Changes in Target’s new stores are disrupting employees every day as shoppers take advantage of certain features.
Shoppers are increasingly choosing to use Target’s drive-up order pickup option when shopping for groceries.
This method was added for greater convenience and flexibility for customers on the go. Especially as the frequency of digital orders increases.
However, many shoppers neglect to let the store know they are on their way to pick up their items.
Instead, they “double-tap” the app to indicate when they’ve arrived, giving the employee no time to prepare.
Under normal circumstances, people wait in digital queues while Target employees prepare their orders.
But clicking both “I’m on my way” and “I’m here” in quick succession leads to unintended stress for the target employee.
“It’s like showing up for dinner unannounced at a friend’s house. Like, ‘Hey, I’m here! What’s for dinner?'” Business Insider. “That’s how we feel.”
According to Brian Harper-Tibaldo, the chain’s senior crisis manager, Target aims to deliver Drive Up orders in under three minutes.
“This internal guidance is constantly being evaluated to make sure it’s appropriate for our guests and reasonable for our team,” he told Insider.
“Knowing that many aspects of wait time are out of the team’s control, we allow for some flexibility and do not base individual team member performance on this metric.”
Clicking “I’m on my way” at the right time gives the employee enough time to pack the order, but if a customer arrives unexpectedly, the employee will have to put everything together and leave the store. It only takes 3 minutes to get it out.
“It’s kind of unrealistic, especially when job cuts continue,” a California worker said, according to an insider. , we’re incredibly skinny and a little overworked.”
Because drive-up workers receive specific training, employees in other departments are unable to help when they need it most.
The order queue frequently reaches 300 or more, and the number reaches 800 during holidays.
This means that one shopper’s double-tap can cause significant delays to hundreds of other customers.
A Texas worker told Insider:
Now, the Target app reminds shoppers when they double-tap that if they want to pick up their order sooner, they need to let the store know it’s on delivery next time.
However, no widespread solution has been put in place to prevent delays.
Other store changes
Target is embracing shopper convenience in several initiatives beyond drive-up ordering.
The chain also announced that it will launch drive-up returns at all locations this spring.
This feature allows shoppers to notify Target that they have returned an item and that they are on their way to the nearest location via the app.
Funds will be refunded to the way the item was originally paid for.
Eligible customers can now add Starbucks orders to their pickup.
Eligible employees bring the order directly from the Starbucks Cafe to the pickup lane.
California, Delaware, and Minnesota already serve coffee on the go.
Pennsylvania, Texas, New Jersey, Minnesota, Washington and West Virginia also join the list of 200 locations with convenient customer options.
Target now also accepts supplemental nutrition assistance programs as payment on its website for select SNAP-eligible groceries.
Shoppers using SNAP can also use this payment method for drive-up and order pick-up services.
Some shoppers have criticized the retailer’s choice to add automatic surcharges to their bags.
Additionally, here’s the full list of Target stores closing by May this year:
