Archived Abuse of Guest First in Front-End Scheduling

[thetargetman]

I have done fine with one or two cashiers with minimal back ups this time of year if they are good cashiers, but when they schedule horrible cashiers as closers, I have no choice but to call for constant backups.
I don't like my time. I don't like that once the schedule is done, it isn't reviewed by someone who knows which cashiers can handle closing.
It's one of the top things on my long list of things that bother me.

When I have awful untrained cashiers, it upsets the flow of the whole front end. It means I have no coverage for my breaks. No coverage for guest service breaks or food ave breaks. It means tl has to cover me, so I can cover the breaks, then someone has to cover the tl and so on and so on.
The whole night is spent with everyone covering someone else. And the awful cashiers slowly do their job in a minimal way, constantly wondering what time their breaks are, oblivious to everything that's going on around them and worse, not caring.

Sorry....rant done.

I know how you feel. There has been nights I have been the only "strong" cashier and have covered for the GSA/GSTL and Guest service. Thank goodness they shaved off the dead weight of the seasonal people. I just wish there were other "strong" cashiers to help with closing.

 

[NitroKing2110]

My store's GSTLs tried to use the guest first list to shave off front end staffing.
Tried.

The ETL-SFs had quite a reaction when they learned that their TMs couldn't get stuff done because the GSTLs called them to backup cash, and got the STL to mandate one person per hour for guest first and (at my ETL-HLs rampant insisting) alternating and equal hardlines and softlines backup. It's now gotten much better because the GSTLs will only call up 3-4 TMs for guest first and will make sure they are gone in a timely manner. Now, if they could stop putting my guest first hour right when I have to take my lunch, that'd be great.

 

[dcline414]

My store's GSTLs tried to use the guest first list to shave off front end staffing.
Tried.

The ETL-SFs had quite a reaction when they learned that their TMs couldn't get stuff done because the GSTLs called them to backup cash, and got the STL to mandate one person per hour for guest first and (at my ETL-HLs rampant insisting) alternating and equal hardlines and softlines backup. It's now gotten much better because the GSTLs will only call up 3-4 TMs for guest first and will make sure they are gone in a timely manner. Now, if they could stop putting my guest first hour right when I have to take my lunch, that'd be great.

Scheduled guest first would make things infinitely better. My store just calls EVERYONE up for backup NOW whenever they want it. Everyone.

So we all try to wrap up what we're doing to respond, and all productivity is halted until the front end gets the backup they need.

 

[dcline414]

250K a week is not high volume.. A day then yes high volume.. We do $140-300K a day.. $250K is a slow Saturday.

Okay, forget the revenue estimates I threw out. We cleared $90k on a slow day today, so I was way off.

Maybe we aren't high volume, but one closing cashier can't handle the $10k per hour we do on weekends. Lean scheduling is good, but an understaffed front end hurts the entire store far more than an idle cashier ever could.

 

[dcline414]

By the way, I cashiered for 8 hours today and never once called for backup. I occasionally had a line of 1+2, but knew I could keep pace and the line would be gone before anyone could get to a register.

Not sure what the expected speed for a cashier is, but my first and only shift as a cashier I was easily maintaining around 93% green. It seemed 87% was the cutoff from green to yellow, and that is way too low for a cashier if slow translates into lost productivity in all areas of the sales floor.

 

[thatcashierdude]

By the way, I cashiered for 8 hours today and never once called for backup. I occasionally had a line of 1+2, but knew I could keep pace and the line would be gone before anyone could get to a register.

Not sure what the expected speed for a cashier is, but my first and only shift as a cashier I was easily maintaining around 93% green. It seemed 87% was the cutoff from green to yellow, and that is way too low for a cashier if slow translates into lost productivity in all areas of the sales floor.

The speed scores aren't really indicative of how fast or slow a cashier goes because they keep running the timer while the guest is fiddling with their card/change/check/life. So a cashier can get a decent speed score if they get faster guests even if they're slow, but a fast cashier might get a red or yellow speed score because they get that ONE guest...several times...that has a million coupons, or challenges every other price, or they are slow to pay, etc.

I have noticed that I get more reds if I don't nag the guest to pay, or hold their hand through the card reader process. I get most greens on an express lane because those people are generally paying attention (the ones that actually follow the 10 or less rule) and are in more of a hurry than other lanes.

 

[dcline414]

Well I am thinking that this specific situation is due to a "bounceback" visit this week. Every team member in the store has as many hours as they could ever want this week, and all week the ETLs have been asking everyone with less than 40 hours if they can come in to help out before/during the visit. So it would seem they were banking hours the past few weeks to splurge on labor this week.

I don't know exactly what a "bounceback" visit is, but based on observation it would appear that "bounceback" is code for a really inefficient way corporate makes sure stores are clean and well staffed for about 1 hour per year... right?

 

[Bosch]

^^ You have it right.

 

[Nauzhror]

We have a visit next week supposedly, but I have fuck all hours this week and next week, unless they call me in on my days off.

 

[StackerMistress]

I asked when our bounceback visit was, and my ETL said we weren't even having one.

 

[AmICrazy]

Sadly, this is how it usually is this time of the year. Spot is willing to cut corners any way they can to make payroll the hours are less yet the workload stays the same , Go figure

And it gets worse every year.

 

[sher]

If you wanna know the volume of your store, just look for your STL on LinkedIn lol. They love to brag. My store did 46 mil according to my stl. Idk what that means, though. I think we probably make majority of it at the end of the year. The goals now are only like 100k at my store.

On topic, though, I went back to work today and there are more backup cashiers on register than there are actual cashiers majority of the time. Then service desk TMs and GSAs/TLs are constantly calling "blue you now have 4 carts of reshop" "red you have 3 carts" and I just wanna shout in the walkie "everyone knows there's reshop! We're all on register!!"

 

[Bosch]

If you wanna know the volume of your store, just look for your STL on LinkedIn lol. They love to brag. My store did 46 mil according to my stl. Idk what that means, though. I think we probably make majority of it at the end of the year. The goals now are only like 100k at my store.

On topic, though, I went back to work today and there are more backup cashiers on register than there are actual cashiers majority of the time. Then service desk TMs and GSAs/TLs are constantly calling "blue you now have 4 carts of reshop" "red you have 3 carts" and I just wanna shout in the walkie "everyone knows there's reshop! We're all on register!!"

That is what we do, "We know there is reshop, it will have to wait until we get done backing up."

 

[sher]

I never get called for reshop because typically if FR isn't covering phones, they just go get it. But sometimes (like last night) I wanna yell at her for constantly reminding the hardlines people after they've already politely acknowledged her request.

 

[dcline414]

Then service desk TMs and GSAs/TLs are constantly calling "blue you now have 4 carts of reshop" "red you have 3 carts" and I just wanna shout in the walkie "everyone knows there's reshop! We're all on register!!"

Exactly.

Or someone presses a call button and the LOD is asking everyone to get it, but literally not one person isn't on a lane.

 

[masterofalltrades]

Exactly.

Or someone presses a call button and the LOD is asking everyone to get it, but literally not one person isn't on a lane.

thats when electronics comes to the rescue.

 

[dcline414]

thats when electronics comes to the rescue.

Hey TM in electronics, can you grab that call button in furniture about a quarter mile away from the boat where you have two guest waiting? Thanks!

 

[masterofalltrades]

Hey TM in electronics, can you grab that call button in furniture about a quarter mile away from the boat where you have two guest waiting? Thanks!

yup every day, and while your at it grab the mens fitting room and that toys call thanks, but dont get behind in your zone.

 

[sher]

Wait.. You have a separate fitting room for men!?

 

[NitroKing2110]

Wait.. You have a separate fitting room for men!?

My store does too, it's a former great land. It depends on your store's volume and prototype.

 

[masterofalltrades]

My store does too, it's a former great land. It depends on your store's volume and prototype.

were a newer bi-level pfresh, with meens seperated from rtw, but yes its very annoying.

 

[thatcashierdude]

Exactly.

Or someone presses a call button and the LOD is asking everyone to get it, but literally not one person isn't on a lane.

That means it's the LODs turn to get the call button. Unless they want to get on a lane too. I've seen my STL on a lane, he doesn't have a problem doing stuff like that. I assume he expects the same out of his ETLs and TLs.

 

[sher]

My store was a great land according to the stl's LinkedIn lol. That's where I get all my information-his resume. Store's just too small, I guess but now when people ask if we have one for men, I'll know it's a valid question haha

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Hey TM in electronics, can you grab that call button in furniture about a quarter mile away from the boat where you have two guest waiting? Thanks!

I got that call button & the 2 guests too. Answered the 2 guests question & speed walk to furniture. Telling Lod to cover electronics while I help the guest with furniture. Then, find out the Lod is on a lane too.

 

[monkeyman90]

250K a week is not high volume.. A day then yes high volume.. We do $140-300K a day.. $250K is a slow Saturday.


Yep, half our store that is not PTM right now is half empty we can't get product in the store so isles are just flexed messes, and people doing the flexing just really don't care. Sure we printed a label, but we didn't bother to tie it. Clearance is piled places it shouldn't be, no cares. Cause they can't care anymore.

that's what really makes me wonder about this post. from 35k a day as a high volume store to now don't assume their numbers are correct, 90k is a slow day and still a high volume store?

their posts are a cashier that here's 1+1 and assumes the worst and their store is underwater. no its not sinister. we can't get hours, then tack on call outs that's the fun. etl's not only pushing caf's but all reshop cause we don't have bodies. stl's pushing carts.. yeah.

at least my store has been killing it in sales and we don't have to make up for the district failing.