A woman shares her co-worker’s annual raise after working at Target for over 30 years. Viewers say the tiny raise is a slap in the face to a loyal employee.
In a video with over 1.7 million views, TikToker Imoveritfr (@imoveritforreal) posts a picture of the paper detailing the 2023 increase. Her co-worker’s base pay goes from $15.38 to $15.46—just 8 cents more than she made previously.
On-screen text reads, “That one time I worked at Target and this was the raise my co-worker who had been there for 30 years received.”
In a follow-up video, the TikToker notes that the current starting pay for her co-worker’s role is now $16.25.
What is a normal pay raise for a Target employee?
The document notes that the pay increase is just 0.5%. This falls below the recommended annual raise of 3 to 5% to keep up with inflation, according to Indeed. No raise, or a raise this small, means the worker has less spending power than they did in previous years, even if they earned less.
However, other Target workers say minuscule raises are normal at the retailer.
“The Target I used to work at had a cashier who had worked there for 25 years, & even tho she only had 1 hand, she outworked everyone else. Her raise one year was 1 penny! She gave her notice a week later,” one says.
“Main reason why I quit there. I worked at Target during late 2020 and the beginning of 2021. And saw the pay raise and laughed. I got 10 cents. I started looking for another job and left,” another writes.
“When I worked there, they gave me 5 cents ngl and I was training people. Felt like a slap in the face. I left, obviously,” a third adds.
Will low raises end company loyalty?
While workers used to stay at one company for the duration of their careers, low raises may contribute to “job hopping,” in which workers leave every few years in search of better pay. Commenters suggest that Target’s low raises will prevent worker retention.
“Yeah. Loyalty doesn’t mean anything to companies anymore,” a commenter writes.
“And seniors ask why there’s no such thing as company loyalty anymore. Loyalty is a two-way street,” another says.
“Selfish. These companies do not care,” one remarks.
“This is an example why no one should give their whole life to a company that doesn’t appreciate you,” a fourth adds.
Workers at other big box retailers say they’ve also experienced low raises that made them question their loyalty to the company.
“This was me at Walmart 10 years ago. Took me six years to start making 10 an hour. Then everyone came in making that much,” one shares.
“Also I worked at Panera and they said they giving us a Christmas bonus (it was also our raise) and they handed me a check for A LITERAL CENT I gave it back to them and quit in the spot,” another says.
“When I work at forever 21 they gave me a seven cent raise.. I quit so fast lol,” a third viewer writes.
The Mary Sue reached out to Imoveritfr via TikTok direct message and to Target via email.
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