Archived If you had to list the most important job to the least in your store, how would it go?

[xxTheDudexx]

I dunno if I'd say most of us, all the GSAs love our cart attendants when we have them available (since several of us are ULV, that means 4Q and maybe weekends 🙁 ). I will say though my CAs only generally do these of what you listed:

-Empty hanger bins at the lanes
-Do carryout's and carry in's for returns
-Backup as a first responder to the lanes, guest services, and food avenue as needed
-Clear all tubs, flats, and 3 tiers from the check lanes (maybe occasionally)
-Manage Garbage

Want to transfer to my store? 😀

If it's somewhere warm I might consider it Cel. lol.

 

[Cel]

High today of 76 F, lowest temp I've seen this winter for daytime was like 50 F?

Conversely expect summer temps of 100-120 F...

 

[whippingboy]

As a guest, if I see an overflowing toilet or vomit in the store I'm outta there. So, big thumbs up to the cart attendants.

 

[redeye58]

As a former GSA who was the only one who completed hazmat, I was usually the first responder.
Big thumbs up to whoever ordered the elbow-length gloves.

 

[pfreshdude]

As someone who has worked in almost every part of the store, I can safely say that no one particular role is more important than the next. As someone who once was a cart attendant, it is amazing to see how things start to fall apart without one. During the holiday, many days, we went without an opening cart attendant. We were usually running out of carts before noon. Other team members and leads (and even etls sometimes) had to rush out to get carts. Same with carry-outs. And getting abandons/baskets/hanger. And the trash over-flowing. This in turn screws up what those team members have to do as well. And all of these problems that can arise if a CA isn't there can and will negatively impact the customer's experience.

We havent had an actual cart attendant position for a while now. Usually one of the cashiers or gsa/gstl has to do it. If they get really busy they make salesfloor do it. Baskets are always empty and I usually have to fill both market baskets up every single time I open.

 

[pfreshdude]

After seeing your reply, op, I'm thinking you were wondering which roles leadership seems to view as more important in our stores. I think people outside of SL in my store underestimate the importance of our fitting room attendant. And tsc/hr, cart attendants, and oddly cashiers are low on the totem pole. I'm basing this on how much their hours have dropped. Based on the schedules, flow, instocks (or whatever it's actually called) and price change are favored. I think they drop cashiers' hours just because they get all "we can always call backup." On the weekends, if I continue basing this on the schedules, we're all important again.


We get a truck every morning. So there's a pretty good chance at some point in time sales floor people will be doing push.

Blame any mistakes or typos on my phone.

Well if you have less people in the store and less sales I would imagine that cashier hours SHOULD be the first to go. I mean no matter what happens with sales/guest traffic, all the market tasks I have to do as a PA dont change. This is true with alot of departments that are task oriented. It sucks because salesfloor has to backup more but it is what it is.

 

[Rock Lobster]

I suppose "important" is pretty subjective on the situation. The political answer would be every position is important (which is true!)... The store would not operate for a long period of time if any positions were eliminated and certain things were not getting done. The question is too general.

An interesting scenario could be, "It is the last day of the fiscal year and your store is close to making payroll and needs you to cut EVERYTHING possible. The STL has given you direction that it is ok to drop the ball on metrics such as CAF Timeliness, Instocks, SDA, Zone and Reshop etc. and wants only people who are necessary to keep the store running for a single day. This means keeping enough people around to get the guests in and out of the store. Who do you cut?"

 

[Jinroh]

To the opener.... you didn't even list Presentation?!? Without them the truck would have no place to put the product...

Seriously tho, an old STL of mine once said "We all have one job... To sell stuff!". I still work by that motto. Every job in the store boils down to this. I could go on and endless lecture of how every job depends on another in order to function properly, but I shall digress.

 

[sher]

I'm not saying they shouldn't be dropped if hours are gonna be dropped, but the extent they're being dropped in my store makes no sense. We're never so dead that one cashier is enough. If you're gonna cut hours across the board and make it even worse on the cashiers, these people have to wait in lines. They'll complain, but it's not like they're gonna go to walmart instead. And don't expect the floor to be fantastic if the people who make it look fantastic are on register all day.

I don't believe in backup cashiering, though.. I mean, I don't believe we should do it. I'm a hypocrite. I always look for the backups when I'm on break trying to buy food or whatever. I swear the lines are never long until I try to shop during a break.

 

[paidtosmile]

Cart attendants are essential. The front end of my store is a disaster (they can't keep team members up there due to a horrid gstl) but as a gsa the person I relied on most was the cart attendant. They're the only other team member on my team not tied to a check lane or desk so there is enough flexibility that I can have them make runs to the sales floor for price checks, backup cashier, pick up hangers/cardboard, cover breaks, maintain entrance and restrooms, push carts, help stock gum/candy. We don't have the luxury of having a free cashier to do any of these things, especially considering the GSTM usually spends half his/her day on an express lane backup cashiering just so we can get by. And if for some reason we do have enough team members up front, I can send the cart attendant to help with CAF pulls or zoning at the end of the night, because the floor usually needs help with those.

Cart attendant isn't a difficult position by any means, but if you don't think it's essential (just like every position in the store) you haven't worked front end enough.