Less than an hour. It took me longer to walk around the store to find the endcap aisle numbers from the checklist on Friday than it took to actually put them up. I don't think anyone walked the ad. The thing that took the most time was me going back to the locations I had already written down and making sure they actually were/were not on sale since it looks like lots of endcaps in dom/home weren't done at my store. If everything was set right and you know the locations before you start I would put this as even being less than a half an hour if you don't include the overhead or the bean bag bin (endcap ISM headers and flags only).
MEGATHREAD Signing Tips, Tricks and Quips (along with howls of despair)
- Thread starter commiecorvus
- Start date
i think i like the sale arrows. what do you guys think?
the only hairy part for us was that there were 4 of us, and signing + wiiu set + shippers. after 5 min our etl log pulled one of us to help truck. but we got all the signing completed and all the shippers/wii set and stocked. didn't get much else done though.
i'm worried about the 2day. the salesfloor is just walking around la dee da. not even attempting to prepare. i bet $$$ my schedule gets changed and they call me in tomorrow.
targetoldtimer, i know how you feel on the vacay. our execs gave me a guilt trip because i took a week in june and one in september for the first time ever. i wanted to take a few days off last week since all the ecaps were done, but was denied and told i took vacay already.we didn't have pog hours last week. instead, i got to work electronics/sf all week. almost like vacay--easiest shifts ever.
the only hairy part for us was that there were 4 of us, and signing + wiiu set + shippers. after 5 min our etl log pulled one of us to help truck. but we got all the signing completed and all the shippers/wii set and stocked. didn't get much else done though.
i'm worried about the 2day. the salesfloor is just walking around la dee da. not even attempting to prepare. i bet $$$ my schedule gets changed and they call me in tomorrow.
targetoldtimer, i know how you feel on the vacay. our execs gave me a guilt trip because i took a week in june and one in september for the first time ever. i wanted to take a few days off last week since all the ecaps were done, but was denied and told i took vacay already.we didn't have pog hours last week. instead, i got to work electronics/sf all week. almost like vacay--easiest shifts ever.
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2011
- Messages
- 34,116
We were laughing at that one. It was a 3 ft end cap for a focal. Too ugly!
I like them. Definately better than the big green 4 day/2 day ones from the past few years. Also, if for some reason something from the 4-day carries over but doesn't get new ISM these are generic enough they could sub in a pinch. I like the black/neon color scheme. It's not "amazing", but it is nice to mix it up from years past.
i am SO worried about the 2-day. no one else even seems to be sweating it. was talking to one of my fav TLs today (the one that likes to PLAN things in advance, go figure) and they're just as worried. believe me, i am going to scour my packet by wednesday morning so that there aren't any great mysteries since i'm sure no one else will.
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2011
- Messages
- 20,066
As long as you have the check list it won't take long at all.
Hanging the one big sign over the cart well and putting up the arrows/headers, easy peasy.
Hanging the one big sign over the cart well and putting up the arrows/headers, easy peasy.
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2011
- Messages
- 34,116
Provide your signing guy does it. My case, not.
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2011
- Messages
- 1,382
Sheesh, easy peasy is right. What the heck was the fuss about? The babies didn't set any of the signs, but it took me all of an hour to complete.
No one had even started the bins yet, so I organized all the bins onto pallets, set the planos and started to prefill them. Took home all the packets, read through them and I think the ad set tomorrow night will be pretty easy, other than setting while the guests are still in the store that is.
Happy Thanksgiving all, hope your temporary seasonal jobs are fun...
haha. i LOVE that.
between myself and a couple TLs we completely strategized BF/Th. Seems like the ETLs are taking their winter mental vacays right now. Everything for me is staged and set to go smooth. We'll see.
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2011
- Messages
- 1,382
You really need to start looking around for a new signing person. Obviously it isn't a good fit for him. Myself? I can't imagine doing anything else. I love my job 95% of the time.
I'm a firm believer that someone may not be a good at one job but amazing in the right job.
The signing for this year was super easy. Just a tad time consuming putting up all the 4am-noon signs throughout domestics.
My biggest headache was that stuff wasn't being set yet. I was there until 630am Thursday morning. There were still endcaps being set. So I had to go in earlier that night at 7pm to make sure all the endcaps were correctly signed.
It was a combination of things. Too few people. Too much work. Lack of planning.
But the actual signing itself was cake.
One more day this week (today to process the truck) and I am done. Probably going to end up somewhere near 50 hours this week.
My biggest headache was that stuff wasn't being set yet. I was there until 630am Thursday morning. There were still endcaps being set. So I had to go in earlier that night at 7pm to make sure all the endcaps were correctly signed.
It was a combination of things. Too few people. Too much work. Lack of planning.
But the actual signing itself was cake.
One more day this week (today to process the truck) and I am done. Probably going to end up somewhere near 50 hours this week.
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2011
- Messages
- 1,382
Those bins for the controllers were super easy.
If Spot has their ears on, I would suggest using that type for ALL the bins next year, even if we need more so they could be lighter.
They wouldn't have to be built until the night of filling them, so no valuable space is needed and the stock team could easily do it.
I came in at 11am Friday and almost all of them were empty and tossed by then. Seems like a big waste of space, & time for such a short time.
Another suggestion would be that the arrows on the bins be shorter next year. Once the bins were on a pallet to be moved to the floor, they didn't fit out the door! Stock team told me they had to bend them over to get them out.
If Spot has their ears on, I would suggest using that type for ALL the bins next year, even if we need more so they could be lighter.
They wouldn't have to be built until the night of filling them, so no valuable space is needed and the stock team could easily do it.
I came in at 11am Friday and almost all of them were empty and tossed by then. Seems like a big waste of space, & time for such a short time.
Another suggestion would be that the arrows on the bins be shorter next year. Once the bins were on a pallet to be moved to the floor, they didn't fit out the door! Stock team told me they had to bend them over to get them out.
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2011
- Messages
- 20,066
Anybody else seriously annoyed that it took them weeks to figure out that they needed something to hold together the corners on those frelling Christmas trees in softlines and than didn't send us enough to fix them all?
Or that when they sent us the hours for doors with the little boxes to fill in the didn't send us enough start and end times to make it look half way professional, then they sent us more and it still wasn't enough?
Or that when they sent us the hours for doors with the little boxes to fill in the didn't send us enough start and end times to make it look half way professional, then they sent us more and it still wasn't enough?
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2011
- Messages
- 1,382
I'd be happy to be able to find all that you are talking about. Asked everyone all day, nope, no one has seen them.
There must have been some kind of company-wide message about it - my STL was asking about it today. They should have come last week DTS through UPS or FedEx (i think). Obviously I didn't do them yet since you know - it was only Black Friday last week - kinda busy. Plus none of the trees in my store are filled, one was just thrown away completely. Such a waste. They are just green cardboard corner reinforcers that you slap on the corners. I'll do mine tomorrow. Those trees were horrible. They should have been assembled with Viking Clips, not the cheap-o fake screws. Even then that would have been a reach. Should have had a big honeycomb bottom with a hole in the middle and had each higher level dovetail into the section below it. No hardware - easy assembly, easy un-assembly.
The door hours suck as well. I thought they went through three weeks but ended on a Sunday which makes it fine for me to tackle on a Monday morning. Not so much. The times aren't so reuseable either. I'm guessing from the cold, but I had a lot of them just rip and allover not want to come off. Anytime they use a clear vinyl it completely brittles-over and is a pain to get off. Not the worst, but could be better. What was always good in the past was that the holiday hours used to be a thinker vinyl with a more rubbery texture that would not only come off in one yank, but could even be adjusted. The new ones just disintegrate if they catch a fold or need a bubble ironed out (the red moreso than the white part). Your store hours should have arrived DTS as well. They were supposed to go to the STL, but I think because they have an operational sticker on them mine ended up with my SFT somehow.
The door hours suck as well. I thought they went through three weeks but ended on a Sunday which makes it fine for me to tackle on a Monday morning. Not so much. The times aren't so reuseable either. I'm guessing from the cold, but I had a lot of them just rip and allover not want to come off. Anytime they use a clear vinyl it completely brittles-over and is a pain to get off. Not the worst, but could be better. What was always good in the past was that the holiday hours used to be a thinker vinyl with a more rubbery texture that would not only come off in one yank, but could even be adjusted. The new ones just disintegrate if they catch a fold or need a bubble ironed out (the red moreso than the white part). Your store hours should have arrived DTS as well. They were supposed to go to the STL, but I think because they have an operational sticker on them mine ended up with my SFT somehow.
LOL. I found those green corner protectors lying at TSC in the training room, opened. I have them in the back. But unless someone tells me to do it, I just will conveniently not do it.The sooner they fall apart, the sooner I can pitch them.
The doors? A pain. What a dumb idea. I walked around to each ETL and told them not to email me that some of the opening times were missing from the third week out. I would move them one day at a time as the days from this week rolled on by. I haven't had any problems reusing them. If my STL got more numbers, she hasn't given them to me. I'll probably see them on Dec 26.
Has anyone looked at the project "N" stuff yet? How involved is it?
The doors? A pain. What a dumb idea. I walked around to each ETL and told them not to email me that some of the opening times were missing from the third week out. I would move them one day at a time as the days from this week rolled on by. I haven't had any problems reusing them. If my STL got more numbers, she hasn't given them to me. I'll probably see them on Dec 26.
Has anyone looked at the project "N" stuff yet? How involved is it?
ISM Master
PMT
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2011
- Messages
- 466
Project N is easy. A few cylinder signs for racks, a few headers for convertibles, two 4-cubed statues, and an overhang. We'll see how well setup goes at my store since communication is poor.
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2011
- Messages
- 1,382
I didn't have any trouble putting the store hour stickers up without bubbles, but that could be because our weather is warm or maybe my way of putting them up. I looked every where for the additional hour stickers, but their MIA. I just used the 8PM sticker, cut off the PM and cut an AM from another hour I didn't need. Did the same for where I needed more 11PM. Honestly, you can't even notice.
ISM Queen, Project N is ALL signing. You can prebuild everything. On the rack signs, leave the bottoms open, and on the stack of boxes, leave the top of the bottom box untaped so you can put the kitty litter inside when on the salesfloor before stacking. Once all that is done, it should be a 30 minute set on Saturday. I hate working weekends, but I'm going to come in for a few hours just to make sure it all looks nice before opening.
My biggest problem now is with a couple plano tm. I'm getting some attitude. SORRY, I dared go on vacation and you had to walk to get your own backer paper. Sheesh. I'll remember next time I'm finished early, I will not be helping you and my standard answer from now on will be "I dunno?".
ISM Queen, Project N is ALL signing. You can prebuild everything. On the rack signs, leave the bottoms open, and on the stack of boxes, leave the top of the bottom box untaped so you can put the kitty litter inside when on the salesfloor before stacking. Once all that is done, it should be a 30 minute set on Saturday. I hate working weekends, but I'm going to come in for a few hours just to make sure it all looks nice before opening.
My biggest problem now is with a couple plano tm. I'm getting some attitude. SORRY, I dared go on vacation and you had to walk to get your own backer paper. Sheesh. I'll remember next time I'm finished early, I will not be helping you and my standard answer from now on will be "I dunno?".
You have to deliver backer paper to their feet as well? I thought maybe I was the only sucker there. One good thing is that if I unpack it, I generally remember if I have it. The bad thing is that the team knows this and will ask me on the floor if I have things instead of checking themselves. So if I dare forget one thing that I unpacked four days ago it doesn't get done because "signing didn't tell me we had it"....ironic since whenever they have something wrong or missing what is the first thing i say? "where's your planogram". Unfortunately the last signing person before myself had the catchphrase "the planogram's not the bible".
Anyway - finished building everything for 'Project N' today. Two large billboard boxes, one medium, one small; two cube towers; seven racktoppers (three circle, four 7x11); one bulk overhead (mine came with one of the hooks broken - will have to jury-rig tomorrow); and a handful of 3x5 return policy signs.
The set should be fast on Saturday here. They gave us two convertibles to sign and stage already; so we have the medium and short ones ready to go. Since the set will be so short, I am just showing someone else how to do the remaining steps. I will make them a checklist to know what order to do things in and write down a few answers I know the other TMs setting it up won't know. So the large billboards basically just have to be slipped on. Add the kitty litter and they're good to go. Pre-hanging the overhead bar as well so it should be pretty simple. I do think it was slightly genius to set the billboard boxes on just the merch bars instead of actual billboards. I just so happened to have two new in box ones hanging around, and then I just took the other off the sweater shop BB. The box towers (totems) actually fit together in the way that I wished a couple of posts ago that the X-mas trees would have.
Did anyone else get the communication on keeping the BF shippers? I don't know who actually received and read this information but it didn't say it on any papers that I recall reading. No one (ETLs) could recall where they read this either but everyone kept parroting that they needed to be kept. This was a disaster at our store. Not because they threw them out, but because they kept EVERYTHING. Ugh black cardboard trash e v e r y w h e r e. I assume we were only supposed save the octagons since they don't say "black friday sale" all over them?
Question: do your put yours up wet? I feel like I remember you might have mentioned that you use that technique for some types of clings, etc.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2011
- Messages
- 1,382
Yeah, I normally use windex on the glass, but I test first, & these wanted to turn white so I didn't. On these, I peel back 1", fold it flat and then position the sticker on the window. I then peel back the entire backing, holding it completely away from the glass, other than that 1". I then lightly spray the outside of the sticker to allow my blue scraper to slide easier. I just move the scraper up and down, only advancing 1/2" each swipe. Kinda tedious, but I rarely get a bubble. BUT those of you back east, oh my! A cold window would make it sooo hard!
Greydot, I've told you this before, but I swear we work at the same store, different shifts! My team likes to play the helpless women role when they can get away with it. Most have been with Spot almost a decade, but they still can't read the line listing?? Come on now.
Oh oh. If we were supposed to keep the bins... we are screwed! I tossed everything! Not one sign of black friday left. Can you find out where your etls read this??
mrknownothing
purveyor of things
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2011
- Messages
- 10,148
We tossed all our shippers too. My re-shop team demerched and dismantled them. D-:
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2011
- Messages
- 20,066
We tossed everything too.
I sure hope we don't need them.
I sure hope we don't need them.
