Bikes

[BadaBing]

Hopefully someone can help me understand the backwards management target has... so here goes. Originally i did presentation. However, the tl on plano is absolutely incompetent and it got to the point where i just couldn't work with this person anymore, and decided to just do flow.. which in my opinion is a super easy gig.. about 2 months ago my etl comes up to me and asks me if i would be interested in building bikes cause she knew i also do mechanic work outside of work and probably figured i would be a natural fit.. which it was.. however, i was told that i would just unload the truck and then spend the rest of my 6hrs building bikes and not pushing.. allegedly these were the stipulations put in place by corporate.. before i go any further it is imperative that you understand 2 things here.. 1, i work in the northeast and bikes are seasonal here, we only sell them during the summer. And, 2. I'm literally the only mechanically inclined person in the whole store who can build these bikes correctly and without any problems.. now, with that being said.. im still constantly asked to push merch, blackstock.. and then build bikes.. however, my store is so grossly mismanaged that im literally doing a million other things.. I'm lucky if i can even get the time to build one or two a day.. its the beginning of may now and ppl are already coming in everyday and asking why there are never any bikes up, because the target app says they're in stock. Lol, I've tried talking to everyone in a leadership position about just giving me my own shift to JUST BUILD BIKES, but the tl's and etl's in my store dont run on logic and common sense, so I'm at a dead end here, and getting to the point where I'm just gonna tell them not to ask me to do bikes, cause it's a waste of time.. which is too bad, cause i actually like building bikes and take it very serious... i just don't understand why they can't see the logic in giving me my own shift for the summer to build bikes while they're in season??

 

[jenna]

Unfortunately, that sounds par for the course at most Targets.

I am sorry. You can try going to the TL over the Sporting Goods area, and mention you are more than willing to build the bikes, so the bike wall is filled in a timely manner.

Until a TL or an ETL cares, then there's not much you can do.

 

[Black Sheep 214]

Sorry that you are in this situation, it must be frustrating beyond belief. ASANTS, but one of the reasons why leadership doesn’t see the logic in giving you your own shift for the summer to build bikes could be that they are so focused on meeting the day’s unrealistic expectations with too few resources that they will pull anyone from any job just to get by. They aren’t thinking about long term goals like building bikes today so that they will have them ready when the guests come in to buy them either because they don’t care, they figure it’s not their problem or don’t make the logical connection that if you don’t build bikes on a regular basis they won’t have them to sell later. If your ETL can’t get the SD to demand that you be left alone to build bikes, I don’t see much hope for you, since the other ETLs apparently only care about taking care of their own areas and using your hours to do it. Good luck!

 

[BackupTL]

I'm a GMTL in charge of sports (and so bikes as well), and let me tell you it's the bane of my existence. My SD is constantly telling me that they need to be built as soon as I finish unloading the truck, however I've never been trained on it and the 2TMs that are aren't even under my areas. To top that off I've got no sports DBO, and when I did they expected them to magically complete all their DBO tasks AND build bikes in a standard shift.

My day basically consists of frantically looking for a TM that can build them correctly and asking them to get back there ASAP, while also apologizing to their TL that I need them as well as the SD/ETL-GM for not having it done literally instantly.

 

[happygoth]

I'm a GMTL in charge of sports (and so bikes as well), and let me tell you it's the bane of my existence. My SD is constantly telling me that they need to be built as soon as I finish unloading the truck, however I've never been trained on it and the 2TMs that are aren't even under my areas. To top that off I've got no sports DBO, and when I did they expected them to magically complete all their DBO tasks AND build bikes in a standard shift.

My day basically consists of frantically looking for a TM that can build them correctly and asking them to get back there ASAP, while also apologizing to their TL that I need them as well as the SD/ETL-GM for not having it done literally instantly.

Well that's just poor management on the part of your SD and ETL. They should work with you to come up with a plan, not just tell you to handle it and walk away. Wow.

 

[Far from newbie]

If you are a TL you should NOT be building bikes - you should be coming up with a PLAN to get the bikes built.
‘YOU need to move team members to get done what needs to be done. Utilize your resources where needed.
Find out who is capable to build bikes and work with your ETL on getting that person scheduled with a bike building shift code so that they are not responsible for doing anything else that day. Go to your SD with your plan and get support.
work with the other TL also - they may have tm’s that are caught up and could help - or trade.

 

[FlowTeamChick]

Here's the nut of the issue: logic and Target don't play well together.
Do any of those guests looking for bikes ask to speak to a manager? Nothing is going to change at your store until the SD sees that guests are wanting to buy bikes and can't because they're not built yet. Lost sales will provoke more change than logic.

 

[IWishIKnew]

My store has, from what i can tell, bike-building hours one day every week (may be every other week these days, but it used to be weekly).

We have a ton of unassembled bikes in the back, but we will sell unassembled bikes (not all stores will).

 

[Ringwraith917]

Hey sorry I'm late to the party I've been taking a break from the break room for a while. So, I'm the bike builder at my store for a few years now. I get a full shift on bikes twice a week (5 hours each). Usually I don't have enough bikes to fill the entire shift, so I help with other tasks afterwards. I don't know how to convince your team leadership to give you the time required, but it does negatively impact INF's and sales when you're unable to get them built.
One thing I will say is "the squeaky wheel get the grease." So be squeaky. Remind your TL daily that y'all have 27 bikes to build and you're the only one trained so you need the time to do it. I think 30 minutes per bike is the expectation. So that's what you can ask for, or quote, when someone asks how long it should take.

 

[Kekemcghee]

I get a full shift on bikes twice a week (5 hours each). Usually I don't have enough bikes to fill the entire shift, so I help with other tasks afterwards.

Ugh I wish our store cared enough to let our bike builder build as many bikes as possible. We only build them on demand. When someone comes to pick up their unbuilt bike through online ordering, I always feel so embarrassed. Especially when they drive like an hour or something. One time a guest got mad and told me on Target.com it says they're all built (not sure if thats true or not) and I'm just like 🤷‍♀️

 

[IWishIKnew]

Oh, that's a terrible policy and I'm surprised they get away with that. Bikes are a huge seller at my store.

ETA: The guest was probably confused, because Target.com doesn't know or care whether it was built, just that it physically exists somewhere in the store.

 

[Ringwraith917]

Ugh I wish our store cared enough to let our bike builder build as many bikes as possible. We only build them on demand. When someone comes to pick up their unbuilt bike through online ordering, I always feel so embarrassed. Especially when they drive like an hour or something. One time a guest got mad and told me on Target.com it says they're all built (not sure if thats true or not) and I'm just like 🤷‍♀️

Official policy is to INF a 20 in or above bicycle order if it's not assembled by the time the OPU team member attempts to pick it.

 

[IWishIKnew]

I feel like they shouldn't allow guests to order bikes via OPU, because there's no way to know whether a bike is assembled or not. A guest expecting an assembled bike would be in for a surprise at my store if there was a bike in stock that wasn't assembled, as I'm pretty sure they will sell those (unless guidance has changed since the Great Bike Rush of 2020).

Or SFS, for that matter, as you don't want to ship a bike that's assembled, if that's all you have on hand.

 

[ION the Prize]

At my store the rule of thumb is if it's not assembled and on the floor, then we don't have it.

The other day a customer comes in looking for a BMX bike she saw we had in stock. I was keeping my statements kinda vague, but I apologized and told her somebody has to come in and build them . Y'know, like it's some special guy who does it.

She wants the bike. Can she just buy the bike in the box? I let her know I can at least ask and I disappear into the back. My team lead tells me bikes will get built tomorrow, and the best we can do is take her number and call her after the bike gets built.

She doesn't want to wait. She gives up. But before she's left the store out from the back comes the other guy who builds bikes. Right in front of her he's pushing a newly assembled Huffy.

 

[Kekemcghee]

I feel like they shouldn't allow guests to order bikes via OPU, because there's no way to know whether a bike is assembled or not. A guest expecting an assembled bike would be in for a surprise at my store if there was a bike in stock that wasn't assembled, as I'm pretty sure they will sell those (unless guidance has changed since the Great Bike Rush of 2020).

Or SFS, for that matter, as you don't want to ship a bike that's assembled, if that's all you have on hand.

I, too, feel like they shouldn't. Unfortunately it feels like some higher ups at my store are getting away with a lot of unethical and questionable stuff. And because the metrics are usually pretty good, it gets overshadowed (so it seems).

 

[Ringwraith917]

We allow guests to purchase unassembled bikes and then leave them for me to build, if for some reason I haven't got to build it yet (arrived between my shifts maybe). I have a problem with leadership allowing guests to get smaller bikes built on my time, or making me build bikes guests have ordered from Target online.

 

[UboatOfDeath]

The way most shift leaders or ETL's see it.
They take 100% priority in whatever push that came from the truck, making sure the sales floor is cleared before store hours, and if the backstock is "complete" especially on days when the flow team is understaffed/people called off...

 

[Ringwraith917]

Has anyone used the new bike part ordering portal on workbench? I used it once about 3 weeks ago and still haven't received my part, is anyone else having difficulty? Also I cannot locate it again. I was only able to access it through the link in the communication about the new portal at that time.

 

[Bosch]

INF city at my store for bikes, since they have like six pallets of them waiting to get built. And all of us gear heads would gladly take turns turning a wrench to build one here and there. But no, let them pile up.

 

[Ringwraith917]

Anyone else drowning in bikes right now? 25 on the sales floor, 45 built in the backroom, just got another shipment of 30ish.. Nowhere to stage them built. I guess they overestimated bike sales for my store

 

[Ringwraith917]

Still over full with bikes although less than before the holidays, but prices just increased so that should slow sales for a while and not help move inventory. #frustrated

 

[BurgerBob]

Yup. Id work the closes for tech. I'm eye sight from the bike wall so i get allotta those questions.

Sometimes we would sell them the bike with a discount un built. Sometimes we wouldn't , Sometimes i could leave a note for the bike builder, but usually the response was come back tommorow we build more everyday.