Archived Are some team lead positions easier than others?
- Thread starter seasonal
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i think it probably varies in different stores but at mine Starbucks, Food Ave, Deli, and Meat have it made.
M
mxrbook
Guest
I think GSTL is the easiest TL position. All we have to manage are TMs and weird guests and crowds. If I run out of stock on the checklanes, I press a few buttons on the LPDA and voila! it appears! Sure, I'm responsible for the stores REDCard conversion percentage, but I love selling REDCards and teaching others to do it. I love my job!
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I am thinking ap or pharmacy tl got it easy.
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/me waits for redeye with a batch of degreaser and some plastic bags.
redeye58
Hasta Ba Rista, Baby!
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Our SB/FA don't.
Despite cross-training (or "cross-pollinating" as my SBTL says), we're dealing with ever-shrinking hrs. Sure, everyone has that problem but we have to streatch coverage for a small, but specialized area.
Ours isn't exactly an area where you can drop someone in from another dept & expect them to prep pizzas or whip up lattes.
That's also outside the usual fun tasks we deal with that can't be done by outsiders.
Making up a dozen salads to fill the case? No prob!
Unless you're the only one on duty for the day & you're in the midst of a lunch rush. Then the ETL comes up & reminds you to add sandwiches & drinks to the case 'cause you're running low.
Like those cookies? So did everyone else so now you're pulling cookie dough to bake up while guests are yammering that they've been "standing there for 15 minutes!"
You're trying to restock your syrups, milk & cups after a morning rush but you can't even walk away from the counter because of a steady stream of guests demanding their lattes, frapps, etc. Before it even slows down, your order is being pushed from the back "to give you something to do".
My TLs are in the mix alongside us & have to listen to constant reminders to do their vibe walks & other paperwork so, no, they DON'T have it made.
Despite cross-training (or "cross-pollinating" as my SBTL says), we're dealing with ever-shrinking hrs. Sure, everyone has that problem but we have to streatch coverage for a small, but specialized area.
Ours isn't exactly an area where you can drop someone in from another dept & expect them to prep pizzas or whip up lattes.
That's also outside the usual fun tasks we deal with that can't be done by outsiders.
Making up a dozen salads to fill the case? No prob!
Unless you're the only one on duty for the day & you're in the midst of a lunch rush. Then the ETL comes up & reminds you to add sandwiches & drinks to the case 'cause you're running low.
Like those cookies? So did everyone else so now you're pulling cookie dough to bake up while guests are yammering that they've been "standing there for 15 minutes!"
You're trying to restock your syrups, milk & cups after a morning rush but you can't even walk away from the counter because of a steady stream of guests demanding their lattes, frapps, etc. Before it even slows down, your order is being pushed from the back "to give you something to do".
My TLs are in the mix alongside us & have to listen to constant reminders to do their vibe walks & other paperwork so, no, they DON'T have it made.
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Any front end position (Starbucks, food ave, Gstl) have it easy. If the Gstl needs the check lane endcaps filled they call the sales floor, they need back up they call the sales floor, they need someone to cover them so they can fool around on the computer in the tsc they call a sales floor tl to cover them. Yes I despise the front end team at my store! A worthless lazy bunch of airheads!
M
mxrbook
Guest
Oh, GlobalTL123, you are clearly so envious of the rockstars in the store. I wish I could fool around on the computer in the TSC but they're always taken up by the salesfloor TLs. I don't even have a mail slot in the TSC/TL office. Sure, my fills are delivered to the checklanes, but I wish someone would stock the essentials and endcaps for me and print the labels, etc. instead of finding carts on check lane one filled with gum and fruit snacks. I wish I had someone from the sales floor to cover the operator breaks, the FA breaks, the Service Desk breaks. Next time you want someone to fold your silly tables, call someone who isn't busy taking care of crazed guests who can't find anyone to help them on the sales floor and those who brought up untagged items which were salvaged weeks ago.
Did I push the right buttons? hehehehe
Did I push the right buttons? hehehehe
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TLs that seem to have it easy at my store are Instocks and A&B TLs. one scans And the other takes care of setting end caps. Well that is all it seems these TLs do. I am sure there is more to it than just this but these two do not seem to have to multi task as much as the other TLs in the store
M
mxrbook
Guest
In all honesty, I don't know any team leads who don't work their butts off in my store. We're a great team; maybe that's why we're such a successful store. Sure, there are a few petty jealousies, but they are more interpersonal than work center vs work center. Respect for one another works wonders.
redeye58
Hasta Ba Rista, Baby!
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Some TLs can make their job look 'easy' either because they're really good at it or they're not doing all of it.
We've been through all this before, folks. Different stores, different cultures.
And the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side of the store....
@GlobalTL - Whatev, dude. Just glad I'm not at your store.
We've been through all this before, folks. Different stores, different cultures.
And the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side of the store....
@GlobalTL - Whatev, dude. Just glad I'm not at your store.
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Stupid question, global? When did you get carts out of the parking lot? I did last night & 2 nights before. Stupid ca called out again.
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M
mxrbook
Guest
Maybe *that's* why I didn't have time to fool around on the computer (writing reviews, coachings, changing schedules cuz you forgot to ask for next Saturday off in time); I was too busy doing the restroom check and handbasket runs and hanger runs while the CA chatted on his phone in the lot. Didn't think I saw you? Well, I was out emptying the trash barrels that were overflowing.
But I work on a TEAM, so I don't whine when I have to do something that isn't in my core role.
But I work on a TEAM, so I don't whine when I have to do something that isn't in my core role.
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I didn't read through all the replies yet so sorry if I'm double-answering but in higher volume stores, Instocks is still a seperate role. In lower volume stores they merge with the Backroom TL to make a Logistics TL. That's the official name that was found on the whatever form on Workbench.
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Someone on here ( It may have been the old site, I'm not sure) made a comment that I 100% agree with. I'm sorry I don't know who to credit it to. The GSTL has the potential to have the hardest position and the easiest position in the store. Sometimes both will occur in the same week, sometimes in the same day!
It is a position that is ridiculously hard to plan for because everything you do has to be guest-focused. Its hard to know what the position is like unless you have been a GSTL (or even a GSA) for a significant length of time. And don't tell me you cover GSTL breaks or were up there for a week to cover a vacation, its really not the same thing.
It is a position that is ridiculously hard to plan for because everything you do has to be guest-focused. Its hard to know what the position is like unless you have been a GSTL (or even a GSA) for a significant length of time. And don't tell me you cover GSTL breaks or were up there for a week to cover a vacation, its really not the same thing.
seasonal
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Some TL's do make their job look easy. At my store, my instocks TL makes his job look like paradise, but when i see my flow or plano TL, they look like they are going to rip the hair out of their head. Guest it depends.
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Flow TLs have many variables that can make/ruin their day. Truck size, contents of the truck, and worst of all, call-ins. Can't plan for those!
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Yeah, you're right, I think most TL positions are difficult to plan for. This might not be the case for logistic positions, but for the rest of them, I blame those pesky guests!
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I think this is a pointless question that will just cause arguments. Anyone knows that each position if different in each store. Some starbucks team leads might have it made, some might not. some GSTLs don't do ****, some work their asses off. It depends on the other leaders in the building support too.
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In defense of Instocks:
I actually agree with Spot about eliminating the IS TL position in smaller stores. It(and pricing) are positions where much of the TLs daily tasks are the exact same as those they are leading. It doesn't take a TL to scan research, so the day to day tasks are very simple. It feels like eliminating the TL part also eliminated the hours to go along with it. For the leader of a small team like that, with pretty high expectations thrust upon them, there are definitely challenges. We are currently being challenged to hit 3000 scans per week and at this point it's looking unattainable without the target gods bestowing the gift of plentiful hours(not a chance). We get less hours in a week than the Flow team does in one truck day. Three days a week I'll have 1 TM scheduled to complete rigs. So we have to aim for 750 scans each of the other 4 days. And we never get help when there's an inevitable call-off and your leaders still expect the same amount of scanning to be completed. Adapting and planning are paramount and the keys to making it look easy. Maybe it's just my store, but they also are the only team that does any sort of PTMing and we are expected to complete not just the PTM list, but have the entire MPG report out of the back by the Monday red headers drop. That means pulling and flexing them ourselves because our hardlines TL doesn't have hours for anything but recovery. Oh and hey, the flow team just got the final push for mini-seasonal and they aren't good at flexing so can you go flex those 6 pallets out?
I actually agree with Spot about eliminating the IS TL position in smaller stores. It(and pricing) are positions where much of the TLs daily tasks are the exact same as those they are leading. It doesn't take a TL to scan research, so the day to day tasks are very simple. It feels like eliminating the TL part also eliminated the hours to go along with it. For the leader of a small team like that, with pretty high expectations thrust upon them, there are definitely challenges. We are currently being challenged to hit 3000 scans per week and at this point it's looking unattainable without the target gods bestowing the gift of plentiful hours(not a chance). We get less hours in a week than the Flow team does in one truck day. Three days a week I'll have 1 TM scheduled to complete rigs. So we have to aim for 750 scans each of the other 4 days. And we never get help when there's an inevitable call-off and your leaders still expect the same amount of scanning to be completed. Adapting and planning are paramount and the keys to making it look easy. Maybe it's just my store, but they also are the only team that does any sort of PTMing and we are expected to complete not just the PTM list, but have the entire MPG report out of the back by the Monday red headers drop. That means pulling and flexing them ourselves because our hardlines TL doesn't have hours for anything but recovery. Oh and hey, the flow team just got the final push for mini-seasonal and they aren't good at flexing so can you go flex those 6 pallets out?
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I did not mean for it to come out as all front end team leaders are bad or lazy. The ones at my store in particular are horrible. I have worked at stores where we had amazing gstls and food ave/ Starbucks. We just have a very bad batch right now, they are fresh out of college high potential going for etl interviews soon. These ones get away with anything and everything and their teams are miserable.
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My whole front end team and the etl ge remind me of that movie mean girls with Lindsay Lohan.
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