Archived About those seasonal TMs

[can't touch this]

They seem to be hit-or-miss, compared to last year. I get the terrible ones, the okay ones, the good ones, but one thing I notice is that the end-to-end shit has added another layer of chaos that last year's seasonals weren't dealing with. I suspect that the okay ones would be performing a lot better if they'd been hired a bit earlier (instead of two weeks ago) because we all know Target's "training" is famously terrible, and getting interrupted by guests 500 times an hour must be daunting as hell for them. I started as a seasonal TM myself back in the days when MyDevices were a mythical rarity item that you could go weeks without ever using. If end-to-end had been a thing then I would've been seriously freaked out. We've got plenty of Zebras now but they are still essentially useless if you haven't been trained on how to use all their functions.

At my store you can always tell when the seasonals have been in the backroom when you find whole casepacks stowed in the Wacos (or better yet, shoved into a Waco but not scanned in) open stock stowed into locations with the case count instead of the actual count, etc. I doubt most of them do this on purpose, it's more likely that they either haven't been shown the right way of doing things or they've had so much info flying at them at once that they can't remember it all.

If I ran this show I would've been hiring new seasonal TMs as far back as August (and not picking them out of a police lineup) to give them a little extra time to get with the flow, literally and figuratively. It's good to have a pleb filter to screen out the truly useless hires, but I can definitely see how we could improve on our end too.

UPDATE 12/16/17: HAHA NEVERMIND SEASONALS SUCK PLEASE GO TF AWAY

 

[Kartman]

Other than dumping trash, cardboard, whatnot, new hires need to STAY OUT of the backroom, period!

 

[PaRaD0x]

wait, what's case count vs. actual count? Also, what is open stock? Wait, is case count...1 box cardboard box...with 5 of a toy in it for example)...and peeps stowing it as 1, vs. 5 (what it should be)? Still not sure what open stock is...

 

[Miked0292]

wait, what's case count vs. actual count? Also, what is open stock? Wait, is case count...1 box cardboard box...with 5 of a toy in it for example)...and peeps stowing it as 1, vs. 5 (what it should be)? Still not sure what open stock is...

The facepalm is so real right now

 

[PaRaD0x]

haha...please explain

 

[can't touch this]

Other than dumping trash, cardboard, whatnot, new hires need to STAY OUT of the backroom, period!

real talk dude, I'd rather stow extra backstock and make sure it gets done right vs. having to deal with their aftermath later

 

[Trek]

My store hires tons of seasonal tms way back in late Aug from front end beauty flow electronics and they still here I know since they're part of my orientation group.

 

[HRZone]

My store hires tons of seasonal tms way back in late Aug from front end beauty flow electronics and they still here I know since they're part of my orientation group.

This isn't true, stores aren't allowed to hire seasonally for beauty and electronica

 

[Trek]

This isn't true, stores aren't allowed to hire seasonally for beauty and electronica
/QUOTE]

Then can regular and seasonals be in the same orientation group?

 

[HRZone]

If I ran this show I would've been hiring new seasonal TMs as far back as August

While what you say makes a lot of sense I disagree strongly.

There are no hours (storewide) in August and hiring more people that early means less hours for regular team members.

The truth is leaders always lower their standards (even slightly) for seasonal workers, that's just a fact. Sometimes they just need a body and if you are too picky you will never be staffed.

Good seasonal workers stand out more because they are able to handle the chaos of q4.

If a seasonal worker is worth keeping they will show that even in a short period of time otherwise you end up a store that is so overstaffed in January your regular team members are struggling for hours and end up leaving for other jobs.

 

[HRZone]

Then can regular and seasonals be in the same orientation group?

Yup the only team members who are supposed to have a separate orientation is just in time although at my store we don't do that.

 

[can't touch this]

There are no hours (storewide) in August and hiring more people that early means less hours for regular team members.

I understand, but then again if I were running the show there would be unlimited OT for 52 weeks out of the year (I am a kind and magnanimous dictator)

 

[Bosch]

wait, what's case count vs. actual count? Also, what is open stock? Wait, is case count...1 box cardboard box...with 5 of a toy in it for example)...and peeps stowing it as 1, vs. 5 (what it should be)? Still not sure what open stock is...

This has to be sarcasm right?

 

[can't touch this]

I feel especially sorry for the brand new flexible fulfillment people, like this new chick who was freaking out the other day because she didn't know how to locate an item that wasn't in the location it was supposed to be, and she felt lost because leadership was locked up in meeting #248495834956 of the day. I bet if I hadn't come along right then she would've just started mashing the "can't find" button. Ended up doing some impromptu training with her for about 1 1/2 hrs because literally everybody else was either busy or not there. I also had to grab the electronics keys from the electronics dude's belt loop because some locked up items dropped for flex and he was busy helping 9999 guests with TVs at once. Whew.

 

[Planosss]

Other than dumping trash, cardboard, whatnot, new hires need to STAY OUT of the backroom, period!

Dumping is literally what they do. They don’t crush the cardboard. Its.So.Painfull.

 

[can't touch this]

"Crush your cardboard or I'll crush your sternum" is a good one (make sure to smile when you say it so they think you're joking)

 

[pinktea]

How can they, when they don't have keys or training on how to operate the bailer? Unless you mean they aren't breaking down their boxes before bringing them into the backroom?

 

[HRZone]

I feel especially sorry for the brand new flexible fulfillment people, like this new chick who was freaking out the other day because she didn't know how to locate an item that wasn't in the location it was supposed to be, and she felt lost because leadership was locked up in meeting #248495834956 of the day. I bet if I hadn't come along right then she would've just started mashing the "can't find" button. Ended up doing some impromptu training with her for about 1 1/2 hrs because literally everybody else was either busy or not there. I also had to grab the electronics keys from the electronics dude's belt loop because some locked up items dropped for flex and he was busy helping 9999 guests with TVs at once. Whew.

Yeah I've seen this too. Technically just in time team members should be packing only but most stores aren't following that. Way more efficient to have your ship from store and sales floor team members scheduled under flex to pick orders since they know the store better while your JITs sit there and pack

 

[PaRaD0x]

Well, it's sort of sarcasm. People actually do that? That was the sarcasm part of it I guess...I fully realize that may have sounded like a stupid question...just trying to be clear and simple to help others who may not be "in the know".

 

[Miked0292]

"Crush your cardboard or I'll crush your sternum" is a good one (make sure to smile when you say it so they think you're joking)

How about being the only TM in the building at the moment who knew how to make a bale.

 

[can't touch this]

How about being the only TM in the building at the moment who knew how to make a bale.

lmao

"let's bail so we don't have to make a bale"

 

[redflannel]

There's a seasonal flow guy at my store who instead of just doing the normal lazy thing of not wanting to backstock an extra toy that won't fit and just throwing it in a random spot on the shelf nearby... he just literally leaves it on the floor in front of the full spot... repeatedly. Day after day I watch this happen and leadership doesn't seem to care.

 

[Bosch]

There's a seasonal flow guy at my store who instead of just doing the normal lazy thing of not wanting to backstock an extra toy that won't fit and just throwing it in a random spot on the shelf nearby... he just literally leaves it on the floor in front of the full spot... repeatedly. Day after day I watch this happen and leadership doesn't seem to care.

Yep. I think I like leaving it on the floor over just shoving in any random spot on the shelf.. At least that I can see and scoop up..

 

[Kartman]

lmao

"let's bail so we don't have to make a bale"

But that's FAIL.

 

[FlowTeamChick]

"Crush your cardboard or I'll crush your sternum" is a good one (make sure to smile when you say it so they think you're joking)

I don't mind if someone doesn't actually operate the baler, but please don't put large non-broken down boxes in there and walk away. I have a low tolerance for stupid and that particular one really bugs me.