Target Pays?

Just moved into my new place before the start of the school year. My roommate interned at Target over the summer, in their management program. More or less, you walk around the store, make sure customers complaints are settled, see if any shelves need to be stocked, etc. He finished his internship and got a full-time offer. Base pay is 53K. But, because he works in a "high risk area" (apparently north Jersey is high risk, lol), Target offers an additional 4K in comp. Lastly, he gets an annual bonus (I'm guessing 1-2K). Roughly 60K to work 40-50 hours a week walking around a Target store. If he becomes promoted to a district manager some day, he can expect to make 150K+. Thoughts? Not the worst position to be in in this economy, haha. I guess Target pays...

 
Best Response

I have a friend (a girl), that is in this program and she likes it a lot. She has been promoted several times and, I believe, is on the verge of getting her own store. I don't know how much she makes but it's decent, especially given where she lives. However, there are several things to keep in mind...

It is retail and you will ALWAYS work shitty hours...forever. I've know store managers, district managers, regional managers of large department stores and it seems, no matter how high up the ladder you climb, your life will always involve work on the weekends and holidays...maybe not all weekends and all holidays...but some No doubt the frequency is mitigated as you gain in seniority, but when your success and your paycheck are riding on performance of your store, or the stores in your district/region/etc., you will be fielding calls whenever they are necessary, regardless of the hour.

You are essentially an overpriced baby sitter. Again, this is mitigated as you become more senior but my friend constantly talks about her "kids" and working out scheduling conflicts, etc. Granted she isn't running her own store yet, so there will likely be less when that occurs, but at that point your "kids" become your department team leads (or whatever Target calls them)...who are likely older and more mature, but you will probably be the one picking up the slack when their wife is in labor or kid is sick, etc.

Last thing to consider is that the organizational chart is going to be a very steep triangle. There will be fewer opportunities in your area to advance as you get promoted, and while this isn't unique to Target, you are more than likely to be pushed into moving in order to take that next step. I don't actually know how Target deals with that but I know at my previous jobs the person was expected to move to other locations if they wanted that position. Sometimes it is within driving distance (an hour or two) and sometimes it would require relocation. Obviously relocation might not be a big deal when you are young, but as you get older and get into a serious relationship or have kids, etc. that will be something you will have to take into account.

That is all I can think of right now.

Regards

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan
 

Work at Target HQ in their merchandising line (analyst, buyer, manager, sr. buyer...). It's the talent pipeline at the company and compensation is pretty good ($60k undergrad, $120k MBA into buyer position). The company culture seems great (fast paced, young, somewhat demanding). Full disclosure, girlfriend works there and absolutely loves it. First year buyer (internal promotions after 3 years) and is managing $500MM worth of business. But if I were to jump into industry, retail would be high on potential lists and nowhere that I know of pays as well as Target in retail.

I know this was supposed to be about the Store Leadership program, but seriously, go for the merchandising roles.

 

It may sound great and all now, but you'll regret having worked at target when you're 60 and finally have the time to travel to Australia. The bottom line is kangaroos do not give blow jobs to target employees.

 
reddog23:
It may sound great and all now, but you'll regret having worked at target when you're 60 and finally have the time to travel to Australia. The bottom line is kangaroos do not give blow jobs to target employees.

Huh?

 
mlg321:
reddog23:
It may sound great and all now, but you'll regret having worked at target when you're 60 and finally have the time to travel to Australia. The bottom line is kangaroos do not give blow jobs to target employees.

Huh?

Australia has an unrelated store called Target which is absolute shit.

 

You still have to wear a red collared shirt and a walkie talkie. No thanks, could be good though if you like dealing with customers at Target

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 
blastoise:
Why would you want to work at target?

he's one of those kids who likes to come on here and talk about "other" jobs/"careers" to get attention.

nobody cares if your friend is working a 9-5 job making a middle class wage. talk about it in a relevant section or to a relevant audience. I'm sick of seeing these posts about far fetched careers that preach "alternatives" to the jobs that people on here are really interested in, off topic garbage if you ask me.

 

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