Target  

I used to shop at Target quite a bit, I am ashamed of this now, and the more I learn about them the more I despise the store. I think that I will be giving Walmart all of my business from now on.

You might want to check into Walmart. As much as I like walmart, they are horrible to their employees. Yes we the customers get lower prices, but the reasons for that is the employees pay and benefits are cut. I've been hearing more and more bad things about them.

My mother and I have both worked for Walmart in the past, my mom worked for them for about 15 years, and we never had any experience of being mistreated. As far as pay, Walmart pays much better than most places. I started off as a cashier at 16 years old making $7.25/hr Winn Dixie, Food World, Kmart ect only started their cashiers out at $5.50-$6.00 per hour. So I am not sure where you are getting your information but maybe you should check in to it.

Here are a few links about their labor violations. If you need more information on it google walmart and labor violations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w...

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/tour/facts/

Wal-Mart Fined for Child Labor Violations
http://www.hrmguide.com/r...

Wal-Mart in-house audit shows labor violations-NYT
http://www.forbes.com/new...

ok, thanks for sharing, but like I said, my mother and I both worked their and never experienced anything bad. I left in May of 2004 because I moved, and my mom left like 3 months afterwards because of family reasons.

I've always shopped at walmart and a couple of years ago is when I started hearing about the labor stuff. I was shocked cause I've never had a problem with them. I still shop occassionally there, but I do most of my shopping on base now.
I was just trying to pass on some information to those who hadn't heard about it.

I worked for Wal-mart, too (that is how I met my husband) and they do suck. I did make more then other people when I started there. I made a whole $5.50 an hour. Woohoo. That was actually a lot of money in the town I lived in (the job I quit I was only making $5.72 and that was after working there for 4 years--2 of them full time). I quit because I was pregnant and felt sick 24 hours a day which made it to hard to work. By then I was making a whopping $5.67! I had worked there 9 months I think.

My husband worked for Wal-mart for 3 1/2 years and was only making $6.13 an hour. He was supporting me and our soon to be born baby on that. He made about $800 a month and we lived off of that. The job was horrible, too. He did all the work in his department, yet the guys that did nothing got the merit raises. This one guy in his department would clock out, take his break, clock back in and then walk right back out the door and would be gone for hours. I was then in charge of dealing with his customers, besides mine (we worked nights in produce/seafood). He got a raise. My husband busted his butt to make sure all the work was always done, never left early, etc and what does he get...

He told his manager that when the baby was born he was transferring stores (had it all worked out with company already). He made sure it was clear that if the baby came early that was his last day. Well the baby was 11 days early. When he told his boss the week before that we were having the baby early his boss freaked out, through a fit and accused my husband of leaving him in the lurch--didn't give him any notice. So after my husband's leave was up and he tried to start his job at a new store (we moved) they told him they had nothing for him. Pretty much said he was fired. We found out from his sister that his manager had given him a bad referral, saying he is not dependable (which was bull because he did more work then the manager did he was just mad). My husband was unemployeed the first 4 months of our daughter's life. Great way to thank one of the best employees they had. Of course that wasn't truely Wal-mart's fault.

But I watched lots of people come and go at our store and I watched the good employees suffer while the morons got raises and the better shifts. When the meat department wanted to unionize (as they have the right to under law) Wal-mart shut down the department and sent them elsewhere. The meat cutters made the most out of anyone in the store and they were told they weren't needed anymore. Anything to avoid the unions.

Around here McDonald's pays better then Wal-mart and probably offers better benifits, too. My husband finally found a better job and has been there for 6 1/2 years and makes 4 times what he made at Wal-mart. Actually after his first year he was making twice what he had made after working there for 3 years (probably took less then a year because he got promoted after 6 months). They have awesome benefits and really take care of their employees. Wal-mart is a billion dollar industry but they pay their employees next to nothing and treat them like a disposable commodity.

Walmarts treatment of its employees has been on a gradual slide ever since Sam died. He was all about taking care of people and was the conscious of the store. Now its run solely by the corporation and they only look at the bottom line. I'd expect to see more and more complaints about them as the belt tightning continues. There has always been at least one member of my family working at walmart until lately. Now thats its a corperate giant its just not that people friendly anymore.

4monsters, it sounds as if you were at a bad store, and what happened was more of the managers fault, not the store itself, My mother and I never had any problems like that, when I was having my son my mom was working there and her managers never had a problem with her taking off to be at the hospital with me, they knew how much she worked her butt off there, and she was treated quite well.

I agree with Utah. I heard the same thing from long time employees. Once Sam died the company no longer cared about the employees--they are replaceable. I was one of the lucky ones to actually get 40 hours a week at our store. Most people only got 36--if they were lucky. The company is trying to cut most employees to part time so they don't have to pay benefits.

To the person above--I think you were just lucky to have family working at a "good" store. I have heard many more bad stories then good ones. Most of the people I have talked to have hated working at Wal-mart because of the way they are treated. They constantly cut hours and have horrible pay and benefits.

At our store our manager cut everyone's hours so that our profit would get bigger. He got a huge bonus at the end of the year (several hundred thousand dollars) while the rest of just got like $300 each (profit sharing). The manager lived in this huge house out in the country while the employees worked 2 jobs just to live in dumpy apartments or trailer parks.

And I hate hearing the argument that if you don't like it work somewhere else. In the town I lived in there was nothing else. Wal-mart was the 2nd biggest employee in town after the college. It was hard to even find a job that paid over min. wage and had over 30 hours a week. Most business's liked giving the jobs to the college kids because they knew they only wanted part time and no benefits (because they were covered by mommy and daddy). Working parents usually had 2-3 jobs each just to pay the rent. There was and still is a big difference between the haves and have nots in that town (my in laws still live there--my one sister in law is unemployeed and the other works at Dollar General).

If they do support the Salvation Army why did thier company spokes person say that they feel they have no need to support Christian organizations when questioned about why they rejected the bell ringers? Walmart and Kmart have no solicitation policies as well, but they still allow the Salvation Army to ring thier bells. Besides the fact, the no solicitation policy refers to no one being able to sell items or harass people to buy things on the property, however they do make exceptions for Girl Scouts to sell thier cookies in the parking lot.

You should check your sources claiming that a store rep said they "have no need to support Christian organizations" as clearly do support the Salvation Army and other Christian orgs.

People get too worked up over silly chain mails without actually checkign to see if these shocking things they read are true or not. Just because someone you know and trust forwarded you the email doesn't mean that they verified it as true.

Target also donates to Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts too. I'm sure they donate to alot of other things. I love Target ans will never stop shopping thier. Their prices are good and the clearance is the best.

I'll just keep on going to K-Mart I even buy from them on line and have been perfectly please with their merchandise. This I cannot always say about Target or Walmart.

I like Kmart too, I wish they had a grocery store

I have never been "stared down" or "solicited" by the Salvation Army. I like the cheerful, Christmasy sound of their bells a-ringing outside the stores. I don't recall ever being approached or forced into donating, or looked at badly for not donating. They just go on ringing their bells and wishing people happy holidays, God bless, etc. I think it's pleasant.

As for the Salvation Army, having been a person in need myself once, I am all for donating. I'm glad they sit outside the stores, becuase otherwise I wouldn't know how to go about donating to them--and it would seem weird to send in an envelope with seventy-five cents in it. But, walking in Walmart or whatever store I'm at, it's easy to dump my loose change in their tins.

Besides, the season's about giving, right?

I agree with you, I have never felt "forced" into giving to them, atleast not by them, but my son on the other hand is a different story. Every time we went to Walmart or Kmart he was always asking me for a dollar to give, which was ok with me, as I donate anyway, it made me happy to see my 4 year old son wanting to give. I also would not know how if they did not stand outside the stores.

I know, it is crazy that in less than 10 years Target has come from out of no where and become Walmart's big competitor and has almost put Kmart out of business. As for why we are at war, it is only because Bush is greedy and wants control over the oil fields in Iraq for personal profit. He just lies and makes up all these other bs reasons, for example when the war first began it was "because of 9-11", the kicker their is, if Osama Bin Laden was responsible for 9-11 then why are we after Saddam? Next it was the Chemical Weapons, since the war began have you heard of the US troops finding or destroying any of the Iraqi chemical or nuclear weapons? And the latest bs excuse, Iraqi Freedom, to free the Iraqi people from their ruled lives and give them a democracy and freedom, ummm hmmm, and why did we have to attack them to do this? Yeah Bush is just a greedy b*tch

Before you decide to stop shopping at Target...when you go to spend your gift card in there, take a look at the walls at the front of the store. I'm an employee of Target, and I know this is all b/s. Target does give to charity, and they don't pick and choose either. The whole Salvation Army thing? No we don't allow them to stand in front of the store, but we do give a cash donation to them every year, or whatever the time frame is we have agreed to with them. They are ok with this, so why is everyone getting upset about not having bell ringers in front of the store? Take a look at how much your particular store has given to the public schools in your area. If the store is like mine, they will actually have it broken down to the exact dollar that has gone to each individual store. Do you know that when we ask you if you'd like to get a Target card, it's not just to save you that little 10% on this purchase, or to get you another credit card. For every dollar you spend on your card, Target gives a percentage of what YOU spend to the schools. My store just a few months ago did a walk for the breast cancer awareness. I know of plenty other charities Target donates to as well. Just about all employees for Target either gives a one time donation to charity, or some even have a certain amount taken out of their checks as well. If this isn't enough for you, you can actually ask to speak to the Human Resources person at that store, and they will tell you all the charities Target is affiliated with. Don't be so fast to judge. Don't just listen to what others say...including me. Find out for yourself before you make your final decision.

have you actually called these schools to see if they have recieved the money "given" to them?

no I haven't actually "called" the schools, but I'm sure that since I do work for Target, if it wasn't true...I would've heard something by now since they do post it right at the front of most stores how much is given to each individual school. I know in my old store in NC, we did give money to schools, and even to the University of North Carolina. I was there the day we had some kind of thing for UNC, and all the basketball players were in the store.

You asked me if I had actually called these schools to find out, and my answer was no. It still is no, but since you have got my curiosity up, and I want to know more about all this, since I work at Target, I figured I'd ask around. I didn't mention why I was asking, just asking because I want to know. As far as the school thing, it's a big deal when we give the money to them. Those huge checks that you see when someone hits the lottery and stuff...it's a big presentation when we give them money. They print up one of those huge checks, and there's some big thing with whoever is important with the schools there, so they are the ones who get the check. If that person isn't available, the check just gets mailed to them. I did not ask this question, but my store manager was there when I was talking to my HR rep...he said.."yeah, did you hear that we're owned by the French?" and started laughing. I told him I had, and asked him if it was true...he said no it's not. So with both of them present, I asked what is Target's stand point with the war in Iraq, and supporting the troops? He told me that apparently there's an organization out there that allows the families of troops overseas to record things for them. They can read stories, books, letters, tell them things, etc...and it's recorded on video. These videos are then shipped to the soldiers overseas. The biggest sponsor of this organization is Target. As far as your mother in laws friend asking for a donation of soccer balls, or however they asked for the donation, I learned that Target's policy is that they only support non profit organizations. Although this would be a non profit thing, your mother in laws friend is not an organization. If it would've been the Salvation Army, or another organization that people have heard of asking for the donation, they most likely would have got the donation they were asking for. But for one person to call and ask for a donation, even if it is for a good cause, it's still one person, and how does anyone know this person is legit? I can understand that. I hope you can. I'll give you an example. My HR was contacted by a woman whose housing complex was having a Christmas party for the entire complex. She was asking for a donation for the party. Although it would have been for a good cause...helping out part of a community...she was told no. She is a non profit thing, and it's for a good cause, but she's not an organization, and this would not be something that is "helping" someone in need of something. Then later that month, my HR rep was contacted by the Salvation Army for a donation. Although it was only a small amount, she still wrote them a check for $50 out of the store funds. So, in a 30 minute conversation with my store manager, and HR rep, I found out all this information, and quite a bit more. I'm only not listing that because it's not what this whole bulletin is about. But still, in 30 minutes I got information that is the opposite of what you have been told. If you still feel the way you feel, I'm sorry you feel that way, but Target does support the Salvation Army, and Target does support the troops overseas. Feel free to contact any HR rep for Target, and talk to them, ask them questions...maybe then you will not feel this way. Hope all is well.

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The military has the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. They don't speak out against gays, don't hold rallies that promote anti-gay ideals, don't distribute anti-gay material and don't refuse to protect the gay population. I'd rather that people could be openly gay in the military, and I don't like their policy on it, so I'm against *that*.

But you can't compare the two. The military is a single, necessary group. America doesn't have another military, it's our sole defense. But we do have other large charitable organizations.

Once again misskatonic you are spot on!

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Target has other charities they donate to. Why does it matter *what* they donate to, if they're still helping people in need? Target does help those who need it, they just don't help everyone. Should they be expected to? Should all large cooperations donate to all charities?

Target donates large sums of money regularly to the Rape Crisis Center Fund, to the Koman Breast Cancer Foundation, various literacy organizations, the Catholic Charities Branch for providing food and shelter for impoverished families and offers discounts to those collecting for Toys For Tots. Target does quite a bit to help those in need. The Salvation Army isn't lacking for donations or sponsors.

what about our troops? thay do not support our troops at all, would you rather donate your money to the cast of Survivor or to our troops who are out their risking their lives for our safety and freedom? Target donates to the cast of Survivor too as well as the organizations you named. However, allowing the bell ringers at Christmas time is not taking any money away from Target, it is simply allowing their customers the opportunity to donate to chairty.

If Target doesn't want to support our troops, that's their call. Other cooperations do donate to our troops. You made the statement that target doesn't support groups who help others. They do. Just not the Salvation Army or the troops right now. They don't allow *anyone* outside their stores collecting donations for *anything*. They aren't treating the Salvation Army any differently than any other organization that solicits donations. They didn't allow the AHS to set up outside their stores either, and no one raised a fuss about that.

They may not contribute to charitable organizations that *you* favor, but they still donate millions of dollars to charities and those in need.

they do make exceptions when they feel like it, they do allow girl scouts to set up and sell their cookies outside the stores, and I have nothing against that, but if they are going to make exceptions for 1 they have to do it for all or it is not right.

Our stores don't allow girl scouts any more either. There was a big thing about it last year since they were just little kids. Store policy is store policy. I'm sure the company will make it clear pretty soon that Girl Scouts are not allowed either (incidentally Girl Scout cookie sales start today so contact your favorite Girl Scout for your order, lol).

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I now regret spending the $1000's that I have spent there in the past.

Then don't bother popping off some pithy response just to boost your earnings.

thanks, I hate when people do things like that, if you can't read the topic ten don't post. I always give people like that a -

I imagine they could break their policy for anyone else who puts their lives on the line, daily, and sacrifices life and limb to protect the land that Starbucks calls home base (seeing as how they started up in Seattle, WA). :P

I'm just giving you hell. Don't mind me.

I still do not like the fact that Starbucks refuses to donate to religious charities, the first charities that Ichose to donate to are Christian ones, but maybe that is just how I was raised, and I will forever be a Christian.

Well, that's the point they are making. They can't show preference to one religion over another. They are just being fair. If they donated to Christian charities, non Christians would yell favoritism and then they would have to donate to all religious organizations. Easier to just say no to everyone and find a different group of charities to donate to. My husband's company only contributes to higher education funds. That is what they chose after careful consideration, just like you chose to favor Christian ones over others. It is their choice and nothing wrong with it.

Not everyone that works for those companies are Christian.

our nation was founded on Christianity, do people refuse to have money because it says on a bill "In God We Trust" is that favoritism towards Christiaity?

my mom, my mother in law, sister in law, grandmother, and I all are, if enough people were to boycott Target they would see the error in their ways in the form of constantly declining sales and maybe they would reconsider their stuck on self too good attitude, and starbucks as well, and I am a huge starbucks addict, but I will have stick it out and not go there to support my beliefs.

It's good to see people standing up for their beliefs. Congrats. I'm with you--I'll boycot Target & Starbucks, too! :P Too bad so many other people are unwilling to put their foot down. It's boycots and protests like this that truly can make a difference.