According to a surge in social media posts, Target’s new smile-and-greet policy misses the mark among some employees and customers.
A new staff initiative is forcing employees to engage with customers more, the retailer confirmed to USA Today, explaining that employees within 10 feet of a customer are now required to smile, make eye contact, wave, and use “friendly, approachable and welcoming” body language. And staff within a four-foot radius of a shopper must also personally greet the customer and initiate a warm, helpful interaction, according to USA Today.
The company told the media that the new program aims to “elevate” the shopping experience for patrons, especially during the holidays.
However, employees are sounding off online about the new policy: “If I was a shopper, I would find that creepy,” one alleged Target worker wrote on Reddit.
Customers aren’t happy about the change, either.
“When I’m a customer, I don’t want to be bothered while I’m shopping,” one noted.
Some are commenting on the absurdity, as shown in a recent Facebook comment: “The fact you have to have rules for employees in customer service to be friendly to customers is wild. I thought that’s part of the job.”