Recently, the retail giant Target in the United States has introduced a new policy that requires employees to smile and greet customers more warmly when interacting with them at close range, actively offering assistance.
According to the report from “USA Today” on Monday (November 10th), the retailer headquartered in Minneapolis stated that the new policy mandates employees to smile and engage with customers within 10 feet (about 3 meters), make eye contact, wave hello, and use friendly, warm body language to make customers feel welcome.
This new employee policy is part of the “10-4” plan, where “10” as mentioned above refers to the distance (in feet) that Target employees need to pay attention to. The “4” denotes that if an employee is within 4 feet (about 1.2 meters) of a customer, they must greet the customer personally, smile, and engage with them warmly and friendly.
Adrienne Costanzo, Executive Vice President and Chief Stores Officer at Target, stated in a statement to “USA Today” that, “When customers feel warmly greeted, welcomed, and receive the assistance they need, they will enjoy us more and remain loyal to us.”
The statement also mentioned that, “As we approach the holiday season, we are making adjustments and implementing new ways to strengthen our connection with customers during the most critical times of the year through the efforts of our team.”
This policy adjustment by Target aligns with the goals set by the incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke. Fiddelke recently stated in an interview with CNBC that providing a more consistent customer experience will be his top priority.
Target announced in August that the board of directors unanimously elected Fiddelke as the Chief Executive Officer. He will officially assume the position on February 1, 2026. Fiddelke has worked at Target for 20 years, overseeing areas such as merchandising, finance, operations, and human resources. He has been advocating for increased employee wages and benefits.
In August, Fiddelke remarked, “We have a lot of work to do to fully realize our potential.”
According to Target’s financial report for the second quarter of 2025, net sales were approximately $25.2 billion, a 0.9% decrease from the previous year, with comparable store sales dropping by 1.9%, reflecting cautious consumer spending and weak in-store traffic. However, the company continues to see growth in digital sales (+4.3%) and non-merchandise revenue (+14.2%), indicating that e-commerce and membership services are becoming key supports.
Reports from the Financial Times and Reuters earlier indicated that while Target still holds brand and scale advantages, it faces short-term operational pressures in the environment of high inflation, tariffs, and uncertain consumer confidence. Market observers point out that whether the company can recover growth through digital transformation and efficiency improvements will be key in the coming quarters.