UPDATE: A current Target employee rebuts these statements, inside…

Target gets a free pass in many cases, as opposed to say, a certain blue-colored store, thanks in large part to its eye-popping ad campaigns and associations with artists and feel-good organizations, but the allegations by one disgruntled Target worker, which you should read with a hunk of salt, paint a different picture…

landlease: I work full time at Target and id like to tell their secrets
benpopken: We love secrets
landlease: I worked day time and overnight so i know what its like around the clock First, the security mostly follows black people. One manager told me they don’t want a black person working in electronics, because they steal more than others…

(Photo: nycmstar

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landlease:A hell of a lot of team members steal from the stock rooms.

Everyone makes fun of customers as soon as they walk away. We wear fake name tags so that when a customer DOES tell a manager that an employee was rude, nobody gets in trouble.

When we apply, we are promised 40+ hours a week. I am down to 24. And every week my manager tells me they will go up to 40. The only reason is that I’m under 40 is that then you don’t get health benefits.

benpopken: What store do you work in?

landlease: I work in NY. I’m not telling where. Oh and theres a bar across the street. So on the measly half hour breaks they give you in an 8-hour shift, many people down as much as they can and return to work buzzing or drunk.

Oh, and I’m getting a surgery next month, so i begged to work 40 hours so my health insurance can activate, they said no. So I’m gonna have to pay like, full price.

Oh oh oh, one more thing before i go, the dog recalls. Apparently the people working in pets, don’t give a shit, cuz they didn’t remove anything….

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Whether these allegations are true and/or limited to just one store is hard to say. All we know is that the Brooklyn Target is really dirty and the shelves are always in disarray— a far cry from the gleaming image they beam out the boob tubes. — BEN POPKEN

UPDATE: And now, counterpoint from a current Target employee:

I just read the new article about Target and wanted to share my insight on the issue.

The employee said some truthful things, but some were extreme exaggerations.

1.The security mostly follows black people

a. Not true at all. I work at a very busy target, and we usually have 3 AP people on site at all times. They rarely have time to follow anyone. One usually stands at the doors, one is in plainclothes and wonders the stores looking for suspicious activity – never following unless told to do so by the third person who is usually watching the cameras.

2. Everyone makes fun of customers as soon as they walk away. We wear fake name tags so that when a customer DOES tell a manager that an employee was rude, nobody gets in trouble.

a.Several things wrong with this one

b. We sometimes make fun of customers, usually in jest to make the time fly by faster – and it’s usually not about a certain individual.

c. We do wear fake name tags SOMETIMES. The majority of team members wear their real names. The executives give you a random nametag if you come to work without one.

3. When we apply, we are promised 40+ hours a week. I am down to 24. And every week my manager tells me they will go up to 40. The only reason is that I’m under 40 is that then you don’t get health benefits.

a. Bull Fucking Shit.

b. When you apply, you’re told that you have an opportunity to work 40+ hours. You are never scheduled over 40 hours unless you’re paid overtime. There were no promises. Target has been cutting hours but if you are only working 24 hours a week suck it up and maybe learn other areas of the store. I’m trained in 8+ areas of the store and get over 30 hours per week.

c. Theres also a sheet where you can cover shifts for another employee – great way to get new hours.

4. On half hour lunch breaks:

a. Yes, this is true but it’s plenty of time if you don’t try to get drunk before coming back to work. Almost all of the team members at my store eat in the break room or restaurants nearby and end up waiting at the punchclock to be able to clock back in.

5. Dog Recalls

a. It was removed if there was a specific recall. Target stores were sent signs and lists of recalled food items and dates. The food was removed from the store I work at the same day.

Target does have some flaws, but this is just crazy – she was probably reprimanded for working drunk and took out her anger on here.

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