I went shopping at my former store this morning and talked to some co-workers

[TwixVoy]

This morning I went out to the former retail store I used to work at to get some groceries.

I spoke to one of my former co-workers (who is the store logistics manager) and asked him how things have been going. Seems things have actually taken a down turn since I left. When I left our sales maturity numbers were occasionally running positive on some days, and we were actually meeting sales goals.

He told me this past memorial day weekend they missed sales goals of around $100K by $10K both days, and that it has been almost a month now with sales goals missed every day. He also told me the company nationwide sales maturity average report isn't even showing a positive sales maturity day for the same day last year anymore, and that the company as a whole is running negative numbers every day again.

He said the company is trying out some "Fun and Friendly" days shit to try to make people feel better about hours being cut, but payroll is getting hit so bad because of the bad sales that even hourly management is taking hours cuts right now.... which is practically unheard of. He also told me the "segmented merchandising strategy" (which was rolling out around the time I left) is being expanded like crazy. Basically it is a "strategy" of making the store look full of product by clever merchandising tricks even though half the shit that would normally be carried is not being stocked anymore.

Glad to see the economy is in full recovery. Obviously a recovery on wall street does not equal a recovery on main street.

[Mythsaje]

1. A Super-Target?

The "Fun and Friendly" line's a bit of a giveaway. Ours is hurting, but not that badly...YET.

[TwixVoy]

2. Yes

[Mythsaje]

3. Figured...

Our sales haven't been down THAT much--in fact, we've beat sales significantly a few times in the last few weeks, though the damn red card apps are way down (I've been saying for months that sooner or later they'll finish with the low-hanging fruit and it'll be over). I still don't understand why pushing a credit card is part of our job.

[luvspeas]

4. I'm very sorry for you and all the people who are effected by this...

But I must say that the type of store you are mentioning has way too much impulse purchase stuff and not nearly enough real old-fashioned value-oriented necessities. It seems like all the stuff that they are currently phasing out is all the stuff I really need.

[cherokeeprogressive]

5. Spent some time with a friend yesterday who works at Costco

She works in an affluent So. Orange County, CA store in Membership/Returns. She said in her 27 years with Costco, there have never been as many cancelled/unrenewed memberships, nor has there ever been this many returns. People are bringing perfectly good merchandise back for cash refunds.

[DJ13]

6. As a customer the "segmented merchandising strategy" is why I dont shop there

When stores cease carrying the products I rely on no amount of deceptive merchandising will keep me coming into a store.

[JVS]

8. What is "segmented merchandising strategy" ?

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. In the rural areas, there are no Target stores. But plenty of Wal-Marts.

About every 50 miles apart, actually, you can find a Wal-Mart in Ala. in bigger towns as well as towns of under 10,000 pop. Seems to be at least one per county.
I can see that as good marketing strategy. Many of us rural folks would have drive 90 miles to find a Target and other "big city" stores, so we save gas and time and spend locally.
Wal-mart has focused on groceries, which are 45% of the items carried.

In this heat and humidity, just walking to the mailbox calls for at least a 30 minutes break in front of the fan . Driving long distances and shopping, ain't worth it.

I can see why Target is having problems.

[deaniac21]

9. You have vast economic knowledge.