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News with a Local Lens

Target is changing its app to solve top customer and employee pain points.
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Target is changing its app to solve top customer and employee pain points.

Target updated its app to address a common frustration among store employees and customers.

The fix centers on Target’s drive-up service, which allows Americans to order items online and then drive to the store, where workers bring the items to their cars.

Shoppers are supposed to press a button in the app while they’re on their way, giving workers time to prepare the order.

But, whether by accident or on purpose, many customers wait until they arrive at the parking lot to click the “I’m Coming” button.

They then immediately press the “I’m here” button, leaving employees rushing to fulfill the order and frustrating customers with the wait.

With the update, buyers must wait one minute after announcing their departure before they can declare their arrival, Business Insider reported.

Target is changing its app to solve top customer and employee pain points.

The app’s fix centers on Target’s drive-up service, which allows Americans to order items online and drive to a store, where workers will bring their groceries to their cars.

“We need more time,” the application now reads.

“Next time, avoid this delay by notifying us of your arrival before going to the store.

Workers told Business Insider last year that the “I’m here” signal in the app triggered a three-minute timer during which they had to retrieve a customer’s groceries from shelves and refrigerators and load them onto a cart, before rolling them towards the parking lot.

Any order that took more than three minutes could put a worker’s settings in the red and attract the attention of managers, workers told the news outlet.

Particularly problematic were people who didn’t wait between reporting they arrived at the store and when they arrived – known as “double-tappers” -.

If they ordered dozens of items or their shipment contained large or heavy products, it could cause significant delays, workers said.

But the impact of the change, which took effect last week, has not been instantaneous as it takes time for customers to download the new version of the app.

A worker wrote on Reddit: ‘I thought the app was supposed to not allow double taps on October 29? I still get double clicks in my store.

“Guests should update their target app for this to change,” one user wrote in response.

Another said: “Trusting guests to update an app means it will never happen. »

The update also arrived during Halloween weekend, which is usually a very busy shopping time.

A Target employee in New York told Business Insider: “It was already a very busy week to begin with, so it’s hard to measure whether the double tap time frame has had a noticeable change.”

The unidentified employee said her store received between 1,000 and 1,500 orders a day, and estimated that about a quarter of those orders were what are called “double clicks.”

She added that some were “repeat offenders” whom she and her colleagues recognized by name.

“There was nothing we could do to stop them from doing this other than let the customer know directly that they need to tell us they are on their way, which was frowned upon by management,” she said at the store.

Workers said the

Workers said the “I’m here” signal in the app triggered a three-minute timer during which they had to gather a customer’s groceries and load them onto a cart, before rolling it to the parking lot.

But the impact of the change, which took effect last week, has not been instantaneous as it takes time for customers to download the new version of the app.

But the impact of the change, which took effect last week, has not been instantaneous as it takes time for customers to download the new version of the app.

“We hope this new change will resolve this issue.”

Target told Business Insider that it continues to look for ways to improve the app for customers and workers.

Last month, Target slashed prices on more than 2,000 items — ranging from snacks to toys to cold medicine — to attract bargain-hunting shoppers this holiday season.

It’s the second time this year the retailer has cut prices to attract inflation-weary consumers as it seeks to win over customers from cheaper Walmart.

The price cuts this year came ahead of the shorter-than-usual key shopping period and against a backdrop of frugal consumer behavior. Together, they prompted a former Target executive to warn that retailers will struggle.

Rival Walmart is also working to keep prices of essential goods low, as many Americans turn to discount shopping amid persistent inflation. He is expected to respond to Target’s budget cuts as he did this summer.