Check out this TARGET protest, Fan-Fricking-Fabulous!

[trumad]

Run time: 02:23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1inmoke76E   Posted on YouTube: August 19, 2010 By YouTube Member: alanbounville Views on YouTube: 17605   Posted on DU: August 21, 2010 By DU Member: trumad Views on DU: 4228

 
The attitude from the 20 something Manager is hilarious. She talks like some kind of 1950's character with a stick up her ass.

[Grassy Knoll]

1. " MY Store....MY Building ".......

give this little shit a fur coat, and she would
turn into King Kong.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

15. ...

:spray:

[Divine Discontent]

2. hmmmm

[liberalmike27]

34. While an Inventive Protest

I worry a little that this is like attacking the soldiers during Vietnam. The employees have to deal with this, and they had little to do with it, hell, some of them may be gay and pissed about it themselves. Plus it can muck with their hours, cut back on sales.

While I think it was an idiot move for them to do this donation, I think if you are going to stage something of this sort, it should be done against a corporate location somehow, hit the people at the top, chop at the snake's head.

[Divine Discontent]

44. exactly. It was inventive, but a bit 'low brow' in execution. I commend their desire to get

Target to be more diverse and stop donating to rethugs, but I don't condone some of the way they did this, or cursing in a public place with kids, it just makes our side look nasty. It's like "Christians" who string up black puppets at halloween, and decry how sinful 'the gays' are - they embarrass me as a Christian. I agree with their desired goal, but your points are what they shoulda thought about before doing what they did.

[BallardWA]

3. Yep, looks like that little go-getter just earned herself a polo shirt

There's actually a red-shirt hierarchy at Target; my daughter learned all about it when she interviewed. The lesser employees must supply their own red shirt, but as you climb up the ladder, you earn the privilege of wearing a company-supplied shirt (that comes out of your paycheck). It alerts the peons of your status, and creates joy in your life. Needless to say, my daughter did not accept a second interview.

[TheCML]

7. Thats weird.

I worked at two Target stores while in college. At one I was given a company shirt but Target has an online store, everyone has the option of buying a shirt there.

I generally chose to buy my own polo shirts (not from the employee website) because they fit better, and so did my manager. In 5 years of working at Targets I never heard of such a thing. I think there might have been a communications error somewhere in your daughters interview.

Also as much as I am disgusted by Targets actions and campaign contributions, its not really fair to take it out on the kid making 7.50/hr. And the manager was just doing her job, trust me they aren't raking in the money either. I think they start somewhere around 24K a year. Take the protest to someone that can do something about it.

[PatSeg]

9. I agree

The girl was only doing her job. She really had no choice. It would have been more effective if they'd protested outside with signs and/or petitions. Swearing over the PA system is not apt to sway anyone's opinion and regardless of the issue, would get anyone thrown out of the store.

[BallardWA]

37. They had the shirts pinned to a board in the interview area

They explained the process of earning the right to wear one. It was quite explicit, not lending itself to misinterpretation.

[Joanne98]

4. LOL

[geckosfeet]

5. great - pick on some poor employee making $10/hr stocking shelves.

Brilliant.

[quakerboy]

19. Not a chance

No way anyone but the managers are pulling 10/hr.

The coupons were great. The fake announcements were lame. If they had just been doing the coupons, they could have reached a far greater audience before getting booted. But that might not be as much fun.

Either way, still not shopping at target.

[geckosfeet]

22. agreed - I can live without Target in my life

[quakerboy]

30. Target has never been my favorite

I used to shop there for sheets, shorts, and one brand of soap I like. I can live without these things.

Harder for me will be best buy, who was part of that same donation campaign. I rediscovered them a few years back, and they suddenly had actual helpful sales people, and decently kick ass prices on appliances and certain other things, which was helpful as I was moving. Now I gotta go back in and tell them why the rest of my business will be going elsewhere.

[James48]

6. Would have been more effective

if they had simply explained the corporate campaign donation over the loudspeaker.

It is much more effective if you educate the public, rather than simply use the word "shit".

More flies with honey, and all that.

But nice video. :-)

What city was that?

[tomm2thumbs]

8. Target corporate is feeling your heat so keep it up!

[RBInMaine]

27. Not without petitions, boycotts, op eds, Letters to the Ed., a FULL campaign. This was just a stunt.

[crazyjoe]

10. wow, great video of some asswipe picking on an employee

who has nothing to do with targets business decisions. Stuff like this makes "progressives" look like idiots, IMHO.
grow up, please....

[LittleGirl]

21. x2

Please don't do this. It's wrong and you end up looking like the teabaggers.

[iamjoy]

11. I Don't Blame The Manager

I'm kind of with the others who doesn't really blame the manager. The people were deliberately trying to create a scene (and I agree with their viewpoint, heck it's even kind of funny). IN most businesses, it's the manager's job to make sure there are no disruptive scenes in their store. If some one is causing a disturbance, the manager asks them to leave. IT doesn't matter if the manager privately agrees with the sentiments of the protesters or not. Target should have a public relations department to handle the matter, and store managers are wise to politely ask folks to leave and not debate the issue with them.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

16. I don't blame the manager either

but I also don't blame these folks for making a scene.

[lobodons]

12. Collateral damage

Blondie and those in the store are just collateral damage. The message isn't for them. It's a bigger message that the little man is pissed and we're not going to take it anymore. We are people hear us roar!!!! (not so much you bigman)

[donheld]

13. Unrecommend

There's no sense taking our anger out on employees who have nothing to say or do to influence board level decisions.

[SusanaMontana41]

14. I have no problem with the protests.

When told to leave, the participants left. Civil disobedience is as American as, well, apple pie. Nothing will change unless we get off our butts. And I'm including me in the "we."

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. Hear hear!

:thumbsup:

[jillan]

18. Amen !! We vote with our dollars & Target needs to know that.

[TheCML]

26. To be fair.

I would say nothing will change when you are protesting and going after a kid making minimum wage.

Also the comments here towards the manager are disgusting "acting like she has a stick up her ass". She was doing her job, these managers are barely pulling 10 or 11 bucks an hour and you are treating them as the bad guys, that is a GREAT reason for people not to take you seriously.

[Enthusiast]

20. I want to applaud. K&R

[leeroysphitz]

23. This isn't a protest it's just obnoxious. n/t

[RBInMaine]

24. They would have been better to just do the flyers in the parking lot then the store.

The loudspeaker including SWEARING was a stupid thing to do and went over the top. Made them look bad. They should hold up signs NEAR the store, put out the flyers, sent OP EDs and letters to the editor, letters to the corporate headquarters, do petitions, organize a NATIONAL boycott effort, etc. But they went too far with the swearing over the loudspeaker inside the store. That was uncool, and c'mon, there are kids around. Sorry, but not cool.

[RBInMaine]

25. NOPE ! It was STUPID to swear over that loudspeaker. DUMB ! There are other ways to protest:

i.e. just doing the leaflets in the parking lot and throughout town, signage, letters to the editor, op ed pieces, an organized boycott, petitions, letters to the company, etc. By doing this they made themselves look bad. Bad move.

[Quixote1818]

31. I think the swearing over the loudspeaker was dubbed in later.

I agree however that it was a dumb way to protest.

[Mr. Mustard]

28. It is okay to critisize the manager.

"My property", "my building". What is she protecting a $9/hr job with no benefits? Or maybe a whopping $12/hr.

She is a synopsis of the problem with this country. She did have a choice, she could have waited, stalled, acted afraid, or even freaking agreed with the protesters but asked them to leave.

I know, she would have risked her career in retail at Target.

This is great action by the protesters and should be supported and applauded, and little weasels like the manager(s) are the problem.

We had it people, health care, pensions, safe working conditions, education and we are letting little weasels give it back.

But we Dems are so understanding, and no one can be held accountable. It is not her fault, she had no choice. Bullshit.

Soon the choice will be forced upon us, all while we timidly let weasels and neo-cons take away our wages, our pensions, our social security, our schools, and our homes.

That building is owned by a corporation, not her. Yet she is young and still believes if she works hard and shows loyalty she will be rewarded with choices and opportunity.

No she won't, unless she is vicious, cuts employees, cuts benefits, and sends jobs to the Chinese. Then she just may have a future in her building.

[TheCML]

29. You're right.

She was protecting her 12 dollar an hour job (being generous). Why wouldn't she? This economy sucks.



If you really think working people are the problem and not the CEO's I don't know what to tell you.

And you have a lot of nerve criticizing her for not risking her career. Are YOU going to hire her if she is fired? I doubt it. You know nothing about her, its all generalizing, if this is what the "left" is becoming about attacking working stiffs and people working at jobs and barely making above poverty level wages, I guess I'm not a part of the "left" anymore.

[BlueIdaho]

33. Yup a real progressive hero...

Intimidating a woman, picking the low hanging fruit, and woking out his displaced anger on the employee not the corporate bosses.

[joeglow3]

32. Am I crooked and vicious, since I have moved up in my company???

[annm4peace]

35. Target donated to more than a Anti-Gay, Hate-Gay candidate

the GOP candidate for Gov, Emmer, is also anti-immigrant, anti-server industry, anti-women's right to choose.

He is basically pro corporate business and anti-American worker.

the group target donated to Move MN Forward supports candidates that are anti-worker as well as anti-GBLT.

Please let others know that.

http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/6909/tom-emmers-minnesota

Education: As representative he voted against funding K-12 and higher ed, against background checks for coaches and against both anti-bullying policies. In his 'truth about costs' video he makes the assertion that 80% of cost increases for education have been in teacher salaries. He even makes the analogy that in the private sector employees get raises based on the employees value to the company and the companies profits for the year. This does not sound like Tom Emmer will invest in our children's futures.

Environment: Emmer is against capping greenhouse gas emissions, against funding for natural resources and even against clean water.

Women in the workplace: With the notorious 'waiters make 100K' gaff, Emmer is clearly out of touch with reality. Many women work in service jobs because it gives them the flexibility to juggle their home lives. Will Emmer support women struggling to make ends meet? For someone who claims to be so 'pro-family' his record doesn't show it. Subsidized day care? voted no. Health insurance for poor children? voted no. Will we ever even hear about pay equality or paid maternity leave from the GOP? I'm going to go with no.

Reproductive rights: Absolutely against. Women don't have the right to choose in Tom Emmer's Minnesota. Emmer is also against sex education and family planning services.

LGBT: Emmer does not believe that gay couples should be able to have children through surrogacy. One of his most disturbing qualities comes from his friends who call for the execution of homosexuals.

Taxes: Cut, cut, cut. The issue is, we've had years of this mantra and MN doesn't have a better economy than when it started, schools and hospitals are not better off and property taxes have gone through the roof. We need a balances approach. Making government more efficient and increasing revenue so the middle and lower class of MN can get some much needed relief.

Immigration: Emmer is for a Arizona-like law for MN.

Health Care: Emmer is pretty squishy on this point, but his big idea of purchasing health insurance across state lines I've written about previously. Bottom line: bad idea.

[SoapBox]

36. Oooo...Bitchy Girls!

KKKlassy of the "managers" or whatever they were...

I also have to laugh, that the company obviously did not prepare
their staff (I would rather they just give bucks to some GLBT group)
for such situations.

Even if they wanted these folks out of the store...you do it nicely,
calmly, politely and with a smile.

Not being BITCH-A-ROONIE-DOONIES!

BUT, when you have a work force of immature folks...this is what you see.

[TheCML]

38. Really?

"KKKlassy"? I'm not sure using "KKK" to describe a Target manager doing her job by kicking out people causing a scene is the epitome of "classy". There is a big jump between reinforcing order in a store which is private property and lynching people, burning crosses and fire bombing churches.




And how do you know that Targets work force is made up of "immature folks"? Most of the people there are struggling to get by just like anyone else. I honestly did not expect to see this much hostility towards the working poor and lower class on a progressive message board.

[Honeycombe8]

39. This turns me off of the protesters and the cause, actually...not Target.

Giving the retail workers a hard time for just doing their jobs turns me off. Trying to disrupt business turns me off. That's not protesting.

Besides, all these big corporations donate to both parties. They're focused on laws that are favorable to business. They're not focused on civil rights or the environment or whatever. All the big corps are the same. So if you protest Target, then might as well protest Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Penney's, Dillard's, Macy's, Walgreens, CVS, etc., etc. Seems that the time and money would be better spent focusing directly on the politicians who are against whatever cause you're promoting.

[trumad]

40. The bigots in this thread amaze me.

[TheCML]

41. Go on...

Feel free to give examples...

[trumad]

42. Been here long enough to sniff out bigots, racists, homophobes

and flat out Douchebags.

There are plenty in this thread.

[TheCML]

43. Ok...

I am looking for specific examples.

When accusing people of being bigoted, racist or homophobic its best to have the information to back that up. If we don't have that what we do is end up trivializing the words and the meanings that they have. So I will ask you again, can you give me a specific example of someone being a bigot in this thread? Or are you just angry that people don't agree with you and you think somehow that makes them a bigot?

[trumad]

45. Well that would be calling people out now wouldn't?

So if I were to say poster A's comment smelled of a bigot homophobe... that would be against the rules.

Again--- I've been on this forum long enough to see the underlying meaning of some of the posts in this thread.

By the way---why are you taking this so personally?