Target 2022

Predicting the demise of Sears & Kmart since 2017!
storewanderer
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Re: Target 2022

Post by storewanderer »

Had more trouble with Target and items not scanning at posted prices, AGAIN (this has been going on for months). The person at "customer service" told me the prices must have gone up and they didn't change the label and asked me if I wanted the items or not. I told him I wanted the marked prices. He said the prices went up but we didn't change the label. I pushed back and said he has to honor marked prices and let's go walk to the other side of the store where all these items were and I'd show him every single price that is wrong. This employee got pissed off by that suggestion and walked away. Typical Target attitude up here in Reno area. Second employee overheard it. Second employee said they will do price adjustments but they are "fixing" all of their wrong price labels...

I mentioned this has been going on for months. The second employee said yes and we are fixing every price tag we have to fix all of the prices by Monday, and that they are fixing this at every Target.

I got curious what was going on and I went over to some Target employee message boards. I guess there is a chainwide thing going on that every store had to do a price accuracy audit this weekend. They told the stores Friday (to do a price accuracy audit on Super Bowl and Valentine's Day weekend...). Also they are supposedly telling the stores that 4,000+ price changes are coming in March. I am hearing from others who work in stores that don't typically do mass price changes but rather push price changes primarily at reset time, that they are also being told to expect (and plan to have the labor available) hundreds or thousands of price changes to surge into the stores in the coming weeks.
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Re: Target 2022

Post by SamSpade »

Jackson, WY Target to open just ahead of tourist season (and in time for some places spring break weeks):
https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/02/t ... son-store/
KMart closed in 2019.
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Re: Target 2022

Post by Brian Lutz »

https://corporate.target.com/article/2022/02/drive-up

Starting this Fall, Target stores in "select cities" will be adding the ability to make returns and order Starbucks from Drive Up.
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Re: Target 2022

Post by ClownLoach »

Brian Lutz wrote: February 24th, 2022, 10:05 am https://corporate.target.com/article/2022/02/drive-up

Starting this Fall, Target stores in "select cities" will be adding the ability to make returns and order Starbucks from Drive Up.
Starbucks themselves tried curbside pickup and it crashed and burned fast. All the local stores have already shut it down. Target's self operated Starbucks cafes can't even consistently make drinks to the brand specifications so I can't imagine how this would work out.

I also can't figure out why anyone would want to run one of these Target Starbucks kiosks. If you're in charge you are an hourly Manager (excuse me, Team Leader in Target speak) making around $17 an hour. You do exactly what a real Starbucks Store Manager has to do for a fraction of the pay. Thus the experience is usually gawd awful.
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Re: Target 2022

Post by storewanderer »

ClownLoach wrote: February 24th, 2022, 2:09 pm

Starbucks themselves tried curbside pickup and it crashed and burned fast. All the local stores have already shut it down. Target's self operated Starbucks cafes can't even consistently make drinks to the brand specifications so I can't imagine how this would work out.

I also can't figure out why anyone would want to run one of these Target Starbucks kiosks. If you're in charge you are an hourly Manager (excuse me, Team Leader in Target speak) making around $17 an hour. You do exactly what a real Starbucks Store Manager has to do for a fraction of the pay. Thus the experience is usually gawd awful.
What I find the most interesting is most Target "Drive Up and Go" points are across the parking lot from the store entry. At one store in my area it is across the parking lot and about 3 rows over from the store entry. This is going to be quite a long walk to be transporting Starbucks products. I am sure they can put plastic stoppers into every cup and bring them out in a tray or something to help alleviate potential situations of employees getting burnt but this just strikes me as a process that will be more trouble than it is worth.

At the former Greatland unit that has two doors, the Starbucks is of course at the grocery door and the customer service/Drive Up and Go storage area is over at the electronics door. Again, a real efficiency issue.

Also I am wondering how Drive Up and Go returns will go. I am trying to figure out how that will somehow turn into a process that causes refund fraud. Maybe it won't and I will end up at a dead end thinking about it. Some people return some pretty disgusting or busted up stuff that goes straight into a trash bin and to have the employee need to carry this stuff in is going to be less than comfortable. I think the customer should have to physically enter the store to do a return.

I do wonder however about safety for employees doing refunds out in the middle of the parking lot. If you are getting a cash refund does this mean the employee is going to be carrying cash across the parking lot to a vehicle? That does not sound real safe.

We will see what happens with Target in the next couple years. The pack of 6-12 employees who is always standing around near the refund area talking at the Reno Target will need to get to work to implement these new ideas.
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Re: Target 2022

Post by BillyGr »

storewanderer wrote: February 24th, 2022, 11:56 pm Also I am wondering how Drive Up and Go returns will go. I am trying to figure out how that will somehow turn into a process that causes refund fraud. Maybe it won't and I will end up at a dead end thinking about it. Some people return some pretty disgusting or busted up stuff that goes straight into a trash bin and to have the employee need to carry this stuff in is going to be less than comfortable. I think the customer should have to physically enter the store to do a return.

I do wonder however about safety for employees doing refunds out in the middle of the parking lot. If you are getting a cash refund does this mean the employee is going to be carrying cash across the parking lot to a vehicle? That does not sound real safe.
Maybe they would then require the customer to drive up near a doorway for someone to give them the refund (could possibly use one of those back employee access doors)?

Alternatively, have a small version of a self checkout machine that only dispenses the refund amount once authorized remotely by someone at the service desk? Thus, someone could attempt to take the machine but wouldn't be able to get anything out of it?
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Re: Target 2022

Post by storewanderer »

BillyGr wrote: February 26th, 2022, 5:35 pm

Maybe they would then require the customer to drive up near a doorway for someone to give them the refund (could possibly use one of those back employee access doors)?

Alternatively, have a small version of a self checkout machine that only dispenses the refund amount once authorized remotely by someone at the service desk? Thus, someone could attempt to take the machine but wouldn't be able to get anything out of it?
Another option would be cashless returns only at curbside. You either get it back on a Target Gift Card or you receive a credit card credit (if you paid with a credit card). If you want cash back you have to go inside.

All of these pick up/Drive Up services should require the customer to pull up to a doorway to obtain product/service. Employees should never be walking across the main lanes of traffic fronting the store to fulfill these pick ups. It is inefficient and also unsafe.

At least in the case of Wal Mart at most of the stores in my area they built the Drive Up on the side of the store and in some cases you park right against the building but then in other cases you park across from it but the driveway out on the side is not used by many cars other than the Drive Up customers. Everyone likes to say Target has the best Drive Up experience in retail but that sure hasn't been my experience. I think Wal Mart does it much better.
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Re: Target 2022

Post by BillyGr »

storewanderer wrote: February 26th, 2022, 6:31 pm All of these pick up/Drive Up services should require the customer to pull up to a doorway to obtain product/service. Employees should never be walking across the main lanes of traffic fronting the store to fulfill these pick ups. It is inefficient and also unsafe.

At least in the case of Wal Mart at most of the stores in my area they built the Drive Up on the side of the store and in some cases you park right against the building but then in other cases you park across from it but the driveway out on the side is not used by many cars other than the Drive Up customers. Everyone likes to say Target has the best Drive Up experience in retail but that sure hasn't been my experience. I think Wal Mart does it much better.
I'd suspect that much (if not all) of that comes from the fact that most of these pick up / drive up services have been added fairly recently and are being added to stores that already existed. Thus, they have to put them wherever the space works (both inside and outside) and that may not allow for the more convenient access that would be desirable.

For instance (using a supermarket) there is one locally where it does work well - that store happened to have a fair amount of empty space (some having been left over dating back to when video rental was common, then used for photo developing) in the front corner which allowed (with a simple door being added) access to the outside and parking on the outermost row, so all employees have to cross is a lane that is only used to access employee parking and for delivery (so not much traffic overall, and those using it are more likely to be aware since employees would often be walking there to/from their cars anyway).

That even applies to added things like drive up pharmacy, where at least a couple stores have the drive up on the entirely opposite side from the actual pharmacy (with a large system like banks use with tubes to get stuff back/forth). Oddly enough, at least one of these was in a newly built building.
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Re: Target 2022

Post by ClownLoach »

storewanderer wrote: February 26th, 2022, 6:31 pm
BillyGr wrote: February 26th, 2022, 5:35 pm

Maybe they would then require the customer to drive up near a doorway for someone to give them the refund (could possibly use one of those back employee access doors)?

Alternatively, have a small version of a self checkout machine that only dispenses the refund amount once authorized remotely by someone at the service desk? Thus, someone could attempt to take the machine but wouldn't be able to get anything out of it?
Another option would be cashless returns only at curbside. You either get it back on a Target Gift Card or you receive a credit card credit (if you paid with a credit card). If you want cash back you have to go inside.

All of these pick up/Drive Up services should require the customer to pull up to a doorway to obtain product/service. Employees should never be walking across the main lanes of traffic fronting the store to fulfill these pick ups. It is inefficient and also unsafe.

At least in the case of Wal Mart at most of the stores in my area they built the Drive Up on the side of the store and in some cases you park right against the building but then in other cases you park across from it but the driveway out on the side is not used by many cars other than the Drive Up customers. Everyone likes to say Target has the best Drive Up experience in retail but that sure hasn't been my experience. I think Wal Mart does it much better.
The nearest Walmart Supercenter to me had this setup with pickup lanes and a small warehouse added onto the side of the building. After a year they outgrew the space and have now taken over the majority of the inside garden space. The parking has moved to the aisle in front of garden and they walk right through the parking lot, just like Target now.
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Re: Target 2022

Post by J-Man »

One big benefit Target has over Walmart with respect to the drive-up/pickup option is that Target doesn't have a $35 minimum for free pickup. I use Walmart grocery pickup a LOT, and most times I can come up with $35 worth of stuff, but when I can't, Target is a good option -- at least for the items that they carry--obviously a lot less broad a selection than a Walmart supercenter. But if you just need a few staples, Target is just about the only option unless you want to pay a fee. All of the supermarkets in my area have similar minimums and fees for curbside pickup too.
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