The next time you step foot into Target, you may notice a more welcoming atmosphere, and that's because of a new policy the retailer has introduced, designed to improve the in-store shopping experience.
With holiday shopping in full swing, the retailer is rolling out the 10-4 policy, which encourages staff to smile, greet and chat with customers. Target noted that the focus on customer service is to help shoppers feel appreciated.
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The program delivers on the name, requiring employees who are within 10 feet of customers to either smile, make eye contact, wave and "use friendly, approachable, and welcoming body language," per USA Today.
And if staff find themselves within 4 feet of customers, they must personally engage with them, getting them and initiating a "warm" and "helpful interaction."
“We know when our guests are greeted, feel welcomed and get the help they need that translates to guest love and loyalty,” Adrienne Costanzo, Target’s executive vice president and chief stores officer, told the outlet in a statement, adding that the adjustments ahead of the holiday season are to "increase connection during the most important time of the year powered by our team.”
It's unclear if when the policy will be implemented, or whether employees who do not follow the guidlines will face any consequences, however, over on Reddit, one employee noted that there's been an uptick in "secret shoppers" to see if employees are doing it, with managers advised to "have a conversation" with those not participating.
Others can also see the policy backfiring, as one employee recounted once greeting someone who simply wanted to "shop in peace" and "not be spoken to by every single person I see."
Customers in the thread didn't seem to be in favor of the program, with one taking to Reddit to write, "I'm a customer. Don't do that. I give you permission to not look at me and smile," and another stating, "As a guest, I would hate this."
"catch me staying 11 feet away," another joked.
"When I'm out shopping, I want to be left alone to do that. If I need help, I'll find someone and ask. If every associate I pass says hello, I'm going to get a bit creeped out after a while," someone else emphasized, as another noted that if employees talk to them either think they are stealing or trying to hard sell them.
The new initiative comes as Target attempts to reverse a sales slump, with incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke, who will start in Feb. 2026, setting his "urgent commitment to drive growth and deliver better results."
However, many suggested that there were deeper reasons for Target's downturn, including one that said the retailer should shift its focus on ensuring a safe and happy work environment for employees, stating, "Funny thing isn't if we had enough man power and weren't overworked and pushed to work so hard and fast, we wouldn't feel so annoyed to help customers/guests. But the target big wigs don't care and expect us to be their perfect little robots. Robots they know they can and will replace."
Another echoed, "Most associates really don't have a reason to smile at all as most are being overworked."
"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," someone else declared.
Someone who said they've worked at Target for 16 years revealed that it's just a new name for a policy that has always been around, explaining, "Covid really shifted the paradigm and the extreme focus on fulfillment has created a team that doesn't want to interact with guests due to time constraints and stress, adding that "many late millennial or younger shoppers don't want to be interacted with while shopping, and honestly compared to before Covid many older guests also don't seem to care if you try and interact with them."
Yet another person suggested that the decline in profits likely has to do with the economy, noting, "It’s our fault sales are down, because we’re not being friendly enough to the guests. Not that the economy is heading towards a recession or anything. Smiling and greeting will make people buy stuff!"
As a shopper, are you in favor of the 10-4 policy?
Related: Aldi Issues Statement on Rumored Self-Checkout Shake-Up
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