Archived Merry Christmas, Mr. Cornell

[seasonaldude]

Did anyone work in a store that had more employees working and more coverage then in previous years? Or did it seem that there were less employees working and less coverage? My store had 1 employee working in E (toys) & F (electronics) for nearly all of December. Very rarely was there multiple people working in E & F. The electronics breaks were covered by pulling someone from C & D or Market.

That was your store. My store had 2-4 people in electronics and toys every day shift. It varied depending on traffic and workload as some would might get pulled to help elsewhere. I'm a seasonal toys TM. Worked 40 hours a week every week in December. So did my fellow toys and electronics TMs.

 

[Tyler Harris]

That was your store. My store had 2-4 people in electronics and toys every day shift. It varied depending on traffic and workload as some would might get pulled to help elsewhere. I'm a seasonal toys TM. Worked 40 hours a week every week in December. So did my fellow toys and electronics TMs.

My store cut hours and nobody was getting 40 hours a week in December. Not even last week.

 

[HRZone]

There was a Superstore episode a couple weeks ago called Manager's Conference where two TM's went to a leadership conference. The leaders were mocking TM's

"Pay us more, give us more hours, I'm on food stamps. Boo-hoo"

"How do you get out of giving benefits to a fulltime employee? Make them two part-timers"

Made me think of Target's Fall National Meeting

You catch that one @Amanda Cantwell ?

 

[seasonaldude]

My store cut hours and nobody was getting 40 hours a week in December. Not even last week.

Depends on store I guess. I have 40 hours this week still. But, there have been major cuts in some other seasonals' hours this week.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

There was a Superstore episode a couple weeks ago called Manager's Conference where two TM's went to a leadership conference. The leaders were mocking TM's

"Pay us more, give us more hours, I'm on food stamps. Boo-hoo"

"How do you get out of giving benefits to a fulltime employee? Make them two part-timers"

Made me think of Target's Fall National Meeting

You catch that one @Amanda Cantwell ?

I’m so impressed you remembered I watch 🙂

I’m catching up on it so I haven’t yet but I think that’s the next one I’m about to see

 

[seasonaldude]

I’m so impressed you remembered I watch 🙂

I’m catching up on it so I haven’t yet but I think that’s the next one I’m about to see

One of the best episodes so far. Watch soon.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

One of the best episodes so far. Watch soon.

I'll try to this week! 🙂

 

[HRLady]

The problem is, that the tenured people don't get that dollar. The gap between new and experienced people gets thinner.

I don't think any salaried person has the mental fortitude to comprehend that.

I agree that veteran TMs should get paid more. However, my previous post was in response to Tyler Harris talking about the $15 raise negatively affecting the TM and TL base pay difference. He did not know how much TLs were paid and was not aware that TL base pay also rose when TM base pay rose. Since I had access to pay charts, I knew that increasing the starting pay affected all pay grade levels, so I just wanted to clarify this for him and other readers of this thread.

 

[garbage]

Just like taxing Target and other companies more will not work. Target is cutting hours to offset paying higher wages. Increase Target's taxes and they will cut more hours.

I think Target would cut hours even if we were all still making $7.25 an hour. You forget companies don’t like wasting money. If they only need one person in a department, they only need one. Have 5 $7.25 an hour employees there would still be wasteful.
Also, Medicare for all is possible. I’d gladly pay more in taxes if it means my fellow neighbor will get treatment shall they get sick.

 

[Tyler Harris]

I think Target would cut hours even if we were all still making $7.25 an hour. You forget companies don’t like wasting money. If they only need one person in a department, they only need one. Have 5 $7.25 an hour employees there would still be wasteful.
Also, Medicare for all is possible. I’d gladly pay more in taxes if it means my fellow neighbor will get treatment shall they get sick.

Medicare for All will result in huge tax increases for everyone, massive job losses, a huge doctor/medical personnel shortage, rationing of care, and huge decreases to retirement accounts.

Then you have the federal government controlling everyone's health care. If Medicare for All was already passed, then for the past 2 years Donald Trump, Paul Ryan, and Mitch McConnell would be deciding everyone's health care.

Do you feel comfortable letting Trump, Ryan, and McConnell decide your health care?

 

[garbage]

I think Target would cut hours even if we were all still making $7.25 an hour. You forget companies don’t like wasting money. If they only need one person in a department, they only need one. Have 5 $7.25 an hour employees there would still be wasteful.

Medicare for All will result in huge tax increases for everyone, massive job losses, a huge doctor/medical personnel shortage, rationing of care, and huge decreases to retirement accounts.

Then you have the federal government controlling everyone's health care. If Medicare for All was already passed, then for the past 2 years Donald Trump, Paul Ryan, and Mitch McConnell would be deciding everyone's health care.

Do you feel comfortable letting Trump, Ryan, and McConnell decide your health care?

It if means I can see a doctor without going bankrupt, sure. I’m one illness from total bankruptcy without insurance and I doubt I’m the only one. Had to see a doctor for something extremely minor recently, total bill out the door was $350. I can’t imagine what it would be like for something major or if I was living paycheck to paycheck.
If basically all of Europe and Canada can figure it out, I’m sure we can.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Back on topic, please.
@Tyler Harris

 

[FlowTeamChick]

But you know what .... I can play their game. I'll take advantage of every time a manager isn't keeping track of my work to slack off. And if there are people here that don't like it ... I really don't care. I make it look like I work hard, and after all, isn't public image the important part?

This is unfortunate. I get that you're angry at corporate, but this attitude just makes it harder for your co-workers, not corporate. Your slacking at whatever tasks you're assigned at your store means other TMs at your store either work harder to make up for it or, at the least, grumble about having a slacker for a co-worker. You're not really sticking it to "the man"; you're sticking it to your fellow TMs. But as you say, you don't care.
I'm not sure I care any more than you do, but I do have some respect for my co-workers.

 

[unknown]

This is unfortunate. I get that you're angry at corporate, but this attitude just makes it harder for your co-workers, not corporate. Your slacking at whatever tasks you're assigned at your store means other TMs at your store either work harder to make up for it or, at the least, grumble about having a slacker for a co-worker. You're not really sticking it to "the man"; you're sticking it to your fellow TMs. But as you say, you don't care.
I'm not sure I care any more than you do, but I do have some respect for my co-workers.

I learned from the best. No pillows or bubble wrap to pack fragile items? Keep packing. I suppose I'm to care and quite packing? I suggested we call a packing place and try and buy some. Oh no. We can't do that. But don't stop packing. So sorry if my caring level has fallen off.

 

[dannyy315]

Well look at this article. Higher paychecks apparently drives more consumer spending and is good for the economy. Who knew?

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/26/business/holiday-shopping-amazon-retail/index.html

 

[phibot]

He did not know how much TLs were paid and was not aware that TL base pay also rose when TM base pay rose.

I for one enjoy working my ass off to be paid the minimum thanks to this.

 

[redeye58]

Well look at this article. Higher paychecks apparently drives more consumer spending and is good for the economy. Who knew?

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/26/business/holiday-shopping-amazon-retail/index.html

Higher wages among the working class has always benefited the economy.

 

[HRZone]

I think Target would cut hours even if we were all still making $7.25 an hour. You forget companies don’t like wasting money. If they only need one person in a department, they only need one. Have 5 $7.25 an hour employees there would still be wasteful.
Also, Medicare for all is possible. I’d gladly pay more in taxes if it means my fellow neighbor will get treatment shall they get sick.

At the end of the day, companies will be looking out for their shareholders primarily. I've always felt Costco is probably #1 in terms of balancing the interest of the team, shareholders and consumers but this issue is not unique to Target.

 

[dannyy315]

Higher wages among the working class has always benefited the economy.

Yeah it’s almost as if those arguments that say raising wages would cripple businesses are bs 😉

 

[Shadowski]

I feel sorry for the stores where an ETL won the $500 work/win/give thing. Or a seasonal sloth. At least a deserving TM won my stores'.

A seasonal that worked 4 days during the contest won it. He hasn't come in since winning it.

Fuck your contest, Target. All it did was piss off the entire store and cause long time caring team members to question why they should give a damn.

 

[commiecorvus]

A seasonal that worked 4 days during the contest won it. He hasn't come in since winning it.

Fuck your contest, Target. All it did was piss off the entire store and cause long time caring team members to question why they should give a damn.

What the hell, did they just pull a name out of a hat?

 

[RhettB]

What the hell, did they just pull a name out of a hat?

Randomly selected by HQ

 

[BoxCutter]

Nothing has been said about who won at our store. Then again, our sorority sister cheerleader that is ETL-HR is so totally incompetent and useless it doesn't surprise me.

 

[Backroom81]

I think Target would cut hours even if we were all still making $7.25 an hour.

They would and they were. Starting pay stayed below $8/hr for close to 15 years while Target was steadily gutting positions, payroll, and benefits. The increase in base pay was just a way to score some brownie points with the public while they continued gutting.

And as always, people will continue to defend the corporations for these cuts. They will continue to defend it even when most US jobs are replaced by computers and claim "$15/hr made this happen." No. It didn't. The computers are coming anyways because they cost next to nothing to run. The $15 is the scapegoat.

My boss tried to tell me I'm too "doom and gloom" about the current wave of automation. I'm a bookkeeper for a small industrial repair shop. I had to remind him that prior to cheap accounting software, my job used to be performed by 3 people. Now it's just me and with current tracking technology, my job could easily be eliminated. Our software can already interface with time clocks and cell phones for job and payroll tracking and can also download credit card/bank statements for expenses which can be turned into invoices at the push of a button on an app. This software costs us on average $700 per year. That's $.34 per hour replacing the work done previously by two additional humans with accounting backgrounds. It doesn't matter if they were paid the average market salary for bookkeepers of $42,000 per year , $15/hr, or even minimum wage. Nothing can compete with $.34 per hour.

My only saving grace is that I'm the only human left in the office to ensure the work done by the software is accurate, interface with customers, and research the part books for the machines we work on.

 

[FlowTeamChick]

I learned from the best. No pillows or bubble wrap to pack fragile items? Keep packing. I suppose I'm to care and quite packing? I suggested we call a packing place and try and buy some. Oh no. We can't do that. But don't stop packing. So sorry if my caring level has fallen off.

But that's not what you were talking about and not what I was responding to. You said that you wait until your manager isn't tracking your work and that you don't care if other people don't appreciate your slacking. That's what I was saying is unfortunate. Your attempt to change the subject doesn't change how your slacking affects your fellow co-workers. If you hate it so much, maybe find another job. The economy is much better than it was and unemployment is pretty low practically everywhere.