I'm Lost! The REDCard Thread

Hey all! I am from one of the stores up here in Canada, and I was just wondering how the RedCard application process works in the States... I know the registers in the States will prompt you to ask guests about RedCards at random, but can you actually have guests apply for RedCards right at your register? How does it all work? Our process up here doesn't seem to be the most effective or guest friendly, so my hope is that they will eventually integrate some of the processes they use in the States... kind of like how they are currently updating our PDA system to be more effective by modelling it off the system you use. Thanks for your help!
 
The prompts are not completely random, but we are prompted (though are required to ask each and every guest). The prompts help the stor figure out it's conversion number. Guests either apply on the registers or at home. If they apply at home, starting this week, the store closest to them gets credit for the application (based off the zip code of at applicant). That's good for the store, but not good for individual team members who need those applications on their registers to keep the higher ups at bay.

If the guests don't apply at your registers and you aren't prompted, does this mean your cashiers aren't held to individual standards regarding the number of REDCards they get? If this is the case, believe me, you would rather have it this way. Having to have a certain number of REDCards to remain green is a pain and sucks any fun out of this job that Spot hadn't already taken away.
 
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Retail Girl said:
The prompts are completely random, but we are prompted (though are required to ask each and every guest). The prompts help the stor figure out it's conversion number. Guests either apply on the registers or at home. If they apply at home, starting this week, the store closest to them gets credit for the application (based off the zip code of at applicant). That's good for the store, but not good for individual team members who need those applications on their registers to keep the higher ups at bay.

If the guests don't apply at your registers and you aren't prompted, does this mean your cashiers aren't held to individual standards regarding the number of REDCards they get? If this is the case, believe me, you would rather have it this way. Having to have a certain number of REDCards to remain green is a pain and sucks any fun out of this job that Spot hadn't already taken away.
Click to expand...
That last statement is exactly why I would not pick up a cashier shift when my hours were cut a couple of weeks ago. I envy all the cashiers for what they have to go through with the whole red card debacle.
 
Our store's conversion rate is really, really bad right now (barely above 1%). People almost never want them when the prompt comes up, but then sometimes you can convince them when the prompt doesn't. The whole prompt system is stupid.
 
Our conversion rate was the highest in our region last week, and it was 1.9% lol. horrible
 
Highest in the region at 1.9?! How is that even remotely possible that 1.9 is the highest that one quarter of the country can attain, and we are getting grief for being at like 2.3?!
 
tinydancer43 said:
Hey all! I am from one of the stores up here in Canada, and I was just wondering how the RedCard application process works in the States... I know the registers in the States will prompt you to ask guests about RedCards at random, but can you actually have guests apply for RedCards right at your register? How does it all work? Our process up here doesn't seem to be the most effective or guest friendly, so my hope is that they will eventually integrate some of the processes they use in the States... kind of like how they are currently updating our PDA system to be more effective by modelling it off the system you use. Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...

Canada has much more strict privacy laws which restrict target from letting their guests apply right at the register. Unless those laws change I doubt your process will ever be the same as it is here. And as retail girl said if you aren't hounded for REDcards every second you should consider this limitation more of a blessing. My store is struggling to break 1.5% and its starting to put everyone on edge.
 
Our store was below one percent this week. LOD said to start getting red cards otherwise she'll turn mean. I wanted to ask her if she would like to hop on register and get some red cards. ;)


I think we should set up initial red card sign up similar to that of Kohls. If Target offered maybe 10% or 15% off your bill for signing up, then a lot more people would do so.
 
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Retail Girl said:
Highest in the region at 1.9?! How is that even remotely possible that 1.9 is the highest that one quarter of the country can attain, and we are getting grief for being at like 2.3?!
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No No not highest in the region, lol i meant to say highest out of all the other stores in our area (theres like 13).
Its sad to say that our store had the highest at 1.9 when that is really really bad
 
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Retail Girl said:
Highest in the region at 1.9?! How is that even remotely possible that 1.9 is the highest that one quarter of the country can attain, and we are getting grief for being at like 2.3?!
Click to expand...

No No not highest in the region, lol i meant to say highest out of all the other stores in our area (theres like 13).
Its sad to say that our store had the highest at 1.9 when that is really really bad
 
Dreamwolf31 said:
Our store was below one percent this week. LOD said to start getting red cards otherwise she'll turn mean. I wanted to ask her if she would like to hop on register and get some red cards. ;)


I think we should set up initial red card sign up similar to that of Kohls. If Target offered maybe 10% or 15% off your bill for signing up, then a lot more people would do so.
Click to expand...
When I worked at Kohls (from Apr 2005 thru Aug 2006) they started out with offering 10% just for signing up. Then partway thru my time there they changed it to it had to be approved. I do think that if they offered say 10% just when approved like they used to then got back to the 5% after it would probably be a little easier.
 
Retail Girl said:
Highest in the region at 1.9?! How is that even remotely possible that 1.9 is the highest that one quarter of the country can attain, and we are getting grief for being at like 2.3?!
Click to expand...

Yeah, at my store we have been steady in between 2 and 3% since they turned the prompts back on and we are still getting hassled about Red Cards. It's as if they don't understand how difficult the breach made this for us. Nearly every single time I ask a guest about the red card the response is, "How do I know you guys won't steal my information?!"

The problem is I believe my store spoiled our ETLs by routinely being above 4% during fourth quarter until the breach was announced. The thing they don't understand is they have moved all of our best cashiers at getting red cards away from the lanes. Several of them are parked at IGS during their shifts where they have less opportunities, one who had a 7-8% conversion score for two years running was moved to Food Ave (seriously), and another just went on medical leave. We are basically running with our old B team of cashiers, none of them are natural sales people, they try their best, but that can only take them so far.
 
Thanks for your responses everyone! Much appreciated!

To answers Retail Girl's question, yes cashiers are held to individual standards, but from what I've read browsing threads on here it sounds like TMs in stores in the States are held to a much higher standard of accountability. Cashiers are still expected to be asking and GSA/GSTL keeps track of how many REDCard the store gets in a day as well as how many each team member gets, but our GSTLs and ETL-GE are fairly chill about REDCards for the most part.

I agree that, as a team member, the system in the States is probably not something that we want up here, however, what I was really curious about was how much more guest friendly your system is. The thing is, we often have guests who are interested in REDCards, but once they find out they can't apply for it right at the register and would either have to apply after their purchase or void their purchase and go apply if they wanted to be able to use it to pay for their purchase (especially considering that they won't necessarily be able to use the discount on the purchase they are currently making depending on whether it is approved right away or not), most just say forget it and never apply...

Not that I have any reason to want or need to try to improve our REDCard process, haha... I'm not even a front end TM. It was just something I was wondering about the other day... I like problem solving and trying to figure things out :D
 
So do the guests have to go to the kiosk, and when they are there, enter the name of the TM that badgered them into applying?
 
Hello! I am a new cashier at Target in Canada. I was hoping you might be able to give me some insight into the world of REDCards…

First of all, I know that about 30% of the credit cards are approved on the spot, but what about debit cards? Can a debit card be approved and used on a purchase the guest is making that same day or do they always have to wait for it to be issued and sent to them in the mail?

Second of all, does anyone have any tips for getting REDCards? I find that most of the guests I ask aren't interested…

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
A debit card is usually instant approved unless the reader can't read the check or any information is put in wrong. If applying for debit card the purchase will automatically be put on the card and a receipt will be printed that acts as a scannable temp card for i think 2 weeks.

Tip: expect most people to say no but remember to always ask. Read the person's face, some people say no cause they do not know what it is and if their face looks interested or confused just hit them with facts about the card. 5% of all target purchases, debit and credit versions, quick application, free shipping at target.com, etc.
 
How does that work? Are you talking about guests who apply right at the register vs. at the kiosk? Because at our store, guests can only apply at the kiosk - there is no way to apply right at the register. I'm pretty sure that is the case with stores all across Canada (someone correct me if I'm wrong! I know for sure the you can't at the near by stores in my area, however)

And thank you for the tip! Much appreciated!
 
I am going to take a wild swing here and say the kiosk probably prints the same type of scannable ticket that is good for 2 weeks. So if they have that ticket they can use that to purchase till they get card. To be 100% sure, you should try to apply for the debit card at your store. You save 5% on all your purchases.

And your right Canada target cant do it at register, forgot that part.
 
Retail Girl said:
I suspect there is still a store conversion score.
Click to expand...

You're right on that. It does suck that we can't do REDCards at the till and having to send guest to guest service.
It makes getting REDCard sign ups downstairs and at Self Checkout extremely hard and the ETLs wondering why we're not getting any.
 
Is there actually a conversion score involved? I'm a cashier at a Canadian Target and I've never been told that. We've also never really been pressured to get them until recently.
 
It seems like everyone in my district cheats on redcards. Then my store is always on the bottom. Is cheating just the new norm so we can get numbers?
 

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