Archived 45 not allowed in target cafe

[Windfor]

Pardon the fact im using food ave..

I was told that I am no longer allowed to eat at food ave on my 45 break. Which I find messed up..
I've worked for target for 5the years and in 2the stores and have never heard anything like this.. so I was wondering if this is for anyone else as well.

 

[SouthernThunder]

Are you bringing your own food or buying it from them?

If you're bringing your own, then they are just being jerks.

If you're buying it from them, then that's totally nuts.

 

[Windfor]

I buy the chicken. With 2 other teammembers. Apparently its bc of perception.. but if im off the clock they have no right to tell me where I can eat right?

-sidenote-
This ia in NY.

 

[Softlines Owns My Soul]

I've been told that no matter what break it is (15, 45, whatever) that you can't take it in food avenue. I honestly think it's very wrong of them to do when you buy something from them but they claim it's an issue of perception, which I really don't get. The kind of guest that's upset about a TM taking his or her breaking in food avenue, not causing a ruckus or chatting it up with other TMs (to be clear), is the kind of guest I'm not sure I even want.

Yes I'm aware of the break room, and I use it consistently. However I don't feel like it's necessary to walk all of my items over there when I shouldn't have to. Eh, whatever.

 

[SouthernThunder]

I buy the chicken. With 2 other teammembers. Apparently its bc of perception.. but if im off the clock they have no right to tell me where I can eat right?

-sidenote-
This ia in NY.

Well, yeah, they do have the right to tell you where you can eat.

On or off of the clock, they're still your employer and it's their store.

That said, I think it's utterly moronic, especially if you're an employee who is also a paying customer.

It's also a total contradiction to what I saw when I interviewed with Target.

I was sitting in their Starbucks waiting on someone to come get me for the interview and not only did I see multiple employees taking their breaks, I saw two who were all over each other.

They were hugging, kissing, laughing, feeding each other, etc.

 

[Softlines Owns My Soul]

I know, specifically in my situation, it has reduced my purchasing of items from them. The whole situation left a bad taste in my mouth and I realize after the fact that the stuff is kind of gross and I should be eating better, so it worked out better for me anyway.

 

[GlobalTargetTM]

Its situations like that that made me grateful for the 1 hour paid lunch that I get now... or the fact that I can eat at my desk whenever I want. Target treats/treated us like crap. The lack of logic I saw in that place was crazy.

At my old store we had to take a lunch out of sight as well, same with breaks.

 

[DotWarner]

My store wouldn't let us use Food Ave for breaks and I worked overnight.
Yet they let the ETLs have their meetings there. Guess they weren't too concerned about guest perception of that, especially since you looked right at Food Ave when you were being rung up at the check lanes.

 

[Barcode]

My store doesn't care if you eat in food ave, but anywhere else (Besides breakroom) is a big no no... Watched the grocery TL hardcore coach one of my cashiers for eating and talking to a friend on the Checklanes during her break.

 

[Softlines Owns My Soul]

My store doesn't care if you eat in food ave, but anywhere else (Besides breakroom) is a big no no... Watched the grocery TL hardcore coach one of my cashiers for eating and talking to a friend on the Checklanes during her break.

Well that makes more sense, that's not a designated eating area. Food ave tables/chairs area is for that, so I'm kind of confused as to why TMs aren't allowed to sit there. I remember it used to make me feel kind of inferior, because the TLs and ETLs would often status there.

 

[tellmeaboutatime]

When I spend $5 for a coffee at Starbucks, I will drink it in a clean, quiet enviroment. I figure that is part of the price. Our breakroom is filled with Target posters, Target books and its dirty and noisy. I want to sit in quiet and chill. I would never sit in there when it is busy. I also always take my namebadge off. When I am not being paid by Target (off the clock) they cannot tell me me not to sit in that area. I did place a call to integrity on this issue and suddenly it was fine for everyone to eat at Food Cafe or Starbucks while not on the clock.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Way back when I was hired, I was told to go the breakroom for breaks, etc. Food ave is for guests.

 

[Guest Attendant]

When I spend $5 for a coffee at Starbucks, I will drink it in a clean, quiet enviroment. I figure that is part of the price. Our breakroom is filled with Target posters, Target books and its dirty and noisy. I want to sit in quiet and chill. I would never sit in there when it is busy. I also always take my namebadge off. When I am not being paid by Target (off the clock) they cannot tell me me not to sit in that area. I did place a call to integrity on this issue and suddenly it was fine for everyone to eat at Food Cafe or Starbucks while not on the clock.

sounds like our breakroom at Walmart though it is most of the time quiet. We get an hour unpaid lunch and two 15 minunte paid breaks. I spend the breaks in the breakroom but lunch I eirther eat it at subway (store doesn't care, plus lunch is at 2am so the store is dead anyway) or I eat outside on the bench. I like it. Quiet and peaceful .

But you guys get a 45 min lunch now?


When I worked for spot the rules were like the guy posted above. You could not eat at food ave. Bad thing was our breakroom was upstairs, so it was a pain having to use the stairs (even more so since they didnt place restrooms up there)

 

[Softlines Owns My Soul]

The amount of time you get for your unpaid lunch varies by state.

 

[Jettajunky]

We can take any break at the cafe as long as you take your badge off. Lots of our guests also wear red and khaki so if you don't have the badge on you just look like a guest.

 

[redeye58]

When it's a day we are scheduled, we have to take breaks/lunches "off-stage" in the breakroom. If we are off for the day, THEN we can eat at FA &, yeh, our leadership has their little AM coffee klatch there...

 

[b72pkdPhv]

Okay, this is something I'd take up with the ETL-HR, because I assure you it is not in any official Target documentation. Everyone in my store eats at that Cafe, for the most part, because the break room is at a ridiculously inconvenient location. Given that I have personally read most of the "best practice" guidelines for each workstation (I'm anal like that), and never seen this little tidbit, I call bull************.

Basically, if it's not an official Target brand policy, there is no way they can enforce it. By firing you or otherwise. If they do try? That's an integrity issue, in my book.

 

[Dr Laytex]

I want a 45 minute lunch. I don't care where I have to take it. What states get a 45?

 

[SouthernThunder]

Well that makes more sense, that's not a designated eating area. Food ave tables/chairs area is for that, so I'm kind of confused as to why TMs aren't allowed to sit there. I remember it used to make me feel kind of inferior, because the TLs and ETLs would often status there.

I think you may have just hit on the explainable for why they're doing this.

Managers can hang out there but mere mortals can't.

I used to work at a store that had a policy of no food, drink or tobacco allowed on the sales floor and yet every morning, the store manager and/or district manager would do a store walk, while carrying cups of coffee.

They however didn't care at all where we took our breaks/lunches.

Sometimes I spent my breaks just wandering around the store.

This is the first I've ever heard of a store telling employees that they can't be in a food service area while on their break.

 

[SouthernThunder]

I want a 45 minute lunch. I don't care where I have to take it. What states get a 45?

Where I live, after you've worked 5 hours, they have to either cut you loose or give you a 35 minute lunch.

Most stores however give an hour.

 

[insiteful1]

Where I live, after you've worked 5 hours, they have to either cut you loose or give you a 35 minute lunch.

Most stores however give an hour.

I would think that "most" stores/states do 30 min lunches. Not 1 hour. Am I way off on that?

 

[SouthernThunder]

I would think that "most" stores/states do 30 min lunches. Not 1 hour. Am I way off on that?

I don't know.

I'm no expert in labor law, I just know what has been the practice at stores I've worked at, which have all been in the same state.

Here there's also a caveat regarding the size of the store.

I've mostly worked in convenience stores and in that environment, breaks are catch as you can and lunches are non-existent.

Larger stores generally give you an hour for lunch and I'm assuming there's some legal requirement to do so or otherwise they wouldn't be doing it.

My understanding is they have to give you 35 minutes but they err on the side of caution and give you an hour.

Again, I'm not a labor attorney, but that is my understanding.

 

[ISIS639]

I don't know.

I'm no expert in labor law, I just know what has been the practice at stores I've worked at, which have all been in the same state.

Here there's also a caveat regarding the size of the store.

I've mostly worked in convenience stores and in that environment, breaks are catch as you can and lunches are non-existent.

Larger stores generally give you an hour for lunch and I'm assuming there's some legal requirement to do so or otherwise they wouldn't be doing it.

My understanding is they have to give you 35 minutes but they err on the side of caution and give you an hour.

Again, I'm not a labor attorney, but that is my understanding.

I know some (NOT all) labor laws vary based on # of employees, so that explains some of what you've experienced but I believe your state is rare in the hour lunch thing. Most Target stores, in most states, give a 30 min lunch, as required by law.

 

[SouthernThunder]

I know some (NOT all) labor laws vary based on # of employees, so that explains some of what you've experienced but I believe your state is rare in the hour lunch thing. Most Target stores, in most states, give a 30 min lunch, as required by law.

Well, it may not be MY state, it could just be stores I've worked at that erred on the side of caution.

It could also be they were following the KISS principle and so following the law in whichever state had the most strenuous law.

All I know is what my personal experience has been and what I've been told when I was in supervisory positions and that was, after 5 hours, you have to either kick them loose or give them an hour lunch.

I've also been told that I HAD to take an hour lunch, when my personal preference would have been to finish what I was doing and go home.

Whether that is state law or just the policy of the stores I've worked for is something I don't know.

 

[SouthernThunder]

So, I did a bit of Googling.

From a quick read it would seem that actual state law here is they have to give you a 30 minute lunch after you've worked 6 hours.

As I said before, the stores I've worked for have either been erring on the side of caution or taking the law from another state and applying it across the board.