Archived cashiers and walkies.

[pellinore]

GSTL & GSA jobs vary quite a bit within stores. Some of you have mentioned that you have 25 cashiers at one time. So, with that many cashiers you've probably got a of having 2 or more GSAs or GSTLs scheduled all the time.

In my store, we had 18 registers. Since our front end remodel we have 13....but three of those are at Guest Services. That leaves us with 10 registers. Our GS desk is now only 8 or 9 feet away from our regular registers....so now it is easier for GSTL & GSAs to see the cashiers.

Our cashier area is too small to have "speedweaving." We only have two shifts for the front end GSA/GSTL. Their time has an overlap of 30 minutes. We usually have one person at the GS desk and that often isn't enough so the GSA/GSTL often has to jump in to help GS. When that happens, we can't get help very quickly because the GSA/GSTL is busy.

Now, after our remodel the Kiosks for the registries and the hiring kiosks are about 45 feet away.....BEHIND GS. Our photo lab is about as far away, but it is not an area you can see from GS. Just these small things it is easy to understand why a GSA/GSTL can't be seen.....let alone do their other work.

We can run into problems when a closing cashier calls off.....with a call off then the last hour we are open there is no cashier....so GSA/GSTL sometimes have to jump on the registers. When we have a GS TM call off then the GSA/GSTL has to be at GS.

And then there are times when the GSA/GSTL are MIA....that's when we use our back-up button.
We don't have enough walkies to have any more than two up front....one for GS & one for the GSA/GSTL.

We use our lights to call for help, too. We got new lights with the remodel. Finally, there are some GSA/GSTL TM that don't wear the LPDA...the only way to get the attention is to press the back up button.

 

[mxrbook]

Wow. That's so different. I didn't count Guest Service. We have 5 registers at GS - from 11:30 til 4 every day, we have three GS cashiers. The only time we have only one at GS are the first hour of the day and last two hours of the day.

Tonight at closing we had four registers running in addition to Guest Service, and had three cashiers out zoning. We open every morning with at least 4, sometimes 5 plus Guest Service, plus photo. We have 2 opening cart attendants and 2 closers and Fri/Sat/Sun, we have a mid as well.

I guess we are a busy, busy store. 😉

 

[buliSBI]

Blinking your lane light should only be used if the Additional Cashier function is down.

If you need to call the salesfloor, you can call the operator or type in the phone-to-walkie combo, and make a quick request.

 

[redeye58]

At FA or SB, I'll hit the help button only to get a message saying: "Off-line: turn on lane light"
And we don't HAVE one so we hit the "Additional assist" button & wait for them to come over & carp at us for requesting assistance.

 

[mrknownothing]

or type in the phone-to-walkie combo

I thought that didn't work anymore.

 

[bamboohoney]

I have had a GSTL tell me to not hit the help button because "there is no backup and we don't need any help". One day me hitting the assistance button caused an argument. Problem is she doesn't pay attention to the 1x1, and doesn't watch the lanes. I have had a 5 cart backup, and she calls responds on the radio that we don't need help. When I looked up she was behind guest service, and clearly hadn't looked up (because then she would have seen my issue). When she walked by my stand she said (in front of the waiting guests), "don't use that button unless you really need it". Due to our previous arguments I put my head down and charged through the backup. Finally, the last guest said "pity you didn't get any help"

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

I have had a GSTL tell me to not hit the help button because "there is no backup and we don't need any help". One day me hitting the assistance button caused an argument. Problem is she doesn't pay attention to the 1x1, and doesn't watch the lanes. I have had a 5 cart backup, and she calls responds on the radio that we don't need help. When I looked up she was behind guest service, and clearly hadn't looked up (because then she would have seen my issue). When she walked by my stand she said (in front of the waiting guests), "don't use that button unless you really need it". Due to our previous arguments I put my head down and charged through the backup. Finally, the last guest said "pity you didn't get any help"

Hit the button! If your gstl tells you no again, ask the Lod for the best answer. Plus, not calling for backup hurts surveys score too.

 

[mxrbook]

I have had a GSTL tell me to not hit the help button because "there is no backup and we don't need any help". One day me hitting the assistance button caused an argument. Problem is she doesn't pay attention to the 1x1, and doesn't watch the lanes. I have had a 5 cart backup, and she calls responds on the radio that we don't need help. When I looked up she was behind guest service, and clearly hadn't looked up (because then she would have seen my issue). When she walked by my stand she said (in front of the waiting guests), "don't use that button unless you really need it". Due to our previous arguments I put my head down and charged through the backup. Finally, the last guest said "pity you didn't get any help"

Hit the button! If your gstl tells you no again, ask the Lod for the best answer. Plus, not calling for backup hurts surveys score too.

Better not ask our LODs! Regardless of the times we've asked her not to use the button, we have one cashier who does it if she has a large order and someone else gets into her lane. She pushed the button so much one day that the STL came out of his office and said, "If she pushes that effin button one more time, put her on CA Final."

Of course, you can't put someone on CA Final for that and he knew that, but he was pissed! Different stores, different cultures. Our STLs and ETLs know that we as GSTLs and GSAs ARE doing our jobs and, as I stated previously, we can take care and will take care of any back up without using that button. It's an unnecessary annoyance in my store. Apparently it's different in other stores, but in my store, that button can get you into trouble!

 

[ZombieGurl]

our cashiers hit the additional cashier button most of the time our GSA's and GSTL's aren't watching th lanes they are in the office, or at tsc chit chatting , or standing in food ave chit chatting.. drives me insane

 

[HardlinesFour]

or type in the phone-to-walkie combo

I thought that didn't work anymore.

Try 3789# or 789#, it might possibly do something.... Some stores never disabled it.

 

[Retail Girl]

It is possible to hit the button too much. There was one time I was working out batteries at the check lanes (I was not scheduled to cashier) but the other cashiers saw me there, so they kept punching the button every 5 minutes for no reason. I finally had to go to a different part of the store to work out batteries there just to get them to stop hitting the damn button.

 

[redeye58]

I'd have broken someone's button-pushing finger at that point....

 

[mrknownothing]

One of our seasonals last year had a tendency to hit the button all the time when there was no back-up. Interestingly enough, after the seasonals were let go, my STL started encouraging us to use the button when our lines exceed 1+1.

 

[lanemich]

Mxr that's a prime example whats wrong with most GSTLs.

If a cashier wants to hit that button, you most likely aren't doing your job. Sure it makes you look good when they don't hit it, because the LOD doesn't hear it go off, and it makes it look like you're being pre-emptive with the backups. But in reality you're just telling cashiers to not follow best practice. But hey, that sure makes you look good to your boss when they never hear additional assistance go off, doesn't it?!?

Also, if you're with another guest and busy, who's going to call for backup if you aren't? That's right. Hit the button.

Plus, at night I almost always made sure at least one of my cashiers had a walkie while I was closing registers. Especially if I wasn't in line of sight of the open registers (can't always trust the LPDA). It's just called good communication. Stop treating your cashiers like peons who don't deserve a walkie.

They still don't need walkies and I don't treat them like peons. I just want them to let me do my job. I can do it better than they can as I stated because they don't have the line of sight that I do from the front of the lanes. When you're at the register, you have no idea what I'm doing and what I'm planning. If I'm in the process of moving a cashier to the busier side, can you tell that from lane 1? Nope. Then is it reasonable to press the button? Nope. Because help is one the way. Let me do my job. You do yours, mkay?

As far as closing registers, the GSA closes the registers each night while the GSTL watches the lanes. I guess our store volume is greater than yours was so different rules apply.

then why have a button. why not strip hem of anymeans od assistance and tell them ur fired if u hit the button??

 

[Barcode]

There were times I wanted to bust someone's finger off for hitting the button too much, but it was few and far between. There were many times that it was very helpful for my cashiers to hit it because I was assisting with a guest or something other. Very easy for me to just say "Team I'm with a guest, can someone please head up?" And usually took care of it.

 

[pellinore]

Wow. That's so different. I didn't count Guest Service. We have 5 registers at GS - from 11:30 til 4 every day, we have three GS cashiers. The only time we have only one at GS are the first hour of the day and last two hours of the day.

Tonight at closing we had four registers running in addition to Guest Service, and had three cashiers out zoning. We open every morning with at least 4, sometimes 5 plus Guest Service, plus photo. We have 2 opening cart attendants and 2 closers and Fri/Sat/Sun, we have a mid as well.

I guess we are a busy, busy store. 😉

Two cart attendants...opening & closing. Wish we could have more cart attendants! My store has two cart attendant shifts....11am-3pm (sometimes it is 4pm) and 5pm to 10pm. Each shift has only one person to do all the cart attendant work.

 

[lovecats]

We had one year when the seasonal tms would hit the button because they thought it was like a help button. They did get that straightened out, eventually, thank goodness.

 

[The Dude Abides]

There were times I wanted to bust someone's finger off for hitting the button too much, but it was few and far between. There were many times that it was very helpful for my cashiers to hit it because I was assisting with a guest or something other. Very easy for me to just say "Team I'm with a guest, can someone please head up?" And usually took care of it.

This is pretty much dead on for me too. We have one cashier at our store who abuses the button, but the rest of them only hit it when it's necessary. It's a nice feature because I can't be everywhere at once. If I'm helping with a problem guest at the service desk, running all over the store helping a guest (bare-bones SF coverage), filling dollar spot, or zoning half the store (gotta love ULV) then it's nice that the cashiers can hit for backup to let me know there is a problem.

Not all of us work at stores that have coverage allowing us to do nothing except watch the lanes. My shift is probably about 90% other tasks and 5% watching the lanes and 5% stupid paper work they make us do for no reason.

The Dude

 

[Santee]

"Additional cashiers needed at Colorado Lanes" thats what I hear from my store but that target is a few blocks away lol!

 

[HardlinesFour]

If there's another Target within 1-2 miles of you, there Indyme Boxes will be heard at your store, and viceversa. Kinda funny too, hearing half conversations from team members at the sister store.. 😉