Ahead of the holidays, Target introduced a new guideline intended to draw customers in, but it wound up doing exactly the opposite. In November, Target demanded that workers slap a smile on their face any time they came within 10 feet of a customer. Not only that, employees were instructed to “enthusiastically” greet every shopper that came within four feet of them. Target executives hoped that the new policies would drive up sales after a streak of disappointing numbers. Unfortunately, the overbearing game plan has apparently flopped, with people posting comments on social media like, “I will spend any time at Target making sure I’m not within 4 feet of any employee!” Customers pointed out that the aggressive forced interaction is the reason they have stopped shopping at at the discount retailer. Even Target employees are rallying against the rules: “We have all entered our creepy smile era,” said one employee. Hopefully, Target executives will be able to connect the dots between the implementation of the forced smile rule in November and its stock taking a 37% nosedive.
