Back to pushing loyalty?

[Amanda Cantwell]

The reason is that your ETL and your store may not get credited (in terms of meeting quota) for many of those online applications. Depending on your district, the online applications might be allocated to your store IF the applicant lives in the geographic boundaries of your store's primary service area. This might not be the policy in other districts. Since your ETL and SD are under intense pressure to meet the RC application quota for the month, they are leaning on the Advocates to obtain applications in-store where they definitely will "belong" to your store in terms of meeting quota. I don't like it but Target is desperate to keep pushing Redcards, loike it or not.

I believe it is nationwide that whatever store the guest lives closest to gets the online app credit.

 

[Cinnamon2005]

The reason is that your ETL and your store may not get credited (in terms of meeting quota) for many of those online applications. Depending on your district, the online applications might be allocated to your store IF the applicant lives in the geographic boundaries of your store's primary service area. This might not be the policy in other districts. Since your ETL and SD are under intense pressure to meet the RC application quota for the month, they are leaning on the Advocates to obtain applications in-store where they definitely will "belong" to your store in terms of meeting quota. I don't like it but Target is desperate to keep pushing Redcards, loike it or not.

We apparently get credit. This week's goal is 9; we have 11 online & 2 instore. With as shorthanded as we are at the front lanes, I'll take the online apps as a win.

 

[jackandcat]

Our store gets credit for online apps, and as mentioned above by AC [QUOTE...]whatever store the guest lives closest to gets the online app credit. [/QUOTE] It might be that ETL is a bit too anxious of the RC quotas.

 

[jackandcat]

......The financial nightmare would be to expand who can bank at the Target credit union and tie the debit red card to a checking account. The other solution would be to have funds put on the card in advance, like a gift card. Maybe like the Starbucks card where the gift card is tied into a rewards account.

I don't think anybody seriously wants to expand eligibility for the Target CU to tie the debit RC to "our" credit union, which isn't actually owned by Target but is an independent co-op business which, in theory, is "owned" by its member-consumers.

Many moons ago, Target offered an American Express Prepaid Redcard, which resembles the Starbucks giftcard which you can link to your Starbucks reward card. Unfortunately, the Prepaid Redcard was discontinued. Initially, some guests loaded the card with money from a third-party credit card (sticking Target with swipe fees) but eventually that option was blocked.

Prepaid Amex/Visa/Mastercards are a thriving business at other stores, so methinks the real reason the reloadable Prepaid Redcard was discontinued likely relates to this product cannibalizing applications for the credit card, and therefore tending to reduce guest basket $ totals at checkout. The Prepaid Redcard was developed during the previous CEO Gregg's tenure, and likely the new CEO Brian figured it was not a profitable offering for Target. Personally, I think it would be a terrific offering especially as Prepaid Amex/Visa/MC cards can accept payroll direct deposit as well as be reloaded at the sponsoring store.

 

[Tessa120]

It is too bad they got rid of those, I didn't know they existed.

People keep fussing about how come the debit RC doesn't take funds out immediately like their other debit cards do. I think most people know but don't want to admit knowing since they want to feel outrage, but I think there are some people that genuinely don't know. Explaining to those latter folks is long and complicated.

 

[jackandcat]

It is too bad they got rid of those, I didn't know they existed.... People keep fussing about how come the debit RC doesn't take funds out immediately like their other debit cards do. I think most people know but don't want to admit knowing since they want to feel outrage, but I think there are some people that genuinely don't know. Explaining to those latter folks is long and complicated....

Well, unless you read the legal details in the Agreement, a typical consumer would not realize that the debit RC isn't the same as a bank-issued RC. It's more like writing a check to Target. Target batches the transactions submitted by its guests to a particular financial institution (FI), not in real-time as with a typical PIN-based debit card. By "batched", this means the debits are submitted to the bank in a manner which reduces Target's processing costs via the clearinghouse system. The submitted batches are processed by the clearinghouse system only on business days, Mondays through Fridays excluding legal holidays. Americans who are age 45 or better are likely to be familiar with check "float" times, but for younger Americans this isn't a familiar concept. Also, the people who are upset tend to not carry large balances in their checking accounts OR who have several "pre-authorized transfers" or payments taken periodically from their checking accounts.

As for the now-deceased Target Prepaid redcard, the info was been wiped clean from Target's web site but here are a couple of stories about this offering:

REDbird: The Target Prepaid REDcard

Everything you need to know about the new Target Prepaid REDcard. It is a competitor to Bluebird and Serve, and can be used to manufacture spend. Read how.

frequentmiler.boardingarea.com

How to Get a Target Prepaid REDCard If It's Not Available in Your State | Million Mile Secrets

Don't Live in a State That Carries the Target REDcard? You Can Still Get One!

millionmilesecrets.com

Target Kills Redbird for Good - Doctor Of Credit

Those of us who've been around this hobby for a while remember the REDbird days when it was possible to load your American Express prepaid product

www.doctorofcredit.com

 

[Tessa120]

Exactly. People know that it isn't issued by their bank and therefore Target doesn't have the same level of access to the funds in the bank account. Easy peasy, your bank isn't going to allow an outside party instant access to your money. No one wants an outside business to be mucking in their checking account. That's why people know. They just pretend they don't know so they can justify a reason to be mad.

The few folks that are genuinely completely mystified by the thought that the bank may want to restrict access to their money by making businesses go through official channels are going to need to have a check explained to them, as well as the reason for a 3 day hold. Without an immense amount of details they won't really understand.

 

[Florida Dawg]

Is it just my store or are other stores back to pushing RedCards & Circle? We are drowning on the front lanes due to team members being out on LOA; out of control driveups & hours cut to the bare minimum so there is no one for backups.

We are trying to run with one Guest Service, one advocate, one SCO & SETL/GSA until noon every day. No FOS attendant until 4:30.

As of this past Monday we were told that Red Card goals MUST be met in store. EVERY guest must get the Circle speech & driveups MUST be at 90 seconds. It is a nightmare.

Everyone's patience has been stretched to the limit. I have never had to deal with the team member drama I am dealing with this week.

I don't even want to think about the return nightmare we are going to have on Monday.

Since I started in April, I haven’t heard much at my store about redcard signup goals or sales quotas. Honestly my ETL’s and TL’s been more focused on getting people to do right up front and trying to look good as much as possible.

 

[GRC]

At my store, they're having an official competition for who gets the most redcards over the next few weeks.

 

[sunnydays]

hotline

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

hotline

You can’t hotline that. You’re allowed and encourage to reward RC signups. You just can’t discipline if they DONT get them

 

[sunnydays]

You can’t hotline that. You’re allowed and encourage to reward RC signups. You just can’t discipline if they DONT get them

ill dig up the workbench page on it when im back in store tomorrow but im reasonably sure that tracked contests and other forms of incentivizing are strictly against the rules.

or used to be anyway, if that has changed then hooray

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

ill dig up the workbench page on it when im back in store tomorrow but im reasonably sure that tracked contests and other forms of incentivizing are strictly against the rules.

or used to be anyway, if that has changed then hooray

you can't incentivize with cash or promote fraud or punish the losers but other than that it's fair game I think

 

[Far from newbie]

when I was GSTL 15 years ago we were REQUIRED to run DAILY games, contests And competitions to promote red cards. Results were posted For all to see, compared by all, low performers coached, high performers given gifts. At the time It was a major duty of all GSTL’s to make it fun, varied and get results.
Going to say: The most STRESSFUL Task I’ve ever had to do in my tenure - so much pressure and everyone HATED it ! ‘Red card % was part of EVERY conversation ! ARRRG - don’t remind me!