All Targets are essentially the same. The things that set them apart from the others is the customer service, or lackthereof. (**rant alert**)
I came here recently needing to use their "hour print" service.
The photo section, as with most Targets, is shared with the Returns/Exchange section. Which means it's impossible to wrangle a staff member your way, because they are ALWAYS involved with customers from the other line. (FAIL.)
I found two beat up Kodak machines before me, one with a half peeled off label reading "One Hour", the other with none. It *COULD* mean that only that computer was one-hour, but that sticker could have very easily have just fallen off the other one. After all, they are the same machine, they should be capable of the same output.
Of course I double checked. I flagged down an employee and he verified that the one with the sticker is the only one of the two that works for one-hour. The other one only does Instant prints.
Fine. I get to work. I take my CF card and go to slide it into the machine. It doesn't seem to be grabbing. I tried it in the machine next to me and it worked fine. It stopped 3/4s of the way in. I tried it back on the other machine and pushed it all the way until the end of my card was flush with the front of the machine. Nothing. It didn't "grab". I had to carefully pull it out so it didn't fall down into the depths of the machine.
That's fine, because I had a USB card reader with me!!! So I pop my CF card into my card reader, and plug the USB end into the machine... I wait.... and wait..... and wait.... but it is not finding it. Again, I try it on the machine next to me, and it works fine. Too bad I can't use that machine.
I wave over an employee, and after about 5 minutes, one of them acknowledges me. He comes over to see what's up. I explain the situation, and he is no help. He asks to see my equipment and insinuates that I was doing it wrong. After he fails like me, he takes the front of the machine off, looks at it, then puts it back on. No suggestions, no "sorry for our crappy machines".
So *I* take the initiative and say, "Well, what is the quality like on this other machine? The one that does instant prints??" He says, "Oh, it's not as shiny."
....dude, they have YOU working in the photo department? Really? So I say, "I'm not talking about the paper.... I'm talking about the ink on paper. Do you have some samples?" He says no. So with a heavy sigh I resign myself to the fact that I'll just have to MAKE a print, and PAY for a sample.
I do, and there is a really heavy yellow color cast to the whole image. NOT cute if you are printing pictures of PEOPLE.
I again call someone over, wait for them to get to me, and say, "these don't look that great, do you have a CD there that i can just try to burn my images onto it? i have my laptop with me... i think the CD drive is probably fine on the hour machine..." He says, "oh, well, you'd have to go back to electronics and buy some CDs..." Fail, fail, FAIL!!!!!
I grumble, because I *NEED* these prints STAT (we needed for a film that we were shooting at the time) so I just throw my CF card into the working machine, and get all of my needed prints on the Instant Machine, talking to myself about the yellow color, and hoping it's ok because they are "night club" scene pics.
One print out, the ribbon runs out of ink.
I call someone over AGAIN, and he says, as if i should have known, "it's fine, just hit ok. it'll print on the other machine..." Thanks. So it does. But I notice the print that came out of the machine that just ran out of ink looks TERRIBLE, because of the ink run out. the blacks aren't black. They're brown with lines in them. Instead of asking for that one free, I just printed another one and decided I'd pay for everything. The staff already were bothering me enough on how little they cared to help me, I figured I could afford an extra .29 for some peace of mind.
I head over to pay.
I tell him I need two receipts.
He stares at me while he hands me one. I say again, I need two receipts.
He says, "Oh.... Well.... I'd have to call the supervisor over for that...." I ask, (don't forget, i've worked EVERYWHERE in my life...) "there's no duplicate receipt button or anything like that?" Him, "No. I'd have to get a supervisor." Me - "THEN GET THE SUPERVISOR!!!!!!!" Him - "Well, that would take a very long time, and there's a long line behind you." (ONE PERSON)
I snatched the receipt from his hand and actually started storming INTO the store in search of anyone who looked important. I was furious!!!
DO YOUR JOB!!!!!!!
Then I figured this would be much better for Yelp.
Seriously, I'm not a boat rocker, and I *LOVE* Target, but this whole experience absolutely made me want to knock something over.
Hey Target, train your employees to offer SOLUTIONS to the customers. (OMG, I reached my word limit!) read more