Anyone here successfully ask for a pay raise?

[jackandcat]

Target's official party line is "competitive pay" and "merit based" at a once-per-year performance review. But given the tightening labor market, and the terrifying loss of buying power due to inflation (including goods at Target), has anyone here succeeded in asking for an actual pay raise in their existing job?

Our store has recently lost far too many TMs, TLs and ETLs. I get the impression that Target refuses to offer pay raises....

 

[ImRickGrimes]

Honestly, I wouldn't hold my breath. The raise they gave me during my performance review was insultingly low. I had hoped that being employee of the month would come with a halfway decent raise, but apparently that's not the case.

 

[Hal]

Yes. I'm at a DC though. Got a nice bump two years ago because of it.

People are just afraid to ask and forget the worst they can say is no. You won't get fired for asking.

Come in with facts. What people in your role at other companies make, what you're contributions have been and translate that to what you earn. Talk about cost of living. Talk about whatever you want but keep it to honest facts.

Have 2 numbers in mind. How much you want and how much you'll take because you'll need to negotiate. For example if you make 20 per hour and you want 22, tell them you want 25 and negotiate to 22.

But be reasonable. Don't come in gunning for a 50% raise and try to avoid getting your feelings involved. Its business and businesses have to negotiate.

 

[dabug]

I left Target after asking for a $1 raise. I was very polite and explained in detail the reason I believed I deserved that raise. SD laughed in my face and told me to get out of her office

 

[Black Sheep 214]

I left Target after asking for a $1 raise. I was very polite and explained in detail the reason I believed I deserved that raise. SD laughed in my face and told me to get out of her office

Wow! With people skills like that your asshat SD should go far. Hopefully out the door with a bootprint in the appropriate area…

 

[Fluttervale]

No but I got fast tracked for a promotion.

 

[KarmaToBurn]

Ha! I couldn't even get them to listen to reconsider a fraudulent merit review... they just sent it back to the ETL who wrote the lies

 

[YugTegrat]

I've been told pay raises outside of the annual cycle used to be more common before Modernization. If a TM doesn't want to become a leader, there's really no other route to take in order to make more money outside of leaving Target. That kind of stinks.

 

[rd123]

We always think by the way they praise our good work that we are irreplaceable! But sadly nobody is . If we say we want raise , at my store Im pretty sure they will never consider it and can even backfire for us 🫤 they might not get someone who does the work sincerely and neatly but they are ok with just getting it done by some college kid who just pushes and backstock stuff wherever they want to . I’m often surprised by the people they consider to be the employee of month at my store . I felt bad many times . But now I don’t care as they give me hours max possible and I’m content with that.

 

[ION the Prize]

I have never asked for a raise, but I did once discuss a bad evaluation with an ETL.

She was a newer ETL, and she told me that the evaluation had been decided before she had started. The next year my evaluation was more favorable.

 

[ION the Prize]

And a lot of store employees in my metro area recently got a significant bump in their hourly pay.

I'll say that I've been pretty satisfied with the pay, bonuses, and benefits that Target has bestowed upon the plebes.

 

[ION the Prize]

I had hoped that being employee of the month would come with a halfway decent raise, but apparently that's not the case.

You and eleven other TMs.

 

[ION the Prize]

... they might not get someone who does the work sincerely and neatly but they are ok with just getting it done by some college kid who just pushes and backstock stuff wherever they want to ...

Ugh.

I like having a couple of days off in a row, but dread the overstock I'll be returning to.

 

[ION the Prize]

(Finished hijacking thread.)

 

[jackandcat]

 

[BurgerBob]

I ran the fuck outta my department with my coworker the whole pandemic. I got 11 cents the first time... and 25 cents the second..... yea i started applying to other career jobs after that 1st insult, then doubled down at the second.
Especially after those "please stay at work" bribes stopped flowing.

Crushed our redcards and circle metrics as well as protection plan sales....

Yea i doubt target would give a off cycle raise.

First raise at the new company ?"a prorated 1k" "since you just joined the company 3 months ago"

 

[NotCynicalYet]

I'm aware of one situation like this (somebody I know), but if it has happened more than once at my store, I wouldn't know because the SD would keep a very tight lid on it.

 

[busyzoningtoys]

It’s successfully happened twice in my district in the past year or so. PG45 (TL paygrade). The one I know the details of took a lot of pushing and escalating from a BP, and then director, and it took like 3 months to get approved. About a 10% increase based on district comparable pay for the same role, some specific prior HR situation specific things, and performance. Keyed into Workday as an ad-hoc compensation change by the director for that workcenter, and approved months later by the DSD admin lol JUST in time for the annual merit increase to be based on the new pay. No threats of looking for something higher paying elsewhere, no boasting about receiving higher offers, just the right people invested in it and constant follow up with them and their constant follow up farther up the ladder that got it done. The other one was a TL talked into changing workcenters who said they wouldn’t unless they got a pay increase. I think they got $1.50/hr more, the reasoning being their prior experience and the fact than an external would have gotten that amount above base pay for the same experience if hired.

Oh, let this be a reminder if you’re making a lateral move within the same TL paygrade, try to negotiate above what they offer you based on the amount of time in TL roles you have based on experience and the fact that if you were an external candidate you’d be getting that $1.50 more.

I think as long as it’s a situation and process that remains rarely encountered, it’s possible for the few who get the right people backing them and if everyone involved is persistent; of course everyone is going to say there’s no chance when almost no ETL will bother trying to get an SD to support it, almost no SD will bother trying to get someone higher up to support it, etc. because they all assume the answer will be a resounding “no”. I’m sure if more people were doing this, Target would get real stingy with this, or make some new “best practice” that makes these kind of increases not possible. Also, make sure you aren’t asking for an increase that will make you the highest paid in your role in the district, and it probably helps if you’re in/seeking a role that is currently hard to fill.

 

[can't touch this]

1.50 x 40 = $60 before tax, which is like four gallons of gas, two bags of groceries or 0.0002% of a month's rent lol/lmao but three months of haggling with the rainbow-ancaps who run Target sounds about right