MEGATHREAD 2018-2019 Store Modernization Megathread

[Hardlinesmaster]

@seasonaldude, I got your back. Just put the reshop where I can see in the main racetrack, please. I will get them for you. I don’t like having extra carts of reshop.

 

[seasonaldude]

i don't get why a store would schedule someone to pick orders using Service Desk hours which aren't actually earned or allocated for picking orders

According to my HR, there was a pilot for doing exactly that. It was one of many different modernization pilots. Some pilot stores got some of the process. Some got others. My store was part of a pilot that OPU picking hours are scheduled under guest services and the GSTLs own all the OPU metrics. This was corporate directed.

The pilots are supposed to be over. However, we don't know whether or not this one particular part of the pilot is part of the final process. HR has not been given an answer either way. With our hour allocation that comes through from above it makes perfect sense to keep doing it this way. We have the hours to have more than full time coverage at the front end for OPU and the rest of the front end is doing well hour allocation wise except for cart attendants. We are well short of the necessary hours for GM to do everything they need to do though.

tl;dr it just makes sense for my store to use GS hours for OPU instead of GM hours and corporate won't tell us if we're doing it wrong despite being asked repeatedly by HR.

 

[seasonaldude]

@seasonaldude, I got your back. Just put the reshop where I can see in the main racetrack, please. I will get them for you. I don’t like having extra carts of reshop.

Nah. Since I know you'll help out other workcenters and pass me a beer when needed, I'm not leaving an eyesore in your zone. I'll get your reshop and backstock what doesn't fit. I got ya.

 

[unknown]

The point here is that modernization didn’t take hours away. So show me what your payroll was a year ago. Not 2011. Every time target “simplifies” a process they take away payroll. For ex: We don’t have to pull stupid caf batches all day long anymore. That got ridiculous years ago and it was always backstock.
So of course hours are less today than 2011.

I guess that's why the signing tm went away. Because there's no signing to do. Oh wait! There is. It's just sitting on still wrapped pallets in the back. 3 weeks worth now.

 

[unknown]

Stores get X amount of payroll hours to use in a week. From there it gets broken down by departments (ex: log) and then refined again (ex: revlog, ff, inbound) until the hours are spent the way Corporate seems acceptable.

Once the schedules are keyed in the SD has to approve them and for now the District Leaders and some BPs are even auditing them to make sure stores are complying or on track to be fully Modernized on time. Every store is getting there at their own pace and the food chain knows this.

So while there might not be hours dedicated to Signing anymore, those hours didn’t dissolve. Your store is still getting the payroll hours but they are being used to support Modernization. I am sorry that they haven’t been giving you time to get any signing done, that’ll have to fall on them when they get a visit and can’t explain why it’s not.

So using your breakdown, where does overhead signing fall? Or breaking down the pallet? Or ordering supplies? Everyone says it needs to be done, but the hours aren't there.

You're guessing. You're theorizing. Of course the hours are gone. I'm sorry. You're a fool to think they aren't. I've got 5 pallets of signing untouched floating around. I did that job for over 10 years. I guess it's cheaper to make the signing, send it to the stores, and throw it away unused then allocate any payroll to do it. How is that efficient?

 

[Anelmi]

My store was part of a pilot that OPU picking hours are scheduled under guest services and the GSTLs own all the OPU metrics. This was corporate directed.

The pilots are supposed to be over. However, we don't know whether or not this one particular part of the pilot is part of the final process. HR has not been given an answer either way. With our hour allocation that comes through from above it makes perfect sense to keep doing it this way. We have the hours to have more than full time coverage at the front end for OPU and the rest of the front end is doing well hour allocation wise except for cart attendants. We are well short of the necessary hours for GM to do everything they need to do though.

tl;dr it just makes sense for my store to use GS hours for OPU instead of GM hours and corporate won't tell us if we're doing it wrong despite being asked repeatedly by HR.

I think my store may be heading this direction too. GS covers all things OPU but not SFS.

 

[JAShands]

I’m sorry that your store doesn’t value you or the amazing things you accomplished as a signing TM. But please don’t let your bitterness and anger at your Leaders spill over and assume all stores are run the same way. All of our signing pallets have managed to be broke down every week and all of our signing that needs to be up is, what should be down is. We have a few TMs who can do the signing so when they’re done with their workload they jump in and take care of signing. If their workload is heavy a TL will jump in and take care of it. I know I’m lucky to work at a store where our SD can see the importance of making sure nothing fell between the cracks when Modernization rolled out. He’s never once had to ask anyone to take care of signing, in fact he’s the first one to thank whoever did make sure to get it up.

And I’ve been in HR for 5 years, I’m very well aware of what my stores payroll is and has been over those years. Our hours haven’t decreased and yes we do have more than we did a year ago. I’m sorry your store has let you down, but this is truly the epitome of ASANTS 😕

 

[REDcardJJ]

According to my HR, there was a pilot for doing exactly that. It was one of many different modernization pilots. Some pilot stores got some of the process. Some got others. My store was part of a pilot that OPU picking hours are scheduled under guest services and the GSTLs own all the OPU metrics. This was corporate directed.

The pilots are supposed to be over. However, we don't know whether or not this one particular part of the pilot is part of the final process. HR has not been given an answer either way. With our hour allocation that comes through from above it makes perfect sense to keep doing it this way. We have the hours to have more than full time coverage at the front end for OPU and the rest of the front end is doing well hour allocation wise except for cart attendants. We are well short of the necessary hours for GM to do everything they need to do though.

tl;dr it just makes sense for my store to use GS hours for OPU instead of GM hours and corporate won't tell us if we're doing it wrong despite being asked repeatedly by HR.

in the modernization guide, guest advocates only focus on providing the guest with the best experience possible at the front end. no tasking, no freight. it'll be a moot point anyway after the mytime refresh because there will only be one FOS workcenter.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

I can understand that though.
GM Experts are given a massive workload and no time to do it in. When it gets busy in the front, why should they drop everything they're doing and help out? Is the front going to help them with backstock later? Or push? Or zoning? No. How is that fair?

When it comes to reviews, saying you were never able to complete your workload because you were always up front helping out isn't an excuse. It won't get you that DEO, because your area on the floor looks like shit, you're two revisions behind, and you still have truck push in the back. In terms of self-preservation, it's best to just ignore those calls for backup unless you're specifically called by name to go up.

Honestly, regular TMs should never be the ones going up to help out the front. It makes zero sense. Send the ETLs up. What's the ETL-HR doing? What's the SD doing? Sitting in their offices? They should be on the lanes when it's busy. Leadership should be on the lanes.

The TMs actually doing work should be left to do their work. If they're trained properly, there's no need to constantly supervise them, so the TLs and up should be free to answer those calls for backup.

My understanding with this new process is that more people will be on the floor and that those former flow members should also help cashiering. Not happening. Also, the front end hours have been gutted because there should be more people on the floor to help cashiering. Not happening. I know when I was watching the front the other day while my GSTL was on lunch, the ETL's were in the office eating lunch while the only two GM's were on a checklane. What should happen is not happening.

 

[HLN13]

Yes. If you help us. I'm OPU. My hours come from guest services.

Not really related to your post but you know this is going away, right? At my store we had the same thing, where people picking OPU/DU’s were ‘Order Pickup’ under Guest Services. As part of modernization those ‘Order Pickup’ hours are supposed to be used towards another SD team member who primarily helps guests with picking up orders and takes out the drive ups. People picking the OPU’s will be under Flexible Fufillment and their shift tag will either be ‘OPU’ or ‘SFS’. OPU flex TMs at my store have been told that as part of the roll out they don’t do GM tasks anymore and if they’re SFS, pick/pack all day (unless it’s complete, then freight). OPU TMs pick OPU’s and pack when they don’t have orders.

 

[seasonaldude]

Not really related to your post but you know this is going away, right? At my store we had the same thing, where people picking OPU/DU’s were ‘Order Pickup’ under Guest Services. As part of modernization those ‘Order Pickup’ hours are supposed to be used towards another SD team member who primarily helps guests with picking up orders and takes out the drive ups. People picking the OPU’s will be under Flexible Fufillment and their shift tag will either be ‘OPU’ or ‘SFS’. OPU flex TMs at my store have been told that as part of the roll out they don’t do GM tasks anymore and if they’re SFS, pick/pack all day (unless it’s complete, then freight). OPU TMs pick OPU’s and pack when they don’t have orders.

I don''t know that it's going away. My HR has asked up the chain and received no definitive answer about it. We don't have SFS at my store, so doing that in addition to OPU isn't really an option. We're just waiting for answers from corporate about this stuff.

 

[Antennae]

Yes. If you help us. I'm OPU. My hours come from guest services. I help GM all the time between picks. If my day is really slow, I'll go the a GM TL and ask if they have anything they need done. But, normally, I'm doing your reshop, zoning up your aisles, or auditing your outs.

I, however, can also be quite petty. Those GM TMs who do not answer calls to help the front end don't receive very much of my help, if any. People who have a team attitude get help from team members. People who don't have that attitude, well, sorry, I think I saw a couple of abandoned carts in rear seasonal I really have to wrangle up. By the way, your reshop bin is overflowing.

I don''t know that it's going away. My HR has asked up the chain and received no definitive answer about it. We don't have SFS at my store, so doing that in addition to OPU isn't really an option. We're just waiting for answers from corporate about this stuff.

Lol that explains so much.

 

[Tinkersdamn]

My understanding with this new process is that more people will be on the floor and that those former flow members should also help cashiering. Not happening. Also, the front end hours have been gutted because there should be more people on the floor to help cashiering. Not happening. I know when I was watching the front the other day while my GSTL was on lunch, the ETL's were in the office eating lunch while the only two GM's were on a checklane. What should happen is not happening.

Front end should not be backing up if you have a dedicated guest experience ETL and 2 gstls as our store does. Since they cannot task they should be line busting and getting on a lane while the ETL watches thereby eliminating or greatly reducing the need for backup. This is where stores also have to have hard conversations with cashiers who have floated along so far. Now they must be efficient while delivering a great guest experience.

 

[REDcardJJ]

Front end should not be backing up if you have a dedicated guest experience ETL and 2 gstls as our store does. Since they cannot task they should be line busting and getting on a lane while the ETL watches thereby eliminating or greatly reducing the need for backup. This is where stores also have to have hard conversations with cashiers who have floated along so far. Now they must be efficient while delivering a great guest experience.

this is unrealistic with the hours allocation that service and engagement gets.

 

[ShortTM]

As we continue to make changes at my store, none of the inbound TMs yet have been trained on the phones. I'm sure I could easily figure it out but in the meantime I just ignore all the requests for a TM in a department to pick up a call

 

[Tinkersdamn]

this is unrealistic with the hours allocation that service and engagement gets.

It's interesting that it's unrealistic for the hours that service and engagement gets but that same team demands that GM experts who are getting the same unrealistic hours drop everything and run to a backup. This is what sets teams against each other. And yes, my store's inbound team answers the phone and responds to backup along with everything else. Inbound gets tired of being portrayed as the village idiots who can't learn and don't do anything.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

Front end should not be backing up if you have a dedicated guest experience ETL and 2 gstls as our store does. Since they cannot task they should be line busting and getting on a lane while the ETL watches thereby eliminating or greatly reducing the need for backup. This is where stores also have to have hard conversations with cashiers who have floated along so far. Now they must be efficient while delivering a great guest experience.

We do not have full front end leadership and not enough hours to be fully cashiered. Often we have one cashier scheduled and one SCO. The reasoning behind the front end losing hours is that there will be more people on the floor to backup. Not happening. As for being efficient....if only the guests were efficient with their checkouts. I can tell you working at GS that I am very efficient, it is the guests who slow me down.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

It's interesting that it's unrealistic for the hours that service and engagement gets but that same team demands that GM experts who are getting the same unrealistic hours drop everything and run to a backup. This is what sets teams against each other. And yes, my store's inbound team answers the phone and responds to backup along with everything else. Inbound gets tired of being portrayed as the village idiots who can't learn and don't do anything.

ASANTS, because our inbound team does not answer phones or backup. Our former flow and POG team members who are now part of GM also do not backup.

 

[can't touch this]

We've been hearing rumors that everybody is getting cashier trained but it still hasn't happened yet, for once the lack of hours has actually saved us some additional suffering

They are more than welcome to continue missing me with that shit for now and all time, tho

 

[seasonaldude]

ASANTS, because our inbound team does not answer phones or backup. Our former flow and POG team members who are now part of GM also do not backup.

Checking the grid for who is scheduled on the salesfloor is one of the first things the front end does everyday at my store. Have to see who is scheduled to see if anyone will come for backup. Inbounds and former flow TMs will not unless specifically screamed at over the walkie.

Our GSTLs have gotten really good at minimizing calls for backup though. They are way down. Hours are carefully allocated for the best coverage at busy times. Sucks for guest advocates because they often end up with 6 four hour shifts a week. And, of course, it all falls apart if there is a single call out.

 

[Anelmi]

Hours are carefully allocated for the best coverage at busy times. Sucks for guest advocates because they often end up with 6 four hour shifts a week. And, of course, it all falls apart if there is a single call out.

Which, according to corporate, is until 7-8 pm. Clearly they haven't been to my store that stays busy from dinnertime till close. But you know one-size-fits-all, I guess.

 

[can't touch this]

please do not use the term "guest advocate", it makes me feel like submitting a punch correction after reading

 

[Antennae]

Checking the grid for who is scheduled on the salesfloor is one of the first things the front end does everyday at my store. Have to see who is scheduled to see if anyone will come for backup. Inbounds and former flow TMs will not unless specifically screamed at over the walkie.

Our GSTLs have gotten really good at minimizing calls for backup though. They are way down. Hours are carefully allocated for the best coverage at busy times. Sucks for guest advocates because they often end up with 6 four hour shifts a week. And, of course, it all falls apart if there is a single call out.

Shouldn't it be this way though? What is the point of FOS people if schedules aren't made to maximize coverage during the busiest times?

 

[jackandcat]

Of all the complaints we could have that is a really dumb one. I can type my team member number in just as quickly as I can scan a speed id. Anyone who spends more than a few days at the front should be able to type their numbers in very quickly.

ASANTS - in our store nearly all cashiers use speed IDs. I intentionally keep mine hidden away from guest view when I'm not logged in. One place where speed IDs are rather critical is when stepping in at SCO, since I otherwise have to place an arm over the screen so that a guest doesn't see my number and PIN. I'm just telling you my experience at our store, the speed IDs are universally used. YMMV

 

[Antennae]

There's no more LOD period... STL which is changing to Store Director will be in charge when ever s/he is in the building.. instead of calling LOD you call the lead or leader of the area that you need help with.

bzzt