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Working at Target- a couple of questions
Organichu
poopspeesRegistered User regular
poopspeesRegistered User regular
Well, after some good advice here and a lot of persistence, I think I finally have the tedious and generic job that I never wanted but certainly need. 
I got a call from Target asking me to "come in and discuss employment". Everyone I know who has worked there told me this means that I am in. I can never get too many views, though. So, my questions are as follows:
1.) Is it true that if I'm called back amongst the masses of internet applicants, I'm pretty much 'in', assuming I don't make a complete jackass of myself? The interview is Tuesday meeting.
2.) What are my chances of working more than 40 hours? I don't know whether this is a rude/pushy thing to inquire about from the beginning (as I've never held a job of this type), so I'd rather not ask my interviewer. I would definitely like to work more than 40 hours- even if there is no overtime involved. Are wage-workers protected under law in that they have to get overtime for over 40 hours? I can see how an employer might not want you to work >40 if overtime is involved, but how flexible is Target with this?
3.) What is generally the starting pay for a generic employee? I applied for 'any' open position, but I doubt I'll be placed in anything other than stock/basic floor at this point. I live in PA- I figure the starting pay'll be $7.25. That's what a few of my friends got, though none of them worked at Target in this state.
Thanks for any help, guys!
I got a call from Target asking me to "come in and discuss employment". Everyone I know who has worked there told me this means that I am in. I can never get too many views, though. So, my questions are as follows:1.) Is it true that if I'm called back amongst the masses of internet applicants, I'm pretty much 'in', assuming I don't make a complete jackass of myself? The interview is Tuesday meeting.
2.) What are my chances of working more than 40 hours? I don't know whether this is a rude/pushy thing to inquire about from the beginning (as I've never held a job of this type), so I'd rather not ask my interviewer. I would definitely like to work more than 40 hours- even if there is no overtime involved. Are wage-workers protected under law in that they have to get overtime for over 40 hours? I can see how an employer might not want you to work >40 if overtime is involved, but how flexible is Target with this?
3.) What is generally the starting pay for a generic employee? I applied for 'any' open position, but I doubt I'll be placed in anything other than stock/basic floor at this point. I live in PA- I figure the starting pay'll be $7.25. That's what a few of my friends got, though none of them worked at Target in this state.
Thanks for any help, guys!
Organichu on
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I'd guess that your chances of working overtime without getting paid extra are slim to none. In my experience, employers are pretty much universally opposed to this, and they sort of have to be... I'm sure a major corporation like Target is especially strict about it. All work is voluntary. If your employer could get you to "voluntarily agree" to work unpaid overtime, it would pretty much negate the point of them being required to pay you for overtime.
Be open with the interviewer and let them know you want to be full time and are interested in advancement. You'll probably be interviewed twice and hired on the spot if things go well. If not, make sure to call back a day or two later and inquire about your application. If they give you a call back date, wait until after that.
As long as you have an open schedule, you can pick up shifts from other employees that are giving them away and increase your hours like that. being able to work mornings gives you an advantage over the kids that get stuck working afternoons/nights and weekends. Try and get your self cross trained as soon as possible. I learned most of the positions in the building before advancing, and got plenty of hours because of it. Back room and Cart attendant constantly have call outs, as well as food service. if you're trained there, thats possible extra hours.
Overtime is pretty strict there, and only happens in special situations. Some HR will try and shuffle your hours from one week's check to the next to avoid getting yelled at for using their over time. I think the legality of this depends on the state, but I'm not sure.
Just relax and you should do fine, it's not exactly a hard place to get into. Hope this helped.
edit: don't expect to get full time scheduled.. you'll likely be told they only have part time available. Thats just how it is in retail. Follow some of the above advice to increase your hours, and keep asking about training / advancement. Once they know you're reliable and know a few different departments, you can probably pull in 30 hours no problem. Pick up a shift on your day off and now you're pretty damn close to full time. If you get promoted, even to a "specialist" (assistant assistant manager, you'll have some small portion of a dept. to take care of) will likely move you right into full time anyway.
I am also a former employee of Target, for two years.
1) With the holiday season coming up in the next couple of months, they are probably wanting to do their hiring now. As mentioned you will get a first interview, which they will see if you are worth being put through a drug test, and then a second interview for formality. The second interview, at least for me, was completely worthless, just saying "hey, you passed your drug test, we will pay you this much". But yes, since they contacted you, they at least liked what they saw, but that doesn't mean you can blow the interview. Just be normal.
2) Target would rather cut off their limbs than give overtime, it's against their religion. Their HR cronies have dozens of employees to give hours to, the odds of you pulling overtime are slim to none, they would much sooner give the hours to someone in part time than send anyone over 40 hours. Shit, if it's 2AM after a hard saturday and you are approaching 40 hours, they will send you home even if there's 2 more hours of work to be done. Don't plan on it. Also, after January, forget about it, especially if you are not what they refer to as a "Level 2" or higher, you will be lucky to get 15 hours. Target bleeds out their seasonal's by just starving them for hours. You can either hang tough or find a new job, or get promoted. Getting promoted is easy though, if you are remotely decent at customer service.
3) Plan on 7.25. Unless you have a distinguished background in retail/customer service. Target is "decent" about wages, they are not bastards like Wal-Mart, but if they think they can pay you 7.25 and not feel bad about it at night, they will. You can weasel raises out of them once you hit 3 months if you are a good employee, because they LIKE good employees, you just gotta be patient and have a silver tongue. Pick up multiple positions, work the floor, be a good cashier, know the backroom, and raises come in quickly.
Target generally employs smart management, at least one person in their upper staff is an intelligent and decent human being who recognizes talent, if you are serious about making that an enjoyable job for yourself, you need to find that guy and work on him. Things get much easier when management can trust you.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
It's a little depressing to hear that I'll be sent down to 15-20 hours if I don't do some finagling. Oh well, if I can't find another job in this area, I don't have much of a choice. Good to hear that I'll at least get >$7/hr.
What exactly is a 'level 2' worker? Is that something I'll understand/be aware of once I'm inside the business, or is that management terminology that I'll have to try to discover?:P
Again, thanks all.
True enough, I guess. I'm just trying to find some way to bring home over $300/wk without having to resort to the dreaded 'double job'. I've done it before, and running home and changing clothes and going to another job was probably one of the most annoying things I've done in my life.
For the love of god, please do what the support guy says, even if its something retarded like unplugging and replugging back in the cable. This helps them to send the ticket elsewhere to get the proper support you need. They have to have you do this, otherwise they get yelled at for not going through "procedure". Level 2 people don't have to worry about this, because they do whatever they god damn please, but for the level 1 support desk guys, they work in a environment similar to sweatshops, each having maybe 2.5 feet of desk space with enough room for a monitor and a phone.
Just do what the guy on the other side of the phone asks, things go MUCH smoother.
That is all...
Any reason that cashiering for Target sucks in particular?
Beware Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving). You will be reamed. Hard. With no lube. I was. I still walk funny. And trying to go on your break or lunch is almost impossible. They get all mad because they've waited in line forever just for it to close. And you're feet hurt from standing in one spot all day.
The best job I had there was the guy riding the cart-pusher. You're outside, you can walk around, you can take your lunch or break without pissing people off, and time flies. Target is so busy that buy the time you get all the carts on one side of the store (assuming you have a huge SuperTarget like I worked at) there's more than plenty waiting for you in the parking lot on the other side! Also, one last nice thing: No bosses outside watching you, bossing you around. As long as there's carts inside for customers then they leave you alone. if you have any other questions let me know. Sorry this is so long.
I don't think I really have any general questions- the one most prominent on my mind is getting more than 40 hours, but that seems like it's mostly been answered here. Thanks for your help.8-)
Hours wise they were alright. The only part that sucks is the required black friday and they moved me from clothing department to work on zoning toys the day before and after Christmas. If you want to experience hell try that.
They claim it is 6 seconds per item.
So I did a test.
I took one item, scanned it, and then mashed the keys as fast as possible to close the sale, still came up negative, even though from the time I scanned it to the time the receipt started printing was less than 2 seconds.
Lots of things wrong with that system, I don't think they use it anymore, or if they do, the system has changed quite a bit.
Also, the other thing that sucks about cashiering at Target is their demand that you upsell their lame ass credit card. They used to call it the "Red Card" and you could get fired for calling it the "Target Visa" so of course you had to explain people what the fuck a "Red Card" was. I think they dropped that name, but you still have to hit X cards per week which is just mind boggling in a saturated market.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
The funny thing is that I got a call from GameStop. It seems they're interested, too. I went months looking for any crappy entry job- I had two jobs, each for 3 years, no gaps in work history, never fired, a year of college, and couldn't get anything.
Now it looks like I could actually have a decision to make lol.
Thanks again. I was already learning towards Target. The only thing that slightly entices me about Gamestop is that it's only a 2-3 block walk.
Level 1 - The grunts
Level 2 - This is what you would refer to as an assistant manager. A level 2 likely has some department or job specialization or some unique function within the store. Anyone with a complete and undamaged human brain can be a level 2, but the perks are minimal except slightly higher pay. You still cannot be guaranteed full time and you will have to work harder shifts.
Level 3 - These guys are your generic managers. They head or co-head some sort of department in the store, they are guaranteed hours, but have a lot more responsibility. You can conceivably get to Level 3 without a college degree, but you will probably have to maim someone in order to do so, or just make someone look really bad at their own job. Your LOD's also exist in this category. The hierarchy at this level becomes foggy since there are a wide array of responsibilities at this position. Some level 3's lick other level 3's shoes, etc. These CAN be salaried positions, but not necessarily.
Level 4 - These guys are the head honchos. They can get away without doing any work, fire people by blinking, and all kinds of other stuff. There are generally only a two or three per store. One of these will be the HR guy. You will only see him once per week, because that's all he is obligated to work in the presence of lesser mortals. They get salary, you need a college to degree to be one, and you also need significant retail experience or related experience.
Level 5 - This is actually a lesser retail god, not a human. She actually runs the store, and is the locations direct link to the corporate entity. You will only see her once, when you check her out as she cashes in her gigantic Christmas bonus. You can only be a level 5 if the color red is encoded into your DNA and you mumble the term "guests" at night, also, significant time as a Target Level 4 and a one of the pre-existing level 5's head is severed cleanly and quickly by a silver blade.
Everything past that is corporate.
Honestly, if you had to choose Gamestop or Target, go with Target. Target has much more room for advancement, and like I said, they generally hire good management.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
As far as the level 5, idk. Mine was actually very nice, but just didn't do anything related to customer service, at all.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
DFEFIWJFLKNEWLK1@@#$#@!@#2D2
I'll check in after I get home in about, say, 14 hours.
After college, I wanted to try at management within the company, but was told I had to start out as a sales associate (what I had in high school), and would in fact be making $7/hr, less than I did in high school. I tried to make my case to management, but they weren't hearing any of that. I got along with pretty much everyone, but it was brutal having a college degree and working w/high school kids and management that were barely competant. Being a hard worker really does count, and I was able to get 38 hours a week (they don't like giving you 40 because that means you're full time). Everybody liked me, and I fit in well. However, as soon as I scored a decent job I was out of there. I chose not to give 2 weeks notice, and they didn't like that, and even tried to get me to work weekends. If you can avoid it, I would recommend it. It's mind numbing work, and you thank god when your shift is over.
They do seem to hire pretty decent people. I liked just about everybody I worked with. They have a lot of good management, too. Good luck making it up that far, though. They told me I had to at least work there 6 months to even get health benefits.
I am now a seasonal employee (pending the results of my drug test) for Target!
I listened to my first interviewer say all of this stuff about hardline/softline, flow, etc.- and then the person who really mattered (second interviewer, HR head) just goes "ok, you're going here." I asked about all of the other positions, and she was like "Target cross trains".
It's funny, I got into the little 'Team Member' area (sweet, keypad'd lockers!) and I was sitting, awaiting my interview, and when I go in I have no idea what to say! I hadn't even really thought about the actual generic questions I might have to answer.
"Why do you want to work at Target?"
I spewed some kind of shoddy story about loving working in large stores and how I'm not a big fan of the 'small family store' because I want to see thousands of people every day because that's the environment where I thrive and blah blah.
So I got it, went and pee'd in a cup, and I start work (and orientation) a week from today (assuming I don't fail the drug analysis, and I won't).
Thanks so much, everyone.
Cannot believe they bought that :P Target focuses on personal service, which is the antithesis to typical "large stores".
Then again, you are in the dungeon, err, the back room, so.
Cross train yourself into the sales floor, if you love yourself at all. Familiarity with the sales floor and every aspect of it pays off no matter what.
8.50 is pretty impressive for day shift...
If you prove your worth they WILL keep you on board past January.
Also, learn the PDT inside and out, you will probably be like 1 of 5 people in the store who actually know how to use the fucking thing to your advantage.
If you don't know what a PDT is, you will find out in the first day.
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Haha yeah as soon as it came out of my mouth I was like "oh shit", but I guess the lady liked me because she said "well... I guess we can smarten that answer up a little bit" lol.
I was being honest, though. I do like working with tons of people. 8-)
A quick Google tells me that a PDT is a Portable Data Terminal (stock keeping device). Cool. I was told that my duties include (from memory):
-Stocking merchandise when the thrice-daily inventory update comes along.
-Maintain good Target brand (clean store, items facing forward and neat).
-Keep aisle-ends neat and alluring.
-Don't steal shit.
What's the Target merchandise discount, anyway? Apparently I am eligible for it even as a seasonal worker.
Those three restocking periods are called "pushes"
They happen at 1, 3, and 5PM.
The other two bullet parts are basically the same, they call it "zoning" which is an OCD form of neatness that Target demands from their stores. I hope you like rotating soup cans so that the "Chunky Soup" text is all facing the same way. For hours in a row. Until it's done. Even if it's 2AM.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
This will have to be rectified by Martes.
Fast, fun, friendly.
Can I help you find something?
P.A.S.S. fire extinguishing.
And my favorite line, right from the employee handbook: "It's no wonder that, given the high quality of the people that Target hires, team members sometimes develop a romantic interest in each other."
lol
Though my other jobs are food oriented so I guess we get better deals.
It's all free unless noted as half off. :P
Yes, they actually have a DVD with that line too. Golden.
Also, little known, but obvious fact. The reason they have you patrol and ask everyone if they need assistance is primarily motivated by loss prevention, not actually because they want you to help every damn person.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other