The tale of two stores

[MarketTM53]

I've been with target for 5 years

I'm very good at what I do

I didnt start take taking it seriously until year 3

I went from 10 hours a week hardline to 40 hours a week food and beverage expert in about a years time

My store leadership was enthralled with me

They wanted me to apply to be the new team lead

But then

I moved, and transferred to a new store in the same district

I knew I'd have earn respect again

But I wasn't prepared for just how important store culture is

With a few months time I was so miserable I had panic attacks

I had to push so hard to keep up with the work load they put on me before getting to know me

I got to 40 spb and my back started to wear out because of it

And they had me doing the sweeps while expected to push the Fdc and rdc truck

Along with zoning, auditing, end caps, revisions, resets, receiving and restocking Starbucks

I was chipping along lumpy through it telling myself it's not so bad

At least they respect me

Then this past Thanksgiving they scheduled me 11:00am until 2:00am to spit telling me I could have it off

They made miss yet another Thanksgiving the 6th one in a row and work a ridiculous shift to cover market

On the one day no one shops market aside from the TVs in the asiles

I was grinding through it, restocking milk when a gallon of milk fell from the top of the over stacked pallet on my head

Drenching me in milk at 10 pm

Did they let me go and take a shower?

No

Did they tell me I'd be written up if I left before the end of shift?

Of course

Did I use the skills target helped hone to get a management job at the substantially better company at much higher pay rate?

Hell yes

Did I quit without notice on workday ?

You best believe it

Did I burned the bridge ?

Did I burn a bridge? Mother fuckers, as far as I'm concerned. They sprayed napalm on MY bridge

So good luck to all of you and if you're at a store with good culture, cherish it.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Good luck.

 

[Nauzhror]

FWIW, there's no way in hell I'd let someone go home for the day on thanksgiving or black friday because milk was spilled on them. I might let them take their lunch early and run home and shower on their lunch, but actually ending their shift early? Not a chance.

 

[Tarshitsucks]

Good luck on a new endeavor. Tarshit lies all time.

 

[MarketTM53]

FWIW, there's no way in hell I'd let someone go home for the day on thanksgiving or black friday because milk was spilled on them. I might let them take their lunch early and run home and shower on their lunch, but actually ending their shift early? Not a chance.

And youre exactly the poor excuse for "leadership" this company promotes. When you forget the human element you lose the employee.

Empathy, integrity, energy confidence, intelligence, and a strong work ethic is what my current company values in management

I hope you sincerely enjoy rearranging deck chairs on the titanic.

 

[Nauzhror]

And youre exactly the poor excuse for "leadership" this company promotes. When you forget the human element you lose the employee.

Empathy, integrity, energy confidence, intelligence, and a strong work ethic is what my current company values in management

I hope you sincerely enjoy rearranging deck chairs on the titanic.

Yeah, no. No company's leadership is sending you home for the day on the busiest day of the year because you spilled some milk on yourself. Because you broke your finger? Sure. Spilling milk on yourself isn't that huge of a deal. I'd give you a clean set of clothes to wear long before I'd send you home.

Wanting to leave for the day because of some spilled milk is the exact opposite of a strong work ethic.

 

[xNightStockerx]

Have pretty good leadership and culture. But I know if I needed help like you they would not give a crap.
More power to you. 👍

 

[Black Sheep 214]

Is someone on my team was hit on the head by a falling gallon of milk and was drenched, I would let them go home to shower and change, Black Friday or not. I would also encourage them to fill out accident paperwork and go see a doctor, since any head injury can be serious. Depending how far that milk fell before hitting the person, a concussion or neck injury are possibilities. Better safe than sorry.
OP, sorry your store “ leadership” treated you like that. Congrats on your new job and good luck!

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

Yeah, no. No company's leadership is sending you home for the day on the busiest day of the year because you spilled some milk on yourself. Because you broke your finger? Sure. Spilling milk on yourself isn't that huge of a deal. I'd give you a clean set of clothes to wear long before I'd send you home.

Wanting to leave for the day because of some spilled milk is the exact opposite of a strong work ethic.

At 10pm, after the rush, 3 hours before we closed. Working in grocery, no where near the chaos. After he’s been there 11 hours. Hell yes I would have let him leave early.

 

[Nauzhror]

If market has TM's on Thanksgiving that don't need to be in market, they'd almost surely just be moved to another department, not sent home.

 

[INFThatShiz]

Yes because walking around with crusty milk dandruff and damp clothes smelling like sweat and dairy is pleasant. Some of you really need to chill. Let them go home and shower.

 

[CrosstrainInsane]

If it wasn’t an injury, go home and change or I’ll requisition something for you. Not leaving if we need you. Or you can leave and it will warrant a reliability convo. I’m not keeping anyone prisoner.

 

[CrosstrainInsane]

However, hit on the head, sounds like a potential injury to me...

 

[Tessa120]

FWIW, there's no way in hell I'd let someone go home for the day on thanksgiving or black friday because milk was spilled on them. I might let them take their lunch early and run home and shower on their lunch, but actually ending their shift early? Not a chance.

Yes, because guests love the smell of sour milk, and TMs love smelling like sour milk and trying to work at a pace that raises a sweat in damp clothes that won't allow cooling off. And let's not forget the damage of 8.6 pounds hitting your head, instantly doubling the weight compressing down on your neck, and it's medically recommended to continue working through that impact stress immediately and not medically recommended to allow a period of rest to the head and neck to avoid long-term injury.

 

[Tessa120]

or I’ll requisition something for you.

So sour milk smell in the hair and a milk coated body that isn't cleaned, but dressed in new clothes will make it all go away? That makes perfect sense.

 

[redeye58]

Yes, because guests love the smell of sour milk, and TMs love smelling like sour milk and trying to work at a pace that raises a sweat in damp clothes that won't allow cooling off. And let's not forget the damage of 8.6 pounds hitting your head, instantly doubling the weight compressing down on your neck, and it's medically recommended to continue working through that impact stress immediately and not medically recommended to allow a period of rest to the head and neck to avoid long-term injury.

You forgot the sarcasm font.

 

[CrosstrainInsane]

So sour milk smell in the hair and a milk coated body that isn't cleaned, but dressed in new clothes will make it all go away? That makes perfect sense.

I work in food and get dirty all the time. Your post means shit to me. And in my next post I said it sounds like a potential injury to me...

 

[CrosstrainInsane]

I will say this: I had to schedule someone to close in market and I reminded him that’s he’s called out maybe 3 times in 1.5 years... and if he happen to call on Thanksgiving, well we might be able to look past that. He just smiled at me.
Sure enough he called out, then text me a happy thanksgiving 👍🏼

 

[NormanStansfield]

Yeah, no. No company's leadership is sending you home for the day on the busiest day of the year because you spilled some milk on yourself. Because you broke your finger? Sure. Spilling milk on yourself isn't that huge of a deal. I'd give you a clean set of clothes to wear long before I'd send you home.

Wanting to leave for the day because of some spilled milk is the exact opposite of a strong work ethic.

2 things:
1) As a bald guy, if milk got in someone's hair, they need to clean it out, not just swap out a set of clean clothes. But thanks for quoting what is obviously in the "I'm a manager, not a leader" playbook.

2) If the employee really wanted to go, they would have just needed to say that they were dizzy or needed to get checked out. As a leader, you should know that. And have empathy for the human beings that work with you, rather than spouting company bullsh1t.

Final things: (yes, a careful choice of words on my part):
Black Friday is no longer the busiest day of the year, particularly in store that have Ship to Store. Would it be so bad to be down a single team member when literally EVERYONE else is working/scheduled? Treat it like you own it, instead of treating it like your demented uncle is underpaying you to parrot the "book learning" answer.

Is there anything else I can help you find?

 

[jackandcat]

FWIW, there's no way in hell I'd let someone go home for the day on thanksgiving or black friday because milk was spilled on them. I might let them take their lunch early and run home and shower on their lunch, but actually ending their shift early? Not a chance.

This wasn't "milk spilled on them". This was a gallon-size plastic milk jug weighing over eight pounds that fell a few feet onto the head of the TM. This could potentially cause lifetime injuries to the TM, including injuries to the brain and other nervous system areas, injuries to the neck and shoulders. A workplace injury report should have been filled out, the TM should have been sent to an urgent care clinic to get checked up (at the company's expense per workers' comp rules).

This is a big company, the entire store will not be forced to close due to one TM's injuries. There's no need whatsoever to be so callous and cruel towards a hard-working TM who sustained a potentially serious OTJ injury.