People rally around Target worker who was forced to manage entire store alone after boss left mid-shift

People usually emphasize hard work and dedication to perform well in the modern workplace. While both qualities are admirable in an employee, there is a fine line between reasonable expectations and unrealistic demands from employers. Target employee Ket - who goes by @ketaminelorde on TikTok - shared a video where she revealed how she had to close the store on her own after her manager left mid-shift without any notice. The video has received over 561K views and nearly 700 comments on the platform.

There is a text overlay on the video that reads, "POV: I've only been here for 2 months and unexpectedly had to close the entire store nearly alone. Morning manager left at 3 PM and nobody else ever came." The woman reveals that only four people are working at the store and that she will have to shut down 24 registers, guest services and self-checkout all alone. She is one of the few employees who knows how to do it and has to because the manager is not there.

Even though she knows what to do, the woman expresses that she is a bit scared about having to close the store. The video cuts to the Target worker pushing a red box, with a text overlay that reads, "It's happening whether I like it or not. Literally, 'Girl, Interrupted'." To make the situation worse, one of the customers complains to her that there is no one in the store to help them when there are only 4 people working in the entire store. The woman ends up having to close approximately 50 registers.

She showcases the empty store in the video, remarking how this situation is not made up. As the video progresses, the worker takes out her walkie-talkie to tell one of her coworkers to come back from their 15-minute break, which ends up being a 30-minute one. The woman finally manages to close the store at a very late 11:40 PM and clocks out, sharing how she has to return the next day for her 7 AM shift. People who watched the video were shocked to see all the work she had to do alone.

@mikrocosmos suggested, "Girl, I would've been on the phone with the store director! Absolutely, do not get paid enough for this. I'm so sorry." Another individual, @user25948269, shared, "One Target I worked at, 3 days in, I was doing manager duties that I wasn't trained for. Just told them that's what I needed to do. Target is a mess." @aamanduhhhh highlighted, "That's crazy. You should have called the managers and refused to close the store because you don't get paid for that. They do."

More comments revealed how many popular retail chains in the country managed very poorly. @gayaspen78 said, "Worked at a Walmart for two years at customer service, and they were down a manager for like a month and I had to close like every other shift until they got a replacement. Didn't get paid for it either." @incubusdx commented, "Worked Dollar General. The first day they had me closing the entire damn store with no one. No managers, no assistant managers, no one. I didn't know how to do jack, but somehow left."

You can follow Ket (@ketaminelorde) on TikTok for more lifestyle-based content.