Archived Corporate, are you listening?

[BoxCutter]

Also, subtract the extra hours Ship was given, and all those pallets of salvage going out the bay doors.

 

[Overadecade]

Are profits up or down since "modernization"? Thats what they care about.

It's just a horrible amount of variables that they're dealing with, and I am worried they're putting too much stock into modernization numbers, pushing through things that might be short sighted.
As people have said, the economy was up in general. Target is making it's goal numbers, but we know those goal numbers were calculated lower due to remodels.
How much of the increases were due to increased Ship From Store and not true in store sales affected by modernization/remodels?
I know they have people watching these numbers, of course, but I'm still worried they're not reaching the right conclusions, and assuming the economy keeps the way it's going, which is completely unreasonable.

My region can't be the only one that's dealing with product lingering in the stockroom and empty shelves in important areas like grocery, or entire styles of clothing rotting in the stockroom because the new fixturing don't allow enough room to display everything, etc.
I'm worried too much of this might be style over substance, and when the newness wears off, the empty shelves will become more obvious to people shopping.

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

My stores 18 percent increase is about 12 percent sfs and the rest is instore sales. You can find these details out on your zebra.

 

[phibot]

Nothing will change until salaried store level leaders stop being afraid of visits.

Rushing to prepare for a visitor tells me that A. You knew what the problems were all along and B. That you have it in you to solve the problem quickly.

Just maintain the store, and then tell the visitor what works and what doesn't. If I'm not doing something well, I expect feedback. In fact I prefer it that way. Anything else is dishonest and counterproductive

 

[Black Sheep 214]

Nothing will change until salaried store level leaders stop being afraid of visits.

Rushing to prepare for a visitor tells me that A. You knew what the problems were all along and B. That you have it in you to solve the problem quickly.

Just maintain the store, and then tell the visitor what works and what doesn't. If I'm not doing something well, I expect feedback. In fact I prefer it that way. Anything else is dishonest and counterproductive

Most salaried store leaders care only about looking good to district and maximizing their bonus. Actually doing the jobs they were hired for seems to be a secondary consideration, since keeping the store running on a daily basis is not their priority, looking good for visits is all that seems to matter, along with green metrics of course. They don’t dare tell the DTL that corporate mandated processes are not working, it would cost them their jobs, plus there are always TLs/TMs to blame for any issues. Same thing with the DTLs, all the way up the line to HQ. Covering up the problems is like putting a band-aid on gangrene - it covers the wound but doesn’t solve the problem, which will just get worse until the victim dies. Same thing goes for companies where corporate leaders won’t listen to the truth about failing processes and store leaders won’t say that the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes. Nobody wins this game except the competition.

 

[Kartman]

Mcdonalds store managers have a more honorable job.

 

[Fix It]

Nothing will change until salaried store level leaders stop being afraid of visits.

Rushing to prepare for a visitor tells me that A. You knew what the problems were all along and B. That you have it in you to solve the problem quickly.

Just maintain the store, and then tell the visitor what works and what doesn't. If I'm not doing something well, I expect feedback. In fact I prefer it that way. Anything else is dishonest and counterproductive

Right. I stopped telling my leadership team when my BP or PMD are stopping by. You don’t have to be perfect to be visit ready.

 

[phibot]

Right. I stopped telling my leadership team when my BP or PMD are stopping by.

Same. My ETLs and I see visits very differently

 

[Jimmy Neutron]

Mcdonalds store managers have a more honorable job.

I would gladly switch my position at spot with a manager at McDonald’s any day

 

[Kartman]

Mcdonalds, like Target, hires every day. Go for it!

 

[KittersOfTarget]

Listen to your stores, store modernization is not working.

Agreed but I do NOT think corporate actually cares. They like to view MIS reports and the like. What I've seen is a mass exodus of formerly dedicated Target people who just realize things have taken a turn.

Target corporate has a completely different outlook, I assure you, than they share with your DTL and I guarantee your STL has no clue.

It's sad.

 

[GoTo2]

Nothing will change until salaried store level leaders stop being afraid of visits.

Rushing to prepare for a visitor tells me that A. You knew what the problems were all along and B. That you have it in you to solve the problem quickly.

Just maintain the store, and then tell the visitor what works and what doesn't. If I'm not doing something well, I expect feedback. In fact I prefer it that way. Anything else is dishonest and counterproductive

They are terrified of them. Every time we have a visit, the store jumps through hoops and visit lasts 30 min or not at all

 

[RistrettoShots]

After a full year of SCO, losing good regular customers to competitor grocery store that doesn't have sco, I can safely share....

Guests are mad. They dont mind sco now for small baskets but really get mad when there's only one cashier.

I dont care how much we engage, offer to cashier at eco, they are still mad.

This is ruining our ability to offer good service.

Agree with this...SO, SO MUCH. Flex store and we dont get any cashiers until 10 or 11am. Our guest service tm will ring up over there but as she's trying to push/zone bullseye and watch sco, while I'm alone at sbux...and then I'm stuck getting change and unjamming self checkout while she's doing returns. But then here I am pushing food and zoning softlines at the same time, on top of that handling guest comments, helping with opu, making drinks for guests, pulling food, answering the phone, meeting with vendors, putting away sbux order. It's hard. I'm trying to go senior but here I am running back and forth so my STL can focus on audits and transitions. Its like noone has the time to teach me anything and it's frustrating because guests are getting mad, sales are crap, and I'm not able to fully own food like I'd like to because there's still so much I don't know.

 

[KittersOfTarget]

I understand.

 

[Times Up]

After a full year of SCO, losing good regular customers to competitor grocery store that doesn't have sco, I can safely share....

Guests are mad. They dont mind sco now for small baskets but really get mad when there's only one cashier.

I dont care how much we engage, offer to cashier at eco, they are still mad.

This is ruining our ability to offer good service.

Yes, this. I had an opening SCO shift last week and no cashier until 10. I had all 4 of the lanes being used and another 5-6 waiting to check out. Then I needed to help out with the seniors who HATE SCO. All the while Starbucks drinking diaper mom is huffing and puffing and repeatedly apologizing to her 3 y/o, "I'm sorry this is taking sooo long."

Yes, this is not working for our guests. And I don't see how it's going to work for our TMs either. At some point $15/hr isn't going to keep or attract quality TMs.

 

[Black Sheep 214]

Yes, this. I had an opening SCO shift last week and no cashier until 10. I had all 4 of the lanes being used and another 5-6 waiting to check out. Then I needed to help out with the seniors who HATE SCO. All the while Starbucks drinking diaper mom is huffing and puffing and repeatedly apologizing to her 3 y/o, "I'm sorry this is taking sooo long."

Yes, this is not working for our guests. And I don't see how it's going to work for our TMs either. At some point $15/hr isn't going to keep or attract quality TMs.

^This! Guests do hate SCO, and for good reason. Most people don’t go shopping to play sales clerk and ring themselves up. Spot calls customers “guests” but expects them to ring themselves up, basically working for Spot for free, cutting TMs out of a job. Doesn’t work for me, or for a lot of people. And whether Spot pays $12 or $15 an hour, TMs will only take so much crap at work or tolerate so many cut hours before they move on to greener pastures.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

^This! Guests do hate SCO, and for good reason. Most people don’t go shopping to play sales clerk and ring themselves up. Spot calls customers “guests” but expects them to ring themselves up, basically working for Spot for free, cutting TMs out of a job. Doesn’t work for me, or for a lot of people. And whether Spot pays $12 or $15 an hour, TMs will only take so much crap at work or tolerate so many cut hours before they move on to greener pastures.

I know this is like hot take but the guests who hate SCO aren’t who SCO is for.

I love it, as do many younger people (at least at my store). That’s who it’s for. And honestly, Target SCO is hands down the best SCO I’ve ever used (and I always use SCO in any store that has it).

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

Nothing will change until salaried store level leaders stop being afraid of visits.

Rushing to prepare for a visitor tells me that A. You knew what the problems were all along and B. That you have it in you to solve the problem quickly.

Just maintain the store, and then tell the visitor what works and what doesn't. If I'm not doing something well, I expect feedback. In fact I prefer it that way. Anything else is dishonest and counterproductive

I’ve been w spot for more than 20 years. We’ve always rushed the day of a visit to fix what we know is wrong. Has nothing to do w modernization.

 

[Times Up]

I know this is like hot take but the guests who hate SCO aren’t who SCO is for.

I love it, as do many younger people (at least at my store). That’s who it’s for. And honestly, Target SCO is hands down the best SCO I’ve ever used (and I always use SCO in any store that has it).

Agreed. However, when a store doesn't give the guest the choice of using a lane with a cashier (preferred by many of the seniors and the diaper moms with a cartload at my store), there's going to be unhappy guests.

It's not that SCO's are a bad thing. It's a problem when guests are not treated the way they expect to be treated.

 

[Jane1980]

I get alot of complaints from guests about how we should be stocking at night and another thing if a guest feels bad about being in my way then thats not a very good shopping experience and the guests well remember that when there deciding on what stores they want to spend money at

I hear the same thing. Our store is small compared to others and stocking shelves is difficult for guests to enter the same aisle. There is a lot of complaints but upper management doesn't seem to listen.

 

[phibot]

I’ve been w spot for more than 20 years. We’ve always rushed the day of a visit to fix what we know is wrong. Has nothing to do w modernization.

That's why modernization is a thing. Not enough people telling higher ups no

 

[Softsoul]

Spot- you need like 3 more me’s at least per shift (each shift) to do this shit.
P.S. I still love you, please don’t fire me.

 

[Softsoul]

I hear the same thing. Our store is small compared to others and stocking shelves is difficult for guests to enter the same aisle. There is a lot of complaints but upper management doesn't seem to listen.

I feel like the store could be closed, and still, somehow, someway, a guest will appear right in front of what you are trying to stock, and just neeeeed to look at what is on the shelf, or rack you are stocking, for 20 minutes (and okay maybe it’s more like 5, but it feels like 20) even if there’s nothing on it; or if not, they will just have to look at you angrily, and huff and puff when you ask them if you can help them find anything, as if you being there, doing your job, making sure there is shit for them to buy, is some huge inconvenience to them..... but I feel like it’s worth a shot, let’s try it. Let me come in at 5 or 6 to push/auto fill, then I can be your friendly, helpful, customer service rep, and let me leave when the sun’s still out so I can have a life, and be back to do it all again the next day, please Target Lord. Thank you in advance

 

[jenna]

My favorite is when the guest pushes their way down the aisle (where a team member is working) while all the other aisles are virtually clear. Bonus points if it is during a major reset of a Department. Double bonus if the team member has to stop working to help the guest - walks with the guest across the store, and into a department where three other team members are working.

 

[BackroomAlpha]

Word from district operations director, many corporate bodies are spending hours working in stores last minute to try and help figure this thing out because it is failing so hard. I'm def an optimist here but how we've been restructured is causing a lot of confusion and is quite the conundrum. In my years with target, this is truly the first time I've ever feared for the companies inner well being. Sad to say if this doesnt get figured out in the next year, there are probably going to be serious consequences.