bullshit strategies (as if asking in a slightly different way will make customers suddenly want a damn credit card). He was generally positive, though, and I got over it.
However, the red card coaching became a lot more frequent and I was often pulled into the front office where I was given the third degree. First: “How many transactions did you have this week?” I always said I don’t fucking know because do they really think I’m fucking counting? Then they would tell me how I didn’t meet the dumbass goal. (Which keeps fucking hitting new highs of disgustingly greedy and absurd expectations). Then: “How do you ask for a red card?” “Well, you should try asking in a different way.” “Are you telling them about all the benefits.” “Do you think you need more training?” A big fucking NO to that one.
So these meetings went on for quite a while and got increasingly more frustrating for me. Basically I would try to ask for red cards more often or when management was in ear shot, but I refused to shove it down people’s throats the way they expected me too. I already am a pretty socially awkward person and I don’t like to start conversations with customers, but I’m always polite and ask them how they are doing and will of course engage in conversation if they initiate it. But fucking management watches me like a hawk constantly telling me I’m not being friendly enough or engaging enough and that’s why they aren’t receptive to red cards. They constantly stand behind me or try to covertly look over my shoulder and then in the meetings tell me that they didn’t see me asking and BLAH BLAH BLAH BULLSHIT.
Basically, I made sure to get at least a few red cards a week so that they would pull me aside less and they did mostly leave me alone for a while. It seemed like they caught on that I wasn’t falling for their “red cards are a team effort” bullshit and their fucking starbucks drink prizes that would only motivate a brainwashed moron. That was until I was pulled into the front office once again and had by far the worst meeting I’ve yet to have.
I got the usual bullshit questions such as my number of transactions and was told that I had no red cards the week before and how I am inconsistent and never meeting the goal. I am apparently getting less capable at hiding my annoyance as my facial expression ticked off the TL and she got increasingly bitchier. She basically outright said that I was not doing my job because I was not getting red cards and although I usually just take the bullshit I told her that I was insulted that she would insinuate such a thing considering I have never been late in the 7+ months I have been there, I always do my job (in fact I’m probably the fastest cashier in the store), I do whatever I’m asked (except for red card bullshit) and go help on the floor whenever they need me to, I have only called out sick a few times and have never been absent without notice, etc. The GSTL who is in the room with us proceeds to make a completely ridiculous analogy about how this is like if I went to class, but didn’t pay attention, didn’t do the work, and failed the test. She says, “Then was going to class worth it?” Or some bullshit of that nature. I told her that I didn’t think it was the same thing since this is such an over the top nonsensical comparison. So ringing up 350 customers or so a shift but not getting red cards is equivalent to faffing around on tumblr during a lecture? What kind of fuckery was this moron spewing?
Clearly, I am beyond outraged and I am already angry with myself for having to take this job in this first place since I am a college graduate who has been struggling to get a job in the field that I want and I’ve seen how impossible it is to get a decent paying job of any kind without some sort of connections. Sorry this was so long, but I needed to vent and I just really fucking hate target. (I won’t even go into the bullshit that is the shitty registers.)
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Yup! I can totally relate. The whole redcard bullshit it was really makes the job unbearable.
i feel you. Everyone of my supervisors is like um as long as you get the surveys out, don't worry about the donations icons being low, just keep asking and hoping. Except this new gstl keeps on harping about it saying omg how the numbers low the numbers are and that we need to ask more. um not my problem if i have bad luck with donations. Even attempted to override a decision made by the front end manager and attempted to coach me for following the directions of the front end manager. She's making this once enjoyable job unbearable.
The interesting thing about the red card is that after it first rolled out, guests starting calling 1800-440-0680 to complain that they are being harassed by target team members every time about the red card when hey shopped our stores so target changed it to whereby cashiers were to ask only when the register prompted. And we are once again demonized to haunt our guests every time about the red card by asking them to apply. I have gotten responses from angry females who say stuff like "NO MY HUSBAND WILL KILL ME!" or others who say "NO THE RED CARD IS THE DEVIL!" It is like a fucking circus. DTL texting the STL's about red cards and the STL's texting the ETL or Senior Team Lead for constant red card updates daily on their shifts. Cashiers quit because they get frustrated about this red card bullshit and how they are being spoken to by management. It is like if you do not get red cards you will not have a job. Furthermore team members do not get monetary incentives for each approved application or application that they secure. The measle raises that we get each year from target particularly the top red card performers does not justify or amount to anything compared to all the sales we are driving into target's bank account
Omg I had to sit here and ask myself did I write this? Cuz this totally sounds like me!!!! U had 1,000 transactions last week and only one red card...I'm like okay so what! Then they have a stupid way of continuously asking u every few minutes do u have one yet!!! I'm like u have a mydevice if I had one you'll be the first to know stop fuckin asking me! Target is ran by fuckin "yes" people, people who don't have the ability to think outside of the box and have a brain of their own! I advise anyone who works here to get the fuck out!!! Nobody who starts off as a cashier or any other position for that matter EVER makes it into corporate! You'll be working at target for 300 got damn years and the most you'll ever be is a GSTL....and you'll end up being one of those for another 600.....