*What Target hoped would spark holiday cheer across its stores has instead triggered a wave of customer frustration. The retailer unveiled new employee guidelines in November that quickly became one of the most talked-about retail missteps of the season.
Dubbed the 10-4 program internally, the policy required workers to display a big smile whenever a shopper came within 10 feet. At four feet, employees had to deliver an enthusiastic verbal greeting, the Daily Mail reports. This was the first time specific behavior was turned into a companywide requirement.
Shoppers wasted no time voicing their displeasure online. “I will spend any time at target making sure I’m not within 4 feet of any employee,” one Reddit user wrote. Another compared the overbearing approach to cosmetics chain Ulta, saying, “The aggressive forced interaction is the exact reason why I avoid going into Ulta.” One commenter was direct: “This is horrible. Customers do not want this.”
Several people noted the policy felt counterproductive for everyone involved. “All this policy does is force an awkward non-genuine interaction that 95 percent of people aren’t interested in,” one user argued.
Scroll to continue reading
Staff members were equally vocal in their opposition. “We have all entered our creepy smile era,” one employee said. Another urged shoppers to take action: “I promise you: we do not want to be doing this either. They force us to and managers will begin to punish us if we do not. Please complain to corporate.”
CEO Michael Fiddelke has signaled that elevating the customer experience ranks among his central goals. Chief stores officer Adrienne Costanzo told Bloomberg when the rule launched, “Heading into the holiday, we’re making adjustments and implementing new ways to increase connection during the most important time of the year.”
Despite those ambitions, the program appears to have generated the opposite outcome that executives envisioned.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Target CEO Brian Cornell Steps Down Amid DEI Backlash
Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
