Complaint Review: Target Coporation - pittsburgh Pennsylvania

I can try to be, as nice and dear about this as I can to write this, its what I saw - what is content without substance:

I was there working at Target for 11 years, there were things I did not like, yet things did get better. I was told, it was fast, fun, and friendly - it was, or could be. I was paid much more than most people there. "Your so awesome" they would say, I was able to be friendly with so many people - it made it so that we could do so much - to get many things done.  Now they pressure people to preform to a different expectation, its not reasonable anymore. They like to gamble with peoples feelings.

Target had new store management many times. Many times it went from good to worse, with many expectations, and many strict guideline and strange ideas.  I was given an award for 10 years service yet took it out of my hand, or password to use in the breakroom disappeared after giving it to me.

It was no problem, when reasonable, with strict guidelines, they just started to presume, they had me working in several areas, just me, then later just one area, just me. I liked it, they liked it. I was faster then others. Then new people expected more than that, too much to do and this much time to do it in, they wanted more - no one could do it faster than me and as much as me. When I visited the store, they had 4 or more people doing it, I did it all myself and paid more, almost double of most of them.

People started to leave, yet complain to new people and the older members, so differently. Lack of communication became inhumane - we are not trusted friends any more, all a person needs to do is understand and it gets done. They presumed many things. 

We had 10 minutes or whatever to do this area - regardless of how much to stock, and one person or more, had more to do, we were helping others before, now bullied to do more, as if doing the same, as if not giving enough effort, if your the last person you were singled out for ridicule "what is taking you so long" they watch it all, yet never believed what they saw - how much they had to do, or how difficult it was, or how new this person was - there were reasons they overlooked, they had unrealistic expectations. They just like to gamble - sometimes you win or lose, playing with their feelings. It became learn to overcome insults or leave to find better.

Target store STL can be strange - to add my reason for being fired: I was told to leave or send for the police - I had asked him a question and someone else about something, to buy, yet when I tried to buy it, said no to doing it. Then I ask him to take it from me - not wanting to drop it and leave it on the floor, he stuck his head in the air and ignored me, I shook him with the heel of my hand and still ignored me, I plead with him, left him with it, then went home - already off the clock while doing it, I told him to call me if I can come back, never did. I missed 3 days work - therefore they terminated me.

At a hearing, they tried to presume I beat the guy up, to keep from looking guilty, yet my attorney showed that I just shook the guy, I won money - compensation, not much yet something.

I disagree with the whole at will thing. It is one thing to get rid of bad employees and another to fire or force out good working individuals under this "law".



I worked for Target DC in Texas for 9 years. I watched 11 guys get kicked out the maintenance department, an SGL, and so many GL's it is not funny. I thought i was safe as I had a spotless record. My crime? I was invovled supposadly in "vandalism". What was vandalized? A sticker was put on a forklift that was misprinted by someone else, and forklift rims were painted Gold instead of white due to being out of white paint. Not hardly vandalism. I didn't even do half of it yet me and the other guy who had been there since opening were let go.



I realize it is at will but this is wrong to do to people. Make up excuses to get rid of them to cut their financial budget. I'm sorry this happned to you. but it is what it is. LEaving Target taught me I was not the piece of crap they told me I was for 9 years. I actually had useful skills that people bid on me for to get in with their company. I had 6 job offers within 2 weeks of being fired as a mechanic at the dc. I still tried to appeal it, no  luck. Target will continue to abuse laws like this and they will threaten if you are a union sympathizer that they will close down if they are unionized. They make you watch videos on it. I'm just putting it out there to say no employee at this company is safe. The DC I worked in had a lot of issues and major staffing troubles. I hope people get smart and leave that DC like the plague.

I filed unemployment also, it was approved and it said "target did not have just reason to terminate me". They then began to libel me and say me and the other guy that was terminated at the same time made a glove with spray foaam into a middle finger. Neither of us did it. We were not fired for that. No proof either of us did it, yet they continue to lie about us and say we did it. Not sure what to do about that but continue to take it. They will never go under because the consumer will use them. Even people who claim about human rights and so on will use them inspite of all the websites discussing targt sucking.

I live in Texas and it is an "at-will" state too. They don't have to have to have a reason for firing. They don't even have to tell you why you were fired if they don't want to. They can just  get up one morning and decide they don't want to look at you anymore.

Target places no value on "team members" anymore.  They are disposable. I worked for the company for over 20 years. The last couple of years they started running off long-time employees.  I didn't get fired, I just got fed up. Don't worry about getting fired. At least you didn't invest a 1/3 of your life in the place for nothing.

Actually, your state's at-will statute does state clearly that you CAN be fired at ANY time so long as it is not for an illegal reason, i.e. discrimination, retaliation, etc...  You can fight it IF you can establish you had some tenure of employment.  90 days ain't tenure.  You can try and fight it if you want but remember that Target has many,many skilled lawyers.  They rarely screw up terminations and the burden of proof will entirely be on you to prove they violated the statute.  My money, no offense, would be on you losing.

Actually the at will part has to be done within your 90 day probationary period. Had I not went into the office it would have been 91 days which in turn they would have had to have a legitimate reason

"Target was well within their rights as Pennsylvania is an at will state.Meaning if I would have not went to the office they could not have fired me for not being a good fit or not having the right look. They would have actually had to have a reason."

   That's not how it works.   At will employment means that either you or the company can terminate employment at any time, for any (or no) reason, except for discrimination against a protected class (which you do not claim).  

  In other words, it doesn't matter if you had gone to the office or not.  You would have been fired either way.

Thank you Alfred I feel better knowing it was nnot just me and I absolutely agree with you they should have a union.I am convinced when the law was made for "AT WILL" it was not intended for hard working people to be let go for not being a good fit.Thank you  again.

As for you Mr. Anonymos,

you are so far off base that I am not even reponding to you.

Thats because they thought you were sexually harrassing other females. One of the females told me that you said to them they have a nice a*s. So, they fired you thinking you were a prevert.

Jenn,

I am very sorry to hear of your employment problems with Target Corp. It sounds like your termination was recent and these things sting, so you might not agree with me, but it is my belief that you have been set free.

The most important take away is simply this...being fired from Target was one of the best things to ever happen to me and my life has been scary good since they freed me. Granted, I didn't think this after being fired and during my job search, but sometimes we don't really know what's best - at least I didn't (and don't).

After I got the job with Target, I should have realized something was up since one of my first assignments was to terminate an employee - just to make sure I could do it without any loose ends - my personal analysis of the employee's performance was irrelevant. Prior to Target, my employers expected me to hire right and then fight for my employees and give them every opportunity to overcome their struggles and help them succeed, terminating an employee was ultimately considered my fault since I hired them.

Target, well, not so much.

My experience was that Target's expectation was for me to constantly recommend promotions and terminations - every month. Also, my direct reports were expected to do this, as were my supervisors. When I would socialize with the other managers, much of the discussion would center on whom they had just fired or were about to fire. Not to mention, the Holy Grail was getting an employee to "self select" (making their work life so difficult that they would quit - thereby avoiding any recourse to the employee or unemployment costs to the company).

Business-wise, they are great for consumers, very nimble and efficient in almost all (if not all) areas of retailing, operations, supply chain, etc. Paradoxically, their HR department is excellent also. Unfortunately, my experience is that they define their HR success as the quantity of new hires, not the quality. After all, the managers are accountable for constantly terminating and promoting other employees. Question is...How can they continue to hire and promote at the same time? My experience is that they are terminating from all levels of the company, all the time, at a significantly greater rate than other retailers I have worked for. This creates a constant need for new hires and promotions. In the end, I believe the company benefits from a very finely tuned workforce that rarely is expected to think creatively (at least in the stores - thinking goes on at the HQ only), again, my personal experience.

My experience was that they pay less (compared to other "Big Box" retailers) and use their carefully manicured image and very efficient HR programs to create the belief they take care of their employees - which the employees in turn believe ("Targetization" - their term). They clearly understand the law and what "at-will" employment is. What they miss is the moral obligation to their employees. Just because it is profitable to do something to someone doesn't mean you should.

My Solution....

I am very conservative and generally don't believe in unions. I have worked my life to keep them away. That being said, I cannot emphasize enough how much I believe Target should be unionized. Funny thing is, because all their employees are "Targetized", their own employees would never approve a union. Talk about a great defense - like the abused child telling the court how much they love their abusive parents and how they deserved their punishment because they shouldn't have misbehaved in the first place. Thank God the abused children dont get to determine guilt or innocence of their abusers. Unfortunately, its my opinion that Target employees are like the abused children and will never find anything wrong with Target.

Jenn, I hope you have the opportunity to read this before the Target Legal Department has this message removed. After all they have to protect their image. No one likes to be thought of as abusive to employees - even if they are.

If you work for Target, and love it, congratulations, this message doesn't apply to you - keep up the good work.