November 10, 2025 • 5 mins
“How close is too close for a smile—and do we really need a measuring tape to shop at Target?”On this episode of The Ben and Skin Show, Ben Rogers, Jeff “Skin” Wade, Kevin “KT” Turner, and Krystina Ray dive into Target’s bizarre new customer service policy that requires employees to smile within 10 feet and offer help within 4 feet. The crew breaks down the logic (or lack thereof) behind these rules and shares their funniest takes on what this means for shoppers everywhere.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ben and Skin Show ninety one point one The Eagle.
Let's give away those nine inch nails tickets for today.
They're coming in March American Airline Center. We have tickets
all week long. You gotta be listening to win. Earlier
in the show, I gave an assignment to Christina to
give us a review of an album from the eighties.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
The album is called Electric. Name the band.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
The first person that can name the band on the
iHeart app talkback feature with your name, your phone number,
your email address, You're gonna win those tickets.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good luck everybody, But right now it's time for this.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Are you excited? He gets, featuring veteran news anchor Katie's
fun tweets.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Two stories to get to here. We'll start with what's
happening at Target.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
There is a new jolly requirement at Target. Store employees
now are required to smile. If they were within ten
feet of a shopper, they have to make eye contact
and wave or greet the customer, and if they're within
four feet, the employee should ask if the customer needs help.
Bloomberg reports this as part of a new guidance program
(01:07):
from Target. With an incoming CEO.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Well that explains it right there.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Who is looking to make stores more hospitable?
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Do you guys think that Target is unhospitable when you've
been No?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
But uh, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I've never I've never thought that. But I like the
idea of having better customer service. Like I'll give you
an example of there's a store that I love going to.
It's best Buy, Okay, And there's been times where I
would go to best Buy and it's almost impossible to
get anyone to stop and talk to you and get
any help. And you're like, I have money, I want
to give it to you, like even after you get
(01:47):
what you're buying and there's no one there to check like,
And so I've noticed they have really picked it up.
Oh good, And so I even complimented a manager the
last time I was in there. I was like, wow, man,
has there been some changes? Because it's great. I had
multiple people go, hey, do you need it thing? So,
for whatever reason, they most feel like they needed to
make these take these drastic measures.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
But I've never noticed it being bad there.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
My favorite bit is to put on khaki pants and
a red polo and h the Target and just kind
of wander around and see if anybody asked me if
they need.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Now, this reminds me of something were you gonna say something?
Speaker 5 (02:18):
Well, I just think it's weird that they're making such
a big deal out of this. But I mean, it's
been a long time since I worked in retail, but
when I did, there were like phrases we had to
say to people who were coming in the store a
big game last night, Like you had to do it
because you would have secret shoppers that would come by
and you never know, you know, and you would get
graded on how you were actually doing what you were
(02:39):
supposed to do. And I remember hating it at the
time because I didn't want to talk to people. I
was like, let me just fold close and just stay
in the back. But like you're supposed to talk to
the customer.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
That is, that is the irs auditor of retail, the
secret shopper. Yeah, yeah, I mean, what is there to
like grade people? What just reminded me of those I
know of a giant company, one of the biggest companies
on earth. A friend of mine, somebody I know, worked
there and on his first day he was told at
their corporate headquarters, when you pass somebody in the hallway
(03:12):
make sure to make eye contact and say hello or
just greet him, just you know, say something, don't we
don't we don't want people just passing each other by
adjust your sack. And he was notified on his first day. Hey,
just the heads up. I heard you passed by someone
earlier today and you didn't say hello, And he goes,
why just passed by them earlier?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
So I didn't know I need to do it again.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
They're like, if you don't mind, it's so every time
you should do it.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
And so that's weird.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
And that was not even front facing for customers or whatever.
That was internal chemistry at the workplace. That's odd.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
I don't like how there's a lot of restrictions here.
Within ten feet they have to smile at you. Within
four feet they have to ask you like, am I
gonna have to go to Target with the measuring tape
being like, yes, you're eleven feet away.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Don't be smiling at me while I'm just shopping. It
is funny that they gave you an exact number. Why
wouldn't they just say close proximity?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
What is it to one feet?
Speaker 2 (04:05):
What do they have to give you a hug? What
happens here? How do y'all? How do y'all?
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Well, I just know for me, the way I measure
feet and something like that is by am I a
free throwaway from this person? I know, Okay, I'm fifteen
feet at this lenk? Like, how does the average person
gauge four feet or ten feet? If you don't think
about it as some sort of proximity of a sport
or something you played.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I don't like these rules for Target, you know, I
don't like where Target's going.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Right now, there's a Target commercial behind you on the
TV screen.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Pretty much every time I go in there. I mean,
Target's got it figured out. Pretty good little store.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It is a pretty good little store. They should do.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
They should do some ads with Wimby like you have.
If you are within a Wimby of us, yeah, we
are going to give you a hug. And then they
do an aerial shot and Womby's laying on the ground
and one person's head level another person's foot level. All right,
there you have it. There's a weekly weekday update coming
up next in the Music News. What happened at the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this Saturday night. We'll
talk about it next
Ben and Skin Show ninety one point one The Eagle.
Let's give away those nine inch nails tickets for today.
They're coming in March American Airline Center. We have tickets
all week long. You gotta be listening to win. Earlier
in the show, I gave an assignment to Christina to
give us a review of an album from the eighties.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
The album is called Electric. Name the band.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
The first person that can name the band on the
iHeart app talkback feature with your name, your phone number,
your email address, You're gonna win those tickets.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good luck everybody, But right now it's time for this.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Are you excited? He gets, featuring veteran news anchor Katie's
fun tweets.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Two stories to get to here. We'll start with what's
happening at Target.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
There is a new jolly requirement at Target. Store employees
now are required to smile. If they were within ten
feet of a shopper, they have to make eye contact
and wave or greet the customer, and if they're within
four feet, the employee should ask if the customer needs help.
Bloomberg reports this as part of a new guidance program
(01:07):
from Target. With an incoming CEO.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Well that explains it right there.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Who is looking to make stores more hospitable?
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Do you guys think that Target is unhospitable when you've
been No?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
But uh, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I've never I've never thought that. But I like the
idea of having better customer service. Like I'll give you
an example of there's a store that I love going to.
It's best Buy, Okay, And there's been times where I
would go to best Buy and it's almost impossible to
get anyone to stop and talk to you and get
any help. And you're like, I have money, I want
to give it to you, like even after you get
(01:47):
what you're buying and there's no one there to check like,
And so I've noticed they have really picked it up.
Oh good, And so I even complimented a manager the
last time I was in there. I was like, wow, man,
has there been some changes? Because it's great. I had
multiple people go, hey, do you need it thing? So,
for whatever reason, they most feel like they needed to
make these take these drastic measures.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
But I've never noticed it being bad there.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
My favorite bit is to put on khaki pants and
a red polo and h the Target and just kind
of wander around and see if anybody asked me if
they need.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Now, this reminds me of something were you gonna say something?
Speaker 5 (02:18):
Well, I just think it's weird that they're making such
a big deal out of this. But I mean, it's
been a long time since I worked in retail, but
when I did, there were like phrases we had to
say to people who were coming in the store a
big game last night, Like you had to do it
because you would have secret shoppers that would come by
and you never know, you know, and you would get
graded on how you were actually doing what you were
(02:39):
supposed to do. And I remember hating it at the
time because I didn't want to talk to people. I
was like, let me just fold close and just stay
in the back. But like you're supposed to talk to
the customer.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
That is, that is the irs auditor of retail, the
secret shopper. Yeah, yeah, I mean, what is there to
like grade people? What just reminded me of those I
know of a giant company, one of the biggest companies
on earth. A friend of mine, somebody I know, worked
there and on his first day he was told at
their corporate headquarters, when you pass somebody in the hallway
(03:12):
make sure to make eye contact and say hello or
just greet him, just you know, say something, don't we
don't we don't want people just passing each other by
adjust your sack. And he was notified on his first day. Hey,
just the heads up. I heard you passed by someone
earlier today and you didn't say hello, And he goes,
why just passed by them earlier?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
So I didn't know I need to do it again.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
They're like, if you don't mind, it's so every time
you should do it.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
And so that's weird.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
And that was not even front facing for customers or whatever.
That was internal chemistry at the workplace. That's odd.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
I don't like how there's a lot of restrictions here.
Within ten feet they have to smile at you. Within
four feet they have to ask you like, am I
gonna have to go to Target with the measuring tape
being like, yes, you're eleven feet away.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Don't be smiling at me while I'm just shopping. It
is funny that they gave you an exact number. Why
wouldn't they just say close proximity?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
What is it to one feet?
Speaker 2 (04:05):
What do they have to give you a hug? What
happens here? How do y'all? How do y'all?
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Well, I just know for me, the way I measure
feet and something like that is by am I a
free throwaway from this person? I know, Okay, I'm fifteen
feet at this lenk? Like, how does the average person
gauge four feet or ten feet? If you don't think
about it as some sort of proximity of a sport
or something you played.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I don't like these rules for Target, you know, I
don't like where Target's going.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Right now, there's a Target commercial behind you on the
TV screen.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Pretty much every time I go in there. I mean,
Target's got it figured out. Pretty good little store.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It is a pretty good little store. They should do.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
They should do some ads with Wimby like you have.
If you are within a Wimby of us, yeah, we
are going to give you a hug. And then they
do an aerial shot and Womby's laying on the ground
and one person's head level another person's foot level. All right,
there you have it. There's a weekly weekday update coming
up next in the Music News. What happened at the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this Saturday night. We'll
talk about it next
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