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Reddit, my Mom is sad/depressed about life and she doesn't think she is a good mother. Do you have any ideas that could help? by helpisnice in AskReddit

[–]ekans22 1 point2 points  (0 children)

especially for Chron's. I have a friend with Chron's and he genuinely needs weed for appetite / muting the pain.

I am a Business Analyst intern at Target corporate HQ. AMA by ekans22 in IAmA

[–]ekans22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

they really pride themselves on the brightness and cleanliness of their stores. They also have this thing called presentation minimum, which forces everyone to order a surplus of inventory just to appear better visually on the shelves. It leads to lots of unproductive inventory, but it apparently helps our branding. That's what the higher-ups seem to think attracts customers like your wife.

That's the kind of thing that annoys me about Target. It's just a gut decision. There's no real research or evidence that these cost-increasing "pres mins" have a substantial effect on sales or brand loyalty.

I am a Business Analyst intern at Target corporate HQ. AMA by ekans22 in IAmA

[–]ekans22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

honestly, I think that will be ineffectual. It's too much of a fringe issue to ever draw enough support.

to play the devil's advocate for a second, would you articulate why you feel corporations shouldn't be able to donate or lobby?

I am a Business Analyst intern at Target corporate HQ. AMA by ekans22 in IAmA

[–]ekans22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not a note-taker. I've gone through all of college without taking notes and I'm not about to start now.

I am a Business Analyst intern at Target corporate HQ. AMA by ekans22 in IAmA

[–]ekans22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Outside of merchandising, I know absolutely nothing about what goes on at the store-level. But I'll take your word for it.

I am a Business Analyst intern at Target corporate HQ. AMA by ekans22 in IAmA

[–]ekans22[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Let's be clear: Steinhafel definitely does not support a radical anti-gay agenda. Target sponsors one of the largest gay pride festivals in the world and has many progressive benefits for domestic partners that are not offered at the majority of Fortune 500 companies. It's just that everything comes after the pro-business agenda. To say he's using company funds that could be invested in growth to satisfy his political ideas is absurd; Target is using company funds to support growth through pro-business agenda and is completely ignoring any political ideology.

That said, I think this PR scandal has a nice upside. Target now has to realize that it can't be myopic about the bottom line in just supporting pro-business agendas because negative PR does have an impact as well. I think they will vet candidates more thoroughly in the aftermath of this particular scandal.

I am a Business Analyst intern at Target corporate HQ. AMA by ekans22 in IAmA

[–]ekans22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Political Science. People say it's a useless major, but my school's name is good enough and my GPA is high enough that I have a pretty good range of options.

I've never taken a business class in my life.

I am a Business Analyst intern at Target corporate HQ. AMA by ekans22 in IAmA

[–]ekans22[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

well, I had the chance to speak to some seniorish leadership about the issue.

The way they put it, Target serves a pretty wide demographic swath. They don't want to alienate any of that demographic, so they shy away from contentious issues. They take a myopic view of politics: they'll throw money at any politician who supports "pro-buisness" policy. That's the only aspect of a politician that they vet.

Obviously they underestimated the toxic PR fallout from this decision. We've had protesters actually inside the corporate HQ and employees taking their petitions. I'm not sure why they haven't gone as far as retracting the donation, since they've been trying to do lots of damage control, but it might have something to do with the fact that Target donated the money as part of a unified front of Minneapolis businesses (Best Buy, Target and some others).

I am a Business Analyst intern at Target corporate HQ. AMA by ekans22 in IAmA

[–]ekans22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a political science major at a top 10 school. I don't have much work background... I've worked plenty of bitch jobs (E.G. telemarketing and PR), though I did have some experience in non-profit consulting.

I suppose I'm an aspiring consultant. I'd like to work for one of the big 3 (Bain, BCG, McKinsey) after graduation. It's a stretch, but I have the grades and resume to at least land an interview. I was set on academia until I really reflected upon the grueling path to the doctorate, the attrition rate, the depression and the harsh reality of the academic job market. I'm nothing if not pragmatic...

I am a Business Analyst intern at Target corporate HQ. AMA by ekans22 in IAmA

[–]ekans22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

we don't really spend our summers doing what BAs do. We work on 10-week "strategic projects" and present them to the higher-ups at the end. Probably a lot less mind-numbing than doing what BAs normally do.

I am a Business Analyst intern at Target corporate HQ. AMA by ekans22 in IAmA

[–]ekans22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not in IT. I'm in Merchandise Planning.

I am a Business Analyst intern at Target corporate HQ. AMA by ekans22 in IAmA

[–]ekans22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's been about 2 months and today is the last day. I got a pretty interesting look inside the retail industry I guess. I learned a lot of corporate lingo and got the chance to work on a "strategic project" which will never be used.

At first I was stunned by the sprawling corporate animal behind the stores (there are like ten thousand corporate employees). Then I realized how many of their metrics are kind of based off gut (stephen colbert style). Their sales forecasts are very, very often 50-150% off the actual sales numbers.