MEGATHREAD Hang Me (The Softlines Thread)

[Tessa120]

I don’t understand the concept of keeping softlines as operator anymore. My store did away with FR shifts, and all of softlines must be logged into the phone app and answer calls. At this point, why not have all SFTMs answer calls? I’d say only 10% of the calls my store receives are softlines questions anyway, and we are certainly no less busy than anyone in hardlines.

I would guess that part of it is training. Think of handing that 17 year old seasonal or someone, though older, who has never touched a company phone in their life a zebra logged into the phone function and saying "Good luck! Answer it if it rings more than twice." Target is already shit for training as it is, basic phone reception is definitely a learned skill and can't be done in just a minute or two. Softlines is already equipped to handle that kind of training, we have the base, we have a book with a lot of phone function information and training/cheat sheets for appropriately presenting self and store on the phone, we have the practice of who to direct calls to about what, and we have the staff that can do in-depth hands on instruction to new folks. Over time that will probably spread out to all areas equally but it would be all kinds of stupid to expect that from all areas immediately.

 

[SnowWhiteOfAnA]

So only softlines have to answer zebra calls at my store. Is it like that at anyone else's stores? It's stupid. We don't have enough for anyone and flow/inbound/SFS/etc. get first pick, so then all the calls just get bounced back to the FR anyway which is especially great when no one is scheduled back there. I don't understand why other sales floor TMs can't answer calls. Most of them are for hardlines anyway. We're technically able to call someone in hardlines over walkie and transfer it to them but that's seems so unnecessary, not to mention no one responds half the time anyway. I'm sick of being expected to do all this work that has nothing to do with my department and then being yelled at for not finishing everything on time. No one is expected to lift a finger for softlines, but god forbid we ask that the rest of the team help even a little, we're told to just get over it and deal with it.

All SF is signed in to answer the phone at my store.

Flow is the first expected to give up their zebras. Having been on flow, I know they really aren't all that necessary except when you're backstocking (unless you're UHV, maybe), and a few TMs can share a zebra for that. Our LODs yell at the other departments for not answering calls when they know they have a zebra and it's music to my ears.

And softlines isn't even allowed to use the zebras for the phone function. We're not supposed to be using the cordless for that matter. Our operator is supposed to use the old multi-line phone at the fitting room desk.

 

[SnowWhiteOfAnA]

An intimate remodel. From the pictures, it looks like Victoria secret. Has pull out drawers that the panties go in, etc.

I wouldn't mind if this means that our store brand intimates will be better quality. They are currently completely awful unless they are our version of an already existing brand.

 

[SpilledTea]

Our operator is supposed to use the old multi-line phone at the fitting room desk.

They took ours last month.

 

[yelyahwoo]

All SF is signed in to answer the phone at my store.

Same at mine, but for some reason the extensions for the different departments don’t actually work, so they just have one person in softlines answer every call.

The operator position made sense when there was a dedicated fitting room attendant to answer the phone, but now that they implemented a new system, it needs to at least rotate between the departments. It’s crazy that I have to stop pushing truck every thirty seconds to take calls where maybe 5% are meant for my department, just because they haven’t updated the operator responsibility to match the new system.

 

[countingsheep]

So only softlines have to answer zebra calls at my store. Is it like that at anyone else's stores? It's stupid. We don't have enough for anyone and flow/inbound/SFS/etc. get first pick, so then all the calls just get bounced back to the FR anyway which is especially great when no one is scheduled back there. I don't understand why other sales floor TMs can't answer calls. Most of them are for hardlines anyway. We're technically able to call someone in hardlines over walkie and transfer it to them but that's seems so unnecessary, not to mention no one responds half the time anyway. I'm sick of being expected to do all this work that has nothing to do with my department and then being yelled at for not finishing everything on time. No one is expected to lift a finger for softlines, but god forbid we ask that the rest of the team help even a little, we're told to just get over it and deal with it.

Same thing here with a minor addition we were flat out tokd to figure the calls out ourselves and not to transfer to hardlines since we can look up the items and walk to them. The only exception being lod and guest service calls IF gs isnt backed up (when is not ) add to that we are also the only back up responders hardlines was tokd in huddles that they werr a last resort if all apparel was on the lanes already. But we still get reamed for not getting our shit done. Honestly I am so birnt out from this madness I dont even blink when we get coached anymore.

If our softlines team didnt work so well together we probably all would have walked by now.

 

[SpilledTea]

Same thing here with a minor addition we were flat out tokd to figure the calls out ourselves and not to transfer to hardlines since we can look up the items and walk to them. The only exception being lod and guest service calls IF gs isnt backed up (when is not ) add to that we are also the only back up responders hardlines was tokd in huddles that they werr a last resort if all apparel was on the lanes already. But we still get reamed for not getting our shit done. Honestly I am so birnt out from this madness I dont even blink when we get coached anymore.

If our softlines team didnt work so well together we probably all would have walked by now.

That's a bunch of bullshit.

 

[countingsheep]

That's a bunch of bullshit.

Tell me about it like we dont have enough to do and they bark about the truck not getting done and reshop overflowing the fr well what do you expect when we are all literally running all over the floor :/

 

[Stylized]

I wouldn't mind if this means that our store brand intimates will be better quality. They are currently completely awful unless they are our version of an already existing brand.

They are launching 2 or 3 "new" brands in March. One can hope for better quality.

 

[Tessa120]

What brands? What sort of stuff are they? Are they replacing anything?

 

[PackAndCry]

Well, there's that new Manzanita Sol swim brand.

 

[L4D]

WHY ARE WE ALREADY GETTING SWIM?!?

 

[Stylized]

What brands? What sort of stuff are they? Are they replacing anything?

The only communication I've seen is the announcement they were coming. No names or pics. It will probably be like the merona/a new day switch.

 

[Tessa120]

WHY ARE WE ALREADY GETTING SWIM?!?

The official reason I've heard is post-Christmas cruises.

 

[Black Sheep 214]

The official reason I've heard is post-Christmas cruises.

That’s what they told us last year. Like anybody around here can afford to go on a cruise...🙄😂

 

[zabbaza]

whyyyyy

we don't need 200 of every size of flannel pant

pls stop

 

[Tessa120]

If it weren't for the fact that the floor is clean and the area well lit I'd swear you took that picture in my store.

 

[soyaxo]

Funnily enough, I went to purge the back room after returning to work earlier this week but a couple of days off and it was fairly empty down the RTW aisle. I don’t understand where all the clothes went because they definitely weren’t on the sales floor.

 

[SnowWhiteOfAnA]

They took ours last month.

Our cordless and our zebras "keep dropping calls" but really, I think it's just because no one in knows how to park/pick up calls on them. My ETLs can't seem to figure it out, but I figured it out on my own the first time. But using the multi line is supposedly a group-wide decision.

 

[SnowWhiteOfAnA]

Ugh, I hate 16 and 17 year old girls. Had 8 of them try to cram into 4 fitting rooms and kept switching rooms and clothes. Had to call AP back twice, but we only had one of them on the clock, so he couldn't very well stand there the whole damn time. I know at least one of them stole, but it wasn't really something we could prove from now on I'm not letting more than one person in a single fitting room.

 

[Tessa120]

Ugh, I hate 16 and 17 year old girls. Had 8 of them try to cram into 4 fitting rooms and kept switching rooms and clothes. Had to call AP back twice, but we only had one of them on the clock, so he couldn't very well stand there the whole damn time. I know at least one of them stole, but it wasn't really something we could prove from now on I'm not letting more than one person in a single fitting room.

Good luck with that. I finally gave up that battle, leadership keeps saying that guest experience is more important than ensuring one guest per room and reserving family rooms for families of small children and disabled.

I keep hoping that the moms with strollers I have to turn away because some single entitled person with no mobility limitations had to have the bigger room will file enough complaints that leadership will get that great guest experience for all guests means meeting everyone's needs, not just those who are able to dress alone and not those who can't, and allowing all needs to trump some wants.

 

[BullseyeBlues]

I know my store’s getting project lace because some of the preview info is already arriving. My thoughts so far are: that’s going to look worse faster even if it looked nicer before guests (anyone who’s shopped for something from a drawer at Victoria’s Secret would probably agree), they better send some better bras than the tangly bralettes...looking at you xhilaration and gom, and can all the stores please get a wider range of sizes? We always have a million of the smaller sized bras sent to us but it seems like the more well endowed sizes rarely have designs either in their size or in store. And those are the sizes that generally need to be able to physically try on a style to know if the sizing is true to what it should be.

 

[SnowWhiteOfAnA]

Good luck with that. I finally gave up that battle, leadership keeps saying that guest experience is more important than ensuring one guest per room and reserving family rooms for families of small children and disabled.

I keep hoping that the moms with strollers I have to turn away because some single entitled person with no mobility limitations had to have the bigger room will file enough complaints that leadership will get that great guest experience for all guests means meeting everyone's needs, not just those who are able to dress alone and not those who can't, and allowing all needs to trump some wants.

It's usually only a problem during school breaks. This was because a high school in town let out early and a large group of the students decided to come to our store. The real problem is that we don't usually have a regular fitting room attendant anymore, just during Q4, so we can't get most of the TMs to do what they're actually supposed to do unless the APTL is currently tailing someone and tells the TM "keep your eye on this person." That and our doors don't lock from the outside.

 

[RightArm]

View attachment 6831

whyyyyy

we don't need 200 of every size of flannel pant

pls stop

Hope you were able to get this stuff out. Oddly in spite of getting 42 of every size of grey flannel women's pants, sleepwear is getting sparse. I zone it up every morning when I'm in and rearrange as needed and refill. Right now the only sleepwear I have in the back is the sleeveless nighties and silky stuff for Valentine's day. All my long sleeve and winter geared sleepwear is on the floor.

 

[zabbaza]

Oh yeah, we purged everything for Christmas and I think it paid off. We got picked clean the last few days.