5/8/16
Target takes hit over transgender bathrooms
But analysts say it.s hard to gauge impact of backlash.
By Anne D’Innocenzio Associated Press
NEW YORK — Consumer backlash is growing against Target’s stance on what type of bathrooms its transgender customers and employees can use.
Last month, the Minneapolis-based discounter issued a statement that said customers and employees can use the restroom or fitting room that “corresponds to their gender identity.”
The move made Target the first major retailer to take such a prominent position on the issue, and won praise from supporters of transgender rights.
But Target’s position has also sparked criticism on social media.
One online petition started by the American Family Association, a conservative Christian advocacy group, calls for a boycott of Target stores. And customer surveys from two research firms separately show that Target’s reputation has taken a hit.
Still, analysts say it’s hard to gauge the impact — if any — the backlash has had on Target’s business.
Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder declined to comment for the story, only saying the retailer stood by its earlier statement. She also declined to say whether the backlash has affected sales.
Target’s statement comes amid a national debate over whether to restrict trans-gender people to using public bathrooms that match the sex listed on their birth certificate. North Carolina is facing heat for its recent ban on local anti-discrimination ordinances. Still, other states are considering legislation similar to that adopted by North Carolina.
By catapulting to the front lines of a highly polarized debate, Target shows the difficulties companies face when they weigh in on the issue of gender or sexuality. Increasingly, customers are using social media to air their concerns, putting pressure on corporations.
“Brands need to be sensitive to public opinion, but this is a tough one because it is a no-win situation. Either way, you are going to turn off customers to the brand,” said Robert Passikoff of Brand Keys, a consumer research firm, which saw Target’s reputation fall 10 points to 74 over the past two weeks. A score below 70 means that a brand is in trouble.
However, Ken Perkins, president of Retail Metrics LLC, a retail research firm, says that in the long run, Target’s stance could actually help it, creating some “good will.”
Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, has remained silent on the restroom issue. But CEO Doug McMillon was among a group of CEOs who last year opposed the so-called religious freedom laws that allow faith-based groups to deny services or jobs based on sexual orientation. Wal-Mart’s out-sized influence was credited with pressing the governor of Arkansas, the home of Wal-Mart’s headquarters, to sign an amended version.
Analysts believe that companies are watching the debate over the bathroom policy before wading in.
In a statement on its website, the American Family Association said that Target’s policy is “exactly how sexual predators get access to their victims.” It’s advocating that Target should keep separate facilities for men and women, but also have a single-occupancy unisex bathroom option for the trans community and for those who like using the bathroom alone.
Bryan Kemper, youth outreach director for Staying True, the youth arm for Priests for Life, an anti-abortion group, said that last week he put up a video critiquing Target’s decision on his Facebook page that has now garnered more than 250,000 views. He is boycotting the retailer. “Everyone deserves privacy,” he said.
Target does have many supporters. Claire Guyer, who lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky, says she’s supporting Target’s position and will continue to shop there.
“People are not educated as to what this really means,” she said. “It’s a matter of human rights. I’m glad that some company is taking a stand.”
Ted Marzilli, CEO of You-Gov BrandIndex, which measures reputation at major brands daily, said recent consumer surveys showed that the percentage of consumers who would consider buying items at Target the next time they want to go shopping fell dramatically. But he believes the impact will be short-lived as the focus moves to other companies.
“This will blow over,” he said.
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DEAR AMERICA: Major Retailer SIDES With Transgender Toilets, Will YOU Continue To Shop There?
Are you going to continue shopping at this major retailer after their latest announcement about their bathroom policy? Or will you be taking your business somewhere else?
3/31/16
Target workers in New York sue over not being paid overtime
CHICAGO -- Target Corp. has been accused in a lawsuit of failing to pay overtime to workers with low-level management responsibilities at its warehouses in New York state.
The lawsuit, which seeks class action status, accuses the retailer of violating state labor law by misclassifying "operations group leaders" as exempt from overtime requirements and not paying them for all hours worked.
Target was sued six months after the Obama administration proposed making nearly 5 million more U.S. workers eligible for overtime pay.
That proposal, which is being reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget, is widely expected to narrow an exemption for white-collar workers from overtime pay protections based on
the percentage of time they spend on management tasks.
the percentage of time they spend on management tasks.
Target "controls very carefully what the group leaders do such that they are not left with meaningful executive authority that would satisfy exemption under the law," Jahan Sagafi, a lawyer for the named plaintiff, Robert LaPointe Jr., told Reuters.
Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder said Target's distribution center group leaders are properly classified as exempt, salaried team members and said these department leaders hire, manage and lead teams of up to 50 people.
"They are competitively compensated and rewarded for their performance. We dispute the allegations in the suit," she said.
Sagafi said the lawsuit may expand to cover Target's activity in other states.
He did not say how many potential plaintiffs might be covered, but the complaint said more than 40 group leaders in New York state might be covered.
Target is overhauling its supply chain infrastructure.
Earlier this month, the retailer said it will invest $2 billion to $2.5 billion annually starting in 2017, mainly to upgrade its supply network and technology infrastructure, as it races to reduce stock shortages and pushes for online growth.
The lawsuit, which was not widely reported, was filed in December in a New York state court, and later moved to federal court.
The case is LaPointe v. Target Corp, U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York, No. 16-00216.
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Target reaches settlement with Canadian landlords as it winds down there
The retailer gave a little more after a judge struck down its previous offer.
Target is getting closer to closing the book on its Canadian debacle.
The Minneapolis-based retailer cleared a major hurdle by reaching a settlement Friday with the landlords of the 133 stores in Canada it shuttered last year.
In January, a Canadian judge in Ontario Superior Court had struck down the company’s previous proposal, which some landlords had objected to, saying that Target Corp. was not fulfilling its original promise to cover future losses in the event of store closures.
Under the amended plan Target Canada announced late last week, landlords will get 66 to 77 percent of their claims.
“This agreement is the result of months of tough negotiations with stakeholders,” Aaron Alt, the chief executive of Target Canada, said in a statement. “We are delighted to have achieved a consensual path forward and believe that the Amended Plan is in the best interests of the stakeholders of Target Canada. We remain focused on achieving a timely wind-down of the [court] proceedings, and distributing proceeds to stakeholders as soon as possible.”
The Globe and Mail newspaper, citing unnamed industry sources, reported the new settlement requires the Minneapolis parent company to throw in an extra $30 million or so to cover landlords’ claims.
A Target spokeswoman said she could not share details, but noted that the financial impact of the settlement is “materially consistent” with what the company has previously recorded in its financial statements.
In January 2015, Target began shutting its Canadian operations less than two years after they opened, in what was the retailer’s first expansion beyond the U.S. The stores racked up about $2 billion in losses as they grappled with stocking and pricing issues that turned off Canadian consumers.
Target Chief Executive Brian Cornell, five months into the job at the time, decided the company should cut its losses, close the 133 stores and let go of 17,600 employees.
If all goes according to plan, Target hopes to get final court approval of its Canadian wind-down plan on June 2.
1/22/16
Story at:
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/the-last-days-of-target-canada/
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15 Things We Learned About The Downfall Of Target Canada
By January 22, 2016
Why did Target’s expansion into Canada fail so quickly? The company is based in Minnesota, which is dangerously close to being Canada. Yet Target Canada failed spectacularly. Why? Sure, they expanded too quickly, and had supply chain problems: we all know the answer. Yet what did that look like on the ground?
Employees on both sides of the border must have worked very hard to make the launch happen, and it resulted in a terrible experience for shoppers. Canadian Business interviewed employees who were there when Target Canada launched and when it failed. For all of the scary details, head over to their site to read the whole story.
Note that Target wouldn’t confirm any of what the ex-employees say, and most of them asked for anonymity because they want to keep working in the industry.
Here’s what we learned from the article: and we thought that we already knew a lot about Target Canada, eh.
- Target wasn’t ready. The point of sale systems weren’t working and the company struggled to get inventory into stores, yet they went ahead and opened the first test stores anyway.
- When an employee asked Greg Steinhafel, then CEO of Target, what he would change about how Target Canada had launched if he could, Steinhafel said that he would not have bought Canadian discount chain Zellers. The transaction began when Walmart approached the owner of Zellers about a sale, and knowing that their competitor was involved made Target bid more ($1.8 billion) to open 133 stores on a much faster timeline than was actually possible.
- Target couldn’t just box up its behind-the-scenes software and send it to Canada, since it was built specifically for the use of Target in the United States, and couldn’t handle French characters or Canadian dollars. They bought a new system from an outside vendor, which usually took stores that were already operating several years to implement. Getting the system to work while also creating Target Canada was a disaster.
- In the U.S., Target hires corporate employees who have the right personality right out of school and trains them. In Canada, they did the same, but the bright and friendly young employees they hired received very little training compared to their American counterparts.
- There was intense time pressure, but employees didn’t realize how crucial it was that the software running the supply chain had to be correct. “You had these people we hired, straight out of school, pressured to do this insane amount of data entry, and nobody told them it had to be right,” one former employee explained. Inaccurate information delayed shipments and caused other logistics disasters.
- The fall before the launch, the merchandising team realized that there was so much inaccurate data in the system that they would have to take a week and do nothing but verify with suppliers every piece of information (size, weight, everything else you can imagine) about every item that the stores planned to carry. It was a miserable week. Target sent ice cream and pizza to comfort them workers.
- Target’s employees in suburban Toronto couldn’t type the information into the system themselves: there was another set of workers in India who did that, which was another way errors could creep in. Interviewees disagree about whether their work was error-riddled or not.
- The good news: the first stores in Ontario had more customers than expected.Unfortunately, that meant that customers encountered empty shelves.
- Warehouse and supply chain software weren’t communicating, which led to empty store shelves and overstuffed distribution centers. The company forecast demand for different items based on information from U.S. stores, not a new chain launching in a new country.
- The point-of sale (cash register) systems were buggy and sometimes froze. Self-checkout stations sometimes gave out the wrong change.
- No matter how badly the launch went, Target Canada had to keep going and keep opening new stores, because the company had paid so much for the former Zellers leases.
- Target Canada president Tony Fisher left the company in May 2015, two weeks after CEO Gregg Steinhafel stepped down.
- One week, stores were sold out of every item pictured on the front of its sales flyer. We can’t even add any snarky remarks to that.
- Employees were expecting some store closings and layoffs, and were shocked when headquarters in Minneapolis announced that Target Canada would file for bankruptcy and close all of its stores.
- Canadians can shop at Target again… sort of. The company partnered with Borderfree, which handles the logistical issues of international e-commerce. One of the countries they’ll ship to is Canada.
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1/20/16
Davey Crockett on Facebook
TARGET GETS SUED A LOT -
For how they treat employees, for how they treat customers and for accidents in their stores.
The below cite is from Business Insider and is worth a read.
http://www.businessinsider.com/target-workers-claim-walk-of… with much more info at: http://gentlesvtarget.blogspot.com/
http://www.businessinsider.com/target-workers-claim-walk-of… with much more info at: http://gentlesvtarget.blogspot.com/
Summary: Target was sued by the mother of a Target employee who killed himself due to his treatment by a Pasadena, Calif. Target store. Unfortunately the suit did not go very far as if often the case when a person of limited means tries to take on a mega store with a policy of never admitting wrong and hardly ever settleing a case.
And even those who 'win' find that Target will appeal and run the case for additional years.
Below are some links to various Target issues and you can easily see why Target Sucks, and just FYI, while my main blog site http://targetfiling.blogspot.com/ is not really up to date it was the cause of Tarbutt suing me in 2007 for 23 months in Atlanta Federal Court for having published their 'Security Manual'.
I estimate that it cost T about $250,000, involved major law firms for T in Minneapolis and Atlanta, my cost was $0 and it was tossed out by the Atlanta Federal Judge, the information in my blog site and another half dozen I set up with the same info was not changed even by one word.
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See also this and other topics on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008587503434
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12/24/15
More Tarbutt B.S. FYI
Every year Tarbutt goes through this dog and pony show about how they want to protect the customers from solicitors.
Anyone in 'retail' knows that it is a load of crap. The reason they don't want anyone soliciting $ in front of their stores is that they want shoppers to SPEND that $ INSIDE Tarbutt, not dropping it into a kettle or giving it to Girl Scouts selling cookies.
Tarbutt is entirely concerned with what benefits them and the few bucks they actually give out to charities doesn't come close to what they save by tossing charities off their properties.
Remember folks: TARGET SUCKS! They always have and they always will!
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TARGET: Our no solicitation policy
Target has a long-standing policy that prohibits third-party solicitation at our stores nationwide. To provide a distraction-free shopping environment for our guests, we prohibit solicitation and petitioning at our stores regardless of the cause being represented to the fullest extent allowed by law.
This policy does not diminish Target's support of communities. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its profit — which today equals more than $4 million a week – to local communities. Our company also has many other means through which we support organizations whose programs fall within our corporate giving guidelines. For more information on these guidelines, please pick up the Community Giving brochure in your store's Guest Service area or visit the Community
Giving section on Target dot com
How we enforce our policy:
To ensure a distraction-free shopping experience in our stores, we take the following steps:
We ask solicitors and petitioners to respect our policy by ceasing their activities and leaving our property. However, often they refuse to comply.
We partner with local law enforcement agencies to assist us in having unwanted solicitors and petitioners removed from our property.
In certain circumstances, we file lawsuits to obtain court orders prohibiting solicitors from returning. This is not a quick process and may not result in the immediate removal of unwanted disturbances.
what you can do
Target firmly believes that our guests should enjoy a distraction-free shopping experience in our stores. If you feel harassed or bothered by a solicitor or petitioner outside a Target store, please alert a store team member. We appreciate your patience and patronage as we continue to do everything we can to provide you with a respectful, distraction-free shopping experience.
Based on Target's commitment to maintaining a distraction-free shopping experience for our guests, we do not allow Salvation Army bell ringers outside our store nationwide. However, Target proudly supports The Salvation Army, which serves more than 30 million people across the United States each year. Some of our year-round efforts include grants to local chapters, volunteerism and in-kind donations to help those who need it most. Target also partners with The Salvation Army to support its disaster relief efforts in communities across the country.
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12/19/15
Disgruntled Target employee runs car through front of store
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Here Are The 13 Target Stores Closing In January
By November 4, 2015
For the second time this year, Target is closing underperforming stores. But unlike that first round of closures, which was focused on the retailer’s flagging Canadian operations, this time the shuttered stores are all stateside.
The big box retailer confirmed today that it would close 13 stores on Jan. 30, CBS News reports.
“The decision to close a Target store is not made lightly,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement to CBS News. “We typically decide to close a store after careful consideration of the long-term financial performance of a particular location.”
Employees at the stores are being offered the option to transfer to another location.
The following 13 stores are being closed:
• Austin North East in Austin, TX
• Suncoast Pasco County in Odessa, FL
• Casa Grande, AZ
• Victorville, CA
• East Flint in Flint, MI
• Columbus Southwest in Columbus, OH
• Springfield, OH
• Northridge in Milwaukee, WI
• Superior, WI
• New Ulm, MN
• Ottumwa, IA
• Anderson, IN
• Dixie Highway in Louisville, KY
• Austin North East in Austin, TX
• Suncoast Pasco County in Odessa, FL
• Casa Grande, AZ
• Victorville, CA
• East Flint in Flint, MI
• Columbus Southwest in Columbus, OH
• Springfield, OH
• Northridge in Milwaukee, WI
• Superior, WI
• New Ulm, MN
• Ottumwa, IA
• Anderson, IN
• Dixie Highway in Louisville, KY
The U.S.-based closures come 11 months after Target announced it would shutter all 133 stores operating in Canada. The retailer said at the time that it had decided to leave our northern neighbor because there just was no way to make Target Canada profitable.
AURORA, Colo. — Police are seeking a female shoplifting suspect who resisted arrest and fled a Target store in central Aurora on June 23. It happened at 9:15 p.m. when the female suspect was contacted by a security officer for shoplifting at the Target store at 14220 E. Ellsworth Ave.

Aurora police are searching for this shoplifting suspect who reportedly bit an officer.(Photo: Aurora PD)
According to the Aurora Police Department, the suspect resisted arrest and bit one of the security officers on his forearm. She then fled the store with one handcuff on her wrist. The suspect was seen fleeing the area in a black vehicle with no license plates. Anyone who knows the identity of the woman is asked to contact Agent Eric White with the District 2 Detective Unit at 303-739-6011 or ewhite@auroragov.org. Or call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
6/24/15
July 18th marks the first year without Graham. To mark the event, I will be standing in front of Target 777 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA with my "BOYCOTT Target" signs. I welcome anyone who wants to join me here or in your own neck of woods. This my fight and I expect to be alone (it is my new life, being alone) but drive by and give a out a HONK.
(Note: The below photo is generic and not representative of Mrs Gentles or that issue)
TARGET CORP IS A BOTTOM FEEDING PIECE OF CRAP. BOYCOTT TARGET!
38 mins ·
Target is trying to force me in allowing them to make a public statement. I said no, so now they are threatening to sue me for legal fees. Target is the WORST.
6.0 DISCLOSURE OF TERMS
The Settling Parties have agreed on a joint statement that can be released to the public if inquiries are made about the Subject Action.
Said statement shall read, ““Both the Gentles family (or Mrs. Gentles) and Target agree that this was a tragic event and are saddened by the loss of Graham. At this time, both parties have discussed the issue and Mrs. Gentles has decided to dismiss Target from the case. Out of respect for the family, neither Target nor the family has anything additional to share at this time.”
Note: If she agrees with this then she has a damn poor law firm giving her advice!
38 mins ·
Target is trying to force me in allowing them to make a public statement. I said no, so now they are threatening to sue me for legal fees. Target is the WORST.
6.0 DISCLOSURE OF TERMS
The Settling Parties have agreed on a joint statement that can be released to the public if inquiries are made about the Subject Action.
Said statement shall read, ““Both the Gentles family (or Mrs. Gentles) and Target agree that this was a tragic event and are saddened by the loss of Graham. At this time, both parties have discussed the issue and Mrs. Gentles has decided to dismiss Target from the case. Out of respect for the family, neither Target nor the family has anything additional to share at this time.”
Note: If she agrees with this then she has a damn poor law firm giving her advice!
The Gentles v. Target Corp suit has ended
Sunday, June 7, 2015
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6/6/15
For additional info on Target India put those keywords into the white search bar in the upper left hand corner of this site. There is a lot of info on India on this site.
RELATED KEYWORDS: |Target India|
Target India lays off 180 employees
BENGALURU:
Target India is laying off 180 employees in its Bengaluru centre as the US retailer undertakes a global restructuring with the objective of saving $2 billion in the next two years.
Those laid off will receive a severance package that includes two months' salary , and a month's salary for every year of service.
The Bengaluru centre has more than 2,800 people supporting Target across areas like technology, marketing, human resources, finance, merchandising, supply chain, property development, analytics and reporting.
Anyone remember why there is a Target Sucks blog? Here is the answer and the longer version is found at: http://www.dmlp.org/threats/target-corp-v-doe
Target Corporation, a chain retailer, filed a lawsuit against an initially unknown Internet user with the handle “Target Sucks” for copyright infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets for allegedly posting information on various retail-employee forums and blogs. Target identified the user as Harris based on the information it received after subpoening Internet providers. Harris allegedly posted Target’s "Asset Protection Directives," an in-house theft prevention manual, on several websites critical of Target.
Target asserted in its two-count complaint that the user “acquired a copy of Target’s AP Directives from a recently terminated Target employee, Scott Hundt.” Target alleges that Hundt emailed a copy of the AP Directives to the user, as well as posting that information on the website www.targetunion.org. After learning of the post, Target threatened legal action against Hundt, who admitted wrongdoing and cooperated with Target's subsequent efforts to block the further dissemination of the AP Directives.
Target and Hundt emailed cease-and-desist orders to the user and received no reply. Target alleges that instead of complying with its demands, the user posted the AP directives to “various retail-employee forums on the Internet.” Target sent cease-and-desist letters to those forums, and the AP Directives were removed. Target asserted that the user’s “dissemination of the Target AP Directives is deliberate, willful, malicious, oppressive, and without regard to Target’s proprietary rights.” Compl. ¶ 33. Further, the complaint asserted that user had disclosed “such information without the express or implied consent of Target, for the benefit of himself.” Compl. ¶ 42.
In an effort to discover the identity of the then-anonymous user, Target subpoenaed AOL, Yahoo!, Hotmail, Qwest, Comcast, and UPS. Compl. Ex. B. The court granted these subpoenas. Based on the information it obtained through investigation, Target identified the user as Harris.
Target claimed that it confirmed this identification based on the documents relating to IP address and P.O. Box information it received in response to its subpoenas to website, email, mail, and internet providers. Req. for Service.
On 04/10/2007, a civil summons was issued for Harris.
However, attempts to locate Harris for service failed. On 12/21/2007, the court granted a motion for service by publication to the Fulton County Daily Report. This notice was posted on 01/15/2008. On 07/16/2008 the case was dismissed for want of prosecution pursuant to Local Rule 41.3(A)(3) because the case had been pending for more than 6 months without a substantial proceeding of record.
Related Links:
EcommerceBytes-NewsFlash, Number 3585 - May 21, 2015 - ISSN 1539-5065 | ||
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There was a backlash against resellers who listed the special branded items for sale on eBay and elsewhere at tremendous markups - the hashtag #LillyforTarget turned to #LillyforeBay and #LillyGate2015.
Now Target is banning resellers, say EcommerceBytes readers and according to reports across the web. One reader who spent over $100,000 at Target over the past year said Target cancelled his latest online order. When he called the company, "they told me that they are no longer selling to resellers and the fact that I have ordered a very large amount did not matter," he said. A customer service representative directed him to read Target's terms and conditions online.
On an independent website that's a gathering place for Target employees, users discussed a new directive that they say came down from corporate on May 12. "We no longer accept reseller tax exempt IDs and we are no longer to sell them to known resellers or those with lots of discounts," wrote one poster. "The issue is, Target sells that stuff at a loss to get guests in the store to buy other stuff. Instead of a guest coming in and buying an iPad at a loss and then buying another $75 worth of clothing or whatever, we end up with a loss leader that isn't leading to any other sales."
Two months ago, resellers reported a similar problem with Kohl's, another retail chainstore.
While some say it's the disruptive behavior on the part of resellers when shopping in stores that leads to such bans, such as the 2007 reports about Pottery Ban, Target is also banning resellers from shopping on their websites as well.
Target.com's Terms and Conditions includes a paragraph addressing resellers:
LIMITATIONS ON QUANTITY Target does not offer additional discounts on large orders of a single item or on large orders of many individual items. In addition, we reserve the right to limit quantities on orders placed by the same account, on orders placed by the same credit card, and on orders that use the same billing or shipping address. We will notify you if such limits are applied. Target reserves the right to prohibit purchases of any merchandise to resellers. Resellers are defined as a company or an individual that purchases goods with the intention of selling them rather than using them.
Several inquiries to Target went unanswered.
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5/16/15
This is the 'teaser' to get you to look at the below video:
"I Had No Idea About These Secrets For Shopping At Target. I’m So Glad They Were Leaked By An Insider"
http://americanoverlook.com/i-had-no-idea-about-these-secrets-for-shopping-at-target-im-so-glad-they-were-leaked-by-an-insider/46322?bst=targetda
I do not know if the info on this site is correct, probably some is and some isn't as these things may vary by store.
Sample of info FYI:
The first trick for saving money and shopping at Target is to know their clearance and mark-down schedules. Every week, certain departments mark down items in their category on a specific day. The schedule is as follow:
Monday – Electronics, Accessories, Kids Clothing, Books, Baby and Stationery
Tuesday — Domestics, Women’s Clothing, Pets and Market (food items)
Wednesday — Men’s Clothing, Health and Beauty, Diapers, Lawn & Garden items and Furniture
Thursday — Housewares, Lingerie, Shoes, Toys, Sporting Goods, Decor & Luggage
Friday — Auto, Cosmetics, Hardware, & Jewelry
You are on your own with this info, the most I buy at Tarbutt is milk/bread etc. if going to Publix is to far to go. No way in Heck would I buy anything else from this chain.
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5/12/15
Inquiries about these questions come up all the time so I have moved this section up from March of 2013 for easier access. When finished here you might also take a look at: http://targetpayandbenefits.blogspot.com
Target uses 'Behavioral Interviews', not your Old Fashioned Interview which can be relatively predictable and simply asks where you worked and for how long. You probably have researched Target and are prepared for questions as "Tell me about yourself" and "Where do you see yourself in five years?" but at Target you need to prepare for a different sort of interview.
The theory behind a behavioral interview is that a candidate’s past experience is a good barometer of future success. Employers believe that asking job candidates to discuss specific challenges they’ve faced at their job is more telling and realistic of a candidate’s qualifications than their rehearsed replies.
The questions tend to be open-ended and start with "Tell me about…" or "Describe a situation where…." Here is a chance for you to highlight your strengths and attributes more strongly than with generic statements like "I’m a good problem solver."
You may be able to recite your résumé word for word, but are you prepared to explain how you got things done? Go into the interview armed with stories of your past accomplishments, especially those that reveal leadership and problem-solving skills. Some job candidates trip on such simple open ended questions as found below.
The questions used at Target are a reflection of the Disney culture. In the early days Target copied a lot of the Disneyland concepts (such as calling 'customers' guests) including their HR procedures.
These questions are not unique to Target, and in fact are in no way 'Secret', many firms now use them and you can find out more by taking a look at various internet sites, many of which simply list the below questions or variations of them.
Target's Secret Interview Questions
Interviewer Questions for Executive Team Leader or Team Leader
1) Tell me about a time when you exerted extra effort to help a guest.
2) Describe how you think that product out of stocks can be proactively prevented in the store.
3) Tell me about the last time you missed a deadline and why.
4) Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something with little help or direction from others.
5) Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something unexpected or on short notice.
6) Tell me about a time when you had to learn a new skill that was important for your job.
7) Tell me what you think is the significance or importance of maintaining the Target store image.
8) Tell me about a time when you were dissatisfied with the appearance of your work area and what you did to improve it?
2) Describe how you think that product out of stocks can be proactively prevented in the store.
3) Tell me about the last time you missed a deadline and why.
4) Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something with little help or direction from others.
5) Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something unexpected or on short notice.
6) Tell me about a time when you had to learn a new skill that was important for your job.
7) Tell me what you think is the significance or importance of maintaining the Target store image.
8) Tell me about a time when you were dissatisfied with the appearance of your work area and what you did to improve it?
Interviewer Questions for Executive Team Leader Human Resources
1) Tell me about a time that you were part of a group that did not work together as well as it should have.
2) Tell me about a time when you went all out to make your store, or work area, look presentable.
3) Tell me about a time when you had to shift attention between multiple activities that competed for your time.
4) Tell me about a work program or project that was not running well and what you did about it.
5) Tell me about a time when you had to shift attention between multiple activities that competed for your time.
6) Tell me about a time when you addressed a safety concern.
7) Tell me about the last time you had too much to do and too little time to do it.
8) Tell me about a time you investigated your work area for possible improvements.
9) Describe a time when you had to deal with a difficult guest or co-worker.
Interviewer Questions for Store Team Leader
1) Tell me about a time when you executed a plan in a timely manner.
2) Tell me about a time when you were unable to help someone.
3) What do you view as the biggest challenge regarding in-stocks in a Target store?
4) Tell me about a time when you asked for feedback that would improve your performance.
5) Tell me about a time when you had to drive a change that was not well received by others.
6) Tell me about the last time you took a project that was a stretch of your skill set.
7) Tell me about a time when you had to introduce yourself to someone new and how you handled this situation?
8) Describe a situation when your planning led to a favorable outcome.
2) Tell me about a time when you were unable to help someone.
3) What do you view as the biggest challenge regarding in-stocks in a Target store?
4) Tell me about a time when you asked for feedback that would improve your performance.
5) Tell me about a time when you had to drive a change that was not well received by others.
6) Tell me about the last time you took a project that was a stretch of your skill set.
7) Tell me about a time when you had to introduce yourself to someone new and how you handled this situation?
8) Describe a situation when your planning led to a favorable outcome.
Thanks to Dave K for providing this info. If you have confidential Tarbut info send it to me for publication.
Also here are some other questions poached from another Internet site:
- Why do you want to work for Target
- Tell me about a time you worked on a project
- Tell me about a time you lead a team. What worked well
- Tell me about your past accomplishments (school or work)
- Tell me about a goal you didn’t achieve
- Tell me about a time you were stressed and how you handled it
- Tell me about a time you had to adjust to a situation quickly
- Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision
- Tell me about a time you had to motivate a team member
- Tell me about a time you had a problem with a co-worker and how did you resolve it
- Tell me about a time your leadership skills led you to make a bad decision
- If you’re not selected as an Intern, what are some positive takeaways
5/12/15
Last week, we learned that Walmart would be taking over thirteen former Target Canada stores and a distribution center. Today, home improvement chain Lowe’s announced that is taking over twelve store leases, one store that Target owned, and one distribution center.
MAY 11, 2015
Lowe’s to expand Canada presence by buying Target leases
Mooresville-based home improvement giant Lowe’s Companies on Monday said it’s acquiring leases for 13 former Target stores in Canada and buying a Target distribution center in Ontario for about $124 million, speeding up its expansion north of the border.
The deal came as part of a real estate auction after Target’s decision to exit Canada.
Lowe’s opened its first stores in Canada in 2007 and now has 38 from Ontario to British Columbia, with about 6,000 employees. In 2012, Lowe’s made a bid for Canada’s largest home improvement retailer, Rona, but pulled back after the company rejected the unsolicited offer.
“These additional locations will accelerate our expansion across the country, enhancing our presence in Western Canada and strengthening our base in Ontario,” said Sylvain Prud’homme, president of Lowe’s Canada, in a statement.
Lowe’s said the stores will be located around Canada, including markets where the company has little presence. The purchase of the distribution center will create 2,000 jobs in Canada, the company said.
The proposed acquisitions still need court approval. The court process is expected to be completed by June 30, Lowe’s said.
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Target admits Lilly Pulitzer line was supposed to have lasted weeks
Target was the victim of its own success. The web site snafus and quick sell-outs of its line of Lilly Pulitzer beachwear on Sunday showed how the discount retailer still has the magic touch when it comes to design collaborations, even as they earned Target a lot of brickbats on social media from shoppers stymied by target.com’s fail.
It wasn’t supposed to be that way. Target’s chief merchandising and supply chain officer Kathee Tesija said that the company, which clearly underestimated demand despite weeks of tracking social media, had planned to offer the 250-item limited-time, limited-supply collection for weeks. Instead, the collaboration lasted mere hours.
Target intended to begin selling the collection sometime after midnight on Sunday, but kept postponing the start so it could cope with overwhelming Black Friday-like web traffic. By mid morning Sunday, the Lilly Pulitzer merchandise was largely sold out and some pieces started to appear on eBay at multiples of their Target prices, arousing the ire of countless fashionistas looking for chic stuff on the cheap.
“The experience guests had on Target.com early Sunday morning wasn’t acceptable. It’s as simple as that,” Tesija, one of Target’s highest ranking executives, said in a blog post. “We didn’t get there with this launch and for that, we’re sorry.” The retailer is looking into why the web site, into to which it has invested heavily to update, underperformed.
Most of these designer collaborations are expected to sell out, and typically do, though in a matter of a few weeks. They create buzz and are a way to get new shoppers to come to Target, a benefit the retailer was deprived of given the unintentionally short duration of the Lilly Pulitzer event.
Compounding the frustration of the company and its customers is that resale sites such as eBay became the only option, short of buying the regular, luxury Lilly Pulitzer merchandise at full price, for many shoppers. Target is not replenishing its Lilly Pulitzer inventory since it was meant to be a limited collection.
“When we see product that we’ve created for our guests being resold on the secondary market for a profit, it’s disheartening because it takes away from the very intent of these programs,” Tesija said.
By her estimates though, only 1.5% of the merchandise ended up on resale sites.
3/30/15
GENTLES v. TARGET CORP
As of today 3/30/15, the matter remains in LA Superior Court.
I anticipate that shortly Target will have it removed to Federal Court.
Case Number: BC570020
VIRGINIA GENTLES VS TARGET CORPORATION ET AL
Case filed on 1/22/2015
VIRGINIA GENTLES VS TARGET CORPORATION ET AL
Case filed on 1/22/2015
4/1/2015 at 1:30 PM in department 93 at 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Hearing on Demurrer
Hearing on Demurrer
Case Number: BC570020
VIRGINIA GENTLES VS TARGET CORPORATION ET AL
Case filed on 1/22/2015
VIRGINIA GENTLES VS TARGET CORPORATION ET AL
Case filed on 1/22/2015
7/7/2016 at 10:00 AM in department 93 at 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Final Status Conference
Final Status Conference
Case Number: BC570020
VIRGINIA GENTLES VS TARGET CORPORATION ET AL
Case filed on 1/22/2015
VIRGINIA GENTLES VS TARGET CORPORATION ET AL
Case filed on 1/22/2015
7/22/2016 at 8:30 AM in department 93 at 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Jury Trial
Jury Trial
See info at: http://gentlesvtarget.blogspot.com/
Target Confirms 3,100 Jobs Being Cut,
Left Unfilled At Minneapolis Headquarters
By March 10, 2015
When Target announced it would shut down its Canadian operation, 17,600 people lost their jobs. Now, as the company prepares to embark on a $2 billion cost-cutting effort over the next two years, it has eliminated an additional 3,100 positions, this time at its Minneapolis headquarters.
The Star Tribune reports that the retailer began laying off 1,700 people Tuesday and got rid of another 1,400 currently unfilled positions.
Target announced last week that thousands of jobs were on the chopping block because of new cost-cutting efforts. However, today was the first time the company has used specific numbers to describe the mass layoff.
In all, the eliminated jobs represent about 13% of the company’s corporate employees. Currently, the retailer employs 13,000 workers at its headquarters and another 14,000 people at retail locations around the country. (NOTE: Small error here, it is 14,000 in other Mn. locations, not nationwide)
“Today is a very difficult day for the Target team, but we believe these are the right decisions for the company,” the company said in a statement.
Each of the recently laid off employees will receive at least 15 weeks of pay plus additional severance amounts based on their time with the company, as well as six months of benefits, Target said.
The severance costs are expected to reach roughly $100 million, the Star Tribune reports.
3/4/15
Gov. Dayton wants an explanation from CEO for Target's job cuts
'This could have and should have been handled differently," Gov. Mark Dayton told reporters of Target's plan to cut thousands of corporate jobs.
- Nick Halter
- Staff reporter-Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
- Gov. Mark Dayton's great grandfather started the company now known as Target Corp., and apparently, Dayton doesn't like the way the company's new leader is handling business.
Dayton said Wednesday he wants to meet with CEO Brian Cornell to discuss the company's rationale for cutting several thousand jobs over the next two years,according to the Star Tribune.
"I think this could have and should have been handled differently, but that's just my view," Dayton told the paper.
Dayton told reporters that his office was not warned in advance of the layoff announcement as is customary for big job news from Minnesota-based companies, the Pioneer Press reported, saying he wants to hear how the layoffs will happen and how committed Target is to Minnesota.
Dayton and his family no longer have direct ties to Minneapolis-based Target.
Target (NYSE; TGT) is Minnesota's fourth-largest employer after Mayo Clinic, the state and the federal government, according to Business Journal research.