Those who frequent Target as a customer know that they can expect more and pay less — but do Target employees make more while paying less?
Working for this well-loved U.S. retail giant comes with some perks. In this article, we’ll walk through what Target does, how much you can expect to make as a target employee and some additional benefits that come with the job.
Target is a general merchandise retailer that sells a wide range of consumer packaged goods, household items, consumer technology, and more. They’ve been in business since 1962, having originally opened under The Dayton Company.
Target operates in all states throughout the U.S. In fact, there are so many Target stores that 75% of the U.S. population lives within ten miles of a Target. It’s headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is run by CEO Brian Cornell.
This retail giant offers many job opportunities, currently employing over 350,000 people in 1,914 stores and 20 office locations globally. This includes other retail and shipping brands like Shipt and Roundel. Visit our Working at Target resource center to learn more!
If you’re in the market for a job in retail, you might be wondering, “How much do they pay at Target?”
The Target starting salary is a minimum of $15 an hour, which is 20% higher than the industry average and more than double the U.S. federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
The retail giant employs both hourly part-time and full-time employees, and each Target employee’s salary varies based on experience, job title, and qualifications. Your Target salary will also depend on whether or not you’re working in a store, distribution center, or office location.
According to Payscale, Target employees are paid between $15 – $21.33 an hour on average. Senior administrative assistants make the most at $24.91, and retail cashiers make the least at $15 an hour.
Target is considered an industry leader when it comes to pay and benefits within the retail industry. For comparison, below are the average hourly starting wages for several other well-known retail giants in the U.S.
Amazon: $13.48–$27.90 an hour
Walmart: $10.90–$21.08 an hour
Costco: $12.87–$27.90 an hour
Starbucks: $9.18–$17.03 an hour
Target has been known for continuously releasing hourly wage increases. It even gave a one-time $200 recognition bonus to employees during COVID-19.
A manager’s salary range at Target is different from that of a sales associate or cashier. Retail managers and assistant managers can make up to $29 an hour and are usually paid at a higher rate than retail cashiers and store associates.
As a general rule, a team leader will make more than an entry-level target team member.
If you’re working for Target’s corporate offices or headquarters full-time, you can expect to make an average salary of $77,000 a year with a $4,000 annual bonus.
While it doesn’t end up as cash in your pocket, Target offers its employees many valuable benefits in educational stipends and reimbursement, healthcare, and financial wellness.
Target employees can complete an undergraduate or associate degree, certification of choice, or Bootcamp program at no cost. Target even covers the cost of textbooks and course fees.
One thing to note - the program you choose has to be within their network of 250 business-aligned programs from over 40 schools, colleges, and universities.
If you’re interested in a master’s degree, they’ll fund your program up to $10,000 a year. If you’ve already attended school, they’re investing over $200 million in a program to help eliminate student debt for the Target team.
If you’ve been working with Target for a while or are a member of their corporate team, you may be eligible for healthcare.
Benefits include:
Dental
Vision
Critical illness
Accident and hospital indemnity insurance
Healthcare and daycare flexible spending account
They also offer educational programs to help employees make healthy decisions, navigate tough life events, and inspire well-being with a 20% wellness discount from partnering vendors.
Employees may also be eligible for some, if not all, of the following financial benefits:
401(k) retirement
Vacation time
National holidays, personal days, and well-being time
Family leave
Life insurance
Short-term and long-term disability insurance
Identity theft protection
Short-term incentive plan (annual bonus program)
Adoption assistance reimbursement
Debt-free education assistance
Target credit union
Plus, Target offers employees the opportunity to take advantage of discounts on various products, from gyms to childcare to vacation packages.
Now that you know more about how much Target employees make, are you ready to apply for a job?
You can find Target jobs and opportunities in your area using Jobcase, an easy-to-use search engine that allows you to filter by remote opportunities, distance from home, experience level, and much more.
Plus, Jobcase is more than just a search engine. It’s a community of like-minded people who support one another. You can discuss everything from interview and resume tips to what it’s like to work for specific companies.
This Target community topic has postings about pay, working conditions, and interview processes.
Landing a job at Target is a lot easier with the support of the Jobcase community. Build your profile today to get started.