Archived Team Trainer...?

[PinkZinnia]

I have been training cashiers for a long time - without the trainer name tag. One day tsc said they were putting in an order for tags and asked if I wanted one. I said sure why not. It doesn't matter to me either way.
I like training cashiers because then I know that they are learning "target's" way. It ends up being less work for gstl's when cashiers are trained properly.

Two times guests have looked at my name tag and said, you know a lot for someone being trained. When I told them I am the trainer, not the trainee they say that makes sense... And my thought was, you really didn't know that the badge meant that I do the training?

 

[RedMan]

Our team trainers only train - no paper work. And they like it because they were chosen because they are good at their job and by teaching others to be good at their jobs, the workload is reduced on the good TMs. For example, if a cashier is poorly trained, then everybody has to work harder - the GSA / GSTL who constantly has to answer lights, the cashier in the next lane because the poorly trained cashier causes back ups. No one was ever properly trained at my store. The cashiers were kinda thrown on a lane. So I started training all the new hires. Now I've trained TMs to be trainers so all our jobs will be easier.

 

[signingminion]

Don't become a trainer. No raise, more work and more it expected of you. You have to babysit new hires when it should really be the TL's job.

Yes, lets have the supervisor's not supervise their team so that they can focus on training new people.... or we can do something smart and have trainer's who can focus on training them.

Then you should be paid for doing so. If TL's don't have time to train new people, trainers should get a raise for doing something a TL can't do

I'd do it for less if my tl would just stop pretending to train people and screwing it up all the time...half of then saw him so little they didn't even remember his name...

And I do sign paperwork. Mostly food training when they send cashiers back to me in a group.

 

[thetargetman]

there is no pay raise. you are just teaching the new hires how to do their job and answer any questions they may have about it and Target.

 

[thetargetman]

Our team trainers only train - no paper work. And they like it because they were chosen because they are good at their job and by teaching others to be good at their jobs, the workload is reduced on the good TMs. For example, if a cashier is poorly trained, then everybody has to work harder - the GSA / GSTL who constantly has to answer lights, the cashier in the next lane because the poorly trained cashier causes back ups. No one was ever properly trained at my store. The cashiers were kinda thrown on a lane. So I started training all the new hires. Now I've trained TMs to be trainers so all our jobs will be easier.

many of the team members I have trained for seasonal have been offered employment after the holidays and many of them are now team trainers! 🙂 I must be doing something right.

 

[StackerMistress]

I was the main trainer for BR when I had FT hours. Yeah, when they scheduled the newbs to start learning on a Saturday afternoon, that was pretty stupid, but I was glad I was the one who got to train them. Especially on equipment; I would make sure to spend an extra long time making sure they knew how to use everything. Now we're lucky if the newbies know how to use the baler before their training period is up 🙁

Yeah, not getting any extra pay sucked. But it was nice to know my TL trusted me, even to the point where he flat-out asked me a few times if we should keep some certain TMs beyond their 90 days.

 

[Noiinteam]

I am not a designated trainer. My picture is not on the wall and trainer is not under my name. I am often asked to train a newbie and I'm happy to do it. Even if I haven't done the training I will ask a newbie how it's going and if they have any questions. I tell them good job when they push 2nd locations and remind them to check end caps Monday morning. My TL also will ask how they are doing. You can tell very quickly if someone gets it or not! I believe in helping those that want to do a good job. Others, not so much.

 

[Barcode]

At my 2nd store I wasn't even a trainer and trained 2 people in Electronics. Honestly I liked doing it, meant I was able to get my zone done easier 🙂

 

[Retail Girl]

I am not a designated trainer. My picture is not on the wall and trainer is not under my name. I am often asked to train a newbie and I'm happy to do it. Even if I haven't done the training I will ask a newbie how it's going and if they have any questions. I tell them good job when they push 2nd locations and remind them to check end caps Monday morning. My TL also will ask how they are doing. You can tell very quickly if someone gets it or not! I believe in helping those that want to do a good job. Others, not so much.

Doing little things like this makes people feel welcome. We so quickly forget what it's like to be new and not know the ins and outs of our job or even the culture we are in.

Also, it will make your job easier. The more people know and the more they do right, the less we have to fix later.

 

[SpotOn]

As a team trainer, you get to mold people in your likeness! For example, I was showing a guy how to zone, and while doing that, I happened to find a dog squeak toy in Sporting Goods. After that, I'd squeak the toy every time he did something good that night in order to create a Pavlovian response in him to do well!

HAHAHAHAHA! That is great!

 

[eleuthreophile]

Also, it will make your job easier. The more people know and the more they do right, the less we have to fix later.

Seriously! I trained a new FATM tonight to cash and I'm pretty positive the only questions she'll have are the things we didn't get to tonight.

As an aside, does anyone know when they eliminated the cashier training books? I basically went on memory tonight and I *think* I didn't miss too much.

 

[Retail Girl]

They still have them. If your HRTM doesn't have any, they need to be ordered.

 

[eleuthreophile]

They still have them. If your HRTM doesn't have any, they need to be ordered.

My GSA tonight told me we stopped using them, and they are no longer in the training packet. I will partner with my HRTM tomorrow and get some new ones. Is there anything else I need to train a new cashier? We already have 1 training credit card, a training ID, two different types of training checks (one numbered 124 and one numbered 5678), and a training gift card. That's all that's in the training packet (which used to have the booklet and the check for understanding).

I was also unable to locate ANY guest service training materials (I looked for that after failing to find the cashier booklets). Do you know we need for that?

 

[Retail Girl]

Honestly, we don't use any of those materials, though I am not surprised they exist, since the manual says they do.

What we do is have the TM sit down and read the manual for about 20 minutes. Then they come out and shadow a cashier-trainer who will talk through everything they are doing while ringing out guests. Between guests they will go through the manual in detail. When they have about an hour/hour and a half left of their shift (generally 4 hour training shift) the trainer asks us to make the newbie's numbers good in the system, and then the trainer shadows the cashier for the rest of the time to see how they do, questions they have, etc.

And lately that last part involves the trainer discovering the person has no clue how to count change. As in, they don't understand that a dime and a quarter make 35 cents. So then the trainer throws in some basic life skills that they should have been taught years ago.

As for guest service training, I do the basics...I throw them back there, and explain how to do a return using a receipt, and a credit card look up. In between guests, we go through the manual. While I am going through the manual, I add in things that are helpful that might not be in there specifically. And as we progress through the next few shifts of training, I randomly throw in the shady stuff guests do. Eventually as we do this, I begin to step back more and more and do sorting and organizing in the background (and keeping the lines short) and let the TM do more and more on their own while keeping an eye out for things that come up that can be used to get through that issue and be taken as learning opportunities for future issues.

Guest service training is training by fire hose. And I need them asking lots of questions for clarification as needed, because there is just so much to go over. It can be a tricky department, so I want them comfortable back there, and part of that comfort is knowing when to ask questions and when to just take that leap of faith and do something.

 

[eleuthreophile]

What manuals are you referring to? They apparently threw out or moved ALL literature relating in any way to the front end because I couldn't even find the GS reference guide tonight. We *used* to have a training booklet with "try it" activities in yellow boxes. We had one for both GS and cashier, and I was unable to find either of them.

Other than the manual, I basically do what you do.

 

[Retail Girl]

Hmm...I think I'm referring to the GS reference guide? I don't think there are any yellow "try it" boxes in that one...but I do know the first page talks about being friendly and the next section is the basic, "how to do a return" stuff...and then gets into more detail after that. I believe it's spiral bound with tabs on it.

As for cashiering, I looked high and low for a training manual about a month ago and couldn't find one, so we must have been out. A week ago, I asked for one for a cashier, and the HRTM gave one to me (from where I had looked previously) so they are clearly still getting them in. I cannot believe they would have gotten rid of them.

 

[eleuthreophile]

That's definitely the GS reference guide. We used to have training booklets for both cashier and GS with yellow "try it" boxes... at least I think we had them for both. We definitely had one for cashing.

We used to have two or three in our training packet, and tonight there weren't any. I know our other training material is kept in the orientation room, so I'll check in there tomorrow to see if I can find what I need. Q4 is coming up and I am NOT training all these cashiers without at least a checklist to go on.

 

[RedMan]

I'm check my SAP orders because I've ordered both in the last month or so. I'll get the SAP numbers for you so that your orderer (is that a word?) can order some for you.

 

[eleuthreophile]

Could you also maybe find out the SAP number for the tissue paper we use at the lanes? My store is all out and no one seems to know the number.

 

[mrknownothing]

Could you also maybe find out the SAP number for the tissue paper we use at the lanes? My store is all out and no one seems to know the number.

Brings back annoying memories of my cashier days. It seemed like guests only ever wanted things wrapped when all of the lanes were completely out of the fucking tissue paper.

 

[thetargetman]

What manuals are you referring to? They apparently threw out or moved ALL literature relating in any way to the front end because I couldn't even find the GS reference guide tonight. We *used* to have a training booklet with "try it" activities in yellow boxes. We had one for both GS and cashier, and I was unable to find either of them.

Other than the manual, I basically do what you do.

When I moved over to doing Guest service more often I was not given great training. There are things I have had to figure out on my own. If I get good with GS and start training other team members I am going to go over all the stuff that stumped me so they wont be stumped!

 

[RedMan]

Could you also maybe find out the SAP number for the tissue paper we use at the lanes? My store is all out and no one seems to know the number.

Yep, no problem.

 

[EyesforT]

I have been training cashiers for a long time - without the trainer name tag. One day tsc said they were putting in an order for tags and asked if I wanted one. I said sure why not. It doesn't matter to me either way.
I like training cashiers because then I know that they are learning "target's" way. It ends up being less work for gstl's when cashiers are trained properly.

Two times guests have looked at my name tag and said, you know a lot for someone being trained. When I told them I am the trainer, not the trainee they say that makes sense... And my thought was, you really didn't know that the badge meant that I do the training?

This is my exact situation I've already trained several team members and was just asked if I wanted a trainer name tag without any discussion about it really.

 

[Nauzhror]

We don't give out the Trainer name tags any more. Our store's too cheap to order them.

 

[RedMan]

Sorry it took so long, but I kept forgetting!

Cashier Training Guide: GS0012
Training Cards (there are the credit, ID and gift cards for training): TCG018
Packing Paper for the lanes: P0024

I forgot to get the Guest Service Training guide, but it's very close to the Cashier Training Guide. Look up Training Guides on SAP and you'll find everything including Cart Attendants. I ordered that one!