Mom Thanks 'Magic' Target Staff for Surprising Daughter
A thank-you message to the Target staff who brightened a young girl’s Christmas is going viral on Facebook.
Michele Berg says the one thing her 9-year-old daughter Natalie wanted for Christmas was a talking My Friend Cayla Doll. Because of the toy’s $60 price tag, it was one of Natalie’s only gifts — she received two other small toys, but Cayla was the big present, Michele explained in her Facebook post. But on Christmas morning, when Natalie opened her doll, a spring was missing in the battery compartment and the doll didn’t work. “She was devastated and we had tears,” Michele wrote in her post, which has been shared more than 21,000 times and has gotten more than 441,600 likes. “I told her Santa works with Target and we’d figure something out once Santa rested up from Christmas Eve.”
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On Monday, Michele called her local Andover, Minn., Target to try and secure her daughter a new working doll. An employee named Judy took the call and assured Michele that she’d set aside a new Cayla for Natalie in the customer service department. “An hour later, my daughter and I walk in with the broken doll,” Michele wrote. “She is telling the customer service rep, Maggie, what happened. Maggie said ‘Oh! Are you Natalie?!’ My daughter’s eyes got big…’Yes.’ Maggie said, ‘Oh, Santa was here and left a new doll for you!’ My daughter was so excited! [Maggie] said Santa works with Target to fix toys that the elves might have not put together correctly.”
Michele says the gesture went a long way with her daughter. “(She) did that all on her own,” she told KARE. “I was really impressed. She even explained how Santa dropped it off and told her about how sometimes things can get broken when traveling in the sleigh.”
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Once Natalie had her new doll in hand, she and her mom picked up a few other items and went to check out. “The cashier saw the doll and said ‘Are you Natalie?’" Michele wrote, explaining that the cashier just happened to be Judy, the employee she’d spoken to on the phone earlier in the day. “[Judy] said ‘Oh! I saw your new doll back there that Santa brought in!’ My daughter was just amazed! She said ‘Wow…I must be famous!’”
The experience was enough to make the original broken doll worth it. “I cannot thank the wonderful staff who did this enough!” Michele wrote. “They really touched a little girl and kept the magic of Christmas alive for her. Thank you Target for having such great staff that made today special for my little girl!”
In the more than 7,700 comments in response to the post, users are praising the retailer and its employees for going the extra mile. “Keep empowering your employees to do great things!” wrote one user. “It’s the little things, just go out of your way just a little bit and make a big impact on someone life. Love it,” added another.
On its Facebook page, Target responded to Michele’s comments with a statement of its own. “Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful experience with us,” it said. “Our Team Members are always happy to assist our guests with anything they may need. We’ve shared your feedback with the Andover store’s Leadership team so they can pass along your kind words with Maggie and Judy. We look forward to the next time we can make your day special.“
Michele’s intention with the post was simply to recognize the store’s employees, and she says she can’t believe how her story has taken off. “It blows my mind,” she told KARE. “My phone just has been going off constantly… I’m just going, ‘Holy moly!’ I’m glad people are happy. It’s a little surreal.”
(Photo: KARE/Michele Berg)
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