Almost immediately after his term started, the 47th president issued executive orders to end all federal DEI-related initiatives. He also pressured/encouraged businesses to roll back or end their own diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Target was one of the big corporations to capitulate and immediately announced that they would be ending their DEI policies and REACH (Racial Equity Action and Change) initiative. Consumers, especially Black consumers, felt betrayed and responded with their wallets. By August, Target reported a 19% decrease in profits and a huge devaluation of their stock price. As a result, their CEO announced that he’d be stepping down at the end of January 2026.
We’re entering the holiday shopping season and Target is desperate to get customers back into their stores. So, they’ve come up with a new policy they think will do the trick. They are going to bring people back by killing them with kindness! The new policy, called “10-4” mandates that if an employee is within 10 feet of a customer, they have to smile and wave. If they’re within four feet, then they have to smile and talk with the shopper.
Target customers will soon see more smiles and maybe even exchange more pleasantries with employees, thanks to a new staff policy the retailer has implemented, the company said.
The new policy requires employees who are within 10 feet of customers to smile, make eye contact, wave, and use friendly, approachable, and welcoming body language, the Minneapolis-based retailer told USA TODAY on Monday, Nov. 10.
If staff members are within 4 feet of customers, they must personally greet the guests, smile, and initiate a warm, helpful interaction, Target said. The requirements are part of a program called 10-4. The program is one way Target is trying to elevate the shopping experience, the company told USA TODAY. Target said the company wants to make sure customers truly feel like guests who are appreciated.
Adrienne Costanzo, Target’s executive vice president and chief stores officer, said the company has done a great job so far in creating a good in-store experience for customers.
“We know when our guests are greeted, feel welcomed and get the help they need that translates to guest love and loyalty,” Costanzo said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Heading into the holiday, we’re making adjustments and implementing new ways to increase connection during the most important time of the year powered by our team.”
The company did not say when the policy will go into effect, or whether employees will be reprimanded if they don’t abide by the policy.
Target said the new policy also aligns with incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke’s goals for the company…The company said he has advocated for investments into pay and benefits for the company’s team members.
Some Target employees took to Reddit to express their opinions about the policy, with some noting that they should be greeting customers anyway.
“Kinda what we’re (supposed) to be doing anyway, but still,” wrote Reddit user Ziglet_249. “I truly believe I promoted myself to guest at just the right time. Yesterday was my last day in the system, I am officially (retired).”
Another user, Odd-Face-3579, suggested the reason for the policy is because Target employees aren’t smiling enough on their own due to what it’s like working there.
“The problem isn’t that it’s a job requirement to smile (though the forced verbal greeting at 4 feet is a problem if you ask me.) The problem is that if your employees aren’t smiling at guests, it’s probably because your employees are wildly unhappy. If you fixed things for your employees to be happy, you probably wouldn’t need to announce a new plan mandating happiness,” Odd-Face-3579 wrote.
So, they’re forcing employees to talk and smile more in order to make shoppers feel appreciated? Of course it’s always nice to get a friendly little smile and nod from someone when you walk by. It brightens my day and I try to do it to other people if we make eye contact in an aisle. But when I go shopping I don’t need or expect workers to interact with me if the situation doesn’t call for it. If I need to know where something is, I’ll politely ask for help. Most of the time, people are friendly and happy to point me in the right direction.
Target has completely missed the point here. People stopped shopping there because they capitulated to the president’s and his administration’s bigoted demands. They betrayed loyal customers. You know what makes shoppers feel welcome at your store? Not donating one million dollars to a wannabe authoritarian’s inauguration and then showing whole communities that they weren’t that important to you after all. If Target wants shoppers to end their boycott, they have to earn that trust back (if it isn’t too late). They can start by recommitting themselves to their DEI initiatives and working with Black-owned businesses again.
Photos credit: Zoshua Colah and Shabaz Usmani on Unsplash, Instagram, Getty