#retail

Puma plans to eliminate about 900 more corporate jobs globally by the end of next year, the athletic brand announced Thursday. The company, which has about 7,000 corporate employees and previously cut 500 roles this year, said cost savings from the layoffs will be released later.

https://www.retaildive.com/news/puma-layoffs-q3-sales-declines/804240/

First, I am sad to hear about the extensive layoffs at Target.

After reading these posts it seems like half your company walks around with rainbow mohawks. If you would just concentrate on selling what people want in a clean store you should be able to stomp Walmart, but no... you had to try and be a DEI/social justice warrior. It feels like you are going to get robbed just walking into Walmart (some literally have police presence 24/7), and people are choosing that over your stores - let that sink in. Please please please get back to core business, I am rooting for you believe it or not.

I don't think that man is going to turn around Target. "I just watched 5 with Fiddelke: A Target Conversation" And it pi---s me off. I thought Cephas or Ashley Petzold ( She left Target in 2024) would be a good options for CEO. But No. Please keep on boycotting Target. I know Q4 is going to be sh-t

Here is what I captured in our threads over last two days, I hope this helps somebody:

===== A. Technology, Engineering, and Cybersecurity =====

1. "They are laying off tons of Cyber Security employees at the moment." (@c6+1k8nb9xqa)
2. "TES is getting gutted." (@c5+1k8nb9xqa)
3. "The entire GXC team has an invite on the calendar. Fiddelke and his cronies are insane, their email specifically said a goal was to 'accelerate technology'." (@c4+1k8nb9xqa)
4. "Tech is getting hit with them as well." (@bh+1k8nb9xqa)
5. "Target plans to outsource all of tech, engineering, and security, what does not get moved to India will be outsourced to a contract here in the US." (@a2+1k8njmzmw)
6. "Tech / R&D - Nothing yet!" (@a5+1k8neramv)
7. "TES Procurement." (@a5+1k8nd7sed)
8. "Which team of cyber? Does anyone in cyber received an email?" (@df+1k8khq2xa)
9. "The entire r&d/new technology team was let go. Their lab, which is where lots of teams went for testing and where they gave tours to outside groups, is dark and empty." (@ba+1k8rbk1en)
10. "Lots of engineers, TES: L4s in service centers got hit hard, also L6, and WFM." (@OP+1k8p4z1py)
11. "I’ve seen two senior engineers get laid off from digital. Also saw a principle get laid off from research and development area." (@a4+1k8nx6h2k)
12. "Food supply chain lost a few directors." (@dx+1k8khq2xa)
13. "EA is gone." (@a7+1k8nj573p)
14. "Enterprise Insights." (@a3+1k8ngxvkj)
15. "Data Analytics — My husband was just laid off. He's technically in the Tech space so looks like no sector is safe. He wasn't an engineer btw." (@ab+1k8nm3hwg)
16. "In my department most are L6 and L5 and the cuts were: 5x L7, 5x L6, 2x L5." (@a8+1k8p5x96h)
17. "The company's performance was lagging, so today's layoffs are the sad and painful result of that lackluster performance." (@OP+1k8nfxb8q)

===== B. Merchandising, Planning, and Design =====

1. "L7 planning directors. Remote L7 merchant directors." (@a8+1k8ngp8jp)
2. "A few contacts in Merch Planning have posted on LinkedIn that they were cut." (@ac+1k8np3z05)
3. "All buyers and planners did not survive." (@a8+1k8nr1dcy)
4. "Did planners company wide get laid off or just in F&B and E&B?" (@a4+1k8ntf0w6)
5. "I believe any L7 (director) planning role was cut. Merch Planning had roles from L4-L9. A few L8s and I believe 1-2 L9s as well." (@aj+1k8nr1dcy)
6. "Merchandising includes Buyers/Sourcing/Design/Tech, right?" (@aa+1k8neramv)
7. "Merch (design)." (@OP+1k8njsv5g)
8. "Creative (marketing) is gone, too no?" (@a1+1k8nngs71)
9. "Properties, Merch, Store Ops — so far..." (@a2+1k8neramv)
10. "Properties." (@OP+1k8neramv)
11. "They eliminated our US director so everybody reports directly to India now." (@a7+1k8r4vhg6)
12. "Some teams disappeared entirely (e.g. the Multilanguage team that handled all translations.)" (@a3+1k8ref4pn)
13. "This is the breakdown of the layoffs by position in the US: Director - 87, Manager - 56, Lead - 45, Analyst - 19, Principle - 9, Associate - 6, Partner - 5, Specialist - 4, Engineer - 3, Auditor - 3, Accountant - 2, Designer - 2, Admin Assistant - 2, Recruiter - 2, Consultant - 2, Scientist - 1, Other - 11." (@a5+1k8p4cdjv)
14. "Agostino said names of teams and people who were let go in a team meeting today, when's he getting fired for leaking names?" (@a6+1k8rgty6d)

===== C. Customer Service, Operations, and Call Centers =====

1. "Quite a few of us across CSC." (@c0+1k8nb9xqa)
2. "L7 on my team. Store ops." (@bp+1k8nb9xqa)
3. "The call centers got hit hard. L2 - directors. Gone." (@ac+1k8ny0d51)
4. "DGS/CSC/GCS mega hits." (@a3+1k8p4z1py)
5. "GS, CSC, GR — Any word on how the call centers faired?" (@a2+1k8p2ba0w)
6. "All three? what are you talking about? 5 leaders (including Sr. Manager and Director). DGS/CSC/GCS were completely gutted." (@ac+1k8nxp7tb)
7. "400 TCB employees laid off." (@a2+1k8p53mv4)
8. "TCC is gone, and all service center TLs are gone." (@ak+1k8pgaz3b)
9. "AP. Higher up leadership has a private." (@a7+1k8neramv)
10. "Legal Affairs or Investigations — I see 9am blocked off on a L7 and L8 I think." (@c8+1k8nb9xqa)

===== D. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community =====

1. "They let go most of the DEI teams and the company is being transformed into a sweat shop with no values or morals." (@OP+1k8rtbfab)
2. "The diversity team just changed their name to community impact or something like that and none of them were touched by layoffs." (@a9+1k8r4q82d)
3. "The diversity team doesn’t exist anymore." (@a5+1k8r41pyx)
4. "Much more supply chain folks next time. Community and belonging will also be affected once those holiday photos come off the fridge." (@ad+1k8rtbfab)

===== E. Finance, Analytics, and Administrative =====

1. "Finance impacted?" (@ad+1k8neramv)
2. "TES Procurement" and "Finance impacted" both mentioned as affected functional areas. (@a5+1k8nd7sed, @ad+1k8neramv)
3. "Official WARN notice... Positions affected include: Accountant, Analyst, Director Finance Strategy & Operations, Sr Manager Tech, Sr Manager Cybersecurity, Sr Recruiter, Team Lead Financial Products, Team Lead Guest Relations, Team Lead TCC Delivery Services, Tech Operations Program Manager, Vendor Manager." (@ad+1k8np2as9)
4. "Communications." (@a2+1k8nghft6)
5. "Design/PDD Teams — anyone get emails? What levels? What Divisions?" (@a5+1k8nf9ynm)

===== F. General, Multi-Area, or Target-Wide Mentions =====

1. "Tech / R&D - Nothing yet!" (@a5+1k8neramv)
2. "Tech, digital & cyber so far so good today. but... are we just left for latter and will there be a massive cut within these groups as well?" (@a7+1k8p1j133)
3. "The company's performance was lagging, so today's layoffs are the sad and painful result of that lackluster performance." (@OP+1k8nfxb8q)
4. "From what I’ve seen it’s mostly been low performing ICs in digital. Minimal impact. But I’ve heard rumors that there will be another wave that will hit digital harder after peak." (@a3+1k8nrdpg3)
5. "Very sad to see research and development teams eliminated, it always seems like the first thing to go in a mass layoff like this." (@OP+1k8pntp9g)
6. "In my area, all the L7s were let go were doing the work of an L5 or even an L4." (@a6+1k8r7fqnj)
7. "The distribution list that was used to email people who were laid off was shared." (@a5+1k8pkdyew)
8. "Associate buyer Sr Consultant Financial Products Lead IDO Specialist Sr AP Tech Investigations Sr FSQ Specialist Home Based Sr Specialist CSC Principal Engineer US Sr Photo Producer Associate Fabric Engineer — from what I saw." (@aa+1k8nqwqqq)
9. "TII employees that were not impacted received an email telling they would continue to be a team member. Apparently guest facing and marketing teams were most impacted." (@a5+1k8n55yrd)
10. "completely gutted." (@a4+1k8p2em87)

I sure hope the company have come up with a way to protect the workers from the violence that is sure to result from theft concerning this shut down.

Why do New Jersey full line Macy's always seem to avoid the chopping block? This has been the case since 2017. It is the market the stores are in?

I just got laid off at Target and my wife who works at Amazon as well whom is currently pregnant.

Speaking to my future self get out of retail it’s too risky to have job in this industry. It's not like before. Just as a token of advice for those who meet their significant other at Target and rotate companies but stay in retail

Was this planned and coordinating by each others CEO’s to layoff this many retail employees at same time or just forward looking forecast of the industry ? Hence similar timing

Also is their cut less bad as ours? Or about same. Ratio. Still not good either way you slice and dice this

What's the impact on Owned Brands?

Any word on the Fallen Timbers JCP being on the store closing list? My mother works there and is a rumor going around that they will be closing soon. Just wanted to see if she should start looking for work. She really does not want to transfer to the Franklin Park store

Does anyone know why Polo Ralph Lauren was taken out of stores ?

I ain’t never stepping foot in a Target store again! 😂

Walmart here I return 🏃‍♂️💨

i’m losing my mind.

I've seen a lot about Merch being impacted. SPT also already runs really lean in the Specialist/BP/E2E SBP area and a merge with RBX was JUST announced less than a month ago. Seems to me like they would have just done layoffs then with the merge, but I don't know? With already having made most SBP and some BP roles E2E I can't fathom having any capacity for more workload if they merge further....

I heard a rumor about owned brands and am wondering peoples thoughts. I know everything is rumor so who knows but I heard owned brands design may be very impacted. Has anyone else heard anything?

I understand that layoffs are coming Tuesday. Is it possible that we will all “know” by the end of the day or do we believe cuts will be made throughout the week?

Does anyone know if any communication teams are affected with the layoffs?

As a shopper of Target, it feels like the real issue is the quality of experience in your stores. Not sure how this gutting/reorg at HQ will solve any of the true problems that exist. The reality is the cleanliness, organization, employee availability/guest interaction, and in stocks have all fallen off the cliff. These are retail fundamentals that have nothing to do with speed in making decisions at HQ. Just last night there had to be 4 to 5 key grocery items not in stock. This is driving me to go to other retailers which are starting to become my #1 shopping location due to them have products in stock. Hopefully your senior leaders do actually monitor this to get the message. They don't listen to normal feedback channels.

If layoffs are really coming, which group do you think gets hit first: tech, retail, or shared services?

So know the Freight Flow Managers starting pay is 27 dollars and hour 🙄 😑

It surely feels like one. Good luck all!

Heard some concerns in a short meeting today. I’ll just say EVERYONE 🔝⬆️ was caught off guard smh

Will we be getting a holiday schedule for the whole season?

That’s what I understood, but I just want to be sure. You’ll have to forgive my skepticism and distrust.

Another busy black Friday shopping season for Sears is almost near. With the possibility of big possible sales this holiday season, do you think this is the time that Sears will bounce back? Could they potentially turn a profit and become profitable again to the point where they open more stores?

Will cat & Jack be heavily impacted by layoffs?

Just saying. It's just my gut feel given the direction and how lost the execs are. Zero strategy, poor direction, poor execution. The executives are the ones who should be let go, not the worker.

Is that something that could happen? My mind keeps coming up with all the worst possible scenarios, and that is the one I cannot stop thinking about right now. It actually makes a bit of sense if the goal is to cut costs, since cutting payouts for those leaving would fit that goal. Please, someone tell me this has never happened.

There's a lot of anxiety and speculation going on now, and I just wanted to post a friendly reminder to take care of yourself. You're not alone in being anxious, losing sleep, and struggling to function at work. (I am too!) But so far, all we have are rumors, and nothing is confirmed yet. Time will tell.

Also, getting laid off is better than getting fired or quitting, because getting laid off usually comes with severance pay and potentially qualifies you for unemployment if you can't find another job before the severance runs out. All things considered, I would prefer that over enduring through RTO and other nonsense meant to encourage us to quit. So the best thing you can do for yourself is to try to focus on work and not give them any reason to fire you while we wait this out. (Easier said than done, I know...) Meanwhile, dust off the old resume and make some connections. Collect any personal effects from the office before Tuesday. Take care of your mental health.

I am in a business area where I believe my role and most but not all within the L8 team I’m on are “safe” for now due to Q4 support. However, that is likely not the case come Jan/Feb. I hope/believe that our team will realize this and adjust their level of effort and support/availability outside of business hours this Q4. No need to overextend yourself to just be let go in Jan/Feb. I am also pacing my work according to the announcement timing I’m expecting…I’ll just leave peak support tasks undone until after any cuts are made next week. If I’m let go, then someone else can figure it out. I’ve deleted my entire One Drive (can sync again if you want). No need to pass off files to your leader if your role isn’t needed.

Yes, there will be cuts, but I don’t think it will be as bad as everyone expects. This feels like one of those situations where the story keeps growing the more it is repeated, while the truth is probably closer to where it started.

The stress and anxiety are getting worse, and the constant waiting is unbearable. I don’t know how anyone’s expected to focus or be productive with all of this going on.

Anyone else log into their savings and retirement summary page lately?

I see an alert/info icon that says “Need to initiate a 401(k) rollover to another company? If you are looking to withdraw your savings, you may want to consider rolling it directly into another eligible employer plan or an individual retirement account (IRA). You can learn more here or request a rollover if you are ready.”

Certainly making me more nervous. Is this a sign? Anyone else see this when you log into your benefits?

There is some rumblings going on anyone have information

Source: Supermarket News
https://search.app/8iqm9

Trying to ease the anxiety over here - good to know what's down the road for us. No way Deerfield can handle the OPO overflow. Parking lot is full most days. Earlier someone posted expected layoffs of 400 in January. Does anyone have any updates on this. Still January, or sooner/later? And first week of January, or later in the month? What's the pattern with previous layoff timing?