New S/E TL

[Priceslasher]

Use your own resources first. Hint: You are your own resource. Get on a lane yourself.

Yup I sure do. Where are my resources? Oh taken to the floor … lol. But, I haven’t forgotten what it’s like to be a tm, never will that’s what makes me a great team leader, also try to remember just from my fos we aren’t up there like hahaha…. Gm isn’t getting their work done today.

 

[happygoth]

WHY WOuld someone call backup if its slow?

It's not slow, the guest service people are just good at goofing off. Depends on how on top of things the SETLs are.

Perfect example just now. Front end calls for backup just as I'm about to use the bathroom. I walk by and see the SE TL behind GS talking with the gs tm, the FOS attendant and AP talking while looking at AP's phone, SCO TM gathering baskets, and three people in line at most. Nah dude. One of those people could jump on.

 

[Targetking]

Perfect example just now. Front end calls for backup just as I'm about to use the bathroom. I walk by and see the SE TL behind GS talking with the gs tm, the FOS attendant and AP talking while looking at AP's phone, SCO TM gathering baskets, and three people in line at most. Nah dude. One of those people could jump on.

mention it to them.

 

[Rarejem]

Perfect example just now. Front end calls for backup just as I'm about to use the bathroom. I walk by and see the SE TL behind GS talking with the gs tm, the FOS attendant and AP talking while looking at AP's phone, SCO TM gathering baskets, and three people in line at most. Nah dude. One of those people could jump on.

Disagree. SETL jumps on and a guest goes to guest service at that moment and wants to speak to a manager, who now is on a lane with a line forming. The guest checking out needs a carryout, but the FOS attendant is on a lane. AP cannot cashier...against security rules. SCO tm gets 3 blinking red lights and a vacuum walks out the door. GS tm should not leave the area. Complaining about seeing tm's using their phone? I used mine 8 times today to find items for a guest because myDay couldn't. (and most front end tm's don't have one because they are necessary on the salesfloor) Three people in line and one cashier? Nah dude. That will get a complaint or poor survey. Backing up is part of the job and is not called out with no thought behind it. The front of the store is the first and last place to make that impression and is the one that walks out the door with the guest. Back up is part of the job and directly affects the guest and that's what matters.

 

[happygoth]

Disagree. SETL jumps on and a guest goes to guest service at that moment and wants to speak to a manager, who now is on a lane with a line forming. The guest checking out needs a carryout, but the FOS attendant is on a lane. AP cannot cashier...against security rules. SCO tm gets 3 blinking red lights and a vacuum walks out the door. GS tm should not leave the area. Complaining about seeing tm's using their phone? I used mine 8 times today to find items for a guest because myDay couldn't. (and most front end tm's don't have one because they are necessary on the salesfloor) Three people in line and one cashier? Nah dude. That will get a complaint or poor survey. Backing up is part of the job and is not called out with no thought behind it. The front of the store is the first and last place to make that impression and is the one that walks out the door with the guest. Back up is part of the job and directly affects the guest and that's what matters.

If guest service is that important, then the front end people need to all be ringing except maybe one before you pull people off the floor. Keeping everyone who isn't a cashier free in case they might be needed for something else is ridiculous. The SE TL could have covered SCO while SCO jumped on a lane. If a manager is needed, there are others in the building. SeTL could say hey closing lead, I'm covering SCO, could you get that? The FOS attendant should definitely be ringing before pulling someone with a full workload off the floor. That should be the last resort, not the first.

This is why some areas of the store are a mess while other sections are empty. We need people filling and zoning.

ETA: I guarantee you that AP was not showing the FOS attendant anything work-related on his phone.

 

[jenna]

As a DBO who grabs his reshop multiple times a day, please don't even think about calling me up unless the SA's are actually scanning things into the right bins. I typically throw half of what I find in my bin into other areas because that's where the shit belongs.



Good idea. However, make sure the cashiers are properly trained on how to stock the salesfloor. Otherwise, the reshop just ends up all over the place, especially when what goes into the bins is not properly sorted.

My favorite is when I take reshop to guest service, and some random team member brings it back to my area, and leaves it! 🙄

(not really my favorite.)

 

[NotCynicalYet]

Use your own resources first. Hint: You are your own resource. Get on a lane yourself.

Sorry but no. This causes more problems than it solves, usually. However, a front end lead can line bust to help out. That's a great way to save on backups as the transactions are quick enough to allow the TL to jump off to help when the next inevitable problem comes along.

 

[Swolemander]

Hello, I'm a relatively new S&E ETL that was external.

My best advice is to own your department, build respectful partnerships with TLs in other areas, and respect + build up your team. Nothing super complicated. Hit on those details and you'll do just fine.

Also, do respect other areas when you call for backup. Hold your own team accountable for helping backups get back to their workcenter; it should be a priority.

 

[seasonaldude]

Also, do respect other areas when you call for backup. Hold your own team accountable for helping backups get back to their workcenter; it should be a priority.

This! Nothing drives salesfloor TMs crazier at my store than backing up the registers and getting stuck there because no one is paying attention so guests are going to our lanes when a GA's lane is available. It does affect TM's willingness to provide backup in the future.

 

[Priceslasher]

This! Nothing drives salesfloor TMs crazier at my store than backing up the registers and getting stuck there because no one is paying attention so guests are going to our lanes when a GA's lane is available. It does affect TM's willingness to provide backup in the future.

Yes. Those backup team members can also point guests to next available lane. Advocate for yourself too.

 

[DBZ]

Disagree. SETL jumps on and a guest goes to guest service at that moment and wants to speak to a manager, who now is on a lane with a line forming. The guest checking out needs a carryout, but the FOS attendant is on a lane. AP cannot cashier...against security rules. SCO tm gets 3 blinking red lights and a vacuum walks out the door.

A different TL can respond if they really need a manager. The GS TM should be trying to handle the manager issue or at least gauging which manager should respond. Anyone can help with a carry out. The SCO TM should only be watching sco. The GS TMs often challenge me on backing up at the lanes because they might get pop ups. I get that they want to be ready for those and they don't want to ring, but we need to prioritize the guest that is actually here over the one that isn't. My GS team has 3-5 people working at any point during the day. One should be able to flex back and forth. All to often I go over there and find 3 of them on their phones because they have an order waiting to show up

 

[Rarejem]

A different TL can respond if they really need a manager. The GS TM should be trying to handle the manager issue or at least gauging which manager should respond. Anyone can help with a carry out. The SCO TM should only be watching sco. The GS TMs often challenge me on backing up at the lanes because they might get pop ups. I get that they want to be ready for those and they don't want to ring, but we need to prioritize the guest that is actually here over the one that isn't. My GS team has 3-5 people working at any point during the day. One should be able to flex back and forth. All to often I go over there and find 3 of them on their phones because they have an order waiting to show up

Have you ever worked at the front of the store so you understand how it actually works and that drive up and pick up are timed? All too often I'll walk past GM tms that are just "chatting" or staring at shelves. I also understand that sometimes it is necessary to talk to your team mates when working or to look at shelves to try to "picture" how you'll achieve a goal. Guess what? I do my job and if it includes backing up, then I do it. All of those people that you say can problem solve the front end are now off the floor and doing someone else's job... because you're too important to backup. It's not that they "don't want to ring". They are prioritizing in the manner that their leadership has told them to and it is simply not your call as to what they do and you don't. Drive up and pick up are sales drivers and money makers. Those guests are important, too. It's kind of why stores have been remodeled to accommodate them, new technology developed, parking lots reconfigured, signing and advertisement has been created, and the fulfillment team expanded. A lot of money has been spent to cultivate guests that you don't think are important.

 

[happygoth]

Have you ever worked at the front of the store so you understand how it actually works and that drive up and pick up are timed? All too often I'll walk past GM tms that are just "chatting" or staring at shelves. I also understand that sometimes it is necessary to talk to your team mates when working or to look at shelves to try to "picture" how you'll achieve a goal. Guess what? I do my job and if it includes backing up, then I do it. All of those people that you say can problem solve the front end are now off the floor and doing someone else's job... because you're too important to backup. It's not that they "don't want to ring". They are prioritizing in the manner that their leadership has told them to and it is simply not your call as to what they do and you don't. Drive up and pick up are sales drivers and money makers. Those guests are important, too. It's kind of why stores have been remodeled to accommodate them, new technology developed, parking lots reconfigured, signing and advertisement has been created, and the fulfillment team expanded. A lot of money has been spent to cultivate guests that you don't think are important.

Drive up and Pick up are very important, you are right. They are a great benefit to our guests and need to be staffed appropriately.

The blame really lands on corporate for not providing enough hours to adequately staff the front end. If every area is bare bones yet they expect floor TMs to ring, then obviously areas are going to suffer. Target needs to get away from calling for backup as a regular thing. We are too busy for that nonsense. They need to schedule enough cashiers period. If it's slow, there is always plenty of work to keep the cashiers busy until they are needed. I am all for extra hours for the front end.

 

[DBZ]

Have you ever worked at the front of the store so you understand how it actually works and that drive up and pick up are timed? All too often I'll walk past GM tms that are just "chatting" or staring at shelves. I also understand that sometimes it is necessary to talk to your team mates when working or to look at shelves to try to "picture" how you'll achieve a goal. Guess what? I do my job and if it includes backing up, then I do it. All of those people that you say can problem solve the front end are now off the floor and doing someone else's job... because you're too important to backup. It's not that they "don't want to ring". They are prioritizing in the manner that their leadership has told them to and it is simply not your call as to what they do and you don't. Drive up and pick up are sales drivers and money makers. Those guests are important, too. It's kind of why stores have been remodeled to accommodate them, new technology developed, parking lots reconfigured, signing and advertisement has been created, and the fulfillment team expanded. A lot of money has been spent to cultivate guests that you don't think are important.

I've been up front for 3 years. I own the front end. I lived in DU for a year (all thru covid hell), but now I run the front the majority of the time. Sometimes DU/GS is understaffed and sometimes it is overstaffed (rarely). GS/DU is used to being the area that needs all the help, but things are shifting. At my store, we used to do 10% of our sales in thru DU/PU, but now it is more like 5%. I think the DU sales have dropped a little, but the foot traffic inside has increased a lot. The GS team doesn't see that because they are doing their thing, but I see it because I am overseeing both things.

 

[MrT]

Everything is timed at spot, just some are more obvious because its an actual metric.