Archived Are we sitting ducks in a terror attack?

[commiecorvus]

It's not even terrorist attacks I'm worried about, but just generally pissed off people with weapons. If the lane next to me is empty and I feel someone walking up behind me it really takes up all my willpower not to freak out and scream because people walking up behind me terrifies the shit out of me. My friends joke that everything with me is dying, but I'm legitimately afraid of anything leading to death no matter how tiny or insignificant it might seem.

I understand your panic attacks, that's not something you have any control over.
For that matter, the reaction to the sensation of having someone walk up behind you is built into our DNA.
We needed it to survive for a very long time.
There is nothing wrong with being aware of your surroundings, in fact it's a very good idea.
Know your exits, be clear on what you would do in an emergency, that way you aren't a chicken with your head cut off like just about everyone else.
Just don't let it control you.

And if the walk-in or freezer is close by it's not a bad option.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Stay calm. Spot has flip charts in tsc, GS & backroom. You might want to take a look at it.

 

[anticon]

I've got my zombie attack planned out though.

 

[SFSFun]

We actually have a riot evacuation plan in place that could be activated if something like this were to happen.

TMs need to use one of two emergency exits (NOT the front doors) on a specific side of the store, and then head to a rally point a few hundred feet away. We can tell guests that the store is closed and we are evacuating, but are under no obligation to stop and help them or bring them with us.

 

[oath2order]

Are there any strategies that lowly TMs should know? Like head for the back, take as many guests as possible? Or shelter in place because the aisles will catch the bullets? Also, wouldn't it be good if the AP were armed so he/she could attempt to stop the shooter?

My personal policy during a mass shooting is "get the fuck out from whatever passageway possible". Side doors? Sure. The little gap between the truck and the loading dock? I can fit in that gap and if I need to get out of the store that way I bloody well will.

 

[redeye58]

And if the walk-in or freezer is close by it's not a bad option.

This is what I always told the kids I work with.
I live in an open-carry state with a bunch of pissed-off rednecks armed to the teeth (if they had any).

 

[dannyy315]

Our store is underground so I have a good escape plan. Go to the backroom and take the elevator to the loading dock and exit on the street level.

 

[qmosqueen]

Hide in the freezer. No one ever goes in there. And with all the back stock in there they will never find you. Oh and if you have a walkie turn it off and silence your cell phone

 

[BigEyedPhish]

Hide in the freezer. No one ever goes in there. And with all the back stock in there they will never find you. Oh and if you have a walkie turn it off and silence your cell phone

You probably have a better chance of dying, just walking into the Freezer (nonetheless Hiding), than you do in a terrorist attack.

(Especially if yours is like ours, during Turkey Season.

 

[LUR99]

I work at the Guest Service desk so I will just hide in the FA room, it has a steel door. There is also a sink in the ground with a faucet and our guests love to order Nutrition bars for store pick up. So I would be good on food and water. Hopefully a guest has an online order for an ipad or ipod so I can rip open the box and charge my iphone ;-).

 

[oath2order]

And if the walk-in or freezer is close by it's not a bad option.

True that. Freezer is best. You can stay in there for a decentish amount of time in my store once the fan stops blowing. Plus you can hide behind all the goddamn backstock!

 

[Kaitii]

So where exactly is the freezer located, in the back of food ave?

 

[oath2order]

So where exactly is the freezer located, in the back of food ave?

There is one there, there's also one in backroom.

 

[LogisticsFox]

I would run for the top of the coolers. They're always accessible via gangplank from the generator mezzanine. No one outside of some ETLs and our PMT would even know how to get there. Same applies for a zombie apocalypse. Easily guarded and very close to the grocery stockroom and water pallets.

 

[Guest]

Target should have an off duty cop. My turd of a store is right by a police station so at least there's that. The freezer is where i would hide or i would get the crown and run it through the dock door to get out.

 

[Kartman]

I would go full on Spartan...

 

[tgtfla]

I am not worried about a terrorist attack at Target,but I do occasionally wonder what would happen if one of our etls or tls who are stretched to breaking point snap.

 

[TallAPGuy]

Are there exits I don't know about? Do the AP people conceal carry at least? I'd like to think there was some attempt to keep us and all the guests safe.

I guarantee, as a TPS in (northern) California, that no one in AP will be carrying a concealed firearm while working. If we were discovered to have a weapon on us, we not only could get fired, we could possibly face charges for carrying without a ccw, as the guard card required for loss prevention in California forbids carrying a weapon while on duty.
I literally had this discussion with a cop yesterday while I was looking up video for him from a card fraud. He said the best thing that I could do would be to pull as many people as I safely could into the AP office before locking the door and calling 911 while keeping the suspect on cameras as much as possible so I could direct officers to where to go.

 

[Loki]

We talked about this the other day. I told them I think a lot about how I would save myself if anything like this ever happened. It really weighs on my mind that anyone could come off the streets and just start shooting for no reason what so ever. With everything going on and now that I have a child I think about it even more. I am very aware of where all the exits are so I would hope I would have a chance if this did happen. Everyone is a sitting duck these days and it's pretty sad.

 

[HardlinesFour]

I think the chances of a mass shooter targeting a Target store, are quite slim. But for what it's worth.... I think the absolute best thing you can do, is summon the Police by dialing 911 ASAP. Police have been trained well, and will respond very quickly in these situations

As for me personally.... Typically, I'd be in the AP Office, or near the back of the store... which is why, I'd probably lock myself in the AP Office. I'm surprised none of you mentioned the Fire Doors. That'd be my first thought... if something like this happened. Flee the store, and run for your life.

 

[Leonhart621]

I'll use my PDA as a weapon.

 

[Tarjayyy]

As a team member there is really nothing that you can do in that type of situation. The leaders have to actually call a corporate (I think) and corporate coordinates the situation after the initial call.

I would walk around your store and make sure that you know where every fire door is located, you can't make a guest come with you (it would be considered kidnapping, and they could sue you and the company, but you can show/tell them where the doors are).

I had a situation a few months ago, there was a guest in by the dvds opening them and placing them in his pocket, and I did the "can I help you find something?" bit and he looked at me pulled his shirt up and pointed and pulled a gun. I just backed away took a few breaths, went in the back called AP, and got sent home with pay. Scary, heck yeah, will I even try that passive aggressive move again, heck no.

 

[BullseyeBlues]

Know your emergency exits. Know where your fire doors are. If you have secure access (pinpad is best, but keyed works too) rooms/closets, those would be a good spot to hide in that kind of event. Be aware of things to hide behind/under/over, especially if they have multiple layers, which could help slow a projectile to be less lethal.

 

[HardlinesFour]

I had a situation a few months ago, there was a guest in by the dvds opening them and placing them in his pocket, and I did the "can I help you find something?" bit and he looked at me pulled his shirt up and pointed and pulled a gun.

When he's arrested.. he'll be charged with Armed Robbery 😉 He can totally forget about ever having a life again, ever. No one will overlook that... And that's if the DA Office doesn't push for him to be put away for a very long time.

While it's scary... and I can't imagine... how horrible that felt. I can assure you Karma will catch up with him. Police Departments take that very seriously...

 

[HardlinesFour]

Know your emergency exits. Know where your fire doors are.

Depending on your store... very few will have them, but... some stores will have a 15 Second delay, before they open. If this happens, push in that door bar as hard as you can... and give the door the hardest kick you can. It'll swing open, like magic.

I know what the purpose of that delay is, working in AP. But that's got to be the worst idea... anyone has ever come up with. I mean... It's a Fire Door, it should never have a damn delay.