Archived Weekly Coupons -HOW are they presented?

[starmaster1000]

We lost another key player today. One that Target should have been able to keep and had a ton of promise. I'm sad about it and am concerned the replacement won't be as amazing. Time will tell.

This is about to happen to my store, too.
I'm super sad and if the new person is not 99.9999999% as awesome, I'm leaving.

 

[pellinore]

TargetScanMan.....I think that the "Target" that people wish to see could be a reality if most TMs felt like they made a difference in the overall world of the company. Based on my early days at Target when Bob Ulrich had great leadership......then he retired. Target is not the same since he left.
Target was an innovative company that had other retail stores looking to them and had to keep up with Target. Target used to focus on "Fast. Fun. Friendly." Target had good benefits and a 401K that an individual was vested in as soon as they started the program. Target encouraged being "global" and had the TMs available to make a store run. People used to say "You work at Target? I hear that it's a great place to work."
Even Wal-mart hired people from all levels of Target to help get their business to get better......in fact you can see it in the "branding" approach they started a couple of years ago--that comes from a former TM.

Now, Target is among the last of the pack and we follow everyone else......this is clearly why the new modernization is being done....Target needs to look like Kohl's and Macy's......no innovation here.

Since "Fast. Fun. Friendly." We've had too many programs to count that focus on everything but that.
Benefits have changed to offer only two options....and now Target is clearly working against TMs by providing shorter shifts and hours so fewer people qualify for benefits.
Many store leaders are very young and often haven't worked at Target....and Target seems to be more interested in bringing in "new blood" rather than promoting within and having STLs that already know about Target...aside from their training to become an STL. Promoting from within Target sure would help TMs feel a lot more comfortable because by hiring within TMs are more confident that the STL knows the business and knows how things work....this also holds true with some middle management positions.....GSTLs who are hired and have to be taught by their current TMs that have been there. Kind of kills the morale of a TM and TMs who have to train their own TL.

One really great thing that Target had was the seasonal set after the first of the year...they had unusual items from around the world...furniture, rugs, small items to decorate the home....all kinds of nice stuff. A few years ago they discontinued that and made that area an area for items that are "on special" with special prices. What do they bring in.....items that we already sell, except the items are sold in multi-packs. What kind of creativity is that?

Target is no longer the business that it used to be and that is quite sad.

 

[CeeCee]

For those who assist our Guests at the Front End, how do you find most of your transactions with the weekly Target Coupons are applied?

Do your Guests retrieve a flyer from the area at the entrance in which they clip the Coupons and hand them to you in order to get the savings or White Gift Card?
-OR-
Do they utilize the Target App and clip the Coupons digitally?

I’d say that 95% of the guests that use the sco use the app to scan the coupon from the sales flyer. For those who forgot their phone or don’t have the app we have a copy of the ad at every checklane (in a binder with produce plu’s, wic info, and acceptable forms of ID info) for the cashier to scan for the guest. We do make a copy of all of the coupons on one page so they are easier to find to scan. These are not sent in for coupon processing so it doesn’t matter that they are copies.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

I think it's appropriate to share that

It seems to me, pellinore, that you understood and embraced your job extremely well.

I've a sad feeling, based on what I'm seeing and hearing, that Target doesn't actually DESIRE individuals of what MOST companies would consider absolute gems.

I'm sorry to say that but I've become rather disillusioned in my endeavor as I look at reality.

I may have been a poor choice to take on this endeavor as I'm seeing things that keep me up at night.

@TargetScanMan Most of us here understand and embrace our jobs. We want to excel at our jobs and know that this site offers support and a ton of information that we do not receive in our stores. Right now, the company is in a transition with this whole modernization plan and if you have read any of our posts morale is an issue. A lot of us do not see an end game, we are working on all cylinders and are playing catch up daily, and we are losing a ton of great people with a lot of knowledge. If you plan to hang around, take the time to listen and value what we are saying.

 

[redeye58]

As Pelli said, Target 'used' to be at the forefront of innovation.
They were among the first retailer to offer gift receipts & the first to offer receipt look-up on your credit/debit/gift cards.
Since Ulrich's departure tho, it's all about the Benjamins; presenting a facade in order to save money, promoting a new process without fully investing in it in either training OR payroll.
Target used to be shabby chic & fashionably frugal but all these new designers have been nothing but a disappointing waste.
Target has lost its way.

 

[BullseyeBlues]

I agree. Even since I started (4.5 years ago) there’s been a huge shift culturally within Target, and it’s cost us some of the TMs and leadership that were true experts, good trainers, and could have been the DBOs that the company now wants. For instance, with the exception of two tls and one etl, at my store, the leadership figures have all spent less time with Target than I have and don’t always listen to TMs’ feedback on ideas that reflect our knowledge of what our local guests want and their shopping patterns, along with what reasonably works for each workcenter. Morale is in the toilet. TMs that would and could have been on the bench and developed for leadership positions in the district or for their own stores are being overlooked and taken advantage of for the sake of saving payroll, and they’re now looking elsewhere for advancement opportunities when Target could really use their talents. Too many recruiters are focusing on bringing in new blood rather than focusing on people who know the business and want to do what’s best for the stores they work at. Feedback isn’t valued anymore the way it used to be. Trying to suggest ways to improve some of the modernization processes practically gets you blacklisted as being resistant to change.

 

[Switch23]

Honestly the biggest issue IMO is that Target has lost it's vision and is trying to do everything while succeeding at nothing. Want to be a high-end retailer? Fine by me, but communicate with your team members on this and have the staffing and positions to do it. It is really difficult to try and sell that guest that sweet new TV while dealing with everything else that E2E gave us. If Target wants to be a discount store where price is the name of the game, sure why not? But have that set vision. Target is trying to do both with absolutely nobody to carry it and therefore us team members have these impossible expectations set on our shoulders that can't carry it out. Increased pressure from TLs and ETLs don't help either leading to the massive turnover you are seeing today. Naturally because of that, you are going to see a very cynical attitude on these forums. People don't necessarily come here to worship spot and pray to our Brian Cornell shrine. This is a place at least from what I've seen in almost the past year or so for people to rant and rave about how shitty Target is because there simply isn't a place to do it besides Reddit. That joke of a "survey" you give every year? How often do we actually see results from that change things. I don't know at least in my opinion it sucks to see such a shit show all to see $TGT go up in price. Target can simply be so much better.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

Look you guys can say what you want about target having lost its vision or whatever but at the end of the day we're one of the only retailers actually opening new stores while other companies are going bankrupt left and right. Clearly something is being done well.

 

[Switch23]

Look you guys can say what you want about target having lost its vision or whatever but at the end of the day we're one of the only retailers actually opening new stores while other companies are going bankrupt left and right. Clearly something is being done well.

It's short-term, this isn't sustainable long term at all.

 

[SitSpotSit]

It's short-term, this isn't sustainable long term at all.

Our store isn't making sales consistently and with lots of weekend callouts we looked like a going out of business sale today. They can only prop up the business so much. If our shelves can't be filled regularly then we will lose people over time. I prefer doing my grocery shopping after work but if I can't get my regular items after a few tries even I'll consider going elsewhere. Attrition is what they are trying to avoid, but it's like they are working against themselves at the moment.

 

[REDcardJJ]

the only retail businesses that are struggling right now are those that have consistently been mismanaged, looted, or otherwise destroyed from the inside

Sears Holdings (Sears + Kmart) is going down the drain because Eddie Lampert siphoned off its profitable assets and let the core business rot and die
JCPenney has no corporate identity and isn't a destination people think of anymore.
Bonton, Toys R Us, Claires, and a billion other retailers are bankrupt now because of crap business practices

 

[pellinore]

Less than three years ago our store was in the top 10 for average basket size. Now we're in enough trouble that we are on the watch list to figure out what is happening at our store.....not the kind of list that you want to be on.

 

[TargetScanMan]

@TargetScanMan Most of us here understand and embrace our jobs. We want to excel at our jobs and know that this site offers support and a ton of information that we do not receive in our stores. Right now, the company is in a transition with this whole modernization plan and if have read any of our posts moral is an issue. A lot of us do not see an end game, we are working on all cylinders and are playing catch up daily, and we are losing a ton of great people with a lot of knowledge. If you plan to hang around, take the time to listen and value what we are saying.

I'm seeing it with increasing clarity now.

Thank you and your input IS valued.