Target’s On A Mission
Due to my kid’s recent birthday party, them receiving birthday money, and me getting necessities, I’ve made several trips to Target this week. During each visit, I received unusual treatment. The cashiers seemed tense, hurried, and on a motive to get me through the line as quickly as possible. The normal cheeriness wasn’t there and I felt like a number.
After talking with one of the cashiers, I learned that Target is tracking how quickly they ring up the merchandise. I called my local Target today to tell them that I noticed the change in the cashiers’ behavior. Of course, they wanted to know which cashier. I explained that I had different cashiers each time, that I certainly didn’t see it as the cashier’s fault, but maybe something they need to reevaluate, seeing as though the cashiers seemed so mission minded.
The person I spoke with apologized, but assured me that they wanted to get the customers through the line as quickly as possible. So yes, they definitely confirmed what I had been told, but yet in a way to avoid coming out and saying there was a quota or time limit of some sort.
In the past, this has not been the norm for Target (at least not at my store). Target was the one place where we could shop without it feeling like an overly populated warehouse. I’m not sure if this is a new policy or just something they’ve started to enforce.
Have you had this problem at your Target? If you’re a cashier for Target, please feel free to speak up and let us know if this has affected you.
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12 opinions for Target’s On A Mission
Summer
Jul 22, 2008 at 8:08 am
Sadly customer service is awful in our area, no matter what store it is.
Debra
Jul 22, 2008 at 8:32 am
The Target cashiers definitely get “graded” on each transaction. If you look at their screen after they finish ringing someone up you’ll see a score. Some cashiers are so antsy they even tell people to go ahead and swipe their payment method (if something besides cash) while they’re ringing things up. Plus, I’ve had more than one go to reach over the press “ok” on the payment pad when I was taking too long (tending to my son, looking at something else) - major pet peeve of mine …
I even saw one cashier ring in everything then pend it because the person was taking too long to pay. In that case, a receipt printed with a bar code for the cashier. She then waited until the person was ready to pay and scanned the receipt. It rang in everything she had originally scanned. That was her way of basically stopping the stopwatch so she wouldn’t get penalized for what would have been a very long transaction.
I seek out the nice, chatty cashiers at our Target - there are still a few. I’m definitely going to call Target next time it happens. I think they should know the customers are feeling the effects of their “quality” program.
Amanda
Jul 22, 2008 at 9:02 am
I was very disappointed with my customer service at Target this week. not a single employee looked at or spoke to me when I was there yesterday. :(
Cynthia
Jul 22, 2008 at 9:09 am
Kroger had a recent survey where I filled a questionnaire which had questions about cheerfulness of cashier vs speed of ringing out. I had to choose only one. They then asked questions reg. Publix etc. So, I guess that something is going on behind these big stores.
heather
Jul 22, 2008 at 12:01 pm
This is not a new policy at Target, and I would hardly say it is the cashiers fault. The cashier is trained to get you through the line as fast as possible, and yes they are graded. If the cashier wants to receive a raise they have to be able to show that they are a speedy cashier.
When I worked at Target I was not a cashier. But, all employees were trained to cashier in case the store got crowded and they needed more help. So, since I wasn’t a cashier I didn’t care about my score. So, any time I was up there, while I was going fast to help everyone get through the lines fast, I was still nice and spoke to the customers respectfully.
If you notice someone come to cashier from a different part of the store, you may want to hop in their line because they most likely don’t care what score they get for ringing you up.
I hope that helps!
Veggiemomof2
Jul 22, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I use to work at Walmart & they had incentives for fastest checking, but you can be quick & friendly. There is no reason they cannot be talking to you while they are ringing stuff up & you are paying.
Sarah
Jul 22, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Mine and my sons birthday was just last week too and I went to Target and didn’t have any problems. The cashier was pleasant and the service was fast but good. Theres good and bad in everything, and everyone.
Sarah
Jul 22, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Why is speed so important anyway? I mean, I definitely like a cashier who knows what they’re doing and everything and moves things right along - not the 2 items gently and carefully placed in a bag, and oh, that bag is full enough. Next 2 items placed gently in a new bag, and so on… That drives me crazy. But efficient service is nice. Maybe if customers are having to wait too long in a line, they should have more cashiers working at a time.
In other areas of the store, I’ve noticed extreme friendliness and a desire to be helpful, but I also shop at a store that just opened a few months ago - so everyone has that training video fresh in their heads.
Dawn
Jul 22, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I work at Dollar General, and I know that they keep track of how much time it takes us to ring things up. The time starts when the first item is scanned and stops when we push the total button. That way the customer can take as long as they need to get their money out, or whatever. I can speak for myself in saying that I work very hard at trying to be friendly with my customers, and it shows, there’s several that try to only shop when I’m there!
Karen
Jul 22, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Target must time their employees from start to finish (including the customer paying). This week I had an employee ask for for the coupon in my hand and then when I had another coupon that I had to get out of my purse, she suspended the transaction, had to scan a slip of paper to restart the transaction. It’s one thing to time how quickly they’re ringing up merchandise and it’s another to penalize them if a customer is slow to pay.
I can empathize though. When I was in college, I worked for McD’s and we were supposed to have the order completed in 30 seconds. That included the person ordering at the drive-thru, them pulling to the first window to pay, and picking up their food from the second window. It takes some people more than 30 seconds just to order. Sometimes while I was taking money, the manager would come down to my window screaming at me and asking, “What’s taking so long!!!!” I’d respond, “They’re digging for their money.” Honestly, I don’t think workers should be penalized for stuff like that.
Amy @ Goo Goo Buy Buy
Jul 23, 2008 at 9:24 pm
I’ve always been pleased with how quickly the lines move and how friendly the cashiers are at Target. I’d hate to see either of these things change, and I certainly hope that Target isn’t emphasizing speed over service. If they do so, they’re in danger of becoming just like Wal-Mart. And do you know anyone who likes to shop there? Plenty of people do (I’m not one of them) because they think the prices trump everything else. But I’ve never heard anyone say they like shopping at Wal-Mart, not even my mother-in-law, who is the chain’s biggest cheerleader.
Grace
Jul 24, 2008 at 12:44 pm
While I get that there are reasons for wanting to make sure that employees are working efficiently, it hardly seems fair (nor is it accurate representation on the employee’s part) to penalize them for how long it takes the customer to pay. I don’t work at Target but reading this post and the comments above makes me feel bad about times in the past when I was less than the speediest about paying. Now I feel all this pressure to “perform well” when I check out in the future because I’d hate for someone to get penalized for something I’m not doing fast enough. So lame.
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