Dress code shake-up at Target: Employees given 'freedom' to wear jeans

For Target employees, khakis are out, and jeans are in.

The Minnesota-based retail giant announced Thursday that store employees can now wear bluejeans to work, expanding employee wardrobes beyond the company's signature red-shirt-and-khaki look.

The change has already been widely embraced by employees at the Target on Nicollet Mall.

Barry Nustad, a guest service desk leader, wore jeans Friday as he helped a customer make an exchange.

"I like the freedom of being able to wear jeans," Nustad said, "but I'm a little nostalgic so I won't wear jeans all the time. I'll wear jeans about four days a week and then two or three [days] I'll have to still sport the red and khaki because I have a closet full of red and khaki."

In past years, Target employees could wear jeans on some weekends and holidays, but this is the first permanent dress code change. "Jeans Forever," the company's name for the dress-code shake-up, was welcomed by employees and helps boost morale, Nustad said.

Felicia Merrill, another Target employee, agreed.

"It feels awesome that we can wear jeans just like the rest of the companies are doing now," Merrill said while stocking T-shirts. She also sported a pair of jeans. "Everybody's excited that we can now wear jeans. It's an awesome new look for us. I'm loving it."

Janna Potts, Target's chief stores officer, announced the change after the company posted recent sales increases.

The company saw a 5.7 percent same-store sales increase in November and December, compared with a 3.4 percent increase over the same period in 2017.

Employees "do so much for our guests each and every day so it's amazing to be able to recognize and celebrate such a special group of people in a way that everyone can get excited about," Potts said in a statement announcing the new dress code.

Emma Dill is a University of Minnesota student on assignment for the Star Tribune.