Target To Demote 8,000 Workers

In my younger years, I worked for Kmart as a cashier. While standing at my register one day, a top executive from Target passed through my line and was waiting to be checked out. I proceeded to ring his order when my cash register decided to have a mind of its own. Shortly after my quick thinking, it was operational once more.

I handed the top executive his change and was told, “This is why you are Kmart and we are Target”. I was set back by that remark, not only for that moment, but also for a lifetime.

Now after 20 years have passed, I always reference it when someone says they are going to shop at Target. It’s one of those comments you never forget and was just recently brought to mind once more.

Target is planning to demote 8,000 full-time workers and make them part-time to eliminate having to pay for health care for those workers. Sound familiar?

I thought it would. With so many people out of work and looking for full-time and health care coverage, Target has dropped the ball (red as I last remembered it) along with every company out there. Almost every business wants you to perform but doesn’t want to pay for those services. It’s time businesses stop taking advantage of the people who want and need to work. I don’t know how many times I have read employment ads where people were overqualified and businesses were willing to pay 1/3 of the going salary for that position again with no benefits.

Target has signs all over their walls inside the store reminding us on how they give charity donations worth 14.9 million to schools nationwide and are rank the “most admired” at rank 11 for America’s most admired company of 2008.

To make things worse, Target plans on making the demoted workers train the part-timers. Whatever happened to self pride? Target is taking it away from their workers.

I am sorry, but charity starts at home. That is one of the “morals” my parents told me. Use the 14.9 million that is being sent to the schools and keep the workers full-time with benefits. They have families too.

And why not?