Archived New ETL-logistics (overnight)

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Vaughn0311

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Hi all, I was recently offered a position as an overnight logistics ETL. Prior to this I was a college student, and prior to that I was in the Marines where I did two tours as an infantryman (Semper, to any other Marines on here). Enough about me though. I would like some insight on the position. Some tips would be great. I've heard that new ETLs usually get a hard time because these positions are generally filled by kids straight out of college. Is this true? I also have a few questions, I admit that some are vain but they matter to me and the wife:

How does vacation work?
How soon can I use vacation?
Is an MBA a viable degree for the tuition reimbursement?
What gyms are included in the program?
If you are married, how rough is the schedule on the relationship?
What is your typical schedule like?
What is business college like?
How is your relationship with subordinates?
What is your relationship with superiors?
Any extra tips or advice?

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and hopefully sharing some advice!
 
Welcome! Do you have A degree? Have you done your interviews yet? We need a little more info, please. Spot is known to change their mind on etl' s positions, depending on the district's needs.
 
Yes, I have a degree. Graduated top of my class but wasn't valedictorian. I have gone through five interviews with a total of 8 people. I was given an offer and told that July 1st, 2013 is my start day for business college. Furthermore, I have been asked to fill out the I-9 form and bring it with me on the aforementioned date.
 
Hardlinesmaster, Thanks!!

commiecorvus, thanks for the links. Also, I don't mind the snark. When I was in the Marines, I despised all the new 2nd lieutenants that came in and were automatically paid more than us,and respected more, simply because they had a Piece Of S**t degree. I knew that I could have done his job much more efficiently and effectively. I'm certain the sentiments are similar with ETLs and like positions. So I see where people are coming from and hope to make the best of it.
 
Bring your id's with you too. Spot will answer your questions, then. On MBA stuff, has to be spot related(business) & approved in advance.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your response Hardlinesmaster. Forgive my ignorance but you said, "Bring your it's" and I'm unsure of what, "it's" is. There are so many acronyms that I am having to learn.
 
I was never an ETL, but I did overnight flow as a team member for 3+ years. I had 9 different Logistics ETLs during that time, some were good, some were horrible. As far as I know, 5 of them are still with the company.

The only thing I can really speak to is your question about the schedule being rough on your relationship. Make no mistake, if you work overnight, it will have a significant impact on your personal/social life. On your days off, you WILL be tired, on your vacations you WILL be tired. You need to get yourself into a sleep pattern where the majority of your working hours will be after the sun goes down, and right after it comes up. In my experience, Overnight ETLs worked a minimum of 5 days a week, with at least 10 hour shifts every day. It will depend heavily on how well the flow team performs at your store, and what kind of support you have from your Team Leads, and other execs in the building. You will have a rather large team, and you will be in charge of getting the truck unloaded and the entire store stocked in a timely manner. Lots of scores and metrics to stay on top of, and a high rate of turn over. My advice would be to observe the way they do things currently, identify strong points, and weak points, and make changes accordingly. Don't go in and try to reinvent the entire process. I think this is where most new ETLs lose the respect of their teams. If it aint broke, don't fix it, but at the same time, if you can make positive changes, don't be afraid to try it out and stick with it.

Don't patronize your team members, but don't let them walk all over you. Be a strong leader, but realize that working overnight takes a toll on your team members too. It's not the easiest thing in the world, and I know that everyone has a choice of whether they want to take that shift, but some people don't have any other choice (Second job, kids at home etc.)
 
Thank you so much theissueoftissue! I have learned some things over time and it seems like the same applies to this position. I have also learned a lot from this site. Here are some of those things:

1. Show Respect. Respect to individuals, schedules, etc.
2. You have to earn your respect as the new guy
3. Leading from the front is a good way to earn that (I figured sometimes free donuts and coffee for all TM and TL are also good as it is ideal per the schedule)
4. Don't make any immediate changes
5. After a few weeks if there is need for change, forewarn all team members and then stick to the changes
6. Trust the TLs and don't micromanage
7. Be consistent
8. Be available for all TM to feel like they can voice their concerns
9. Have the back of all involved as they might do the same for you
10. Never speak negatively of anyone, no matter what

I am willing to learn more and am humbled by everyone's willingness to help me. Than you all so very much!
 
mrknownothing, Thank YOU for having me!
 
One thing I'm going to add that you won't find on here is this.
Realize that this job is these people's livelihood. Learn the difference between the one's that don't care and the one's that do. The one's that do care, and try, cut them some slack because Target no longer gives you what you need to meet their standards. You'll be gone in 18 months, they will still be there, don't screw them over.
 
Jackofallglobes, I went online to Target.com and went to careers. I then went to the "search management & corporate careers" section. I made an account and submitted my info. I thought that they weren't interested as it took a little over a month and a half to hear back. Once called, I was asked to come in and interview for a team lead position. I was told that it would be a one day affair and that I would be doing two interviews on the same day. I wore my only suit and came in with a big smile and hoping for the best. I remained calm cool and collected during the interviews, and more importantly stayed true to myself. That day I ended up going to a total of four interviews, and was told that they didn't want me as a team lead but instead as an ETL. This was of course a welcomed surprise for me.

I was then told that I would have a fifth interview a few days later and if things went well, I would have to take a drug test within 24 hours. Things went well. One thing I wasn't expecting was an email I received a few days later. It was asking me to take an online assessment; there were about 100 or so questions on it. The questions ranged from logic problems like (What follows: A, 7, E, 21, I, 63, O, ?), basic algebra, personality questions, and situation based. I guess I passed because I was called a few days later by someone in HR offering me the position. I discussed it with my wife and accepted. I start business college on Monday. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate. I am here to learn from you all and hopefully share what I can. Best of luck to you!
 
Stupid rules, Thank you so so much for your comment. It is a very true one and one that I take to heart. I hope to be a leader that can help people and be approachable. I managed to be an approachable leader when in the Marines, and the Corps is infamous for having unapproachable Type-A pricks in leadership positions. I am also aware that the whole Executive bullSh** is just Targets way of saying, you're lower management but with a fancy title. You are just graduating college and we're bribing you with a stupid title. I learned while volunteering at senior centers that a title is meaningless; it is the man and his actions that matter. I hope that when the time comes and I leave whatever store I'm in, I would have weeded out the trouble makers, and helped those deserving of recognition get to higher positions because I know that a thank you is nice but that doesn't put food on the effing table.
 
TeamLeader, Thank YOU for supporting the troops!! Sigma7, that would be the correct answer but it was of course an oversimplified example, and not an exact question.
 
Haha. I'm an idiot. Thanks :p

But really, I'm glad you got ETL instead of team lead. Anyone with a 4-year degree shouldn't be just a TL. For what they probably paid for school, they deserve more than starting pay of roughly $10-11 per hour. Congrats. Hopefully you'll be able to fight on behalf of your tms. Also, thanks for your service.
 
Vaughn0311 said:
Hi all, I was recently offered a position as an overnight logistics ETL. Prior to this I was a college student, and prior to that I was in the Marines where I did two tours as an infantryman (Semper, to any other Marines on here). Enough about me though. I would like some insight on the position. Some tips would be great. I've heard that new ETLs usually get a hard time because these positions are generally filled by kids straight out of college. Is this true? I also have a few questions, I admit that some are vain but they matter to me and the wife:

How does vacation work?
How soon can I use vacation?
Is an MBA a viable degree for the tuition reimbursement?
What gyms are included in the program?
If you are married, how rough is the schedule on the relationship?
What is your typical schedule like?
What is business college like?
How is your relationship with subordinates?
What is your relationship with superiors?
Any extra tips or advice?

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and hopefully sharing some advice!
Click to expand...

Vacation - two weeks a year - must find coverage so hopefully you have a Senior TL or another ETL who will cover while you're away. If you're lucky the STL will help find coverage, otherwise good luck with vacation. And take it before 4th quarter (black Friday to February). But you are never actually on vacation because you'll have to follow up with your ETL-Replenishment or TLs all the time. Even when you are not there you are responsible for their performance (you own location accuracy and replen score). At my store myself (ETL-Log) and my ETL-Replen have to cover each other, which means 7+ straight days of working, which takes its toll on you. Anything past 4 straight days is stressful.

Vacation accrues by the hour - so the more days you work the more hours you earn. You start at 0 hrs and earn up to two weeks.

MBA is great to have and Target may reimburse for it.

Gyms?!? - Sure, if you live near HQ in Minnesota. Most of the benefits are only useful if you work in MN. In MD, we don't have any of these benefits.

Married work/life balance - I work 4 13+hour days. But 4 days is a treat, some ETL-Logs work 5 days just like every other ETL. Luckily my operational numbers are high so I only work 4 days - but you must work at least 50 hours a week. My wife preferred when I was deployed because I seemed to have more time for family. I'm always working or doing something for work because I came into a red process that I am turning around. Most will tell you it takes 30 days to see 1 change and a year to make a difference overall.

Schedule rotates like this- Sunday off Monday On Tuesday On Wednesday Off Thursday Off Friday On Saturday On
Sunday On Monday off Tuesday On Wednesday On Thursday On Friday Off Saturday Off

Business college is a joke - just learn all of the on-the-job training - learn about strategic planning - master the basics of the process - learn about location accuracy routines - then apply to your store

Relationship - great all around. STL and HR will be your best partners. They will guide you.


I came into a broken store with a team that has been with Target for a long time. You would think that having so many veteran TMs would be great but its quite challenging getting them to break their habits. Almost everything they did was not on Best Practice and their performance was based on the bus schedule - meaning their pace stayed the same whether you had a 1500 piece truck or a double (4500 pieces). Make changes gradually, don't go balls to the wall. I have a military background which made things even more challenging. I can't talk to them like adults. My HR is not supportive so my TMs run the show. Very hard to put a TM on corrective action, even if they have 3 NCNS in a row, don't push fast, or are caught shopping while on the clock. Really kills the spirit.

Your experience will be based on how good your ETL Replen, Flow TLs, and your BR TLs are. The more they do the less you'll have to. Hold them accountable to their core roles so you aren't picking up their slack. They must manage talent so you can focus on planning for BTS and 4th Quarter. Also, set routines around location accuracy. Logistics counts for 40% of the stores operational score. We get all of the hours and no one respects overnight. Just be consistent and follow up with your team's performance.

The job may get hard at times but it can be rewarding. Do I think it's worth the pay? Personally, no. Keep your resume up to date and find a normal 9-5 job. You'll have to do at least 12-18 months overnight before moving on. And even as an STL your work/life balance is not that great. My STL works about 70 hours a week. Taking a pay cut to spend time with your family is well worth it, especially if you have kids. As an Overnight ETL-Log your first and last day off is a waste because you get off work on your first day off and then have to prepare yourself to get back on routine the last day off. So unless you have a 3 day weekend it sucks going back and forth. I feel that I saw my family more deployed every 6 months than I do now.

Good luck!!
 
Mhugh220, Thank you for your sincerity and detailed account of the specific position. Today was my first day at the training store and was told this by couple of people. I am concerned but excited to work. I believe I am going to do it for a year and make the best of it. If after that year I see that it is to my benefit, and my families, I will stay with the company. If however, the lack of work life balance has too much of a negative consequence on that i will look elsewhere. Once again, thank you for your sincerity. By the way, what branch were you in? Where did you deploy? I went to Sagra in 2007 and Habbaniyah in 2006 with the Marines.
 
I am not a ETL but watching or new one has been an eye opener.

Look to your TLs to begin with. Watch how they run the team.... Chances are there will come a day where you will
Lead the team alone.
Know which TMs you can turn to if you need help.
KNOW YOUR WORK LOAD!!! I can't stress that one enough especially if you are running the team alone. If you don't know what freight you have yet to work or where your TMs are on the floor you're screwed.
Be available to the TMs and TLs.
PRAISE!! Whether at huddle or on an individual basis, recognizing those who go above and beyond will get you far.
Work on the floor with the team. Show them that you are willing to put in you 110% with everyone else.
Know the store polices for vacation/sick time ect. If you have new TMs you are going to need to be able to answer their questions. Our ETL knows nothing and instead of finding out the questions, he sends TMs to HR to have questions answered. :(


Above all else, have fun and good luck!!
 
Mhugh220 said:
Vaughn0311 said:
Hi all, I was recently offered a position as an overnight logistics ETL. Prior to this I was a college student, and prior to that I was in the Marines where I did two tours as an infantryman (Semper, to any other Marines on here). Enough about me though. I would like some insight on the position. Some tips would be great. I've heard that new ETLs usually get a hard time because these positions are generally filled by kids straight out of college. Is this true? I also have a few questions, I admit that some are vain but they matter to me and the wife:

How does vacation work?
How soon can I use vacation?
Is an MBA a viable degree for the tuition reimbursement?
What gyms are included in the program?
If you are married, how rough is the schedule on the relationship?
What is your typical schedule like?
What is business college like?
How is your relationship with subordinates?
What is your relationship with superiors?
Any extra tips or advice?

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and hopefully sharing some advice!
Click to expand...

Vacation - two weeks a year - must find coverage so hopefully you have a Senior TL or another ETL who will cover while you're away. If you're lucky the STL will help find coverage, otherwise good luck with vacation. And take it before 4th quarter (black Friday to February). But you are never actually on vacation because you'll have to follow up with your ETL-Replenishment or TLs all the time. Even when you are not there you are responsible for their performance (you own location accuracy and replen score). At my store myself (ETL-Log) and my ETL-Replen have to cover each other, which means 7+ straight days of working, which takes its toll on you. Anything past 4 straight days is stressful.

Vacation accrues by the hour - so the more days you work the more hours you earn. You start at 0 hrs and earn up to two weeks.

MBA is great to have and Target may reimburse for it.

Gyms?!? - Sure, if you live near HQ in Minnesota. Most of the benefits are only useful if you work in MN. In MD, we don't have any of these benefits.

Married work/life balance - I work 4 13+hour days. But 4 days is a treat, some ETL-Logs work 5 days just like every other ETL. Luckily my operational numbers are high so I only work 4 days - but you must work at least 50 hours a week. My wife preferred when I was deployed because I seemed to have more time for family. I'm always working or doing something for work because I came into a red process that I am turning around. Most will tell you it takes 30 days to see 1 change and a year to make a difference overall.

Schedule rotates like this- Sunday off Monday On Tuesday On Wednesday Off Thursday Off Friday On Saturday On
Sunday On Monday off Tuesday On Wednesday On Thursday On Friday Off Saturday Off

Business college is a joke - just learn all of the on-the-job training - learn about strategic planning - master the basics of the process - learn about location accuracy routines - then apply to your store

Relationship - great all around. STL and HR will be your best partners. They will guide you.


I came into a broken store with a team that has been with Target for a long time. You would think that having so many veteran TMs would be great but its quite challenging getting them to break their habits. Almost everything they did was not on Best Practice and their performance was based on the bus schedule - meaning their pace stayed the same whether you had a 1500 piece truck or a double (4500 pieces). Make changes gradually, don't go balls to the wall. I have a military background which made things even more challenging. I can't talk to them like adults. My HR is not supportive so my TMs run the show. Very hard to put a TM on corrective action, even if they have 3 NCNS in a row, don't push fast, or are caught shopping while on the clock. Really kills the spirit.

Your experience will be based on how good your ETL Replen, Flow TLs, and your BR TLs are. The more they do the less you'll have to. Hold them accountable to their core roles so you aren't picking up their slack. They must manage talent so you can focus on planning for BTS and 4th Quarter. Also, set routines around location accuracy. Logistics counts for 40% of the stores operational score. We get all of the hours and no one respects overnight. Just be consistent and follow up with your team's performance.

The job may get hard at times but it can be rewarding. Do I think it's worth the pay? Personally, no. Keep your resume up to date and find a normal 9-5 job. You'll have to do at least 12-18 months overnight before moving on. And even as an STL your work/life balance is not that great. My STL works about 70 hours a week. Taking a pay cut to spend time with your family is well worth it, especially if you have kids. As an Overnight ETL-Log your first and last day off is a waste because you get off work on your first day off and then have to prepare yourself to get back on routine the last day off. So unless you have a 3 day weekend it sucks going back and forth. I feel that I saw my family more deployed every 6 months than I do now.

Good luck!!
Click to expand...


MHUGH220, is definitely right, I've seen 5+ ETL logistics burn out in the different stores I've been in all of them lost a ton of weight, got divorced and just became miserable. At the end of the day choose happiness over money get a regular 9-5.
 
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