Archived Bye Bye MAX FSTL.... Hello MY TIME........

[Hardlinesmaster]

It does not work at my store.

 

[RichardAlpert]

A+ Super and I don't know where the hours are. I'm already dreading 4th quarter. Mytime probably won't even let us go overnight.

 

[nolongerspecial]

We tried letting it ride for awhile and it was a disaster. It now takes hr longer than it did with Max to get the schedule together and make it semi possible to get things done.

 

[sher]

It makes the schedule stupidly at my store, so I'd say it's not working in that respect. It's not really screwing me on hours, though, so that's good. Well, it led to a ton of new hires, and eventually, I may have less hours again. On the newest schedule, I was dropped back down to 30. I was on the road to qualifying for healthcare, so now I'm nervous (my average is now less than 2 hours away if I've been reading the avg right... Idk if the average shown is for the year so far or if it's just the last month's avg..)

But MyTime basically sucks. I did get my days off in a row on the new schedule. Not sure if that was a result of complaining about it in my walking chat or not.

 

[Rock Lobster]

We tried letting it ride for awhile and it was a disaster. It now takes hr longer than it did with Max to get the schedule together and make it semi possible to get things done.

I am going to say that I have seen plenty of tests going on (that will definitely roll out) that require MyTime scheduling. The leaders need to remember that corporate is assuming we are all on MyTime (which means 1 opener and 1 closer in areas, and any other payroll goes to mid shifts), so all future rollouts are going to set up routines around this type of schedule. "Getting things done" like we used to will not happen, and attempting to apply ANY of the routines we used to have will generally fall short.

 

[RedDog]

We tried letting it ride for awhile and it was a disaster. It now takes hr longer than it did with Max to get the schedule together and make it semi possible to get things done.

I am going to say that I have seen plenty of tests going on (that will definitely roll out) that require MyTime scheduling. The leaders need to remember that corporate is assuming we are all on MyTime (which means 1 opener and 1 closer in areas, and any other payroll goes to mid shifts), so all future rollouts are going to set up routines around this type of schedule. "Getting things done" like we used to will not happen, and attempting to apply ANY of the routines we used to have will generally fall short.

And once again HQ reality and the reality in the store are nothing alike. It is funny Target roles out a terrible program that does not work, stores find a way around it, Target roles out next program based on thinking first program is huge win. New program crashes and burns and HQ can not figure out why. This is like Targets new repeat cycle.

 

[mrknownothing]

While it's not as bad as when it first rolled out (last fall), MyTime has been a miserable failure at my store. The front lanes and sales floor (not including consumables) are understaffed, resulting in ridiculous back-ups and a sales floor that looks like shit every night.

 

[nolongerspecial]

While it's not as bad as when it first rolled out (last fall), MyTime has been a miserable failure at my store. The front lanes and sales floor (not including consumables) are understaffed, resulting in ridiculous back-ups and a sales floor that looks like shit every night.

This has been pretty much our issue as well. The sales floor schedule has seemed to have smoothed out somewhat, and having mids is a luxury my ULV certainly never had before - but the front end schedule is crazy so everyone is on backup all the time.

It's going to be interesting to see what January brings, but I'll hopefully be long gone by then. In a semi related note, the more I interview elsewhere, the more people react sympathetically when they talk to me about working for Target. So sad.

 

[Rock Lobster]

While it's not as bad as when it first rolled out (last fall), MyTime has been a miserable failure at my store. The front lanes and sales floor (not including consumables) are understaffed, resulting in ridiculous back-ups and a sales floor that looks like shit every night.

The Front Lanes are going to be evening out now that they are "fixed" and their hours are based solely on sales and transactions. They cannot be cut from hour allocation and the amount of hours resembles what MAX was giving. If your store is simply understaffed or beating forecasts then it will feel backed up no matter the scheduling software.

Furthermore, the expectations on the salesfloor are changing drastically. They are currently changing the pulls (some stores don't have any, some only pull at very low triggers etc) so that the workload is reduced, and zoning no longer takes place at night. It takes place from 11-5 since most stores' peak hour is from 5-6. This means your store looks best when the most guests will be here, and you can do reshop and projects from 8-11 or 6-Close (as those will most likely be TLs or single coverage times).

 

[CIHYFS]

We have been in constant back-up on the lanes since we got MyTime a few weeks ago. It is ridiculous. And on top of that the salesfloor is either understaffed also OR our shortage of walkies makes it so we can not resolve the back-up.

One night last week the entire salesfloor was basically cashiers because we were so busy that I couldn't let them get off a lane without getting into back-up again. Eventually the LOD told me that I needed to stop calling for back-up and the guests would just have to wait and to let the salesfloor do their jobs.... So we just had to operate in 1+10 back-up for a few hours on the 6 lanes I had cashiers for. And they wonder why our vibe scores are terrible? This company is so crazy.

 

[Rock Lobster]

We have been in constant back-up on the lanes since we got MyTime a few weeks ago. It is ridiculous. And on top of that the salesfloor is either understaffed also OR our shortage of walkies makes it so we can not resolve the back-up.

One night last week the entire salesfloor was basically cashiers because we were so busy that I couldn't let them get off a lane without getting into back-up again. Eventually the LOD told me that I needed to stop calling for back-up and the guests would just have to wait and to let the salesfloor do their jobs.... So we just had to operate in 1+10 back-up for a few hours on the 6 lanes I had cashiers for. And they wonder why our vibe scores are terrible? This company is so crazy.

I cannot answer every issue, but most stores don't fill every open shift that MyTime generates simply out of confusion at first. About a month ago they posted a fix to cashier hours that keeps them fixed, so they are allocated the same amount that MAX gave in general. Now if your team is spending them all is another question. The salesfloor is a big change, I will admit, but your vibe scores will improve by using MyTime perfectly. It makes sure your weekends are staffed first and then during the week. It prioritizes hours in the middle of the day and leaves single coverage during the early and late hours. This may mean the stores are not able to get zone done like they used to, but at the end of the day it is more important to get great vibe scores than secure a great zone. The priority needs to be having enough team members in the building during our busiest times so they can vibe and drive sales. Once your store has that setup, THEN they can decide how they can get zone and reshop and pulls completed without any changes to the schedule.

 

[nolongerspecial]

Furthermore, the expectations on the salesfloor are changing drastically. They are currently changing the pulls (some stores don't have any, some only pull at very low triggers etc) so that the workload is reduced, and zoning no longer takes place at night. It takes place from 11-5 since most stores' peak hour is from 5-6. This means your store looks best when the most guests will be here, and you can do reshop and projects from 8-11 or 6-Close (as those will most likely be TLs or single coverage times).

What tls are going to be there for projects? The one sales floor tl left who is also lod and has no time for projects?

At least in my store, not prioritizing the zone has led to a low vibe score and a rash of guest comments about how bad our store looks. Hopefully this will turn around.

I get the logic behind these changes, and seeing them laid out does seem to make sense, but man is everyone struggling during the learning curve. Changing the way the work flow generally happens could have a big impact though, I'm curious to see how it works. Thanks for the info!

 

[Retail Girl]

TLs working at night? That's a great joke!
We have our SFTL, who is a senior, so his evening shifts are LOD shifts.
We have our two GSTLs, who are seniors, so their evening shifts are LOD shifts (then they wonder why the GSAs work 4 to 5 evenings a week).
We have our repleshiment TL, who is a senior so his evening shifts are LOD shifts.
Our Plano TL doesn't work evenings.
Our SB/FATL works one evening a week in her own department.
That's it.

Our STL told us they could no longer take training hours out of the cashier grid. Even with that they've been over scheduling at the front lanes. And it still isn't enough. Now granted our comp was at 8% last month. Too bad our vibe scores are going through the floor.

 

[RedDog]

MyTime seems to based on the theory that you will have lots of Team Members who are willing to work random schedules, with short shifts, and few hours and that they will show up. And that seems it primary flaw. Very few people are going to stay at a job like that and even less will have any sort of loyalty and show up for shifts. The time and money wasted trying to stay staffed to make the system work is going to be high. And it seems if you are not staffed at the levels it needs then it will never work properly. Again it seems like a system that was created for a different reality.

 

[mrknownothing]

This may mean the stores are not able to get zone done like they used to, but at the end of the day it is more important to get great vibe scores than secure a great zone. The priority needs to be having enough team members in the building during our busiest times so they can vibe and drive sales. Once your store has that setup, THEN they can decide how they can get zone and reshop and pulls completed without any changes to the schedule.

Who wants to shop in a messy store where they can't find what they're looking for and don't know the prices because everything is strewn about? Poor zones and outs lead to poor vibe scores.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Loyalty is gone from spot, now a days...

 

[Bosch]

We have been in constant back-up on the lanes since we got MyTime a few weeks ago. It is ridiculous. And on top of that the salesfloor is either understaffed also OR our shortage of walkies makes it so we can not resolve the back-up.

One night last week the entire salesfloor was basically cashiers because we were so busy that I couldn't let them get off a lane without getting into back-up again. Eventually the LOD told me that I needed to stop calling for back-up and the guests would just have to wait and to let the salesfloor do their jobs.... So we just had to operate in 1+10 back-up for a few hours on the 6 lanes I had cashiers for. And they wonder why our vibe scores are terrible? This company is so crazy.

We had that issue when MyTime rolled out, it has eased up. They either played some games, or the system figured out we needed more cashiers. Cause at my AAA High volume store we were literally in back up at 8:05am until close. But have sales floor CAF pushers fumbling over each other looking for stuff to do. We have to start the day with at least two cashiers. Then roll then rest in at each hour. Nope you get one. It so did not work. But it has gotten better.

 

[daninnj]

The salesfloor is a big change, I will admit, but your vibe scores will improve by using MyTime perfectly.

Please... the days of good guest service are gone. Target completely killed any guest-orientated culture in the mind of its team members when it started cutting hours drastically and scheduling less people on the floor which in turn hurt tm loyalty to their jobs. Why was the vibe introduced? Why did they aggressively push top of the hour/power hour? Those programs were instituted to artificially inflate guest service that disappeared when Target started treating their TMs like crap. I remember years ago going into Target and hearing CIHYFS? and almost every employee being cheerful. I'm in different Targets all the time and of the 15 different Targets I've been in at least 100 different times (not including my store) in the past year I've heard maybe five CIHYFS. Years ago I would go to Target and almost every worker would ask it.

Target has dug itself into a hole.

 

[pellinore]

yes, a very

D
E
E
E
E
E
E
P

hole.

 

[Voicetarget]

Target is destroying target itself from within. Proof? The team morale of stores across the country. Spot needs to listen to their team- not the Best Team Survey crap, but listen to YOUR team and how things REALLY are. Why Target has not yet abandoned MyTime is beyond me, it is so clear that computer automated scheduling does not work for Target. We are NOT like other retailers, so we must not shift our way of scheduling to such a degree in which there is NoTime! We are GUEST DRIVEN, pure to the word, but lately, the only thing that drives us is the possibility that "Tomorrow" may be better, in terms of scheduling. Closing busy weekends with 3 salesfloor team members and 1 cashier is not only hard on the team, but hard for the guests. To the corporate heads- my challenge to you is to lead a store to a brand close during a busy weekend at a high volume Target store (Outside of Minnesota, away from the "Test stores" where Mytime mysteriously and magically works). Let's see how much hair you want to rip out of your heads by the end of the night.

The Target credit card breach in 2013 and the botching of Canada Target stores should not be punishment for the things that were actually going RIGHT. You want to make up for the $$$ poured down the drain, then we will earn it back through consistent sales, hard work, and motivated team culture. You will NOT earn it back through cutting and saving hours.

The sooner Spot can swallow the pill they call pride and admit MyTime is not the right transition, then we can finally move forward together and make our step in the right direction.



PS: At your original MyTime "Test stores" , seeing as how it worked, either:
A: Those stores are not getting enough guests.
B: There is some serious overworking people there.

 

[Rock Lobster]

Furthermore, the expectations on the salesfloor are changing drastically. They are currently changing the pulls (some stores don't have any, some only pull at very low triggers etc) so that the workload is reduced, and zoning no longer takes place at night. It takes place from 11-5 since most stores' peak hour is from 5-6. This means your store looks best when the most guests will be here, and you can do reshop and projects from 8-11 or 6-Close (as those will most likely be TLs or single coverage times).

What tls are going to be there for projects? The one sales floor tl left who is also lod and has no time for projects?

At least in my store, not prioritizing the zone has led to a low vibe score and a rash of guest comments about how bad our store looks. Hopefully this will turn around.

I get the logic behind these changes, and seeing them laid out does seem to make sense, but man is everyone struggling during the learning curve. Changing the way the work flow generally happens could have a big impact though, I'm curious to see how it works. Thanks for the info!

Of course stores are struggling. So many leaders lack the vision of these changes. They nod their heads and say "yes sir" to whatever changes are dropping down, but then go out the floor and keep doing the same thing they were doing. The store isn't supposed to look perfect at close, because what guests are going to be around to care? Then stores let their zone go until open (so 8am to about 5:30PM the store is getting shopped) and it looks its WORST at 5 or 6, then once pulls are done started zoning again How does this make sense? How is this focused on our guests? Congratulations, your store may be getting zone done (or was) back when MAX was out and your store looked great at the end of the night, but it was at the wrong time.

 

[Rock Lobster]

The salesfloor is a big change, I will admit, but your vibe scores will improve by using MyTime perfectly.

Please... the days of good guest service are gone. Target completely killed any guest-orientated culture in the mind of its team members when it started cutting hours drastically and scheduling less people on the floor which in turn hurt tm loyalty to their jobs. Why was the vibe introduced? Why did they aggressively push top of the hour/power hour? Those programs were instituted to artificially inflate guest service that disappeared when Target started treating their TMs like crap. I remember years ago going into Target and hearing CIHYFS? and almost every employee being cheerful. I'm in different Targets all the time and of the 15 different Targets I've been in at least 100 different times (not including my store) in the past year I've heard maybe five CIHYFS. Years ago I would go to Target and almost every worker would ask it.

Target has dug itself into a hole.

I have been around a while, and have never seen service as much of a priority as it is now. Sure, we had more payroll back then and I get that we could be BETTER at the vibe if we were give more hours, but it is a diminishing returns thing to Target and back then people complained about payroll too! All my expectation was back when I was a TM was to ask "CIHYFS?" and move on. You never had to do more and it was about asking it over and over again. The vibe is not about that.

 

[Rock Lobster]

Target is destroying target itself from within. Proof? The team morale of stores across the country. Spot needs to listen to their team- not the Best Team Survey crap, but listen to YOUR team and how things REALLY are. Why Target has not yet abandoned MyTime is beyond me, it is so clear that computer automated scheduling does not work for Target. We are NOT like other retailers, so we must not shift our way of scheduling to such a degree in which there is NoTime! We are GUEST DRIVEN, pure to the word, but lately, the only thing that drives us is the possibility that "Tomorrow" may be better, in terms of scheduling. Closing busy weekends with 3 salesfloor team members and 1 cashier is not only hard on the team, but hard for the guests. To the corporate heads- my challenge to you is to lead a store to a brand close during a busy weekend at a high volume Target store (Outside of Minnesota, away from the "Test stores" where Mytime mysteriously and magically works). Let's see how much hair you want to rip out of your heads by the end of the night.

The Target credit card breach in 2013 and the botching of Canada Target stores should not be punishment for the things that were actually going RIGHT. You want to make up for the $$$ poured down the drain, then we will earn it back through consistent sales, hard work, and motivated team culture. You will NOT earn it back through cutting and saving hours.

The sooner Spot can swallow the pill they call pride and admit MyTime is not the right transition, then we can finally move forward together and make our step in the right direction.



PS: At your original MyTime "Test stores" , seeing as how it worked, either:
A: Those stores are not getting enough guests.
B: There is some serious overworking people there.

It is not about leading a store to a "Brand Close"... They don't care how it looks at close in all reality. They care how it looks by your peak hour. Be ready for your guests, not for your flow team.

 

[Voicetarget]

It is not about leading a store to a "Brand Close"... They don't care how it looks at close in all reality. They care how it looks by your peak hour. Be ready for your guests, not for your flow team.

Correct- as should be, but every store should have the aim to open to green presentable sales floor every workcenter, every morning. Being ready for all guests.

The challenge across Target stores on MyTime is achieving sales, maintaining presentation and rocking guest experience on bare minimum resources.

 

[nolongerspecial]

Also the argument can be made that being ready for the flow team is also of importance on some level. A lack of zoning slows them down thus making trucks take longer to push, effects accuracy which directly impacts guest service etc.

But all of that aside, I agree that morale is the biggest issue overall. Maybe this will eventually be addressed with the new ceo in place, maybe not. The environment is toxic and depressing. The breakroom conversations are always about who is job hunting, there's a stack of resumes in one of my etls mailboxes because he's also openly looking.

It's not that my team is not adaptable or positive - but if there's an overall direction to where the company is headed, it definitely isn't being communicated effectively at store level. It just feels like we're turning into Walmart. Except even Walmart is doing more innovative things than we are at this point (that receipt scanning thing is super cool).

Target has generally been really good to me and I hope it bounces back. But in the meantime tons of talent is walking out the door daily. I get that we're all expendable, but in over a decade with the company I've never been made to feel that way until now.