Archived Help/Advice with Hardlines (long post)

[yelloww]

Hi, I'm a new hire for seasonal and had my orientation/cashier "training" this past Friday and have worked/got called in for a shift every day since. I work in hardlines and only had one official "training" shift by a girl who didn't even know she was going to be training me and did her best but I was still pretty lost.

I'm just gonna explain my shifts so you get a better idea of how I'm working and what I need to do (hoping no one from my store is on here looooool).

Since that first shift, every other shift I've had was completely on my own in my own section. I had an 8 hour shift to do D block (home decor/bedding) which I felt like was a really hit/miss shift for me. I then had 4 hours to just do sporting goods where I felt like I completely failed lol. I had my last shift last night doing the seasonal/back to school (backpacks/lunch bags and then the actual b2s area). These are all close to/closing shifts (10pm or 11:30).

I've asked several questions and asked for tips on how to go faster but it's still really hard because I don't have a set protocol/expectations. The closing lead tells me he cares about "detail and perspective" so cover the diamonds, make the pegs look full, make it clean. But also put everything where it belongs, if your cart gets full stop and put away reshop.

With this method in sporting goods, I barely got a few aisles done in my 4 hours. My problem being that the water bottles are all stacked because similar but actually belong in 3-4 different aisles/end caps. I took the time to separate them out and put them where they belong location wise but also according to plano. I felt so bad that I barely finished half the aisles in my shift that I apologized to the girl closing who had to finish zoning my area and she said that they never zone that accurately but appreciated that I did it.

When I had D block to myself, I felt so overwhelmed. Another new tm was putting all her strays in my cart since a guest took hers and left it for me to deal with at the end of the night. I was fine zoning - easily found where things belonged, made everything nice and pulled to the front. Problem was I had a huge cart filled with strays that I eventually got another cart and separated my strays between toys (since that area is close to me) and then all the other random stuff. Not to mention my cart filled with stuff that belongs in my block just not the right aisle. So 3 carts total. I finished my zoning but had no idea what to do with my carts so I just starting walking the store and trying to put back as much as possible. Eventually I gave up and brought it to the front for sorting - something no one told me I could do/should do, and I'm still unsure about??? Also it took me the entire 8 hour shift to do this one section - is this normal?

Which leads me to my last shift, I felt like I honestly did the best I could here and still left feeling like crap. I cleaned up the lunch bags and made sure they were at least put where the price matched, covered the diamonds, pulled forward etc. etc. The backpacks were a mess but I quickly cleaned everything up and put everything where it belonged/price matched. Aisle looked hella good honestly. I then moved onto back to school and started on one wall where I was able to clean up one block and had to go start on the opposite end as guests were standing in the aisle looking at the middle section. I was complimented on my first block by another tm as well. I completely re-organized all the pencil pouches that were not on any of the pegs and cleaned up the bins there too. The walkies were really quiet and I didn't even notice it was 11:30 until another new hire tm was like we need to go!! So we had been working there and had a stray cart that didn't get sorted before the end of the night /: They were talking about it on the walkies and a lot of tms were jokingly giving us crap for it /:

I guess I'm asking is there anything I can do better, anything I'm doing wrong, how to deal with time management, "detail and perspective" vs accuracy?

Also, how exactly do stray carts work? I only had one shift where they called out on the walkies asking for strays to be brought to the front and my section didn't do that (toys bc no real strays). My last shift the walkies were dead quiet, no calls for stray carts or last call for sorting. Is there a time where I'm expected to bring it to the front for sorting? No one has told me what to do before closing other than clear for guests. Is it better to not finish zoning but have no full cart of strays/reshop? Or vice versa? I love working at Target, I love hardlines, I just hate feeling like crap after a shift because no one is telling me what I need to know and I don't know enough to ask until now. But after last night and the way other tms poked fun at me for not knowing any better, I don't even want to ask any more questions.

Doesn't help that my store is in a frenzy for pilot/modernization/whatever that is.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Ask for a learning plan on hardlines. Get all computer & register training done. There should be a trainer for at least 1 week to work with you. You have done good, so far. But ask about computer & register training.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

- Look at every item, working top to bottom (or vice versa) and do it on a per section (usually four feet) basis
- Cover all diamonds
- Turn all labels to face out
- Use grey dots (if you see one, the item in the location might not be correct)
- Don't move strays/foreign/re-shop to the appropriate aisle every time -- use your cart and leave items on the floor until you finish the aisle (some ETLs might not like this, maybe only do it after the store is closed)
- Organize your cart! Example: bottom tier = backstock, middle tier = strays and empty packages, hand basket = defectives, top tier = re-shop for your current department (this should be worked every time you change aisles if the items are within a five-aisle radius)
- Check multiple locations on the same aisle, don't leave holes if you have product on the shelf above/below
- Pegs are easy to zone, just use the grey dots
- You shouldn't need a PDA to tell if a product is in the wrong spot (most of the time the last five numbers are on the bottom left of the label, the assortment number near the UPC will be on the top right of label, and Target brands have DPCIs near the UPCs and sometimes on the front of the package)
- Know the department - zone where it gets shopped more first (if you have time to come back later) or last (if you only have enough time to get to each aisle once) - Example: Toys then Sporting Goods then Toys if you have time to go back
- Check empty endcaps for backroom locations, if none then pull from home, if no product - flex the endcap with like items, starting with d-code or NOP
- Zone clearance, please, just do it
- Remove grey dots in locations that have the correct item
- Always pull more than one item forward (minimum two, typically 3-4) - if everyone does this, the zone is maintained A LOT longer while being shopped
- Inventory control clips (round rubber things) on pegs should be pulled forward if there are few items on the peg - this greatly improves the look of a peg-heavy aisle

Returns/Re-shop/Strays
- If at all possible, get a PDA
- If you have a PDA, use RF Apps (NOP + toggle to Pricing, LOC, SUBT, etc.) - if you don't know why, you haven't used it enough
- Put the items in your cart yourself - you know how your thought process works more than other people, so you can work through the merchandise quicker (this is critical in HBA or Toys)
- If you don't have a PDA, park your cart near a price check machine (assuming you have the new ones that SF schemetics)
- Park your cart on an endcap, work all of the items within a five-aisle radius (three before, two after)
- Ask CIHYFS - chances are this isn't your first time working returns/re-shop, so you should be able to show guests where most items are
- Remove grey dots from empty locations that you are filling (some stores may not remove the dots if there is only one item, check with your Instocks or Hardlines Team Leaders)

CAF Push
- Fill your vehicle - if there are other vehicles with merchandise in nearby areas (or only a few items) you should grab them, you will save yourself time and effort
- Use the smart labels (that might not be the official term) that is on every single box - it tells you the DPCI, SF schematic, and item name
- Push your vehicle, don't pull it
- Don't stack your vehicle too high, running over a guest is a bad thing
- Learn your backroom (where different departments get backstocked, where to keep empty vehicles, etc.) - this makes backroom TMs' lives a lot easier
- Combine your backstock with nearby backstock vehicles, don't just throw a pink clip on it and walk away
- Keep your vehicle organized - separate backstock as you work, break down boxes, put trash (see: C/D blocks) in an empty box
- Don't overstock - the accumulator isn't perfect, please don't make it worse
- Remove grey dots from empty locations that you are filling
This is from a high volume store, other stores may function differently.

 

[yelloww]

Ask for a learning plan on hardlines. Get all computer & register training done. There should be a trainer for at least 1 week to work with you. You have done good, so far. But ask about computer & register training.

I think our computer training was printed out powerpoints about certain topics. Register training was just putting me on one and I know I made a million mistakes. Should I ask that my cashier shift for next week also be training? Also would I just ask my closing lead for the learning plan? They're not giving me any more training shifts, I've just been on my own and feel like if I asked for my trainer to be with me it would just annoy them. She works the same shifts as I do, just has her own section.

I have also been using your second post as my guide since after my first training shift. I haven't had to deal with any cafs so that's fine. I do most of what you say but just worry about my time management. Edit: no idea what the grey dots are though.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Yes!

 

[BullseyeBlues]

Grey dots mean the item is out of stock and has been ordered to come back in but hasn’t arrived from the DC yet.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Grey dots are no longer used.

 

[Tessa120]

I don't work in hardlines, but I think I see a mistake you are making, the same mistake that has been the cause of all sorts of grief. You're too detail oriented. In a perfect world you would have the time needed to do it right. In reality you don't have the time needed to do it right. You have to do it quick and if it means dpci's don't always match up that's the way it is.....far too frequently. You pretty much have to do quick and dirty first pass, do your other stuff, come back to fix what guests messed up and get it in better shape than you left it last time, and back and forth until you run out of time. Perfect just doesn't ever happen.

 

[SadHrdLns]

I have gone through the exact same experience but it’s going downhill...

I have a month in my seasonal hire and it’s hell. I loved my job the first couple weeks. I even became close with one of my leads which is where I might have committed a mistake. I’m not sure if I offended him or what but i complained to him once that i was only trained for one short shift. See when I got hired all my supposed “trainers” were calling out so I was thrown in to the wolves and was abandoned.

Ever since then, my “favorite” lead has been acting different towards me. Has me doing twice the work I used to do covering more of the floor than before. Gets more mad at me. Tell me I’m not doing a good job. I hate my job now. It is horrifying to me to even walk in there. I used to walk in with the biggest of smiles and now I don’t even want to be there.

Other leads, when he’s not there, encourage me, tell me I’m doing great, give me high fives and big smiles but all he does is bring me down to the point where I don’t think it’s worth it to even go out of my way to impress him anymore.

Yesterdays shift: I was made to do push for five hours (not counting 45 minute break and two 15s in between) and got a disappointed face when I wasn’t able to complete hba and chemical zone for the rest of my shift.

Im not sure if I am doing a bad job or if it’s something he has against me.

 

[Falkor]

Training at Target? What's that? I have learned mostly from 2 TL/LOD's that are know longer w/spot.
TBR is a huge help.