My Thoughts on Working at Target

In high school, I worked at Wal-Mart and it has come to be the thing to which I compare horrible situations. I thought it was the worst job ever, then I had that job this summer "marketing" makeup. That made Wal-Mart look like fun. Target would seem like the same situation but so far, it's been great.

I knew Target would be different because they make a genuine effort to recognize their employees and to provide great customer service. They start by calling employees team members and customers are guests. While this is just terminology, it does help set a standard. We are encouraged to go out of our way to help guests find things.

I had such an experience last week when a couple was looking for a mattress topper that wasn't in stock. First, they were impressed that I could just scan the shelf and see how many were in stock in our store and others. I checked in the back and we were out so I offered to call another store. They were already appreciative and saying how great it was that I was going through this effort. We joked about the antiquity of the phone while I was on hold and I eventually found one at another Target and had them reserve it for the couple. They were astonished at my efforts and truly grateful. This is standard procedure and I didn't personally go out of my way. This set of procedures shows Target cares about finding what guests are searching for.

Team members are also encouraged to share stories about great things other team members, or even they, have done. There is a meeting in the morning and evening where some of those situations are shared. It helps recognize employees that are going above their regular duties and shares stories like my previous one to spread the good vibe. There is also a huge board near the time clock where we write out great moments and post them. Just the fact that the board is expected to be filled, showed me that Target wants the working experience there to be pleasant.

So far the two ladies in HR have always been smiling and welcoming. The leads have all expressed their desire to help me learn and genuine concern if I ever have a question. Coworkers have also been helpful with my unending questions and ready to show me how to do something new. I haven't felt devalued or disrespected at all, which is a nice change for retail work. I'm encouraged to problem solve, which I love, and given the authority to make decisions.

I've only been working at Target for about three weeks and today I was given the task of reorganizing the seasonal section. Last week, they put out all of the Halloween items and have none in backstock. This made for full displays and many unlabeled areas. I was told to label accordingly and flex items as I saw fit. My OCD and true love of organization were dancing in circles with excitement. Plus, my favorite holiday is Halloween so going through all of the merchandise was fun. I spent the entire time cleaning up and organizing the area. My lead checked in with me via radio half way through my shift to ensure I was doing OK but didn't hover over me or require approval for everything I did. It was a fun shift and I was proud of how it looked when I left. I know it will all be destroyed by close this evening but hopefully it can more easily be put back together now.

Overall, I'd rate working at Target quite high on my list of enjoyability. I'd like to be full time and better pay but I'm grateful that it's a good place to work. My coworkers are nice and I'm not stuck on a register! I think that helps make all the difference.