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[sir_kevith]

Well no shit Target isn't going to call it that.

People here who work at target say otherwise.

Exactly, if other Target workers and former workers have experienced it and it's a pattern then it's basically a policy regardless of whether it's on the records or not. I'm sure there's gotta be a police record of them cooperating on these kinds of things as well.

Really sad that it came to this. Target isn't important at all, I wish this guy knew that. It can feel that way when all your social interactions revolve around a single store though. These retail stores act as small communities, imagine what it must've felt like to show up one day and have all your peers judge you as you're lead to the office in handcuffs. Seems like it would just instill fear and cause gossip but maybe that's what the managers wanted.

 

[Miles X]

Hope they get sued to hell and back, scumbags.

 

[Dizzy]

I remember when my mum was working retail. Cigarettes were going missing so they started doing spot checks on employees. This was supposed to be done in private but then you get a manager who doesn't give a shit and starts doing it in front of customers at the shop front entrance as people were leaving work.

Some of them just don't give a shit.

 

[DrGonzo615]

Well I dunno if this is an official policy but when I worked there, they pretty much did EXACTLY like what the lawsuit is claiming on a regular basis. As long as nothing is written down then they can deny that its a policy until they cant speak anymore but that doesnt mean that there isnt one.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Ive worked at Target and can personally vouch that this is indeed a common practice there. I worked at my local store for about a year and a half or so and probably witnessed at least 4-5 people who were handcuffed right in their department.

Ever thought of contacting the lady and being a key witness to this bullshit?

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

This brings up another point:

I don't know if he told them he had AS or not. It doesn't really matter. Target doesn't give a fuck. They didn't give a fuck when I told them about my limitations.

"Oh that's nice. Get back on the register."

I'm surprised this guy didn't have a full-on breakdown or shutdown. Hell, I know I would have.

 

["D"]

My gf worked at this Target and knew the guy and his girlfriend. She JUST told me about this like earlier this past week.

I hope the mom gets everything and then some, Target is a nationwide business...that Walk of Shame shit is just plain unprofessional and childish

 

[Snkfanatic]

I remember when my mum was working retail. Cigarettes were going missing so they started doing spot checks on employees. This was supposed to be done in private but then you get a manager who doesn't give a shit and starts doing it in front of customers at the shop front entrance as people were leaving work.

Some of them just don't give a shit.

Reminds me of the time I was at a Gamestop and the Manager ringing up my game had to stop so he could watch this poor kid who was a Associate empty his pockets in front of him and sign this piece of paper that he did it. Then the Manager had to as well....awkward.

I asked if this was normal and he said yes. Everyone had to do it.

 

[Popnbake]

Not sure, but what they would do is wait for your shift to start, wait till you are back in your department working, then they would call the police. They would go back to the department, handcuff you on site and walk to to the front office where they would grill you about what you are being accused off, then you would be walked out of the office and outside to a patrol car.

The managers that I worked for made it very clear that it was making an example out of somebody and meant to be a deterrent to others.

Its total bullshit. The best advice I can give to anybody here that works in retail is to get out. I worked retail for about 6 years or so and its the absolute worst with no future.

Yes, that is the reason why it happens in my retail store as well.

They wait for you to start your shift and make it so that other employees are aware of your arrest. One girl was crying as they escorted her out.

However any arrests made are usually done when you are believed to have stolen above a certain amount and have enough evidence to prove it.

Like at my previous job at Winn-Dixie when they waited for the guy to steal above $500? so they could charge him with a higher theft crime. When that happens you can be sure the manager didn't like the person. For others they would just let go with being fired and that was usually for decent employees who are believed to have stolen something but management didn't want them to face jail time.

 

[Not]

What the FUCK Target

Why would you do this to a man named Graham Gentles?!

 

[bsod]

I remember when my mum was working retail. Cigarettes were going missing so they started doing spot checks on employees. This was supposed to be done in private but then you get a manager who doesn't give a shit and starts doing it in front of customers at the shop front entrance as people were leaving work.

Some of them just don't give a shit.

It's pretty amazing how often they don't follow corporate policies correctly. That explains when regional or the higher-ups come to a store and and management freaks out.

On a similar note, when I used to work at the UPS warehouse loading trucks they would make employees walk through metal detectors and you'd be patted down. The training video specifically stated that you can only be patted down by someone of your same sex. Yeah, that wasn't really the case.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

Well I dunno if this is an official policy but when I worked there, they pretty much did EXACTLY like what the lawsuit is claiming on a regular basis. As long as nothing is written down then they can deny that its a policy until they cant speak anymore but that doesnt mean that there isnt one.

This is where the meat of it is. If they have other employees/witnesses saying that Target has a habit of doing this as a way to set an example for other employees, then they have something. At that point they can say that yeah, Target did this as a way of humiliation, which is fucked up.

When I worked at Wal-Mart I never saw anyone walked to the back in cuffs. They'd call an employee to the back office and then the cops would show up after. I saw plenty walked out in cuffs of course. But, my Wal-Mart certainly didn't try to play it up like they are alleging Target did.

A bunch of cashiers got arrested for price matching DVDs down to $1 for each other. Really fucking dumb because every price match gets printed out for the managers/office people to see at the end of the day. So, it didn't take to long for them to be busted. But, the store manager called them all at home before work and told them they could either be arrested at the store or at home (essentially warning them to not come in). Don't know if every Wal-Mart handles things that well/quietly though, obviously.

 

[deadlast]

I kind of don't want to shop at target anymore. I know that may sound ridiculous, but that is not cool to ever treat an employee like that.

 

[hitsugi]

With how careful and obsessive Target's policies are crafted in order to avoid lawsuits, I'm surprised this one exists....

 

[Mac the KNife]

Never saw it myself during my thankfully brief employment at Target, but I have no doubt in my mind that this is an unofficial policy. Target's Loss Prevention department is insane in ways usually reserved for upscale department stores.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

All on suspicion? Horrible policy.

 

[cafemomo]

Even if he did steal, I don't think they should of had paraded him around the store.

Is it that hard to tell someone to just leave the store and never come back?

 

[retrogamer84]

I kind of don't want to shop at target anymore. I know that may sound ridiculous, but that is not cool to ever treat an employee like that.

I know I am not shopping there anymore. If this is how they treat there employees, especially ones with Autism or other issues, then I am not about to give them my money.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

[QUOTE="D";149218748]My gf worked at this Target and knew the guy and his girlfriend. She JUST told me about this like earlier this past week.

I hope the mom gets everything and then some, Target is a nationwide business...that Walk of Shame shit is just plain unprofessional and childish[/QUOTE]

"Be the best business in the world."

Target's actual, honest-to-God business goal as outlined in company hiring videos.

 

[LilWayneSuckz]

I worked at Target when I was 17 (first job) and was a pretty good employee, and the manager turned out to be a racist (my supervisor told me this) and pretty much chose to pick on me, berate me in staff meetings and then fire me for reasons...

Horrible experience and I sympathize with his mother, and I also sympathize with anyone who has to work retail, its a terrible job.

It's thankless, customers are routinely rude for absolutely no reason, if you're 18 and over you will end up staying at the store till past midnight. You're paycheck is abysmal (I got $7.75 an hour and a paycheck after 2 weeks was around $200-250), I cannot imagine how a family could live off of that...

I continue to remain courteous, and respectful to anyone that has to work in retail or the restaurant industry.

 

[DrGonzo615]

Ever thought of contacting the lady and being a key witness to this bullshit?

Well I worked at Target over 10 years ago....not sure how much help I would be.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

Is it that hard to tell someone to just leave the store and never come back?

Ehh, that's a little far in the other direction. Nothing wrong with a store pressing charges against a thieving employee. It's the public shaming on suspicion that's a problem, not the theoretical arresting of a thief.

I don't remember the statistics, but when I worked at Wal-Mart I remember the numbers they had were crazy when it came to employee theft. Around that time Wal-Mart actually announced they were essentially going to stop focusing on your average shoplifter and start putting their efforts into stopping employee theft because it was the vast majority of loss at stores.

 

[DrGonzo615]

Not defending this practice at all but when I saw it happen, it ALWAYS resulted in the person being fired for stealing, I dont think I ever saw somebody be handcuffed and then able to come back to work, I assume they had evidence (I know for a fact that a few of them were absolutely guilty) but I never saw anything first hand.

 

[agrajag]

Wait, so the cops just do whatever the store managers tell them to? That doesn't sound right.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

I worked at Target when I was 17 (first job) and was a pretty good employee, and the manager turned out to be a racist (my supervisor told me this) and pretty much chose to pick on me, berate me in staff meetings and then fire me for reasons...

Horrible experience and I sympathize with his mother, and I also sympathize with anyone who has to work retail, its a terrible job.

It's thankless, customers are routinely rude for absolutely no reason, if you're 18 and over you will end up staying at the store till past midnight. You're paycheck is abysmal (I got $7.75 an hour and a paycheck after 2 weeks was around $200-250), I cannot imagine how a family could live off of that...

I continue to remain courteous, and respectful to anyone that has to work in retail or the restaurant industry.

And if you are seasonal, they treat you like cattle and give you the same respect.

There's a reason all my seasonal jobs are at seasonal stores.

 

["D"]

"Be the best business in the world."

Target's actual, honest-to-God business goal as outlined in company hiring videos.

That place is full of morons in management. My gf used to work in the Food Avenue area and it seemed like every day she'd have something to complain about how idiotic that place was. Her manager would sit in the control room for more than an hour claiming she was "doing the schedule" and would bitch about simple shit not being done. On the days when they received stock, she NEVER scheduled herself to work.

My gf had a slip and fall there and hurt her back. She went to court and all that and all they gave her was $900. She has told me about this Walk of Shame thing before and witnessed it firsthand a few times.

I didn't work there but I hate that place based on all the things she's told me about that store. Now that she's working in her field and making TONS more money, even to this day when she walks into a Target, I can literally see the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and see the veins in her temple start to bulge lol

 

[The Beard]

Yes the policy is bullshit, but you can't sue a company because your son was humiliated and committed suicide can you ?

Suicide is not a normal/expected reaction to being humiliated/fired.

Sorry if I sound insensitive, I'm just curious.

 

[Enron]

It's pretty amazing how often they don't follow corporate policies correctly. That explains when regional or the higher-ups come to a store and and management freaks out.

On a similar note, when I used to work at the UPS warehouse loading trucks they would make employees walk through metal detectors and you'd be patted down. The training video specifically stated that you can only be patted down by someone of your same sex. Yeah, that wasn't really the case.

Man, theft at UPS must be crazy. When I was in college some friends worked there and one of their coworkers always had spare PC parts he was trying to sell. Turns out he had been stealing tens of thousands of dollars worth of stuff right off the dock.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Yes the policy is bullshit, but you can't sue a company because your son was humiliated and committed suicide can you ?

Suicide is not a normal/expected reaction to being humiliated/fired.

Sorry if I sound insensitive, I'm just curious.

The Asperger's Card is in full effect here.

And rightfully so.

 

[OmegaFax]

This is defamation of character and a misuse of local resources. The policy is meant to hurt the person and destroy any and all relationships in the store in the most indiscreet way possible. Straight up bullying and harassment. There's nothing that's going to bring back that mother's son but Target ought to be sued to oblivion for the sheer stupidity and lack of common sense. Gross.

 

[LilWayneSuckz]

And if you are seasonal, they treat you like cattle and give you the same respect.

There's a reason all my seasonal jobs are at seasonal stores.

Ugh. It was pretty traumatic for me. I went home and cried, and told my parents, but there was no evidence to prove my case, other than what my supervisor told me. I didn't go into another Target store for two years, because of my short time there. And I feel for anyone who has to work retail to keep food on the table and somewhere to stay

This story sounds so accurate, and I hope they're sued viciously.

 

[slit]

Yes the policy is bullshit, but you can't sue a company because your son was humiliated and committed suicide can you ?

Suicide is not a normal/expected reaction to being humiliated/fired.

Sorry if I sound insensitive, I'm just curious.

Absolutely.

You have to understand the test of liability can still be proven in a lawsuit even if no criminal wrongdoing was discovered.

 

[No Love]

Yes the policy is bullshit, but you can't sue a company because your son was humiliated and committed suicide can you ?

Suicide is not a normal/expected reaction to being humiliated/fired.

Sorry if I sound insensitive, I'm just curious.

I wonder what you'd say if they forced a disabled employee in a wheelchair to do the crawl of shame.

These fucking losers need to be sued and crushed in court. I sure as hell won't be shopping at Target anymore if this is all true.

 

[Fushin]

Yes the policy is bullshit, but you can't sue a company because your son was humiliated and committed suicide can you ?

Suicide is not a normal/expected reaction to being humiliated/fired.

Sorry if I sound insensitive, I'm just curious.

Their policy caused emotional distress that lead to his suicide. Thankfully none of the employees I saw this happen to at Dicks killed themselves. LP actually would laugh about these kinds of situations, they solely existed to fire people.

 

[Dinokill]

Can you imagine if the guy walked on the next day with an AR, killing 10+ people? We will have everybody wondering how a normal kid committed such act.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Wait, so the cops just do whatever the store managers tell them to? That doesn't sound right.

Believe me, the Rent-A-Cops hate it, too.

I was sat down at my break and given a "lecture" by the store security once. The entire time they were telling me how they knew I didn't do anything wrong and was actually helping a customer, but that they had to sit me down because the bosses told them to.

It's also store policy not to give out manager names for resumes - prior work experience or recommendations.

 

[agrajag]

Believe me, the Rent-A-Cops hate it, too.

I was sat down at my break and given a "lecture" by the store security once. The entire time they were telling me how they knew I didn't do anything wrong and was actually helping a customer, but that they had to sit me down because the bosses told them to.

It's also store policy not to give out manager names for resumes - prior work experience or recommendations.

man, fuck retail...

 

[Diddy Kong]

fuck that policy

 

[TheApatheticOne]

I worked for Target around 2004, and it was insane. Got hired on as a "level 2" electronics manager (think assistant) during the holidays, even though I was told I wasn't holiday help.

So first off, Im placed doing the evening shift.... by myself. During Christmas. The main manager worked during the day with 2 workers/cashiers.... and I usually had one of them until 6 pm. Then the rest was me. I was responsible for questions, working the counter and register, helping with TVs, games, etc. We had walkie talkies where I could ask for help, but rarely did anyone come, and when someone did, it was JUST long enough to get above water for a second or two before I was swallowed whole again. On top of this, my manager gave me a "to do list" almost every day that would be unreasonable if it were slow and I had help. It wasn't... and I didn't.

Anyways, to wrap up my "Target is shit" story, eventually I got called into the office via walkie talkie. In the security office (which is insane, looks like something out of a movie, they had undercover shoppers and everything, nice area too!), and say that I havent been performing my job and that shit was going missing. Well.... I worked harder at that job than almost any other, because it was retail during the holidays in electronics by myself.... and I hadn't, even by accident, walked out with so much as a paper clip that wasnt mine.

I too, got the walk of shame. No cuffs or police or anything, but I was escorted by the security manager and the main manager, and I wasn't taken through the side door, I was taken down the main drag, wrapped around to the front doors for all to see.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

Well that's an awful story. What the hell is wrong with those people? I worked at GameStop and I thought that company treated us bad, but when two of my coworkers got caught stealing at least they didn't get paraded around the store like a couple of POWs. They were just fired.

Yes the policy is bullshit, but you can't sue a company because your son was humiliated and committed suicide can you ?

Suicide is not a normal/expected reaction to being humiliated/fired.

Sorry if I sound insensitive, I'm just curious.

I'm pretty sure they have a case on professional grounds alone. That is a terrible policy and there's no way you can legally humiliate your employees like that. It's harassment at best.

 

[Tevious]

This sort of happened at one of the Wal-Marts on my route some years ago when I used to work for Pepsi. We had this big display of 24-packs at the Wal-Mart that looked like a semi truck. My boss even had some extra semi-truck tires he brought in for the display. One day, the tires were just gone. Both myself and the other Pepsi guy that worked the store thought our boss just had them taken back to the warehouse. We both thought nothing of it. Eventually, our boss came looking for the tires and we all found out they were missing and probably stolen. He got the police involved. There was an investigation that lead to finding out that one of the assistant managers stole them. I wasn't there when it happened, but police came and arrested him at the store. Guy lost his 45-50k / year job over a pair of redneck tires. The tires were already sold, so we never got them back. I think my boss sued him for damages too.

Quite a big difference in this case, since it wasn't Wal-Mart that called police to have him arrested based on a suspicion. There was already an investigation and I'm assuming police had a pretty big lead on the guy before they came to arrest him. Also, the guy didn't commit suicide afterwards. I heard he eventually got a job working at an auto-shop his friend owned.

Target shouldn't be allowed to have anyone arrested based on a suspicion. They can report the stolen merchandise/money, provide any evidence, and have the police do their own investigation.

Eh, I don't know that we're getting the full straight story here. There's a few things I think we can agree on though. First, you shouldn't treat your employees like that. That's wrong. If they stole, and you're going to have them arrested, send the police to their home. Secondly, a policy of shaming, if it exists, is just flat out wrong.

I've been told (after the incident above) that police don't like to do this because the person could have weapons at home. They prefer to make arrests at the workplace because the person is least likely to have a weapon or put up a fight around peers or in public.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Ugh. It was pretty traumatic for me. I went home and cried, and told my parents, but there was no evidence to prove my case, other than what my supervisor told me. I didn't go into another Target store for two years, because of my short time there. And I feel for anyone who has to work retail to keep food on the table and somewhere to stay

This story sounds so accurate, and I hope they're sued viciously.

My favorite is when they have you get into the freezer and rearrange the food and drink - and when you complain, they give you the thinnest gloves that you know have been worn 200 times before.

 

[Zee-Row]

Having worked in retail I wouldn't be shocked.

 

[Karsticles]

Yes the policy is bullshit, but you can't sue a company because your son was humiliated and committed suicide can you ?

Suicide is not a normal/expected reaction to being humiliated/fired.

Sorry if I sound insensitive, I'm just curious.

No legal knowledge here, but the kid having Asperger's is an aspect to consider. A few of my students have Asperger's, and I treat them very different from how I treat other students. They need a lot of social grace and understanding. Even talking to people is a stressful activity for them.

I would never seek to embarrass or "make an example" of these kids. Also, in my limited experience, Asperger's kids are highly moral in their attittude and behaviors. They don't like disobeying rules or upsetting people. They hate confrontation. I'm not knowledgeable enough to say they don't steal, but I could never imagine any of my Asperger's students stealing or lying. They are all very morally decent human beings.

 

[ClayKavalier]

This happened to me (minus the handcuffing/arrest).

I worked at Target in high school. I was an above average worker in that I actually did my job.

One day I got called into the security office with my supervisor where they told me they had footage of me stealing and demanded that I confess.

I was baffled. I've never stolen anything in my life. I asked if I could see the tape and they refused, drilling me to admit what I stole.

As a scared 16 year old kid, I tried thinking of anything I could have even accidentally taken home with me. The only thing I could think of was pens from the sales counter and MAYBE a loose Pokemon card or two. This was at the height of Pokemon's popularity and we frequently had people who would open decks and take the cards they needed. I thought maybe I had accidentally stuck some in my pocket and forgot about them.

And that was that. They fired me for something I didn't do.

Really gets me angry thinking back on it.

Sounds similar to how police will try to force admissions of guilt out of people.

If you know you didn't do anything wrong, you didn't do anything wrong. End of story. Trying to be helpful and saying "Well, could you be thinking of this?" just gives them ammo when they're convinced of your guilt.


I'm curious what the trip to the police station was about. Is that just part of the "walk of shame"? Or do they actually press charges against employees who steal? I had a coworker get fired for theft when I worked retail and I'm almost positive he just got fired, the store didn't actually call the police.

 

[Thornton Reed]

I'm not sure if can mention the company I used to work were they also had similar practises.

This company was a mobile phone retailer and I worked in one of their call centres. They would put a dog leash on you and make you walk around the office on your hands and knees if you did something wrong. I was once made to wear a sandwich board which read 'I'm a dickhead' because I failed to lock my machine when I went for a piss.

Degrading and outrageous

 

[cdyhybrid]

Fucking gross.

Fuck Target.

 

[nomster]

I told them I might have stuck some in my pocket accidentally like in the process of cleaning up or something. I wasn't even a Pokemon fan (not that it matters as I never would have stolen them anyway).

It was the only thing I could think of and I was scared.

Just curious, not that it's worse for you either way. Just shows the idiotic management practice, intimidating an employee until they can figure out a reason for you to fire them. Sorry you had to deal with that.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Sad but I'm not sure target is liable here. I think you would have to prove they did something outrageous beyond normal police procedures.

Like what Thornton Reed posted WTF.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

I'm not sure if can mention the company I used to work were they also had similar practises.

This company was a mobile phone retailer and I worked in one of their call centres. They would put a dog leash on you and make you walk around the office on your hands and knees if you did something wrong. I was once made to wear a sandwich board which read 'I'm a dickhead' because I failed to lock my machine when I went for a piss.

Degrading and outrageous

Mention the company.

That is vomit-inducing.