IamA Senior Manager at a Target Store in Canada... AMA!

It should also be noted, that we found out AFTER the announcement went out to media, so shoppers were telling us before we were told officially via a huddle. ON the sales floor, and then were asked to go back to work.

Wow. Stay classy Targét!

Sorry about your job. Up until this announcement how was Target as an employer?

It was great. I think a lot of it had to do with the team that we had in place. There was a monthly budget for fun things to do with the team. Always a hot chocolate day, or magazine day...little things that I had never experienced before in other places of employment

That does sound good. Makes it weirder that they let it hit the media first. I understand not wanting the info leaked... They could've alerted staff at the same time as press, at least the ones on shift!

Any focus on what's next for you? Look for a similar position? Change it up a bit?

I'd really love to change it up. I've been in retail for almost 2 decades and have interests in various creative fields. I am however, a very responsible Canuck, and know that first and foremost I have to pay my mortgage and my bills. I live alone, so I have no one to assist in expenses or even offer up emotional support. An email was sent out to staff at the same time as the media announcement was made, the only problem was, all of the staff that were working and could check their emails were busy on the sales floor doing their job as the store was open for business. We couldn't check.

Responsible Canuck checks out. Source: Fellow Canadian

A creative endeavour would be awesome! Are any of the fields you're interested in something you could start as a hobby or the like to parlay into a future career shift?

I live alone, so I have no one to assist in expenses or even offer up emotional support.

:( I love solitude living myself, however I completely understand about the lack of supports. Cash poor but hug rich so I can chip in a few ehugs!

If you find yourself in a tough spot and needing emotional support drop me a PM.

It's not much but I can offer my ears. Well... eyes I s'pose in this case. Out of context that sounds quite horrific!

Take care. My best for whatever adventure awaits you!

I appreciate that! Feeling the e-hug. I have something that I've been working on, on the side creatively that I would love to make full-time, but humbly acknowledge I'm not there yet on a knowledge-based scale.

Great! Both that you've been working on something that fulfills you and that you have a realistic perspective on it. Soooo easy to get blinded by excitement and proceed too early.

Also: Canadians never have to state 'humbly' it's a given. You must have missed that meeting? :P

I'm sorry ;)

They're a publicly traded company. Big issues affecting stock price have to be announced publicly. If one of those thousands of employees had leaked the information before it was publicly announced, investors would gave sold their shares before the share price plummeted.

Whenever you are dealing with public companies big news will always be announced publicly before staff finds out.

Stocks, in fact, went UP Thursday afternoon mere hours after the announcement was made.

Maybe it's better in Canada, but Target in the US was pretty much the worst job I've ever had.

Every other weekend off? Not so bad. We needed time to play pond hockey ;)

Which is terrible.

I have a part time worker who has a full-time position at one of the newly built and insanely massive distro centers. He found out when he arrived to work the day the news spread through the media. He, along with many others, were sent home after receiving the news. I called him to see how he was coping and to get info so that I could start planning so that I could get in more shits for him as he has a family, home, and other bills to manage. He left his full-time position with us to work there, and of course we had to hire to fill the gap. He sounded terrible. I have staff who are willing to cut their shifts in order to help him out, myself included.

There are over 300 people in my city of 40k who are losing their jobs.

That's wonderful. It is support, like what you're offering to your employee that makes a huge difference. For many though, sadly, it was their only income, so there is nothing to fall back on.

I'm quite sad about this. I like Target. Cleaner than Walmart, if less stuff on the shelves. Staff are always friendly, sales were good. Wish you all the best!

Oh, and when do the good sales start?

Man I was just going to check their price for something I've been looking for to see if it would go on sale... then I remember one of the biggest complaints about them was a lack of online presence :/

Yes another reason why they're pulling out... of Canada

What will you do next, and does it involve Tim Hortons?

I've been drowning my sorrows in Timbits since Thursday. Just woke from that coma today.

My cousin worked at Target for over 2 years. She was told by her manager that they had a new "price matching" policy where if a customer came in with an ad for an item that was cheaper elsewhere, target would match the price. My cousin started following the policy and handed out hundreds of dollars worth of discounts over the next several months. Soon after, she and all the other workers who were instructed about the policy were approached by some higher ups who fired them and them escorted from the building by police. Even though they all admitted the managers were telling them to respect the "policy," they managers were never questioned or prosecuted and continued working there. My cousin and the others were sued for arbitrary, fluctuating amounts of "lost revenue."

We later found out that this was happening at several targets county-wide. Is Target trying to weed out higher paid veteran workers and extort money from them by lying about some "price matching policy?"

Well, since Canadian stores have been open for less than two years, there weren't really 'higher paid veteran workers'. Also, the Price Match policy was a pain in our asses. And coupons. Efff-you TLC for your extreme couponing show! Those people were the worst!

What the eff happened?

In my personal opinion, they came in too strong. Spending an absurd amount of money renovating existing retail locations and opening 124 stores in 1 year. In my city alone, we had 6 stores in less than a 40 kilometers route.

Do you think Target was ever going to be viable in Canada?

I think it could have been. But there were so many missteps from the get-go. People here wanted other options than Wal-Mart. That being said, too many people expected it to be another Wal-Mart cost-wise.

They didn't necessarily expect the same cost-wise, but an average of 70% price difference is too much to justify shopping there.

Funny thing was, if you looked closely, Target's prices were much better in many things compared to Wal-Mart.

What is the plan for the remaining merchandise? It cannot be shipped to the US Target's as it has French on it in addition to the regular English printing.

What it the official close date?

Oh god. The two most hated questions we could be asked right now. Although it hasn't been communicated to us yet, I imagine we will be selling off everything. No official close date yet.

Was there any indication before they just said they were going to close? Did you see it coming?

Nope. Not at store level. There was training happening so people could move up, move over to new stores opening. Construction was still happening on new stores...everyone was spoken to about merit increases and evaluations coming up...so nothing.

Have you or any of your colleagues got new jobs or interviews yet?

We've all been given 'advice' or 'offers' from friends on Thursday, but we're all just trying to process it. The day the announcement came, within 2 hours, a rep from Primerica was in the store scouting...

The day the announcement came, within 2 hours, a rep from Primerica was in the store scouting...

Ouch.. Those guys are fuckin predators.

That was when our true test of biting our tongues came into play.

Really sucks that you're going through this. Seems like corporate didn't really get the grasp on managing so many stores and now everyone in the company is facing the consequences.

How much longer will the store be up for? I'm guessing liquidation sales will start soon? What's in your future? Also, will everyone be receiving the severance package (part-time, new employees, etc.)?

Wishing you the best of luck!

Wish we knew what happened on the corporate level. Not sure any of the answers to your questions, except to say that employees will be getting 16 weeks of pay, which started on January 15th. So it's not exactly a 'severance' as we are all working for those paycheques.

Were there government restrictions on trucking merchandise from US based Target warehouses into Canada?

not that we were aware of. Not sure what products came directly from the US based Target warehouses. The grocery was supplied by the Sobey's company. One of the biggest complaints from shoppers was that we didn't have the same stock as in the states, especially grocery. I know that food restrictions and regulations differ between Canada and the US.

Well something does not make sense. If the company could not stock its shelves there must have been roadblocks in getting stuff into the country.

Not having buyers that knew the Canadian market. One of the weirdest requests from shoppers was WOOL. Before Target moved in, there was a company called Zellers that was owned by the Hudson's Bay Company. Zellers, oddly enough, had the exact same colour scheme as Target. RED and WHITE. While Target has never been one to carry crafts, Zellers was when it came to knitting. The 'blue-haired gang' of old timers were extremely pissed that Target didn't carry Wool.

Former Canadian TGT Senior Team Lead here. Not just the oldies wanted that wool, there was a huge demand for knitting supplies and accessories that TGT didn't care to bring into their stores. Personally, I had sent messages to the "corporate buyers" regarding the issue only to be shrugged off every time. Look at the wool / knitting section in Walmart and Michael's and you'll find tons of clients. TGT turned a blind eye to what our Guests wanted from us and ultimately ended in their own demise.

After a few weeks of constant feedback from shoppers that they wanted wool (guest survey and comment cards were FILLED with wool requests) someone high up at Target stated "we will NEVER carry wool. Even with all of this feedback" ... just recently, a 'Target test store' started carrying a selection of wool in the Toronto area

I was totally one if the 30 year olds versions of the blue hairs seeking yarn. .... Always seeking yarn

yeah! You guys staged knitting sit-ins at the Starbucks. Sitting there with your clay wool carrying pots and would knit until the store closed! *true story

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Hmmm, good question. I honestly don't know if I would. Especially now that the trust in the company is so low. There was a statement made by someone high up in the Target US that said they want to leave Canada on a good note, because they may return in 20 years...I don't know who of us as employees would actually reapply...

Was it ever busy at your store? I feel like there was always a decent amount of people whenever I went to the Kingston location. Granted, there was only one Target in Kingston.

It was steady at this store. Consistant.

What is the dumbest thing you've seen a customer do?

Besides destroy our bathrooms on a regular basis? Cannot tell you how many 'code browns' there were. The poor young guys who had to keep those clean all day.

Actually, the dumbest thing is happening right now. People are coming in to our store and shopping...like FILLING their carts with stuff. a) where were you for the last two years b) these are our regular sales...not liquidation sales. So you're not getting any better deal than you would have had the announcement not been made.

I noticed this yesterday! I live across the street from one so I went regularly. I went in yesterday and it was the busiest I've ever seen it, including on Boxing Day. WTF? It's clear there are no liquidation sales. Is it sympathy shopping?! "Oh I didn't shop here before so you're closing... let me rub it in your face by shopping now and making you all work really hard in your final days as employees."

A lot of people are going in and buying brands exclusive to Target. Target Canada was so incompetent at actually keeping items in stock that people who were waiting for sales on furniture for example are buying it now at full price since it's hard to believe they'll be getting more stock in later.

I've had three lamps on rain-check for weeks because whoever is responsible at Target for keeping stores stocked is a moron. So I was in today hoping there was stock left by some miracle.

Good luck with that. Rainchecks are seldomly ever redeemed because the stock doesn't come back.

Most stores doubled their forecasts on Friday...it was absolutely like christmas shopping. Boxing day isn't the same as it used to be in stores that participate in Black Friday...it cancels the other one out.

Will they be allowed to price match/adjust purchases made now when the same stuff goes on liquidation sale later?

absolutely not. Although staff will certainly get screamed at and belittled even more by shoppers about that when the liquidation starts...

How come your shelves were so empty?

IMO Corporate didn't hire the right people to make the right buys. IN stores, the teams did everything they could with what was sent to them. Supply and demand.

I visited two Target stores in the weeks following the launch. I was astonished they had done such a lousy job of stocking the stores. Since they didn't tend to have what I wanted, I only went back a few ties when I couldn't find what I was looking for anywhere else.

Was it as obvious to Target employees such as yourself that the entire situation was a major clusterfuck? Did you figure they would somehow realize how badly they had screwed up?

It was a constant thorn in our side to look at our shelves, to put up flyer pricing every Friday morning and to NOT have those products in stock. We fielded complaints all of the time to no end. We were all aware that it was a major clusterfuck. They fired and hired buyers a few times. They fired and hire higher-ups as well, even the VP. Never explained why it was happening in the first place, just that they were 'doing everything they could' to keep our shelves full...never happened.

Was labor expensive? How did the expenses of your store break down? How did the cost of goods sold compare to US based Target stores?

Despite my being up there in management, I wasn't privy to that information. The store that I was/am at was successful compared to the country's numbers but not to projections made by corporate. Whether those numbers were made by a Canadian team or a US team is beyond me.

Any sort of severance package?

Nope. The 16 weeks that people are seeing in the media is a guarantee that staff will be paid for 16 weeks, and it started Thursday, the day of the announcement, which means, if the stores stay open to liquidate until mid May, we will get paycheques. If they close next week, we will be paid the rest of the weeks out...from what they are telling us. But we're working for our money. It's not a cushy severance package.

WHY didnt target try? theres 6 targets in my area, no joke. why not close 4 of them and have the stock sent to the main 2? i'd rather have 2 full stores than 6 sparse ones. Target would have succeeded if they didnt open so many targets AND they never offered online shopping, that would be a huge thing too in making profit.

Don't know exactly but it has to do with whatever went down in the courts. I agree. It would have been better to shutter stores that were under-performing and support the successful ones. Again, they started off too strong and too confident.

How much does a senior manager make at a Target Store in Canada?

Not as much as the executives. Seniors are paid hourly whereas Execs were salaried.

I've heard that Sears is making moves to take up Targets employees, what can you tell me about that?

This is the article I read about Sears today. a) Sears doesn't seem to be doing so well here and is on it's way out. and b) if I've lost my job, Sears is not even in my top five places I'd be shopping at. Even WITH a job, Sears doesn't make the list.

http://globalnews.ca/news/1777927/sears-canada-offering-jobs-discounts-to-target-workers/

I was at target today and it was busier than normal. The place was a bit of a mess as if the employees no longer give a shit.

How is employee morale now? With only 3-4 months left of work what incentive is there to be a good employee? It must be difficult to get fired now since it would be only temp work if they needed to hire someone.

My other question is do the employees really expect to get their severance package or is it just a carrot at the end of a stick the bosses are holding to keep people performing adequately?

The teams still give a shit, it's the "guests" that don't. It's like a free-for-all right now despite the liquidation sales not even starting. Add to that, the stores hours get cut drastically in January/February because sales retail is slow EVERYWHERE at this time of year (who wants to shop when it's minus 40 out?). So stores were not equipped with enough staff...any staff in the stores were supporting cashiers.

We aren't getting severance. If we keep working, we will be paid, but there is no severance.

So the STLs were informed about the news, but what about the DTLs? The Ontario DTL apparently left to Florida two weeks before the news. It was because he was given a DTL position there lol. Our team is assuming he knew and left without saying anything.

Apparently they were getting texts from friends and family about the news before they even saw the email that was sent out.

Do you know what is happening to the logistics side of things? There's actually a Target distribution center in my city currently employing close to 400 people. It's a small city so jobs are hard to come by.

I have no idea. Sorry

Will you apply for a new job at Sears?

Oh god no. Sears is a sinking ship too...

What's the laziest thing an employee did that you caught on act?

I don't really have any lazy stories that I can recall. We had some idiot staff members, some crazies.

Do Target employees look like they have a soul in canada?

Their souls were sucked dry the second they found out about the closures. We're all walking zombies right now. Exhausted, in shock, scared, worried...

You pay a mortgage alone on a retail salary? Impressive...

What can I say, I'm a catch. Bought a house at 25.

Were you a Zellers employee before?

Is there any conspiracy there? Shutting down the low end distribution of HBC?

No, I wasn't. But a lot of people were.

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I'm cough, cough sick. Actually, really, a day off. A day to process the past 48 hours.

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Really! Canadians don't lie, 'cause moose will come to our igloos and hit us with hockey sticks while beavers pour maple syrup over us if we do.

Part 1: I heard that Target has the best loss prevention of any dept. store chain. Is this true?

Part 2: I have always wondered what happens to loss prevention policies when stores shut down ... Do the staff stop caring? Do the loss prevention teams get more aggressive since they are losing their jobs anyways?

At Target, it was called Assets Protection (protecting people and product). It was good. Different that what I was used to at smaller retailers I've worked at. I know that store level teams have had some of their privileges revoked or accesses denied (from what I understand, they can access the same stuff as the US or something) and I imagine that any monitoring will be done by the higher ups outside of stores.

Was there any plans of an upcoming website that you could order online? I think that killed Target too.

I think that yes, there were plans, but timeline? couldn't tell you. It absolutely did. Stores couldn't even tell you what was on trucks, and only recently could they see on their systems whether other stores had it...so, yes, more flaws in the plans.

Is it safe to use my credit card?

Don't see why not.

When are you guys going to start liquidating?

read previous answers.

I don't have a clue. Rumour is in a few weeks since they've already got flyers prepped for the next two weeks...

Are all of the Target stores going to be turned into another chain, like how all Zellers stores were turned into Target?

There are ideas flying around... ie-Giant Tiger (not likely) no one knows for certain. Everyone has speculations though

I live less than a block from the target in burnaby. .... will there be a big "get rid of all the stock" blowout? Please say yes

yes

don't ask me when. I don't know.

Does Canada have unemployment?

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/ei/index.shtml

Yes, at the federal level although I do not know how it compares with what other countries have.

yep, and I imagine that soon 17,600 people may be signing up for it fairly soon.