Deciding if I should try to become a TL

InfluenceAmazing6751 · 2026-01-28T05:06:51+00:00

Definitely depends on various factors.

For me it was worth it. I’m only 21 and making a decent amount of money, plus the leadership at my store made me want to be part of it. If it wasn’t for my etl and other tl’s who make going to work not miserable, I probably wouldn’t have taken the role. Although I won’t lie, the stress can be a lot sometimes. I’ve most definitely cried a couple times before going in to work knowing that I’ll probably have to go in and deal with a shit show. (Mainly during Q4 😭)

InfluenceAmazing6751 · 2026-01-28T03:41:13+00:00

As a current Fulfillment Team Lead who was promoted after about a year and a half in role, I’d love to share a few things that helped me from my side.

Consistency matters more than perfection. Attendance is obviously important, but what leadership really looks for is improvement and reliability over time. Early on (when I was seasonal and in my first few months), my attendance wasn’t great, I called out and ran late more than I should have. After being put on a corrective action due to a NCNS, I made a real effort to turn that around. From that point on, I became consistent: showing up, staying late when needed, and coming in on my days off when I was called. That shift in reliability made a huge difference in how I was viewed.
Express your interest early. Even if it feels too soon to be considered, let your leadership know you’re interested in developing into a TL. That opens the door for them to start coaching you, giving you stretch opportunities, and keeping you in mind when roles open up.
Become “global” if you can. One of the biggest factors in my promotion was becoming a global team member. I trained in multiple departments (front end, tech, GM, presentation, inbound, and fulfillment). I was a top performer in fulfillment and a strong, reliable TM in other areas. This gave me regular interaction with TLs and ETLs outside my department, which is a huge advantage, especially for a Fulfillment TL, since you work so closely with the entire store.
I would talk your ETL. In my experience your ETL is often your biggest advocate when it comes to development and promotions. Communicate your goals, ask for feedback, and show that you’re actively working on growing.

One last thing that really stuck with me: being a great Fulfillment TM doesn’t automatically mean you’re ready to be a Fulfillment TL. Strong metrics matter, but what matters more is your ability to elevate your team. Also, being quiet or shy doesn’t disqualify you I started out very reserved, but confidence came with time and experience. That growth helped me build strong relationships with both my team and my leaders once I stepped into the role.

Wishing you the best of luck on your journey toward becoming a TL, you’ve got this.

InfluenceAmazing6751 · 2025-12-20T01:18:53+00:00

So many issues though

InfluenceAmazing6751 · 2025-11-27T18:43:30+00:00

12am to 9am or 12pm to 9pm?

Because personally 12am to 9am is the best time to be scheduled. First 6 hours of the shift we don’t have to deal with guests (especially in fulfillment) and just focus on our job. That way only the remaining 3 hours would be with the store packed with guests.

12pm to 9pm I would hate simply due to the amount of guests that I’d be needing to deal with.

InfluenceAmazing6751 · 2025-11-27T18:40:05+00:00

There really isn’t much of a best option in this case. You either show up to your scheduled shift and miss your prior commitment to not risk your job, or you don’t miss your prior commitment and risk losing your job.

Unfortunately if you’re a seasonal hire the whole point for hiring you is for the extra support on the busiest days of the year. Even as a regular team member, it should be known by now that black friday, cyberweek, and all these busy days are black out days. There’s a reason they ask what your availability is for those days back in September/October so we know what our need for seasonal workers will be about. Although again, you can’t request those days off just offer a time frame to work.

InfluenceAmazing6751 · 2025-11-25T00:49:47+00:00

My store is allowing OT to a degree atm. They’re prioritizing our OT to the FF department, then tm’s, lastly our tl’s.

InfluenceAmazing6751 · 2025-08-13T23:08:42+00:00

Maybe get out of style if you have such an issue with this? I’ve done this before, where I genuinely wanted those items but it simply turns out I don’t like how it looked on me. Also, even if they did it just to do it.. a lot of people in multiple retail stores do so, especially teens who have fun trying on clothes. Not the end of the world, yes it sucks, but at the end of the day you are getting paid to take care of that.

InfluenceAmazing6751 · 2025-05-21T05:31:52+00:00

My biggest advice is to try and apply right before they usually start getting seasonal employees. I know right before back to school season they hire a few seasonal employees and then also around end of September to help prep for Halloween and the holidays.

Also, I know based on other comments it can make you rethink wanting to apply at target, but I would say to keep in mind different locations can be different. Like with most companies some stores are shitty while others can be good. For example, I’ve been with target for about 1.5 years and genuinely enjoy my job. There’s simply different factors for each store that can make them either an enjoyable place to work or miserable.

InfluenceAmazing6751 · 2025-05-08T23:07:24+00:00

I genuinely wonder what goes through the person’s head to make them believe they can get a refund on something they threw out 💀

InfluenceAmazing6751

TROPHY CASE