Archived Firing over not selling enough red cards?

[aj76257]

You never get a, good job providing great service to our guests.

THIS! I focus so much more on speed, respect and service instead of forcing people to get RCs. To me, it's more important to go fast and leave a good impression on customers as they leave the store, yet that's not what management thinks. I get so depressed because I rarely get RCs, but that shouldn't even be the most important part of the job. Yet that's still what I'd most likely get in trouble for.

I've told the guest that we are 'required' to do our RC pitch. When asked if I have a quota, I would also confirm that for the guest as well. If I am given a slip of paper at the start of my shift telling me how many I need to get, yes, I have a quota!

In my experience, the quota doesn't seem to be too strict. I always underperform, and only once have I been given a "I need at least one RC from you today!" note, but that was on a Saturday night, so it was probably because they were short of their goal for the week.

 

[Sanzano]

THIS! I focus so much more on speed, respect and service instead of forcing people to get RCs. To me, it's more important to go fast and leave a good impression on customers as they leave the store, yet that's not what management thinks. I get so depressed because I rarely get RCs, but that shouldn't even be the most important part of the job. Yet that's still what I'd most likely get in trouble for.

In my experience, the quota doesn't seem to be too strict. I always underperform, and only once have I been given a "I need at least one RC from you today!" note, but that was on a Saturday night, so it was probably because they were short of their goal for the week.

Most GSTLs hate RedCards as much if not more than the cashiers. But sadly there are strong business incentives to perform coming from the top down, so yes you will see that RedCards are very much a make-or-break deal. I have no room on my team for people that don't meet RC expectations, which brings me no joy. The good news is there is a method to the madness of people who do well with RedCards and people who don't. Learn from your peers, have one of the top performers take you under their wing. It can be learned easily, afterward just have to put in the effort.

 

[aj76257]

Most GSTLs hate RedCards as much if not more than the cashiers. But sadly there are strong business incentives to perform coming from the top down, so yes you will see that RedCards are very much a make-or-break deal. I have no room on my team for people that don't meet RC expectations, which brings me no joy. The good news is there is a method to the madness of people who do well with RedCards and people who don't. Learn from your peers, have one of the top performers take you under their wing. It can be learned easily, afterward just have to put in the effort.

Thanks for telling me your perspective. I have listened to the top RC getter at my store, and she just seems a tiny bit more pushy than everyone else, yet somehow she can get 5-12 RCs a week while everyone else gets 3 or fewer. I'm not the best at sales since I feel bad trying to push people into signing up for a RC past the initial ask.

 

[SMS]

Our GSTL's job is basically on the line because our store is the worst in the entire company when it comes to RedCards. All of our cashiers are asking every guest that comes in and they educate them too, but no one wants to sign up for one. I was told that cashiers are going to start getting written up for not getting RedCards. It's dumb and unrealistic to me to force someone to apply for something they don't want. Our store never makes sales and we have negative hours at the moment. The only reason us GSAs are bothering our cashiers about RedCards and surveys is because we're constantly hearing it from the GSTL and ETL and all the LODs and the STL all day every day. All I tell my cashiers is to make sure they're asking every guest that comes through their line. I usually offer snacks or drinks as a reward for getting a RedCard and the ETL-GE has started doing other prizes.

 

[Sanzano]

Our GSTL's job is basically on the line because our store is the worst in the entire company when it comes to RedCards.

...Seriously? My god, I can't believe you still have GSTLs. I feel like it would be a team of GEs at that point.

 

[SMS]

@Sanzano We were told we're either the worst or second worst in the company. Our store is kind of terrible. :/

 

[Yetive]

Company? Not district? Yikes. I'm with @Sanzano. I would think some people would be fired by now.

 

[SMS]

Yes, company. Not district. And we're already so understaffed that I don't think we can really lose many more people. I really don't know. I've thought about transferring to the other location in town though.

 

[Yetive]

By people being fired, I meant ETL/STL. That is a pretty hard metric to hide from. It may be time for them to start running the lanes for awhile.

 

[PassinTime]

@Sanzano We were told we're either the worst or second worst in the company. Our store is kind of terrible. :/

What is your store's weekly goal? And how much are you guys missing it by?

 

[HRZone]

When I was a cashier back in high school twice I had a secret shopper give me a fifty dollar gift card when I asked her for a red card. The third time I didn't ask and the guest asked "Aren't you supposed to be selling red cards". I figured she may have been another secret shopper.

 

[Coqui]

It sounds like your store has more than just not meeting Redcard goals. If the store is negative in sales as well, there's something going on. The truth will be revealed soon enough.

 

[SalesFloorSylph]

Recently the consequence at my store for not selling REDcards is 3 coachings and a write-up. It's fucking stupid. Literally saw a cashier walk out crying her eyes out tonight because of this. The LOD and the GSTL were also arguing very loudly about it as well.
Its a stupid fucking policy. You could be the worst cashier ever but that's okay if you sell a REDcard

 

[aj76257]

Recently the consequence at my store for not selling REDcards is 3 coachings and a write-up. It's fucking stupid. Literally saw a cashier walk out crying her eyes out tonight because of this. The LOD and the GSTL were also arguing very loudly about it as well.
Its a stupid fucking policy. You could be the worst cashier ever but that's okay if you sell a REDcard

I really hope it never gets that bad at my store. My morale is already sinking from a personal Redcard drought.

 

[Kartman]

FUCK RED CARDS.

 

[SalesFloorSylph]

I feel like selling REDcards had taken priority over performance at Spot. Like we had a GSA who would literally do nothing but play on her phone and not actually work but they kept her because she sold REDcards. Corporate has some really messed up priorities going on

 

[aj76257]

I feel like selling REDcards had taken priority over performance at Spot.

No shit.

Sometimes I question why I bother to focus on anything else. I've literally been told by leadership that selling Redcards is the most important part of my job. What about speed or scanning accuracy? Can I just ignore that? Why do I even scan items when customers can just do that themselves? I may as well just stand over their shoulders and list all the benefits they could be getting.

 

[Kartman]

Offering red cards is just fine, until the market becomes saturated.

Then, STFU!

 

[SalesFloorSylph]

"You don't keep your area clean? You let guests get away with coupon fraud? You play with your phone instead of work? Nahhh we should keep you because you sell REDcards "
Jesus christ this is why I'm not front end

 

[snoboy8999]

This will never make sense to me. You get put on corrective action if you don't do your job, which as a cashier is asking every guest if they want to save 5% with a Redcard (or however you phrase it). If you don't actually try, then you won't get any Redcards. If you have 200 or 300 transactions in a shift and ask every single person, the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor. Insert Hunger Games joke.

 

[aj76257]

If you have 200 or 300 transactions in a shift and ask every single person, the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor.

They're really not. Lots of people either already have Redcards or have made up their mind that they don't want one. I find it to be purely random when someone signs up. Most of the time they came into the store already wanting to, so it wasn't anything I did. Leadership wants us to get 1 Redcard for every 100 transactions. That's just not statistically possible unless I spend 10 minutes talking over someone or berate them until they cave in, neither of which are options I like. I'd rather respect people's decisions and leave a good impression of the store than make people irritated by nagging them to get something they don't want. It's really a terrible system.

 

[SalesFloorSylph]

And a lot of the ways people try to push REDcards borders on being unethical. This one GSTL tells people they're signing up for a simple rewards card instead of actually telling them what it is. And I've heard horror stories of people taking advantage of guests who didn't speak English and signing them up for REDcards without their proper consent.

 

[HRZone]

This will never make sense to me. You get put on corrective action if you don't do your job, which as a cashier is asking every guest if they want to save 5% with a Redcard (or however you phrase it). If you don't actually try, then you won't get any Redcards. If you have 200 or 300 transactions in a shift and ask every single person, the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor. Insert Hunger Games joke.

Red cards often come down to chance. Most people either already have it or dont want it. A few can be sold on it.

 

[aj76257]

And a lot of the ways people try to push REDcards borders on being unethical. This one GSTL tells people they're signing up for a simple rewards card instead of actually telling them what it is. And I've heard horror stories of people taking advantage of guests who didn't speak English and signing them up for REDcards without their proper consent.

Ugh, exactly. This is what happens when too much pressure is put on people. They'll forget all morals just to satisfy the Redcard quotas. One day someone is going to sue. The sad thing is that corporate probably won't give a shit. But they should care since they're losing money if some people take up to 50% off purchases as an incentive. I really hope that neither I nor any of my fellow cashiers at my store stoop to that level.

 

[Sanzano]

See, I don't like the market saturation argument because most markets' Red Card Sales % is only like 13%. I'm in school for business economics and that's just not saturated yet. :/ But I'm sure there are some stores with a stupid high penetration rate.