The program has long been part of worker training at Target, but ahead of the holidays the company reinforced the message. One Reddit user wrote: 'I will spend any time at Target making sure I’m not within four feet of any employee.' Another added: 'All this policy does is force an awkward non-genuine interaction that 95 percent of people aren't interested in.' The Daily Mail visited a Target location to see how the company's program encouraging staff to smile and greet customers looked in practice. Target declined to comment when the Daily Mail reached out.

Source: Daily Mail February 14, 2026 16:34 UTC