Minneapolis joined cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle by raising its city-wide minimum wage to $15/hr by 2024. But Target is ahead of the game: By that time, the company’s lowest-paid workers will have already been making wage that for four lucrative years.
Target announced Monday (9/25) that minimum wage for employees will rise to $11/hr already in October, before making the leap to $15 in under three years.
Minimum-wage employees at Target were previously making $10/hr, set in 2016.
The state of Minnesota’s minimum wage currently looks like this (courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry):
| Provision | Amount until Dec. 31, 2017 | Amount as of Jan. 1, 2018 |
| Large employer wage | $9.50/hour | $9.65/hour |
| Small employer wage | $7.75/hour | $7.87/hour |
| 90-day training wage (under 20 years of age) |
$7.75/hour | $7.87/hour |
| Youth wage (under 18 years of age) |
$7.75/hour | $7.87/hour |
So Target has been ahead for quite some time, albeit it not quite as far.
Nationally, minimum wage is still $7.25/hr, unchanged since 2009.
Holiday season is coming up, something that Target has said is part of the $11 plan; seasonal/temporary employees (some 100,000 of them) will benefit from added wages already this year.
As will the permanent 320,000+ employees across Target’s 1,800+ stores around the country.
This, apparently, has always been a priority for Target. As CEO Brian Cornell says,
“Target has a long history of investing in our team members. We care about and value the more than 323,000 individuals who come together every day with an absolute commitment to serving our guest. Target has always offered market competitive wages to our team members. With this latest commitment, we’ll be providing even more meaningful pay, as well as the tools, training and support our team needs to build their skills, develop professionally and offer the service and expertise that set Target apart.”
And, they’re certainly hoping, helps them compete with online retail giant Amazon, which has been taking a larger (and larger) bite of the shopping market each year.
But, as they say, a company is only as good as its people.
Target also offers a 10% merchandise discount in store and online, and a 20% “health and wellness” discount on fresh produce and certain Target-exclusive food product lines.
Further reading: How to create a successful employee incentive program
