So I have been reading many complaints about employee treatment...and I thought I would add my experience as it is possibly unique and not unique at the same time, Here it goes:

I moved from my home state over the summer because I could not find a job in my home state because of the economic downturn (20% unemployment in some areas.) I decided to move cross-country and after a month with no job in a new city I needed something fast. I have an undergraduate degree in business but I was still having trouble finding employment, with a place that would accommodate my schedule ( I was pursuing a masters in a non-business related field.) I happened upon a new target store, and it said that they were still looking for candidates. I like Target...they have cool stuff...If you're kind of drunk it's fun to walk around in the store and play with the toys, and the employees always looked kind of happy, I guess.

So I applied, was asked to come to a mass interview, where they asked the most ridiculous questions, like it was a job for Proctor and Gamble and I would be leading the invention of the world's first toothpaste that you can swallow. (My first job as a researcher for an asset management company didn't ask that many questions and we were responsible for millions of peoples hard earned cash.) So I had applied for several positions, I applied for several leadership positions as well as a position on the "sales floor." I was offered a position, and I was running out of money so I accepted, at the awesome wage for the sales floor of $8.40 an hour. I felt a little bit insulted, but hey I had not had a job for a while, and at least I found a job and would be making some money. I was asked to take a piss test, because Target is a drug-free work place (good thing I quit toking up a month before the interview, because I ran out of money.) I passed, and they scheduled me for orientation.

Orientation gets moved to a week later and had to move around travel plans to see friends in a neighboring city...no biggie.
Orientation is kind of stupid, but the people that would be my managers seemed nice, so I wasn't too upset about, plus it's paid and it wasn't really that bad.

During the set up of the store...it's a new store...so the future employees help set it up (not sure if this is standard?) but that was cool...except...one day I got asked if I minded doing some "more" physical activities. I did not realize that I would be forced to stand outside and haul tons of metal from location to location and THROW IT IN THE DUMPSTER. That's right folks no recycling. As a former business student I asked my store ETL if we could possibly try to sell the scrap for the store to make some money before we open. Apparently Target doesn't allow that either. It almost felt wrong to throw away dumpster after dumpster of scrap, and the person I was doing this with all day also noted how wrong it felt. I thought Target was into recycling and being greener...whatever companies lie all the time, no biggie...I had worked for worse before, and I still had a job even though I had mentioned an idea that was very un-brand.

During "plan-o" as they call it, I get asked to train for the Starbucks in Target. I did so...and that was cool too, still no major complaints, and I met some awesome people in the process. What concerns me about the Starbucks in the Target is that the baristas are not allowed to accept tips. This was very awkward during the Holidays when customers want to tip you and you have to think of something to say, like, "we can't accept tips because we are all Target 'team' members" or "Well I would love too, but we are all commrade's and we toil for the betterment of mother-target." I don't know why Target would do this...it isn't coming out of their bottom line. Anyways, that's enough about the Starbucks...everything else was okay.

I worked part in Starbucks and part on the Sales-floor, I got tons of hours, too many in fact and asked repeatedly to be cut back because I was also going to grad school full time. The one instance that stands out as completely absurd, was a couple weeks we did not meet sales, and they cut peoples hours. Well they didn't cut any of the managers hours, and I am not sure how they got by without all the serfs toiling around the store stocking shelves and moving products around like siamang's. My hours were cut to 8 hours a week. For those two weeks, and frankly I just laughed. I asked one manager who I was closer with how she expected me to eat, let alone pay rent, and she said that they had to train a whole bunch of people for the Holiday season. I asked if they were going to buy me lunch on the days when we worked together. She didn't say anything, but got my point and ended up fanaggling more hours for me. This brings me to my next point.

I was not harassed nor was I treated as an inferior by anyone of my Management team, quite the contrary. I feel as though I was given preferential treatment because I was around the same age and same education level, if not more educated. They were accommodating to almost every one of my strange requests throughout my time at Target. However, this was not the case to all my fellow co-workers who deserved treatment. I don't know why they did this or the reasons I was selected for special treatment, I am a white male and did not plan on becoming a manager, I was working on a masters degree.

While I was there I saw many things that bothered me...I saw things that have consequently made me never return to Target. Was there bullying and un-fair treatment towards others...You betcha. Was there dicrimination...You betcha. Did people get fired for no apparent reasons...Of course. My overall experience was negative, not for anything done to me, but for the suffering and humiliation imparted to fellow human beings working there. People felt terrible everyday, I know because I asked. People were made to feel that if they messed up, they would be fired, because they could be replaced. I had a series of panic attacks and subsequently quit...most likely due to school, but I feel somewhat better now that I don't work there. I feel bad for the people that do however. It is not a great place to work, and the treatment of employees at Target on a store management and corporate level is downright wrong. Allowing people to make racist comments, allowing people to bully, allowing others to gossip and say false things about others to get them fired is wrong and should not be tolerated. At my store it was, and that is another reason why I left.

Target gave me a job when I needed one, and for that I am grateful...hopefully with this people will see that not everybody has a downright terrible experience, but I warn everybody that things are not as they seem. Don't just drink the kool-aid because it's your favorite color. I hope that this presented a more articulate and unbiased view of my time at Target, that will help anyone who decided to read it.

Thank you for your time.

Peace

Today I went to target to exchange a gift a friend gave me at my baby shower, I went to the guest services and told the lady I wanted to exchange it for something alse, she asked me for the receipt but I did not have one so the lady asked me for an ID, so she could give me a gift card but I did not have my ID with me but my friend did, he had a Mexican identification. The lady told me that she could not accept it, that I needed a California ID but I told her that I just had exchanged something at the store like three days ago with a Mexican Identification but she would still ask me for a California ID so I asked her to call her manager his name is ADAM and I told him what had just happen and he told me that it was a store policy and that he could not accept it, I think it is so stupid because it's a government identification even tho it's not a California ID. What if some one just came to visit from Mexico and wanted to exchange something that they just had bought, they wouldnt be able to exchange it for them because they would not have a California ID. I think that's just racism and stupid!!

Target has a saying expect more pay less, what they don’t say is that saying is for there employees not the customers, how so? I have been with target for two years now and am currently searching for another job, in my time at target I have been threw two reviews or periods witch you are eligible for a raise and a whopping 17 cents is what I supposedly deserved for working nights and weekends and being the only employee to last at my position, this company will use you and throw you out. The sad thing about the raise; it was one of the stores highest raises. Target What a Joke!

I decided to purchase a Nintendo DS game for my son this past weekend. Visited the Queens, NY Target store and found what I was looking for. I paid for the game and left the store; got in to my car and opened the box to find it filled with paper - NO GAME inside!!! Ran back to the store (2 minutes passed since I left it), and asked to have either a new game or have the $$$ back. I was treated like the worst scam artist. The general manager made me stand there for one hour while they "investigated" - I'm 6 months pregnant. Finally they informed me that there is nothing they can do for me, and I have to get in touch with customer relations. First thing I did after I left their store was I went to BestBuy and purchased my son his game - this time it was there! I called the customer relations yesterday and they proved to be even more useless. To make the long story short - Target stole my $130, or rather sold me some paper! I'm done dealing with their incompetent employees, and disputed this purchase with my bank today. Never again will I shop there!!!

I shop 'My' Target a minimum of twice a week, other Targets once every couple weeks. You created fun for shoppers with the $1.00 bins, but by comparison to other Targets, #1534 never has stock. Today I stopped counting at 50 empty bins. But then this whole store is poorly stocked, shelves empty. Reminds ome of the old _marts that slowly lost their way. And, why can't this store have a decent photo department like other Targets. Most of the time the Kodak machine is not working. The workers view it as a joke. I'm a frustrated Target #1534 shopper.