I'm Lost! No More GSAs...? What are they now?

yeah i am trying hard to do the same with my team. its hard because a lot of them hang out outside of work or take the same college classes but it’s like, you have all the non-work time to catch up about that shit. its a tough pill for them to swallow
 
I was thrilled when I found out it was going away. I'm pretty sure I made a post about it in the modernization thread because I really don't care who knows that I hated being a GSA. (I also hate my current "stepped in role" status that a) STILL feels like Schrodinger's Job and b) has taken away any semblance of work/life balance because it's all mids, all the time. I found out yesterday the outside hire SETL bailed on their first day of training, so it looks like I'll be stepped in role going into Q4. Joy. I love barely seeing my spouse, especially when it's my weekend to work.)

Being a GSA was boring. It's like herding cats. Please let me actually help guests instead of deal with all that minutiae and people's petty dramas. As I was rarely scheduled with other GSAs at either store, it was rarely GSAs talking my ears off, it was (and is) other TMs and the odd TL from another area. There's a lot I dislike about the new ops model, but I'll be the first one to say that position needed to go.
 
Nothing irked me more than hearing nonstop calls for backup while the GSA stood there chatting with whomever. I realize that this was the directive (that GSAs don't ring) but I agree that doing away with that was at least one smart company move.
 
Former GSA here. The main difference now is that I'm supposed to do all the things I did plus watch the SCO's. (AP hates that, but that's the way it is.) I also do cash office, close lanes, run breaks, get change, answer lights, help guest service, sell alcohol for minor cashiers, you name it! Who has time to chat! I actually love when I get an occasional cashier shift. I can just relax and interact with the guests. We're a smaller store, our GSTL (or whatever they're called now) comes in later, some days we don't even have one. And she also does ordering etc so spends a good chunk of the day in an office instead of out on the floor. We're training as many GA's as possible to close lanes, but currently only have 4 people who can do cash office. Started to train one a few weeks ago, next thing we knew, she was fired. Won't say why, lets just say for a reason that makes you glad she never got to be alone in a room with an open safe!
 
At our store, all front end advocates do every role. This includes holding keys, getting change, closing registers, making the next day's break schedule, running guest service, etc. I, a former GSA, was the only one in the front end to have the offer to move to another role and continue to learn. I took it. And thank goodness. The first few weeks were rough and as a former GSA I was called up to help troubleshoot many things through shifts. (most of it closing stuff and many people weren't trained nor did the store give anyone numbers the first couple weeks). Now there's a handful of people that are oddly scheduled guest service more than others, some of these advocates I pass by never seem to leave a register and I never seen them behind guest service. I kind of like it but hate it in the sense of that 'fairness' and 'no one is in charge' aspect seems to be getting skewed lately. There's one advocate who completely keeps saying she's some sort of GSA... I keep trying to explain there is no such thing but... the ego... No, hun, you and almost all your peers are all advocates and doing what is expected of your role. Closing a lane is nothing more important than what everyone else on your team knows how to do.

Too many chiefs and not enough indians, IMHO. Inmates running the asylum. When a lead or SETL is there, things seem cool. But once they leave... the one former GSA still there seems to keep things together and she's also the most laid back person, but teams need something leading sometimes. Luckily we never had many problems when it came to any form of leadership up front ignoring guests or cashiers when there were GSA's (okay, so we just had a long time GSTL leave and she'd always ignore everyone, talk to her friends and just stand up front 70% of the time doing nothing special, but otherwise we all were productive and couldn't be lazy even if we wanted to). But the closing advocates? Man... I've seen countless times of advocates just chatting it up while guests were there and it grinds my gears. Sure, some chatting happens at any time. But constantly ignoring. Personal chat sessions. Or just not being productive and hanging out. I know I've ranted about the one person on one of these threads, between that one and a couple others, when the leads are away they will play.
 
TargetSenpai said:
Sure, some chatting happens at any time. But constantly ignoring. Personal chat sessions. Or just not being productive and hanging out. I know I've ranted about the one person on one of these threads, between that one and a couple others, when the leads are away they will play.
Click to expand...
I have this problem at night sometimes too but my ETL doesn’t want them tasking (how it is in modernization) so there’s not much we can do to be productive since there’s only so many guests to say hi to, so many times you can read the weekly ad, browse cartwheel, have 1 on 1s and huddles, fill supplies etc
 
Dog said:
I have this problem at night sometimes too but my ETL doesn’t want them tasking (how it is in modernization) so there’s not much we can do to be productive since there’s only so many guests to say hi to, so many times you can read the weekly ad, browse cartwheel, have 1 on 1s and huddles, fill supplies etc
Click to expand...

If they have nothing to do, they can always get carts and clean the restrooms.
 
Anelmi said:
We are tasking again in my store. Too much not getting done by GM for the front end so it’s back to us.
Click to expand...
It’s still like that at my store (GM ignoring the front end and bullseye) but now it’s just the SETLs doing it lol

seasonaldude said:
If they have nothing to do, they can always get carts and clean the restrooms.
Click to expand...
Thankfully we have a cart attendant until close most nights (but never one until like 2pm so it sucks to be the morning people)
 
Dog said:
It’s still like that at my store (GM ignoring the front end and bullseye) but now it’s just the SETLs doing it lol


Thankfully we have a cart attendant until close most nights (but never one until like 2pm so it sucks to be the morning people)
Click to expand...

GM was ignoring the frontend and Bullseye at my store. Kept asking the guest advocates to do it. Luckily, one of our SETLs had the foresight to put his foot down and refuse to allow the GAs to do GM tasks through a couple of visits. Now, GM has found that oh yeah, they can get that stuff done. We don't get cart attendants until 4 except on weekends. But, the frontend just grabs them until the rows in front of the store are empty. After that, a cart party gets called when needed.
 
Ok but why not? Why shouldn’t GS/GAs be DBOs of the front end? I don’t get it. Having a cashier work candy doesn’t mean they aren’t guest-centric. If GM can “manage” to work freight and help guests at the same time, why can’t cashiers/front end too? Because giving them zero tasks in between guests just causes idle chatter, looking at phones, extended bathroom breaks, etc.
 
i dont mind my advocates actually working out whatever stuff comes up to the lanes, what i resent is the shoddy state of my gm team that i have thousands of pieces of gum/candy/etc. across several dozen dpcis that are unlocated and just sitting in the backroom

kinda angling for a mutually assured destruction thing here
 
Anelmi said:
Ok but why not? Why shouldn’t GS/GAs be DBOs of the front end? I don’t get it. Having a cashier work candy doesn’t mean they aren’t guest-centric. If GM can “manage” to work freight and help guests at the same time, why can’t cashiers/front end too? Because giving them zero tasks in between guests just causes idle chatter, looking at phones, extended bathroom breaks, etc.
Click to expand...

It's a matter of payroll at my store. We have long stretches where we only have one cashier because of scheduling and breaks. It seems like every third day that turns into zero cashiers because of call outs. With that kind of bare bones scheduling we can't have guest advocates stocking Bullseye's Playground or rearranging gum. They need to be available for guests in an instant or we'll get complaints and we'll end up with lines. Keep in mind that cashiers don't get walkies. If they have their back turned while tasking, they can't see the guests. They need to be able to see the guests because lord knows guests complain about having to wait for any length of time, no matter how short.
 
Anelmi said:
Ok but why not? Why shouldn’t GS/GAs be DBOs of the front end? I don’t get it. Having a cashier work candy doesn’t mean they aren’t guest-centric. If GM can “manage” to work freight and help guests at the same time, why can’t cashiers/front end too? Because giving them zero tasks in between guests just causes idle chatter, looking at phones, extended bathroom breaks, etc.
Click to expand...

the idea is that guest advocates are constantly flexing around the front end to support the guest experience while also utilizing their down time to learn more about advocating for the guest. study the weekly ad, workday learnings, cartwheel (soon to be target circle), etc.

in practice... 🤷‍♂️

but really there isn't THAT much down time at the front end (my front end anyway) that we could spend tasking anyway so the moments between guests that would be used to put away one box of candy are used looking at the ad or cartwheel
 
REDcardJJ said:
bih "GSA pay" went away in 2017
Click to expand...

Right!!! And they're still going on about it even though the position doesn't exist anymore. It was a valid complaint when they were still considered to be in supervisory positions making the same as the people they were supervising, but now that that's gone it isn't cute anymore
 
Marcellow said:
Well as a former GSA myself, the former GSAs are held to leadership standards at my store but not a penny more than their peers. Which is why I’ve been job searching because of I’m tired of the shit.
Click to expand...
See if you can get put on the bench maybe
 
Dog said:
See if you can get put on the bench maybe
Click to expand...

The SD said the bench no longer exists.

I went to Talent Day just recently and they said I need to Captain something and there’s no openings and we’ll supposedly talk in January/February. Nevermind that a peer, who stole my captainship, got promoted just right after that event. Yep, time to jump ship to another job - career fair is next week. My store is toxic.
 
Marcellow said:
The SD said the bench no longer exists.

I went to Talent Day just recently and they said I need to Captain something and there’s no openings and we’ll supposedly talk in January/February. Nevermind that a peer, who stole my captainship, got promoted just right after that event. Yep, time to jump ship to another job - career fair is next week. My store is toxic.
Click to expand...
I’m sorry that happened to you - based on your posts it seems like you really do care about doing a good job. Another spot loss

Also.. what is talent day?
 

Similar threads

buliSBI
Checks no more
Replies
3
Views
502
Captain Orca
C
S
Are the self-checkouts at your store "ten items or less." now?
Replies
20
Views
1K
Anelmi
Anelmi
simplymainer
Are other Targets cost-cutting right now?
Replies
19
Views
1K
jenna
J
T
ESIM
Replies
15
Views
2K
HInbound
H
jackandcat
Service & Engagement Changes in return policy?
Replies
6
Views
797
FlowTeamChick
F
Back
Top