MEGATHREAD 2018-2019 Store Modernization Megathread

[paokinawa]

For my team it’s by department. Kitchen is one TM, for example. Stationary/party/office is one TM. Won’t elaborate more on my team in order to not expose myself/location. But my teams areas are prettt big. That’s why they are getting nearly 40 hours a week per TM.

I’m responsible for about 95 aisles. Plano and freight are still overnight. I only have leftover freight, which today was almost 2 hours worth not even in my area. We are newly into these changes.

 

[unknown]

You understand you’ll still be setting pogs right? The only position completely dissipating is the TL spot. All the Plano TMs will still be setting pogs and pricing. Depends how your store splits it up. Some stores will keep the team intact but each department TL will over see the major transitions and keep up with communication for their department. Other stores will split up the team into designated departments and you will oversee the transitions while teaching your new department TMs how to do it. If I had a TM with that attitude they would be gone extremely fast. I expect all TMs regardless of position to share their knowledge with other TMs

What you expect? I expect my years of service and willingness to alter my schedule at the drop of a hat to count for something too. But guess what? It doesn't. And if you think all TMS REGARDLESS of position to share their knowledge with other TMS, as you say, that's oversimplifying. Otherwise, I could ask my hr what Julie makes per hour. That's knowledge that have. They should share it. Right?

 

[busyzoningtoys]

I’m responsible for about 95 aisles. Plano and freight are still overnight. I only have leftover freight, which today was almost 2 hours worth not even in my area. We are newly into these changes.

You’re dedicated owner of 95 aisles? I’m guessing domestics home lamp plug home improvement and plastics?

 

[busyzoningtoys]

What you expect? I expect my years of service and willingness to alter my schedule at the drop of a hat to count for something too. But guess what? It doesn't. And if you think all TMS REGARDLESS of position to share their knowledge with other TMS, as you say, that's oversimplifying. Otherwise, I could ask my hr what Julie makes per hour. That's knowledge that have. They should share it. Right?

By 2020 you’ll all be at the same $15 lol no secret there.

Also. Everyone seems to have this idea that the old specialty teams will be training everyone else. That’s not quite the case necessarily. For my team, I wrote detailed training plans and trained them myself or with another TL for the backroom price change and pog stuff. It’s not like you’ll be given a new person to train on a Tuesday and also expected to set new releases while training them

 

[gsa4lyfe]

Hey now, when one person spends 4 hours doing a pog and 4 hours doing pricing, that uses a lot less payroll than having a pog TM spend 4 hours doing a pog and a pricing TM doing pricing for 4 hours. Gotta use that Target Math. 🤔

I get your logic and I definitely to a degree but where they think they gain that time back is having designated business owners know their product. All the ins and outs of their aisles.

 

[paokinawa]

You’re dedicated owner of 95 aisles? I’m guessing domestics home lamp plug home improvement and plastics?

Toys, sporting goods, mini seasonal, seasonal and hipa.

 

[busyzoningtoys]

Toys, sporting goods, mini seasonal, seasonal and hipa.

Shit. I mean, I guess seasonal isn’t so bad after Christmas when it’s the pallets, or when it’s patio displays lol. But damn.

 

[gsa4lyfe]

On paper, it makes sense. But in the real world, I haven't seen that actually have an effect outside of style, tech, and beauty. Yeah, people want to know the specs on a certain phone or if this cable is better than that one.. but bleach is bleach and pillows are pillows. "Is this one more comfier than that one?" I mean..

It’s more in regards to instocks, pricing workload, upcoming transitions and just over all stocking efficiency. It works but only when you allow full time team members to own the area. Having 4-5 people with 10 hours a week own an area won’t lead to efficiency, just confusion.

 

[signingminion]

Damn! I'd be throwing the biggest shit fit if I walked into my fixture room looking like that. I wouldn't blame that on modernization though, lots of fixture rooms have looked like that for years if no one keeps it reigned in.

Mine gets impassable every 4th quarter. Surprisingly it's better than this right now.

K. But I see some not fitting well within the choices listed. Seems like fewer TL than before yet rumor was there would be more.

This is exactly what we have, which is asb etl and srtl over last year.

Barely supervisory? I do more work now than ever and still get shit on constantly. Feel free to try being a team lead for a week anytime. We are the only ones protecting you from the big guys now

My tl and etl don't protect me from squat. They drive the bus...

It gets old hearing people call us weak or bad or unthoughtful leaders because we are following the instructions given to us. You want to think I’m less of a leader because I didn’t put my job on the line to fight modernization? That’s fine, I think less of the TMs that don’t follow instructions and try to fight and resist modernization.

Fighting these changes is literally above the pay grade of anyone at store or district level. When people tell us to simply ‘let it fail to show them it won’t work’, you realize you’re asking us to sacrifice our jobs and careers to do so, right? Might be easy for people making $16,000/yr with their $12 an hour 20 hours a week to take on that risk but I’m not walking away from 2-3 times that amount just because some stubborn TMs say this process is the beginning of the end.

When I say let it fail, I always mean at 110% effort to implement. Not by refusing to change so it fails. Sometimes you need the right illustration to show you you can't prove thought it into working.

I know I'd pick seasonal over other areas, no matter the set. It also layers nicely with signing. I already know how to do all the damn things, there isn't a person at my store more cross trained on current/ past initiatives. Including instocks. I molded myself into the kind of tm they are trying to clone now. But they've fought that level of knowledge for years. My biggest concern is the changes without warning or discussion. I've been shown no reason to follow the leader, but am being forced to march. I've been pushing what @busyzoningtoys says for years but nobody mysupports anything and I get crap every time I touch a computer so I have to be selective. I'm ready to jump in, but who knows who will be left by then?

 

[SigningLady]

I know I'd pick seasonal over other areas, no matter the set. It also layers nicely with signing. I already know how to do all the damn things, there isn't a person at my store more cross trained on current/ past initiatives. Including instocks. I molded myself into the kind of tm they are trying to clone now. But they've fought that level of knowledge for years. My biggest concern is the changes without warning or discussion. I've been shown no reason to follow the leader, but am being forced to march. I've been pushing what @busyzoningtoys says for years but nobody mysupports anything and I get crap every time I touch a computer so I have to be selective. I'm ready to jump in, but who knows who will be left by then?

All this is me to a tee. 🤩

 

[flow4areasonuno]

That means 40 hours a week for those TMs who are the dedicated business owners.

I wish I could get 40 hours. I'm getting one day a week right now. Even the last few years it hasn't been this bad...

I think my biggest concern will be everyone needing the mydevices or whatever they're called. We already don't have enough of them to go around as it is and it'll get even worse when everyone starts backstocking their own stuff.

 

[Not My Name]

It’s my standard, homie

But in all seriousness if I’m going to be compelled to do something (like carry keys) that increases the risk of getting fired, then I should get hella hazard pay.

You’re dumb.

 

[Not My Name]

I was reading a few pages back that some stores are having all TLs become key carriers?

Between that and renaming ETL roles to lose the “executive” part in their names and the job duty shifts it sure does look to me like they’re gearing up to potentially start eliminating all ETL positions.

 

[can't touch this]

I wish I worked for @busyzoningtoys TBQH

 

[SugarSugar]

Shit. I mean, I guess seasonal isn’t so bad after Christmas when it’s the pallets, or when it’s patio displays lol. But damn.

So my man, please tell us the faith of the signing tm. I feel this question keeps getting brushed off. Here my q's:

1. Who is responsible for setting/building displays or large shippers

2. Who does the overhead signing and FOS clings, promo stanchion etc?

3. Who sorts the signing pallet?

4. Does signing tm still have access to SAP?

 

[Dplymkr88]

it sure does look to me like they’re gearing up to potentially start eliminating all ETL positions.

We've been hearing about this for awhile, I guess they have finally started to put it in motion. Getting keys sounds all well and good but unless I were compensated for that I wouldn't want the risk.

 

[can't touch this]

So I'm not the only one who thinks keys should pay more. Yeet. Anybody else? Do you agree and if so what in your opinion is a reasonable bump?

 

[busyzoningtoys]

So my man, please tell us the faith of the signing tm. I feel this question keeps getting brushed off. Here my q's:

1. Who is responsible for setting/building displays or large shippers

2. Who does the overhead signing and FOS clings, promo stanchion etc?

3. Who sorts the signing pallet?

4. Does signing tm still have access to SAP?

1: the team for that department, and the TL. Most likely, the former signing TM will be on the grid under the workcenters that have that sort of work to be done. The title goes away, the person does not.

2: again, probably you but you’ll be scheduled salesfloor.

3: lol this one is gonna suck.

4: probably. SAP access is weird, and for some reason never seems to be revoked. You’ll probably keep your access, either deliberately because you’ll be doing the same work, or as an oversight.

 

[Black Sheep 214]

So I'm not the only one who thinks keys should pay more. Yeet. Anybody else? Do you agree and if so what in your opinion is a reasonable bump?

At my store key carriers got $1 more. Not worth it for the responsibility that comes with it.

 

[Overadecade]

With the lack of hours, how do you retain an employee long enough for them to know their area. They are still promising new hires at least 28 hrs. Not the case, so they quit shortly after and the cycle begins again. Three rock stars quit this week and many more are actively interviewing elsewhere. How much money is saved when you are continually going through the hiring and training process. Better put, how much money is being lost.

I was crunching some numbers for review time, and - not counting seasonal TMs, but just the ones hired for their respective areas on the salesfloor - less than 5% stayed through their 90 day period, and over half of the people hired for FACE areas last year quit within their 2-3 week onboarding.
Of all our hires, seasonal included, only 3 gave a 2 week notice, and of the rest, a decent majority quit by just never showing up or contacting us again.
That's... pretty insane.

What does this "dedicated ownership" thing look like when TMs quit abruptly with no two weeks notice?

 

[unknown]

1: the team for that department, and the TL. Most likely, the former signing TM will be on the grid under the workcenters that have that sort of work to be done. The title goes away, the person does not.

2: again, probably you but you’ll be scheduled salesfloor.

3: lol this one is gonna suck.

4: probably. SAP access is weird, and for some reason never seems to be revoked. You’ll probably keep your access, either deliberately because you’ll be doing the same work, or as an oversight.

Reality:

1. Since no hours will be given to build anything, they will sit in the back for months until they are tossed unbuilt.

2. You'll get zero hours under salesfloor but miraculously still be held responsible.

3. Pallets come in the store. Sit untouched. Dump in compactor weeks later. Easy peasy.

4. Again, no one yet any hours to do order maintenance, so it's no issue.

It's amazing how getting no hours results in nothing getting done. I'd take credit for this strategy, but my management team has been implementing it for months. Lace project? Oh, there's no hours for that signing, but it needs to be finished.

 

[Overadecade]

Reality:

1. Since no hours will be given to build anything, they will sit in the back for months until they are tossed unbuilt.

2. You'll get zero hours under salesfloor but miraculously still be held responsible.

3. Pallets come in the store. Sit untouched. Dump in compactor weeks later. Easy peasy.

4. Again, no one yet any hours to do order maintenance, so it's no issue.

It's amazing how getting no hours results in nothing getting done. I'd take credit for this strategy, but my management team has been implementing it for months. Lace project? Oh, there's no hours for that signing, but it needs to be finished.

The communication we got on Lace was hilarious.
First, told we need to set it weeks early, no extra payroll will be allocated, no existing workload for the weeks will be allowed to be late, either. "We know you can do it!" Actual quote from the email.
Next, told we wouldn't have the fixtures in on time to do the early set... so just go ahead and do the full set without the fixtures, "making do" with whatever we can cobble together. Then, when the fixtures come in, do the set all over again. No extra payroll.
End of the first week, got another email chastising us for how much we let "visual brand" in SL suffer while trying to do a major project weeks early, maintain existing VMG/POG work, rolling 3-4 days of freight in their entirety, and having at best 1-2 TMs on the floor.

I'm using whole portions of this process as answers/talking points at my (non-Target) job interviews.

 

[unknown]

The communication we got on Lace was hilarious.
First, told we need to set it weeks early, no extra payroll will be allocated, no existing workload for the weeks will be allowed to be late, either. "We know you can do it!" Actual quote from the email.
Next, told we wouldn't have the fixtures in on time to do the early set... so just go ahead and do the full set without the fixtures, "making do" with whatever we can cobble together. Then, when the fixtures come in, do the set all over again. No extra payroll.
End of the first week, got another email chastising us for how much we let "visual brand" in SL suffer while trying to do a major project weeks early, maintain existing VMG/POG work, rolling 3-4 days of freight in their entirety, and having at best 1-2 TMs on the floor.

I'm using whole portions of this process as answers/talking points at my (non-Target) job interviews.

I got zero communication. Zero. I saw all this signing roll in and got zero info until THIS MORNING. I got told it had to be done today. But hey, finish a,b, and c before. So yeah, it's not done.

Sorry our management at Target sucks Godzilla dick.

 

[BadWolf4531]

GSTL heading to receiving to grab bags when the front isn't busy? No, no, no. These are actual things our DTL has called us out on, because that isn't how it's to be done. And the new guide just reinforces that.

Can anyone who is in full modernization mode tell me who owns fill/audits/salesplanners for checklane end caps, gum, candy, etc? For our store, it has changed so many times in the last year, it's ridiculous. It's gone from GSTLs/GSAs, to Instocks/POG, back to GSTLs/GSAs, to Hardlines & Consumables, back to POG, and now back to GSTLs/GSAs.

So, if I'm opening GSTL, I'm scanning end caps every morning, dropping EXFs, stepping off the lanes to pull those batches, and pushing them.
If I'm closing, I'm doing the same thing for gum/candy/pegged items on a certain group of checklanes each night.

Are there going to be dedicated GM people for the lanes, too?

 

[Overadecade]

Can anyone who is in full modernization mode tell me who owns fill/audits/salesplanners for checklane end caps, gum, candy, etc? For our store, it has changed so many times in the last year, it's ridiculous. It's gone from GSTLs/GSAs, to Instocks/POG, back to GSTLs/GSAs, to Hardlines & Consumables, back to POG, and now back to GSTLs/GSAs.

So, if I'm opening GSTL, I'm scanning end caps every morning, dropping EXFs, stepping off the lanes to pull those batches, and pushing them.
If I'm closing, I'm doing the same thing for gum/candy/pegged items on a certain group of checklanes each night.

Are there going to be dedicated GM people for the lanes, too?

Some of these things really need to be ironed out, officially, not at a store by store level. If they're going with this "no team work" model, they need to make sure ownerships are 100% clear.
I've been given full ownership of "dollar spot" as an Electronics leader in the past since it was "relatively close" to my department (and because I get my shit done and they knew I would put in every effort on what I was assigned...) SL has been told they're in charge of anything, anywhere in the building that is "clothing related" - so team clothing, side caps and all that crap in "gifting" up in the front of the store, even if the only clothing in the "node" is on a mannequin, suddenly that whole area is theirs, but they still are in charge of anything that's "on the carpeting," so setting, pulling and filling all the beauty and garbage that gets slapped in Accessories and Style, as well.