Archived Empty Shelves

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jarman

Joined
Dec 13, 2018
Messages
33
Target says they need sales. If we don't make sales we don't get more hours. Target cannot increase there sales if the shelves are empty and the merchandise is in the back. For example the dairy section is almost always empty yet there is pallets of dairy in cooler. I'am always asking for more hours so I can help fill the dairy and other out of stocks but have been unsucsessfull. I just started a few months ago and I've never seen a store like this with so much out of stocks and empty end caps, missing price tags. I would like to help make my target the #1 in the district but I only work 4 hours a day.
 
Pulls probably has most of those items. Then depending on your store volume. You may only have a 2-3 trucks a week. 5-7 trucks for higher volumes.

Ask if you can join the ad team.
 
I hear you. Shelves overstocked with some items and completely empty of others that are in the back is what modernization without the hours and accountability to make it work gets you. I have a list of issues in my section that need to be fixed, some are minor. Some are fairly big. For example, for some reason auditing the outs isn't resulting in including product in the back in the morning autofills. I really need to go aisle by aisle scanning everything in exf to correct floor counts and create manual batches as necessary. But, I'm lucky to be given the time to do the superzoning that is a necessary prelude to doing that right once or twice a week, so there's no time.

What should happen:

Night 1: Superzone.
Night 2: Quick maintanence zone. Create batchs, correct counts and do the pulls for as many aisles as possible.
Night 3: Quick maintanence zone. Pick up where I left off the night before.
Keep repeating the same as night 3 until it's all done.

What does happen:

Night 1: Superzone
Night 2: Push leftover truck freight to clear the vehicles for tomorrow's truck Do the push that the truck team didn't want to do.
Night 3: Off work as hardlines hours are used for truck so they can come clean (they won't).
Night 4: Hey, no one did the autofill pulls from yesterday, so go ahead and do those for all of hardlines and today's as well.
Night 5: Oh, you're scheduled for a random mid for no reason, can you spend all day doing reshop?
Night 6: Off work.
Night 7: Hey, truck team didn't finish again, we need you to do the crap they didn't want to do clear vehicles for them.
Night 8: Oh wow, your zone looks really rough. Surely this is a result of a lot of bad guests today and has nothing to do with not having you maintain it for the last week, if we give you half the time you need can you finish your zoning thing like you do? But, before you get to that, do you mind running this freight out to other sections of the store? Oh, and make sure you audit the outs so that they pull products in the autofills unlike all the other times that hasn't worked.

/head desk
 
Last edited:
seasonaldude said:
I hear you. Shelves overstocked with some items and completely empty of others that are in the back is what modernization without the hours and accountability to make it work gets you. I have a list of issues in my section that need to be fixed, some are minor. Some are fairly big. For example, for some reason auditing the outs isn't resulting in including product in the back in the morning autofills. I really need to go aisle by aisle scanning everything in exf to correct floor counts and create manual batches as necessary. But, I'm lucky to be given the time to do the superzoning that is a necessary prelude to doing that right once or twice a week, so there's no time.

What should happen:

Night 1: Superzone.
Night 2: Quick maintanence zone. Create batchs, correct counts and do the pulls for as many aisles as possible.
Night 3: Quick maintanence zone. Pick up where I left off the night before.
Keep repeating the same as night 3 until it's all done.

What does happen:

Night 1: Superzone
Night 2: Push leftover truck freight to clear the vehicles for tomorrow's truck Do the push that the truck team didn't want to do.
Night 3: Off work as hardlines hours are used for truck so they can come clean (they won't).
Night 4: Hey, no one did the autofill pulls from yesterday, so go ahead and do those for all of hardlines and today's as well.
Night 5: Oh, you're scheduled for a random mid for no reason, can you spend all day doing reshop?
Night 6: Off work.
Night 7: Hey, truck team didn't finish again, we need you to do the crap they didn't want to do clear vehicles for them.
Night 8: Oh wow, you're zone looks really rough. Surely this is a result of a lot of bad guests today and has nothing to do with not having you maintain it for the last week, if we give you half the time you need can you finish your zoning thing like you do? But, before you get to that, do you mind running this freight out to other sections of the store? Oh, and make sure you audit the outs so that they pull products in the autofills unlike all the other times that hasn't worked.

/head desk
Click to expand...
Accurate
 
jenna said:
Where do you work in the store? Do you work the same area every time?
Click to expand...

Me or OP? I'm supposed to work the same area of the store everytime. I'm in toys and supposed to take ownership and responsibility for any and all toys tasks that are necessary, primarily working mid afternoon to close. I'm also responsible for setting toys ad on Sunday because none of the other toys TMs will show up to do it. If there are needs in toys adjacent sections, sporting goods, infant hardlines, seasonal, or electronics that are more pressing than toys needs at the moment, then I assist in those areas. In other words, I also make sure that diapers and formula are stocked at all times. But, when in one of those other sections, I keep an eye on toys and make myself available for any guests that need help in toys.

At least, that's what I'm supposed to tell any visitors if asked...

In reality? snort With payroll what it is right now over half my time is spent elsewhere and if we do get any visitors they sneak me back to toys to pretend that I've been there all along. A couple of weeks ago I was on the complete other side of the store stocking dog food (whatever, the staples do need to get stocked and I don't mind doing them too much). A GSA literally ran up to me with directions to stash my vehicle in the nearby beauty backroom, go down the back aisle of market where I wouldn't be noticed to get to the main backroom and the fixture room, grab some stuff, anything, and go to toys to pretend that I was working on something there because DTL had just walked in the building.

I'd strongly prefer to just stay in toys. It's where I was all of Q4 with the exception of maybe pushing out a vehicle or two in other sections once in awhile. It's where I'm comfortable. I can do the reshop and superzone without a device there. I know where everything goes, how many items are supposed to go there, and where all the second locations are. I'm lost in other sections. Whether I can answer guests' questions is competely hit or miss. It takes me twice as long to do anything because I don't know where anything goes and how things are supposed to look. And, it's not like I don't always have something I could be doing in toys.
 
Last edited:
Wait, there's areas of the store? Like you're supposed to know specific ones? All during Q4 I was either toys, small appliances, or pets...and had a pretty good rotation through them. Lately it's been middle. Obviously, we run around to everywhere because there's no one working. Or push dry grocery since there's so much of it and no one else to work it.

So that's why I feel like an idiot whenever I get asked about products in an area. It's because I don't have one!
 
Same issues at my store and not only there in the back on like the food we also sell out of random shit every time we do audits to zero. The guests waunder if my store doesn’t order enough product or something when we do not have it in the back
 
Thanks for feed back. I work in market area section g5-g39 plus back wall of g53 which runs perpendicular to the market area. I usually am instructed to just zone and reshop. I will fill milk if its low or out on my own. sometimes they ask to me to do paper towel section too. I usually get my section done in the 4 hours permitted as part of the closing team. I always ask for more hours so I could fill out of stock items or finish pushing uboats but they say they nothing available.
 
jarman said:
Thanks for feed back. I work in market area section g5-g39 plus back wall of g53 which runs perpendicular to the market area. I usually am instructed to just zone and reshop. I will fill milk if its low or out on my own. sometimes they ask to me to do paper towel section too. I usually get my section done in the 4 hours permitted as part of the closing team. I always ask for more hours so I could fill out of stock items or finish pushing uboats but they say they nothing available.
Click to expand...
That’s a large area. I was going to suggest just adding one project a day, but that would be tough.

Like every Friday or Monday- stock an extra U-boat of dairy. On Tuesdays, grab an easier U-boat of dry market.

It is difficult to watch an area struggle and fall apart due to payroll constraints or staffing issues.
 
We should offer fewer varieties of products, but keep what we offer in stock. You can't go shopping with a grocery list here, because we're probably "out" of a few basics on that list. "Guess I'll have to go to W☆*T after all" is something I hear often.
Then they leave their half full cart in the middle of an aisle.
 
Ringwraith917 said:
We should offer fewer varieties of products, but keep what we offer in stock. You can't go shopping with a grocery list here, because we're probably "out" of a few basics on that list. "Guess I'll have to go to W☆*T after all" is something I hear often.
Then they leave their half full cart in the middle of an aisle.
Click to expand...

You can't offer fewer varieties. Shoppers (statistically) want to see a certain number of options in order to believe the store has "enough variety." They will still always pick the same thing, but they want choices.

And that is why the juice fridge exists.
 
I know I am having to shop at other stores due to my store having bare shelves. If I didn't work there I'd probably have stopped trying to find what I need there a while ago. We have to have lost regulars by now. So now we have the vicious cycle of low shelves = less sales = less hours = low shelves and on it goes... How do we ever catch up?? 😕
 
Auditing outs is the biggest waste of time. I like think like maybe once I've audited something where it was truly hiding in the backroom rather than just being completely out of stock.
 
Switch23 said:
Auditing outs is the biggest waste of time. I like think like maybe once I've audited something where it was truly hiding in the backroom rather than just being completely out of stock.
Click to expand...
If everyone on your team is doing a great job, then yes it's a waste of time usually. But if someone is slacking off not pulling/pushing/backstocking correctly then it fixes the errors before they become a big problem.
 
Switch23 said:
Auditing outs is the biggest waste of time. I like think like maybe once I've audited something where it was truly hiding in the backroom rather than just being completely out of stock.
Click to expand...

I found 8 in 4 feet today that were in back, so ASANTS.
 
seasonaldude said:
I hear you. Shelves overstocked with some items and completely empty of others that are in the back is what modernization without the hours and accountability to make it work gets you. I have a list of issues in my section that need to be fixed, some are minor. Some are fairly big. For example, for some reason auditing the outs isn't resulting in including product in the back in the morning autofills. I really need to go aisle by aisle scanning everything in exf to correct floor counts and create manual batches as necessary. But, I'm lucky to be given the time to do the superzoning that is a necessary prelude to doing that right once or twice a week, so there's no time.

What should happen:

Night 1: Superzone.
Night 2: Quick maintanence zone. Create batchs, correct counts and do the pulls for as many aisles as possible.
Night 3: Quick maintanence zone. Pick up where I left off the night before.
Keep repeating the same as night 3 until it's all done.

What does happen:

Night 1: Superzone
Night 2: Push leftover truck freight to clear the vehicles for tomorrow's truck Do the push that the truck team didn't want to do.
Night 3: Off work as hardlines hours are used for truck so they can come clean (they won't).
Night 4: Hey, no one did the autofill pulls from yesterday, so go ahead and do those for all of hardlines and today's as well.
Night 5: Oh, you're scheduled for a random mid for no reason, can you spend all day doing reshop?
Night 6: Off work.
Night 7: Hey, truck team didn't finish again, we need you to do the crap they didn't want to do clear vehicles for them.
Night 8: Oh wow, your zone looks really rough. Surely this is a result of a lot of bad guests today and has nothing to do with not having you maintain it for the last week, if we give you half the time you need can you finish your zoning thing like you do? But, before you get to that, do you mind running this freight out to other sections of the store? Oh, and make sure you audit the outs so that they pull products in the autofills unlike all the other times that hasn't worked.

/head desk
Click to expand...
Have you stopped to think that maybe it's not that the truck team doesn't want to push but that they don't get the hours to push? The store I am currently at gets 3 people on the line, 1 of them being the TL, 1 thrower and 2 A&A unpackers. They are all scheduled 4 hours except the TL gets 8. They are expected to have the truck all unloaded, everything sorted perfectly on the uboats, the combo repacks sorted and the cosmetics sorted into the beauty cart for the beauty team members. Transition must be sorted off the truck and the TL is expected to audit the vehicles to make sure they are sorted correctly. (Not sure how that happens when they have to help sort.) All A&A must be unpacked and detrashed, folded perfectly, hanging must be edged and all shoes must be sorted according to brand, style and size. Everyone likes to blame the truck team for their problems but most people would not be able to do what they do. I have a lot of respect for them and I don't know how they do it every shift.
 
Old Timer said:
Have you stopped to think that maybe it's not that the truck team doesn't want to push but that they don't get the hours to push? The store I am currently at gets 3 people on the line, 1 of them being the TL, 1 thrower and 2 A&A unpackers. They are all scheduled 4 hours except the TL gets 8. They are expected to have the truck all unloaded, everything sorted perfectly on the uboats, the combo repacks sorted and the cosmetics sorted into the beauty cart for the beauty team members. Transition must be sorted off the truck and the TL is expected to audit the vehicles to make sure they are sorted correctly. (Not sure how that happens when they have to help sort.) All A&A must be unpacked and detrashed, folded perfectly, hanging must be edged and all shoes must be sorted according to brand, style and size. Everyone likes to blame the truck team for their problems but most people would not be able to do what they do. I have a lot of respect for them and I don't know how they do it every shift.
Click to expand...
I use to get frustrated when my uboats had boxes that were supposed to go elsewhere or was placed on the wrong shelf. I was on the line one day sorting and I understand why there are some minor mistakes here and there. They team on the line does the best they can do but mistakes are bound to happen.
 
Old Timer said:
Have you stopped to think that maybe it's not that the truck team doesn't want to push but that they don't get the hours to push? The store I am currently at gets 3 people on the line, 1 of them being the TL, 1 thrower and 2 A&A unpackers. They are all scheduled 4 hours except the TL gets 8. They are expected to have the truck all unloaded, everything sorted perfectly on the uboats, the combo repacks sorted and the cosmetics sorted into the beauty cart for the beauty team members. Transition must be sorted off the truck and the TL is expected to audit the vehicles to make sure they are sorted correctly. (Not sure how that happens when they have to help sort.) All A&A must be unpacked and detrashed, folded perfectly, hanging must be edged and all shoes must be sorted according to brand, style and size. Everyone likes to blame the truck team for their problems but most people would not be able to do what they do. I have a lot of respect for them and I don't know how they do it every shift.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have stopped to think about that. When I say "truck team" I mean those team members be they inbounds or hardlines who work in the morning and primarily push truck. I know how they do things because I was right their with them at 6 am in Q4 every truck day. Most of them are my friends. I too wish they had the hours to finish.

So, when I say the stuff they don't want to push out, I know what I'm talking about. It's the same stuff everytime. Home furnishings and domestics. No one wants to do that shit. It's always what truck doesn't have time to finish. Always. I get called in today to help clear vehicles for tomorrow's truck. Guess what I was clearing? Home furnishings and domestics. I work a mid tomorrow to do the pulls. I already know what frieght will be left when the truck team clocks out for the day: Home furnishings and domestics. Well, tomorrow's truck is supposed to be large so stationary repacks are likely to get left too. That's just the way it goes.
 
Ringwraith917 said:
If everyone on your team is doing a great job, then yes it's a waste of time usually. But if someone is slacking off not pulling/pushing/backstocking correctly then it fixes the errors before they become a big problem.
Click to expand...
Like the guest who placed an online order for 5 cans of something to find out they were not instock; Our counts said we had ten and we had none.
 
The new process is not working & it will never work. Guests come to purchase merchandise but Target gave up on stocking the shelves or any of the other processes that keep a business running smoothly. The expectation that one tm can effectively handle all these tasks means none of the tasks will be performed efficiently. Worst of all, employees stop caring if they know the company has unreasonable expectations and they don't care either. Not great by 8 and not great by 8 the next morning either.
 
Personally, I've stopped trying because I know I can't finish everything. I pick one task at a time, sorry Target. Pulls first, occasionally mixed in with a reshop cart (after break or whatever), THEN zoning...sometimes I don't even get to the reshop.

The counts being wrong in the system is aggravating. I had an OPU yesterday that said we had 8 on floor, 0 in back. I go to the floor location - nothing there. Nothing in the backroom. So I had to INF it. Saturday this happened for someone else, and the guest put us through the mill because she didn't want the item shipped to her. (deodorant that was on clearance, and she mistakenly thought it would be shipped to Target so she'd have to come back.) You can cancel the order in the email, but you also get guests like this who misunderstand and yell at us about it.

This is why I tell TMs on the floor to first check the sales floor location and then see if it's located in the back. I ignore the "count on hand" in the Zebra because it's rarely accurate. If it says 11 on hand with no backroom locations, it's wrong. If it says some on hand, it means it came in, but is sitting on a vehicle waiting to be worked by someone who will get to it in three or four days since there aren't hours.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Dream Baby
Shrinkflation
Replies
19
Views
836
OneGoodEar
O
C
target optical
Replies
3
Views
577
dannyy315
D
Ashfromoldsite
Insta post. Check it out
2
Replies
27
Views
2K
BackupTL
BackupTL
Dream Baby
Bounce Back
2
Replies
33
Views
3K
Caliwest
C
Dream Baby
Hot Wheels Collectors
Replies
18
Views
2K
RandomRedShirt
R
Back
Top