MEGATHREAD Hang Me (The Softlines Thread)

DoWork said:
Yo, softlines, how come when I visit pretty much any Target, men's pants with waist 32 and below do not exist? There are places for them, but usually filled with 40x40.

Skinny guys need khakis, too!
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Today I found not one, but TWO, pairs of size 26 mens jeans.

Also, our Target carries a lot of size 30 and 28/29 pants.
 
Guys... have they ever... changed the carpets in any of your stores? We're getting remodels and improvements and the carpet is all dingy and it's coming up around the edges. Kinda grody looking. I think a coworker said they changed it during the remodel like 10 years ago.

It looks crazy being the backdrop to like the new mannequin trend run deals and what not imo.
 
A guy came and took measurements for new carpet. He said they were putting something else (tile?) in the fitting rooms. We told him people pee on the fitting rooms and they stink. He said he had been to 80 stores so far and had been told that in every store. He wondered why they keep putting carpet in the fitting rooms of new stores. We showed him the knees of our pants. They are black by the end of our shifts. So yes, we're hoping for new carpet. lol
 
sher said:
Guys... have they ever... changed the carpets in any of your stores? We're getting remodels and improvements and the carpet is all dingy and it's coming up around the edges. Kinda grody looking. I think a coworker said they changed it during the remodel like 10 years ago.

It looks crazy being the backdrop to like the new mannequin trend run deals and what not imo.
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We had the infants carpet replaced when the entire department was re-arranged for Baby360. And we had the front entrance area re-carpeted a while back. We even had the TSC re-carpeted at one point because my ETL-HR insisted on it.
 
BullseyeBabe said:
A guy came and took measurements for new carpet. He said they were putting something else (tile?) in the fitting rooms. We told him people pee on the fitting rooms and they stink. He said he had been to 80 stores so far and had been told that in every store. He wondered why they keep putting carpet in the fitting rooms of new stores. We showed him the knees of our pants. They are black by the end of our shifts. So yes, we're hoping for new carpet. lol
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I wish they'd do tiled flooring in our fitting rooms and a new carpet elsewhere. It just looks so sad and dreary between the dimmer lighting and that dirty dark grey (which apparently was once a light grey lol) carpet. And in the fitting room on rainy moist days the old pee smells sorta resurface and it is the grossest scent.
 
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Our store is less than five years old. Thankfully, we have tile in our fitting rooms. The other day I noticed one of the sitting stools smelt strongly of urine though. I did a fitting room check during my last shift for a FRO that hadn't had time to check them and didn't smell it any more.

Edit: The stained knees are a problem for Softlines here too! So annoying..
 
We got our carpet replaced not long after after getting the mannequins and the fitting rooms got tile at the same time. I thought it was weird that they did it after putting together those heavy mannequin platforms, but it got done.
 
BullseyeBabe said:
A guy came and took measurements for new carpet. He said they were putting something else (tile?) in the fitting rooms. We told him people pee on the fitting rooms and they stink. He said he had been to 80 stores so far and had been told that in every store. He wondered why they keep putting carpet in the fitting rooms of new stores. We showed him the knees of our pants. They are black by the end of our shifts. So yes, we're hoping for new carpet. lol
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To the bolded portion: because ......Target :rolleyes:
 
We don't all carry the same stuff. My store doesn't carry much for big guys. I can never buy anything for my brother there.
 
Anybody feel a little awkward during fitting room shifts lately? We've always had a co-ed fitting room and guests never seemed to have an issue with it, possibly since 80% of the guests using the fitting room are women and young children. Lately I've had a lot of people ask if they're entering the "correct side" and don't seem happy when I tell them our fitting rooms are co-ed. Its just funny to me because I'm used to guests stripping off their clothes in the middle of the sales floor. Now all of a sudden they're worried about co-ed fitting rooms?
 
Is anyone else going completely against the adjacency and setting up your softlines however you want? We've been given complete control to do whatever we want. Our store looks more like a department store now and nothing like targets adjacency .....
 
babysitrmk said:
Is anyone else going completely against the adjacency and setting up your softlines however you want? We've been given complete control to do whatever we want. Our store looks more like a department store now and nothing like targets adjacency .....
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We have been given control to do whatever we want, but we set how the VA wants it first and if we see something that isn't right, we'll tweak it. We usually try to keep the strike point how the VA wants it, but when it comes to the rest of it, its pretty much what we want to do with it.
 
@Tay2323 we are changing up sl so much we're not even following Plano grams on tables.... we are literally alowed to do whatever we want..... I'm just curious to see if other stores are doing this now cause I do love it. We're pretty much told to make it look less like walmart and more like a department store. Even our DTL has been coming in weekly giving us new ideas.
 
babysitrmk said:
@Tay2323 we are changing up sl so much we're not even following Plano grams on tables.... we are literally alowed to do whatever we want..... I'm just curious to see if other stores are doing this now cause I do love it. We're pretty much told to make it look less like walmart and more like a department store. Even our DTL has been coming in weekly giving us new ideas.
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@babysitrmk We are slowly getting there too! Though we aren't allowed to change planos on tables or anything....yet. I love it to, because half of the stuff they want together on the VA looks awful haha. Our sales have actually gone up quite a lot since we've been able to be more creative in softlines. I think more stores are able to do what they want. Its all about that new approach, "BE BOLD"
 
@Tay2323 ok ya "be bold" makes sense cause I've always thought target makes dumb decisions when it comes to some of their planograms.... we still tie and pog them but we don't set them like the plano... we do what we want. I worry for the flow team though cause they aren't the best at figuring things out quickly lol I'm so in love with our new rules, makes me appreciate my team and my department. Our sales have increased too and our regular guests love it!
 
I'm trying to get ISM for ready to wear specifically the generic 7x11's for the brands. Like mossimo black exhilaration, all the brands really. But I can't find the sign numbers I have signs for maternity and that's it. Do they make these signs still?
 
Glad to know my store isn't the only one who doesn't always follow the adjacency. We kind of stopped doing it for RTW. Ever since our best softlines flow TM quit they've been putting all the new stuff as far away from the race track as possible.
Sometimes if my zone is good and I don't need to do anymore, the VMTL and I will move everything around and put all the new stuff in the front. I also arrange colors and patterns in a way that I think looks nice too.
Basically as long as the VMTL is cool with it, we can do whatever the fuck we want. It's why I prefer softlines hugely over hardlines xD
 
Ever since one of our MBTMs quit, it's been horrid in some zones. I was working on Sunday and as soon as I got called in early, we had a full fitting room + GS cart of go backs to be worked out. I worked on a cart, and then went up for backup cashiering and was up at the front lanes for about half an hour.

I finally got back to my zone and it was being shopped like crazy on top of mixed merchandise everywhere! I was trying to be out of guests' way whilst trying to be like CIHYFS whilst many of them were all pissed off and glaring at me because I was in the way! Dear god, sorry for trying to be available for guest assistance! I walked away, trying to zone what I could, and I heard this rude ass woman say that I was being "inconsiderate" by trying to move things whilst they were trying to find things. I wasn't even in her way in the first place! Okay, bitch.

I went for back-up cashiering again because apparently no one else on the sales floor is capable of going up. I finally got back to my zone after another half hour. We closed an hour early on this day, so I was getting super worried. Also, super bitch from earlier had somehow managed to unfold every shirt I had folded earlier.

"Team, we need back-up to the front lanes."

I still hadn't taken my lunch yet at this point and I was about have a panic attack. I had no where near enough time. Nothing was set to adjacency anymore. Short sleeves were mixed with long sleeves, red and green together, nothing in order by size. I got back to the fitting room and decided I would take my lunch (It was scheduled for that time anyway) and I called for our closing LOD on walkie. I explained the situation to our ETL-AP and he said "Okay, just keep working. You can do it." I was like "WHAT!" And then he talked to our other closing LOD and she had the same reaction as I did. She came over to me personally and asked me to explain and I was trying to explain but instead just kinda walked with her and waved to the fucked up, mixed up, unfolded clothes that I had folded just minutes before.

She sent me on my lunch and I went outside. Seven missed calls from mom. Oh dear god. She hadn't left a voicemail or text so I was worried. I rang her back, and she didn't pick up. I tried again, and she answered, "Just so you know, -- is back in the hospital again. I'll be there, so don't go to my house after work." After that, two missed calls from dad, plus a voicemail because he actually leaves voicemails. Next, two missed FaceTime calls from my boyfriend + one text with an attachment of my dog with shampoo bubbles all around him during a bath. He was taking care of my dog whilst I was at work and decided to bathe him. That cheered me up a bit. Next up, 23 missed messages on a group chat with my close friends. They were planning another memorial for our friend to celebrate the two year anniversary. I missed out on pretty much all the planning, so I read up on the details in the chat and then replied. Time to clock back in. I got back to the madness, and the LODs decided I should get another z-rack and pull all the mixed product off. I did, and kept zoning.

"Team, we need two back-ups to the front lanes."

We had two full carts of go-backs + two full z-racks at this point, plus a half cart we'd just gotten from Guest Services.

"Team, we still need another back up!"

I kept zoning (per instruction of the LOD) and tried to fix the clearance. We were still a little busy and it was 30 minutes before closing. "Excuse me ma'am do you have any of this in the back?" We did. I take care of that guest and get back to zoning. We have 15 minutes until close and still the same amount of go backs. A couple HLTMs come to help in Softlines. We keep zoning, and the store closes. Everyone's in Softlines at this point.

After 5 minutes, the team splits up with some on go-backs and others on zoning. We finish zoning 39 minutes after close. Everyone's pissed cos of that z-rack of dumped clothes. I help TMs put items away and see others just dumping piles back on the racks because they want to get out. I keep saying "Sorry." over and over for adding to the go backs. It was an hour after close by this point.

The LOD is helping and says "I'm just pissed they let it get this bad." (Referring to the dayside/brand team) Those of us closing SLs agreed. MBTM's friend goes "This is why I left Softlines." And I thought to myself, "Honey, if your friend didn't walk out on us, this adjacency would be set be set, and we wouldn't have Xhilaration all fucked up." I tried to reword it, but in the moment I couldn't, so I just said it aloud minus the swear word. Everyone paused for a bit, and after she didn't reply, we finished up the go-backs. Everyone was walking to the time clock over an hour after close and she walks with me and says, "Are you looking to get out of Softlines, too?"

Is it completely the TM that quit's fault? No, not really. But when we have 3 hours to zone the biggest zone in SLs, lots of go backs, angry guests, and a need for back-up everyone hour or less on the lanes, it should be pretty clear we need support.
 
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