Target 推出了一项 10-4 计划，要求员工在十英尺内微笑、与顾客对视并挥手，在四英尺内亲自问候。最初的反应包括对过度规定的好笑和担忧，但其理由很清楚：糟糕的服务损害销售，许多购物者宁愿接受不真诚的友好表现而不是明显的冷淡。类似行业规则包括沃尔玛的十英尺指引和酒店的 15-5 规则；在数字上 10:4 等于 2.5:1 而 15:5 等于 3:1。

即便是合理的执行也带来三种具体的伤害。第一，顾客各异：许多人偏好低互动购物，会被程式化的问候惹恼。第二，把每次接触都当作“关键时刻”会抬高期望并分散对核心服务价值的注意。第三，按规定问候每位顾客会占用员工用于上架和拣货的时间；在系统没有足够冗余时，这会体现在出错的线上订单或空货架上。此外，严格脚本会削弱自主性，而研究显示自主性与工作满意度正相关。

Target 的目标——友好——是合理的，但高质量服务依赖判断、情境和产能，而不是固定处方。规则应设定目标而非微观管理员工行为：保留裁量权，维护员工自主性，并优先处理那些真正能带来忠诚与销售的互动。

Target has introduced a 10-4 programme requiring employees to smile, make eye contact and wave within ten feet and to personally greet within four feet. Immediate reactions include amusement and concern about over-prescription, but the rationale is clear: poor service harms sales and many shoppers prefer an inauthentic friendly cue to overt surliness. Comparable industry rules include Walmart’s ten-feet guideline and hotel 15-5 rules; numerically 10:4 equals 2.5:1 while 15:5 equals 3:1.

Even reasonable enforcement risks three concrete harms. First, customers vary: many prefer low-interaction shopping and will be annoyed by scripted greetings. Second, treating every contact as a “moment of truth” inflates expectations and can divert focus from core service value. Third, time spent on mandated greetings reduces staff time for stocking and order-picking; without slack this shows up as botched online orders or empty shelves. Also, strict scripts reduce autonomy, which research links positively to job satisfaction.

Target’s objective—friendliness—is sensible, but high-quality service depends on judgment, context and capacity rather than fixed prescriptions. Rules should set targets not micromanage behaviour: use discretion, preserve worker autonomy, and prioritize where interactions genuinely move loyalty and sales.