Archived Back-Up Rant

[3LetterDevil]

I would come for backup.

Awwwww.....thanks 🙂

 

[unknown]

Yesssss, that's exactly how I feel. Everyone has shit they have to deal with, but the faster EVERYONE responds for backup, the quicker everyone can get back to their work.

Not everyone. I wish people on here would quit saying that.

At 9am this morning when they started calling for backups, more than 75% of the people working are not available for backups. How is that everyone?

So please don't say we are "a team." Or "it's everyone's responsibility." Or "core roles" bullshit.

 

[DoWork]

Core roles lol

 

[GS DaVinci]

As a guest GS team member, I hate it when the GSA calls us (usually there are 2 if us) for back up. We are a high volume store and we constantly stay busy. Then the GSA wants to try and chew us out when we don't respond to back up! And they have now started to specifically ask if guest services can come up for back up first!!! This is ALL the time!!! And when I do go up for back up, I hear my fellow GS team member call for back up within 5 min and the GSA doesn't even go over to help them out and there aren't many GS trained team members besides the LODs so the service desk is a mess, gas a long line, and there are even more furious guests to deal with than before when I get back. I can feel my blood pressure rising higher and higher the longer I stay at Tarjail

 

[HRZone]

As a guest GS team member, I hate it when the GSA calls us (usually there are 2 if us) for back up. We are a high volume store and we constantly stay busy. Then the GSA wants to try and chew us out when we don't respond to back up! And they have now started to specifically ask if guest services can come up for back up first!!! This is ALL the time!!! And when I do go up for back up, I hear my fellow GS team member call for back up within 5 min and the GSA doesn't even go over to help them out and there aren't many GS trained team members besides the LODs so the service desk is a mess, gas a long line, and there are even more furious guests to deal with than before when I get back. I can feel my blood pressure rising higher and higher the longer I stay at Tarjail

I don't think you should come up for backup but I do think if it's dead you should be willing to ring people up in the regular lines.

Nothing more annoying then hearing salesfloor called for backup when there are 3 folks at IGS or service desk shooting the s---.

Returns and order pickup are your first priorty. After that prioritize.

 

[GSAguy]

Sometimes it's a tough call. I hate the idea of pulling other people from their work to help up front. The first thing I do when it's looking like I need to call for guest first, is try to get people moved around to disperse the lines a bit. send some to guest service to check out, try to talk people in to SCO. A lot of times that will get the lanes looking fine again. It's nice to have the option to send guests over to GS. I'm worried that after the remodel coming up, it won't be so easy to do that since they are moving GS over to where FA is since they're taking FA out completely.

 

[Anelmi]

The other day I was working salesfloor instead of GS and a fellow GSTM (working GS) was pushing candy. The lines got long and instead of pulling this TM to jump on a lane, the GSTL called for backup. What?!?!?!? I was so irritated because this person hates the lanes, only wants to work GS and always finds ways not to do actual cashiering.

 

[SilentCrow]

I guess no one mentioned the reverse. I often get ETLs walking by the checklane calling for backup.

"Team we need backup to the checklanes, we have lines"

I'm like "lines where?". This is manageable.

Inevitably, a SF tm comes up and is like "you really need backup?" And I have to give them "I didn't call for you bruh".

Backup is my very very last resort so the team quickly responds when I call. They know I won't call unless I absolutely need it.

There have been times when I was a GSA that people just ignored the call for backup when we had Dawn of the dead lines. I walked the floor and pulled people myself. Don't have time for that "I don't like the register" crap.

 

[HiddenPenguin]

One thing that makes me more willing to backup multiple times or for long periods is to know WHY.

If you're GSA/GSTL, remember most TMs don't have a grid in front of them, so they don't know how many other bodies out there are even available to come up. It's easy to get annoyed if you are under the impression that department X has 4 people right now not responding, when you don't know that actually two just had their shift end and another was pulled to cover another area with call-outs.

Explain the coverage gaps, and approach it with the tone of asking a friend to help you out of a bind. Try to avoid a tone that seems like "ordering" or "guilting" someone to come up unless you really have to. And when it's real bad, reassure TMs that you know their other tasks are also pressing, and that you'll let their ETL know the reason you couldn't get as much done as you hoped. You have my back and I've got yours, no problem.

 

[HRZone]

There have been times when I was a GSA that people just ignored the call for backup when we had Dawn of the dead lines. I walked the floor and pulled people myself. Don't have time for that "I don't like the register" crap.

One of my routines will be calling people out on walkie and if they lie about helping a guest it's going to be a coaching

I also think you should make sure it's not the same 2 people always responding other people have to be willing to respond.

 

[Delaney]

Never fails, I'm usually working out a perishable pull when they call for backup so I'll respond and say I'm working on this but I can put it away then come up they're usuallu like yeah...nevermind thanks anyways. Or I'll say if we're extremely busy...i've had this out for 10 min I can come up for 10 but then I must get back to my cart to either finish or put it away

 

[NewCashierLT]

I just started as a cashier, so I am not even sure about who can back up and who is busy, and how many team members are in each department at one time, but it always seems like the same team members come up to the front for back up. One of the ETLs does hop on a register during the afternoon rushes, and I do appreciate that.

On a related note, have you ever had a guest ask to speak to a manager because they were frustrated at how long they had to wait on line? I didn't call a GSA or GSTL over, and the guest went back to wait in their line, but I wasn't sure if I should have called someone over just to appease that guest. I am not really sure what the GSA or GSTL could have done, since they don't make the schedule and its not really their fault that there aren't enough cashiers on the registers.

 

[SilentCrow]

I just started as a cashier, so I am not even sure about who can back up and who is busy, and how many team members are in each department at one time, but it always seems like the same team members come up to the front for back up. One of the ETLs does hop on a register during the afternoon rushes, and I do appreciate that.

On a related note, have you ever had a guest ask to speak to a manager because they were frustrated at how long they had to wait on line? I didn't call a GSA or GSTL over, and the guest went back to wait in their line, but I wasn't sure if I should have called someone over just to appease that guest. I am not really sure what the GSA or GSTL could have done, since they don't make the schedule and its not really their fault that there aren't enough cashiers on the registers.

We just get yelled at and become the punching bag for the guest while the ETLs hide.

 

[GoodyNN]

When I'm working GS, I call up guests who have 10 items or less any time I don't have a line. I just holler it out. Of course, my GSTL/GSA do the same, send people up if they have a small order and I only have one person in front of me. I also pretty much never have a second person at the desk with me, so jumping out to a lane for a backup is not an option.

 

[TTGOz]

I just started as a cashier, so I am not even sure about who can back up and who is busy, and how many team members are in each department at one time, but it always seems like the same team members come up to the front for back up. One of the ETLs does hop on a register during the afternoon rushes, and I do appreciate that.

On a related note, have you ever had a guest ask to speak to a manager because they were frustrated at how long they had to wait on line? I didn't call a GSA or GSTL over, and the guest went back to wait in their line, but I wasn't sure if I should have called someone over just to appease that guest. I am not really sure what the GSA or GSTL could have done, since they don't make the schedule and its not really their fault that there aren't enough cashiers on the registers.

I've had people get mad at me because of it, never had to get the GSTL to them. I mean, the GSTLs are only gonna say the same thing "Yeah, I'm sorry, it's busy, we are short on staff because it's past the holidays" etc etc

 

[Stew1e223]

I am flow team and I absolutely hate doing backups. I applied for logistics not cashiering. We have 2 cashiers scheduled at any given time, 18 lanes, and at least 3 hardlines people walking around zoning. Why does flow team who has a tight time frame to push a rediculous workload have to go cashier?

 

[Anelmi]

ASANTs because flow team never backs-up at my store.

 

[countingsheep]

I will be c9mpletely agressive on the walkie if people wont shut up. " I have been on my way up and couldnt respond do to the constant chatter now which lane am I hopping on and which lane am Indrawing from?" Usually chills the idiot lod out during the next back up. I am one of three top responders literally drop everything and go up. They know this and they damned well know it when they have pushed my buttonz with walkie chatter. I can be canned as fast as the next person for an attitude but I will NOT stand by and be scolded over a walkie with guests listening due to an lod with no common sense.

My gsas are all fairly awesome at their job they dont call unnecessarily and they kick you out asap. I have jo problems being up there as long as they need but I make sure if I am close to break or lunch they know so I am the first one relieved when ig happens. Just because management has shit communication skills dont mean us minows need to have the zame ^_~

 

[allnew2]

Neither the backroom

 

[Kartman]

Any cashier trained TM who doesn't respond to a backup call is a lazy piece of shit. So you hate cashiering? Well me too, but I still respond if I'm not tied down with something. It's not like you're gonna have to be standing there for an entire cashier shift, so get your butt on the lanes to help clear out the rush.

 

[TTGOz]

it's a little different when you work in a department that's been told to absolutely not back up cashier just because you're always so busy. Same with my Meat Department. Produce is able to back up usually. Flow team at my store doesn't back up that much either but they can if they can.

My store relies on back ups from Hardlines, Softlines, Produce, and other team leaders. If it's a week day, after the 1 o'clock pulls in frozen dairy, I have eggs and milk filled, nothing else on my radar, I'll back up. If I have another person back there with me, one of us will go up and cycle out if it's a weekday and we've got not that much else to do but zone and keep eggs and milk stocked.

 

[OneArmedJesus]

Fun fact

I've never backed up before.

I pretty much went from sfs to electronics

Got some basic cashier training at the boat

Even when I'm Hardlines, they still consider me Electronics

 

[Kartman]

Even when I'm Hardlines

But you should not consider yourself a lazy fuck. If you can help the front end out, then help the front end out!

 

[OneArmedJesus]

But you should not consider yourself a lazy fuck. If you can help the front end out, then help the front end out!

Lol the one time I actually got called up for back up, they ended up not needing me.

It's just that they never call me up, once the "team we need back up at the front" call goes out, the ETLs and the LoD will start calling Softlines and other team members

 

[Kartman]

You don't wait for "them" to call your name. You respond to the call, period.

Lazy fucks wait to be called out by name.