Part-time job at Target?

[aprilfoolwed]

I was at Target yesterday, and there were HUGE "now hiring" signs at the door.

Anyone have experience with p/t jobs at Target? How is the pay? How many hours a week do they usually want? Do you get a discount?

Thanks.

 

[Scottish McMouse]

I had a seasonal job at our local Target a few years ago and in our state at least, I just earned minimum wage, which at the time was probably $7.25 over here. Mine was just a seasonal job from beginning of October to mid-January though. I loved working there, and was hoping to get kept on, but they only kept 2 (they didn't pick me and I went home and cried - seriously). I worked about 20 hours a week part time, but it slowly dwindled down to just about 4 hours a week towards the end. The 10% discount was nice though since I love shopping there

I cashiered and one thing that I didn't notice until I worked there was that they don't play music in the store. For me anyway, that really made the time drag when it wasn't busy.

Sometimes when I shop there they ask me if I'll come back and I have to tell them sorry. They made the mistake of not keeping me on and I now have a different seasonal job that I'll be going back to soon and it pays 2x as much and as tempting as Target may be, I won't. All the people there were nice though and with the exception of music being played, it's a fun job

 

[kellydizfan]

The sign is up always in our Target. I keep putting in an application and they keep denying me. I would love to work there part time. I don't know what the issues are but I even spoke to someone I knew in HR and it still didn't help. I now work PT in a Gym behind the desk, etc. I hate it as it is a weekend job so I am working 7 days a week. I would love to pick up something a couple nights a week for 4-5 hours a night then one weekend day during the day for a few hours. They look at my current work experience and think I am way over qualified. I just don't know. I have excellent customer service. That is what I do every day in Insurance. I will not be putting another one in there anytime soon.

 

[descovy]

I do have a part time job at Target. I've been there 3 years now. I cashier/service desk/ and also work in the cash office.

Pay is low, stays low. I started at $7.50/hr and 3 years later make $8.15! I do like the discount, especially since I work at a Super Target... I really notice the discount in my grocery bill. It is a 10% discount, but you can also stack the 5% discount for using the Target card. Do note that you can only use the employee discount with cash/checks/ Target card. It will not work with your regular credit/debit card. Ooh, and your spouse gets a discount card too!

I also get a 21% discount on my ATT cell phone, so there are other perks too.

The hardest way to stay on is through seasonal work. It ends at the absolute lowest point of the year. They are docking Everyone's hours in January, and it is hard to justify to the Full-timers that their hours are dropping by more than half, but "new less experienced people" are staying on and taking hours. Now is really the best time to get on.

Your application will get auto- rejected by the computer if you declare that you are unavailable to work Sat/Sun. When I started, I was already teaching Sunday School, so i put my availability down as 12-8pm, and that was fine.

And your availability to get started has to be pretty open, or be able to give them what they need. When I got on, my youngest was only 3, and at home with me. So I offered to work 6pm-close. Closing shifts are hardest to fill so they were happy to have me on.

I let them train me anywhere they wanted... Service desk, sales floor, food ave, electronics, etc... Some things I liked and some I didn't, but if I ever need more hours, I can help in other departments.

I now fell into a sweet schedule for me, by working in the cash office. I work 5 days a week from 7am-10 ish... Depending on when I finish... And then go home. I rarely have to ask for time off, because work rarely interferes! So just keep your eyes open to new opportunities!

 

[JB2K]

I can vouch for everything descovy said about perks/bennies -- if you shop there on a regular basis and want to get some discounts (or to supplement other income you may have), then the near-minimum-wage pay at Target may not be such a bad thing.

However, if you are applying there with the intent of working a 40-hour week F/T job to sup[port the family, you may want to persue a different line of work...

 

[puffkin]

My DH worked there last year to supplement his unemployment income. He was on the morning stocking crew so he really only worked on truck days (Sun, Tue, Thur) from like 4am-noon. He did cashier and work the floor during the holiday season on occassion.

I think he started at $8.25 so pay was low. It was definitely not something he could count on though. Some weeks he worked 20 hours (the amount he was allowed to work with unemployment and what we really needed) and other weeks he would work 4 hours. Some mornings he would get in there at 4 am and work an hour (or not at all sometimes).

The 10% discount was nice, it does add up. They also did a lot of nice things for their employees in his store with different snacks and parties in the break room. But at a time when we really needed a consistent paycheck, it definitely was not that!

 

[nunzia]

The sign is up always in our Target. I keep putting in an application and they keep denying me. I would love to work there part time. I don't know what the issues are but I even spoke to someone I knew in HR and it still didn't help. I now work PT in a Gym behind the desk, etc. I hate it as it is a weekend job so I am working 7 days a week. I would love to pick up something a couple nights a week for 4-5 hours a night then one weekend day during the day for a few hours. They look at my current work experience and think I am way over qualified. I just don't know. I have excellent customer service. That is what I do every day in Insurance. I will not be putting another one in there anytime soon.

Maybe it's your availability that keeps bumping you. I work part time at Hastings (been there 10 years..where is my 10 year gift?? I digress) and we hire 'over qualified' people all the time if their availability fits in with scheduling needs. We have many medical folk, teachers, other degrees all working part time there, so maybe adjust your availability and see what happens.

 

[aprilfoolwed]

Thanks for the input. If I would get a job at target, it would just be part-time. The hourly rate isn't encouraging though. i am wondering if it would be flexible enough to never need childcare - because I certainly couldn't afford that making $8/hr. Discount would be nice!

Funny about them not playing music. I would never have though about that until you mentioned it.

 

[descovy]

Thanks for the input. If I would get a job at target, it would just be part-time. The hourly rate isn't encouraging though. i am wondering if it would be flexible enough to never need childcare - because I certainly couldn't afford that making $8/hr. Discount would be nice!

Funny about them not playing music. I would never have though about that until you mentioned it.

It can work... W/o paying childcare. I used to do it at 6 pm to close when dh came home before my youngest started school. Once school aged, I've worked with 8am-3pm availability . And whenever they need me on weekends. I keep up with my calendar and ask for school holidays off at least a month in advance... Never a problem.

Summers I revert back to 6 pm to close. I know another mom who asks to work weekends only, and yet another who takes a leave of absence every summer, and comes back when kids go to school in the fall.

So it is possible...

 

[shaylyn]

Our Target frequently has "Now Hiring" signs.

For 2+ years, DD19 has applied and has never once been called for an interview. She is available all hours of the day and night. Last year she found a job working at a clothing store in the mall, but she still applies to Target when they hang their signs.

DS17 has been applying there since he was 16. Never a call for him either.

I worked there when I was a teen at 2 different stores. One store kept us regularly until 3am "zoning" (cleaning/organizing the merchandise). The other store had a much better manager, so we would only stay an hour or two after closing. I liked it there a lot

Edited to add, almost ALL retail jobs are minimum wage, perhaps an office job would be better paying?

 

[spacemountainmom]

I worked pt at Target for 7 years. I started out working overnights stocking and it worked well for me. I worked 2 or 3 nights a week and could deal with the lack of sleep. I was a few years in and they started requiring everyone to work every other weekend The two nights in a row really knocked me for a loop. They eventually changed the stocking crew to start at 4am and that just did not work for my family at the time. They allowed me to come in later in the morning for a time, but then we got a new manager who would not allow it. I then switched over to cashiering.

I cashiered daytime hours while the kids were at school and would work every other Saturday. They started cutting my weekday hours and making me work every weekend and I wasn't happy with that. I used to average 21-22 hours a week and I was cut back to 12. I wasn't real happy. Luckily, a position opened up in our school district and I was happy to get that job.

I do miss my Target discount, but must say that I actually spend a lot less there now since I am not there all the time. It was so easy to spend when you can just "pick up a few things" as you are heading out for the day.

I think many things depend on the store management as well. I worked under mostly pretty decent people, by the end the managers were all pretty awful and treated employees terribly. I've been gone almost two years and most of my former co-workers tell me that I left just in time and that it has gotten much worse there.

 

[Disneyliscious]

For those of you who work 4 hours a week (if I read it correctly), how do you justify the cost of gas? Do you live close or something? I live further out from the city so I could never drive to a job and make $30 a week. For folks who live close by and maybe can walk though, I could see it.

 

[ctinct]

I know a couple of people who worked for Target. Both gradually had their hours reduced yo just a few a week---I wonder if it is their way of forcing people to quit? They would never know what day they would be working ahead of time, so they could not get another pt job to fill in. One girl would also go in for what was supposed to be several hours and then get sent home early because they had no work to do. I can see how this works to Target's advantage, but it's a lousy deal for the employee.

 

[descovy]

For those of you who work 4 hours a week (if I read it correctly), how do you justify the cost of gas? Do you live close or something? I live further out from the city so I could never drive to a job and make $30 a week. For folks who live close by and maybe can walk though, I could see it.

I live 3 miles away. Once my car was broken down and i rode my bike. It IS possible but in Houston heat I like A/C...

As far as jobs go, retail (not only Target) is a lousy way to pay bills. It is not best suited for a sole-souce of income. It is not worth a long commute, childcare costs, etc... It is great for "supplimental income." My household bills are paid by dh's job.

I work because it insures us in case of a loss. If my husband were to lose a job, I could ramp up hours (I've been cross trained throughout the store, and have proven myself to be a good employee) which is way easier than getting a job "cold." Would it cover my household bills? No, but it would suppliment unemployment, and slow the dwindling of our savings.

I also have a 401k to contribute to. Target matches 5%... which is rather generous. I choose to set aside 25% of my meager pay in my 401k. It'll be a nice addition to the big 401k nest egg dh is saving in his job.

All the while 15% off groceries. Whether I work or not, we still need to eat.

All in all, I still consider myself a SAHM... but a little bit of mad money, a discount on every day needs, an extra boost to retirement savings, is enough for me.

I am a SAHM with only a HS diploma. It is what it is. I am the queen of sub $10/hr jobs. As much as Target works for me... my most "lucretive work was working at a daycare ($8-11/ hr full time, weekends & school holidays off) and working as a bank teller $9/hr in 2000... daytime hours, no weekends, many random holidays off too.)

Right now, I don't want to work that much. I have 3 kids, lead scouting, lead church activities. My plate is full...

 

[nunzia]

I live 3 miles away. Once my car was broken down and i rode my bike. It IS possible but in Houston heat I like A/C...

As far as jobs go, retail (not only Target) is a lousy way to pay bills. It is not best suited for a sole-souce of income. It is not worth a long commute, childcare costs, etc... It is great for "supplimental income." My household bills are paid by dh's job.

I work because it insures us in case of a loss. If my husband were to lose a job, I could ramp up hours (I've been cross trained throughout the store, and have proven myself to be a good employee) which is way easier than getting a job "cold." Would it cover my household bills? No, but it would suppliment unemployment, and slow the dwindling of our savings.

I also have a 401k to contribute to. Target matches 5%... which is rather generous. I choose to set aside 25% of my meager pay in my 401k. It'll be a nice addition to the big 401k nest egg dh is saving in his job.

All the while 15% off groceries. Whether I work or not, we still need to eat.

All in all, I still consider myself a SAHM... but a little bit of mad money, a discount on every day needs, an extra boost to retirement savings, is enough for me.

I am a SAHM with only a HS diploma. It is what it is. I am the queen of sub $10/hr jobs. As much as Target works for me... my most "lucretive work was working at a daycare ($8-11/ hr full time, weekends & school holidays off) and working as a bank teller $9/hr in 2000... daytime hours, no weekends, many random holidays off too.)

Right now, I don't want to work that much. I have 3 kids, lead scouting, lead church activities. My plate is full...

Funny you should mention the 401K since that is also a big reason I stay at my PT job. I put 30% into mine, which has MUCH better choices than my 'real' job where I only put in what will be matched. Hastings doesn't match very well, but I like where that 30% is going, so works for me. I go to my other job most mornings before my real job..it's not far out of the way and I usually work when the store is closed so no 'pesky customers' . I've worked into this freedom...was there full time for quite awhile during a rough patch and was music manager for awhile and book manager for awhile.. We used to get GREAT discounts..but on most things it's still about 20- 30% so I suppose can't complain. I take my check from there and just put the cash in my 'cash for trips' box..this money goes for food and stuff on trips..the actual pre trip costs come from a trip savings acct.
I have a Bachelors and it isn't doing me any good, so don't worry about your HS diploma

 

[JB2K]

It should also be mentioned that Target also has their own in-house credit union (for team members/immediate family members, only).

 

[Parla]

Seriously descovy. I think we are living the same life. Scout leader/SuperTarget part time employee here. I started at Christmas in 2008 and they kept me on. I had maxed out my Target card buying a Wii that day and sat down to apply at their kiosk. They didn't call me but when I went in looking at video games a week or so later I mentioned applying to the employee and she told me who I should call and ask for. I called and the HR person told me my availability was a bit confusing (I was offering to work school hours, nights and weekends but having two different time frames during the day confused their computer). I explained it to her and she had me interviewed and drug tested the next day.

I was very honest in my interview about only working while my kids were in school or my husband was home. I change my availability every time school hours change. Only now I just work during school hours or nights in the summer (just like discovy). I would never work there full time if I had to count on those hours. Mine fluctuate from 4 hours to 25 hours every week. It is possible to find more hours from people that post by the time clock that they want to give their hours up. And equally easy to ditch unwanted hours as long as you post them ASAP.

My favorite thing about Target is the 10% discount is also good at the pharmacy. My daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes the summer after I was hired and those discounts have really added up. Plus for every five prescriptions you get filled/refilled with your Target card you get a coupon for 5% off a day of shopping so quite often I do my big grocery shopping trips saving 10% employee discount, 5% for using the card and 5% pharmacy rewards (although the 5% isn't good at the pharmacy). Yes, I spend more than I make but it's money I would of spent anyway.

 

[loveysbydesign]

A new Target is opening up in my area in 2012! I'm hoping to score a part time job there. I would really like working the floor putting out merchandise and marking stuff down to clearance!

 

[Conway733]

We are also getting a new Target in our area. I was also thinking of PT work, in addition to my FT job. So, am I reading correctly that there is a 10% employee discount? If I use my red card, would I also get 5% off as well?

 

[Parla]

We are also getting a new Target in our area. I was also thinking of PT work, in addition to my FT job. So, am I reading correctly that there is a 10% employee discount? If I use my red card, would I also get 5% off as well?

Yes, that's correct! Not too shabby, eh?