Archived Heat in store making people ill

[Frontlanegirl]

Front end is the hottest part of my store (except for Receiving), and it's especially bad at Guest Service.

Complained to my closing lead about the heat and he requisitioned a small fan for me but said there was nothing he could do about the temperature and A/C (or lack thereof)

This!! We are right next to the door and having the doors continuously open and close just lets the hot air in.

 

[YoNanas]

Complaining how hot it is, I'd rather complain how cold it is with A/C cranked excessively that when you step outside to the 80` weather that you start condensating and it is worse than if the temps were nearly the same in and out. Especially as a shopper in shorts. The heat feels good unlike the constant A/C where I start to feel chill in my bones.

 

[Kartman]

"The heat feels good."

 

[CsideMaster]

I prefer being too cold to too hot anyday. If you’re too cold, you can keep adding layers on, but if you’re too hot, there’s only so much you could take off that’s socially acceptable lol

 

[can't touch this]

I don't believe you ever have worked in real heat. Be damn glad!

tbh fam I was joking...a blowdrier adds heat but a fan only circulates it. The worst heat I've been in was when I was helping my uncle in the house he was building. They had the insulation installed but no power or AC yet, and this was in the middle of summer, 112F and a cloudless sky. Legit thought I was going to die just being in there 10 minutes. I should've brought cookie dough and a baking sheet with me lol

 

[theissueoftissue]

tbh fam I was joking...a blowdrier adds heat but a fan only circulates it. The worst heat I've been in was when I was helping my uncle in the house he was building. They had the insulation installed but no power or AC yet, and this was in the middle of summer, 112F and a cloudless sky. Legit thought I was going to die just being in there 10 minutes. I should've brought cookie dough and a baking sheet with me lol

But don’t u live in Canada

 

[ManMythMachine]

LOL


I'm thinking it's like my store - we have ac but the powers that be keep it set to 85. Real comfortable when it's 95.

Same at Dustribution Centers.

Corporate sets the level to 85 even though corporate is in a frozen tundra compared to the death valley temperate hell we are in. Thanks all-knowing corporate! *melts*

 

[Kartman]

I swear - all things being equal, I'd rather work at a freezing Walmart. We have 3 locally and every one is cold as a well diggers ass.

 

[mandie89]

Same at Dustribution Centers.

Corporate sets the level to 85 even though corporate is in a frozen tundra compared to the death valley temperate hell we are in. Thanks all-knowing corporate! *melts*

So corporate really does regulate the heat? F***. Guests and TMs, myself included, are always complaining about how hot it is in our store. It’s especially hot in Electronics because of the TVs radiating heat all day but it’s too much. The back of the fitting room where all of the racks and tables are used to be the coolest part of the store and we’d all hang out there for five minutes to cool off, but even now that’s way too hot.

 

[Tessa120]

Is this verified by a properly calibrated thermometer?

Circulating hot air with fans probably won’t do much to help lol.

I think some of you are being a little dramatic saying your stores are in the 90-100° range.

I think you are being a corporate mouthpiece. People describe heat injury symptoms in themselves and others, some pretty serious symptoms in some cases, and it's drama? People bought thermometers (multiple) to check, but it's a calibration issue? Basic training at Ft Benning GA in June didn't have us nearly as sick as a lot of people here have been.

And circulating air does help, especially when humid. The movement of the air helps sweat evaporate, and sweat evaporating is one of the body's cooling mechanisms.

So corporate really does regulate the heat? F***. Guests and TMs, myself included, are always complaining about how hot it is in our store. It’s especially hot in Electronics because of the TVs radiating heat all day but it’s too much. The back of the fitting room where all of the racks and tables are used to be the coolest part of the store and we’d all hang out there for five minutes to cool off, but even now that’s way too hot.

Yeah, they do control it. We had the opposite problem this winter, when the outside temp took a nosedive so did the store's. We all told every guest who mentioned the cold to complain to corporate about the temperature because it was just beyond belief cold in the entire store. FR traffic went to nil for a few days because it was too darn cold to even take off your coat, much less everything else. A few days later the outside temp went up several degrees, and then a week or so after that dropped right back down. That time though, the store was considerably warmer. My guess is all those guests did complain to corporate.

 

[theissueoftissue]

I think you are being a corporate mouthpiece. People describe heat injury symptoms in themselves and others, some pretty serious symptoms in some cases, and it's drama? People bought thermometers (multiple) to check, but it's a calibration issue? Basic training at Ft Benning GA in June didn't have us nearly as sick as a lot of people here have been.

I guess you missed the posts I made following this. IF this is truly the case, there is an equipment malfunction that has not been addressed, and the property management team is failing. I highly doubt that if a DTL or GVP was told that guests are fainting in one of their stores due to heat, they would ignore it.

But I guess if everyone had their way we’d keep all stores at 65° 24/7 year round. Just don’t faint when your hours and raises get cut further to make up the cost of running that equipment ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Kartman]

Yea, poor Target... having to spend money to make TMs/guests comfortable... it brings a tear to my eye!!!

 

[Fix It]

Good lord lol. Store HVAC temps are set to 68-76 or so. Any colder and the heat comes on. Any warmer and the AC comes on. It’s completely regulated by HQ. If you really don’t like your PMT or have faith in him just ask an ETL to call FMOC and have them check the temps. If the ACs are broken they’ll even put the work order in themselves.

 

[redeye58]

Just don’t faint when your hours and raises get cut further to make up the cost of running that equipment

lol....too late.

 

[IWishIKnew]

If it's regulated by corporate, it's not done very well. I'm appalled at the stories I'm hearing here (not in a skeptical way!).

I walked into my store this afternoon, out of 90 degree temps (rare here) and it was its usual pleasant 72-ish degrees. It's a little muggier nowadays, but I'm still just fine in a t-shirt.

 

[Kartman]

You lucky bastid.

lol....too late.

Ain't THAT the truth!!!

 

[can't touch this]

But I guess if everyone had their way we’d keep all stores at 65° 24/7 year round.

55° please (◔ᗜ◔)

Just don’t faint when your hours and raises get cut further to make up the cost of running that equipment ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

what hours and what raises?

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Sometimes sensors can be fooled by stupid stuff. We had a frig in the breakroom under the sensor & jacked everything up.

 

[RhettB]

The only exception I have seen in nearly 20 years is having the grocery side lowered to compensate for high humidity causing excess condensation.

 

[pfreshdude]

If he’s telling you he “Contacts Corp” that is not legitimate. Zone setpoints are pretty much standard throughout the country. If it’s 80-100° something is broken, and he she or they are not doing their job. A few days to a week for a part is understandable, but if the vendor is jerking around and it’s going on weeks or months, and people are fainting due to heat, the PMT and/or BP are failing miserably.

If all else fails tell the DTL. They will get on the BP and it will get fixed.

I was more responding just about CORP doing something about how it feels in the store in general not an issue if its like set to 90 or something.

No hes doing his job...hes prob one of the best PMTs in the entire company...def in our region

We get guests complaints every year and I talk to him about it every year and he has told me in great detail all the bullshit he has gone through with corp

We are in the Pacific northwest so its not a "hot area" like some of these other stores but sometimes it gets super muggy and humid to where it literally feels better or the same OUTSIDE then it does in the store and just stocking and zoning stuff in market has my whole body dripping in sweat. If we could wear shorts it would help alot, and im not sure why they dont just allow it for the summer in all stores TBH

Target is one of the few stores around here that when its warm/hot it feels awful. Go into like Safeway or Walmart and its heaven

 

[pfreshdude]

I prefer being too cold to too hot anyday. If you’re too cold, you can keep adding layers on, but if you’re too hot, there’s only so much you could take off that’s socially acceptable lol

If your too cold you arent working hard enough haha

 

[NPC]

So like, how much control does Target have over the AC/Heat? Isn't this just a matter of how good of a building you're in? My store is relatively warm. But some spots are freezing cold, and others are super hot. And of course, the front end is always scorching.

 

[Dog]

It’s somehow a LOT colder in the cash office than the whole rest of my store for some reason

 

[Frontlanegirl]

I guess you missed the posts I made following this. IF this is truly the case, there is an equipment malfunction that has not been addressed, and the property management team is failing. I highly doubt that if a DTL or GVP was told that guests are fainting in one of their stores due to heat, they would ignore it.

But I guess if everyone had their way we’d keep all stores at 65° 24/7 year round. Just don’t faint when your hours and raises get cut further to make up the cost of running that equipment ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I know several stores that have solar equipment on their roofs and the temp in the store is still warm. Solar is there to cut energy costs.

 

[Fix It]

So like, how much control does Target have over the AC/Heat? Isn't this just a matter of how good of a building you're in? My store is relatively warm. But some spots are freezing cold, and others are super hot. And of course, the front end is always scorching.

Stores are always patchy. Hotter some places than others. It’s hard to maintain one constant temp over 40,000+ sq.ft of building. Some of it has to do with the structure itself, but there are other factors that have to do with RTU sensor placement, window and door locations, refrigeration unit placement. And HQ has direct control over temperature points always. To have a temp points changed usually takes a couple weeks of monitoring as well as district and group level collaboration. It’s a long and tedious road to justify climate control costs.

It’s somehow a LOT colder in the cash office than the whole rest of my store for some reason

That’s because the same unit that keeps the control room at temp is the same unit for the CO in most cases and it’s not a split unit. It only does COLD or HOT and the control room never gets cold lol

The only exception I have seen in nearly 20 years is having the grocery side lowered to compensate for high humidity causing excess condensation.

Market really needs it’s own dehumidifying unit but the costs for new ducting can be astronomical. It’s cheaper to make a normal RTU work overtime to stay cooler. Combine that with the fans on the refrigerated cases making air hot and the case itself cooling.... it’s just an HVAC nightmare since target has dropped ceilings . If the ceilings were 20-25 feet tall you wouldn’t have condensation issues. Normal grocery stores have super tall ceilings to help compensate the condensate.