Archived VM TL

[ClearanceMaster]

Yep.

This is also one of the responsibilities of the VML, to check all mannequin runs on Mondays and either Thu/Fri. One of the tasks is to make sure that anything the mannequins are wearing are not only VA (or alternate/style guide), but that they are also commercially viable inventory wise. If there is only 1 or 2 of that shirt left in that size...it needs to be flexed out for something with more inventory to prevent these type of issues.

Of course, this (and *many* other items) isn't something the stores had time for before the new role.

Retail is detail. 🙂

Honestly I don't even see it happening WITH the VML unless all targets get on the same page and focus on softlines. Mine was directed to not be on the carpet more than 20% of their shifts. That is absolutely bull. It should be more like 60% softlines 40% hardlines.

 

[tanner6116]

Any of you vmls have set hours/days you work yet?

 

[ClearanceMaster]

Mine makes her own schedule. Early mornings, no closings. She chooses her days off she just alternates weekends.

 

[ClearanceMaster]

While my store has great standards- im very very fortunate- have any of you vmls noticed how some of the stores are waaaayyyy off on standards?ie triple racks running together- mo rack gridding- huge differentiation on rack heights- un sreamed items on manikans etc?

As per the apparel and accessories training and reference guide found on workbench:

Only connect fixtures when shown in visual adjacency. Do NOT connect fixtures for clearance.
For instance: kids Christmas pajamas are connected right now. Uniforms were connected earlier this year too.

 

[skyclad]

Honestly I don't even see it happening WITH the VML unless all targets get on the same page and focus on softlines. Mine was directed to not be on the carpet more than 20% of their shifts. That is absolutely bull. It should be more like 60% softlines 40% hardlines.

It sounds like your store's leadership doesn't know how to read basic communication. Even going off of what you mentioned about the scheduling. That is against the role's direction.
VMLs have to work 1 closing shift and have rotating weekends. Their other shifts should start around 9am. We are not supposed to be coming in at the break of dawn..our roles involve tasks, but they are also to be used to train the team members who work the floor as well as engage with our guests. We also have Merchant Hours that we use to schedule brand or other team members each month to work in departments in softlines, this is outside of the normal hours the teams are used to seeing when planning their schedules.

Softlines does take the majority of my time, but it also depends which area based on business needs and if there is a VA happening that week. Generally, my mandatory focus is 1 day for home dept (15%-20% of the biz) and 2 days each week for RTW (10%-12% of the biz). Both have to be focused each week since they are the single largest contributors to the store and the company. I divide up my workloads and delegation based on the other departments according to merch updates, redwire and other communication like store walks.

I have been talking to some other VMLs and yes, it does seem some 'lazy' leadership is utilizing the role for purposes they are not intended for just because they don't want to deal with those issues themselves. It is quite gross and hopefully they start addressing and documenting the experience so far. Luckily my team has been very adamant in utilizing the role in the way it was intended and have been very supportive in getting me trained and ready to generate results.

The information I am giving is all in print btw. Honestly, your leadership will get called out for this once the VMMLs are in their roles and they begin to ensure it is being used as intended.

 

[tanner6116]

Skyklad- have you- like me- shopped some of the other stores and said to yourself" wow once all the vm roles are settled in- are the folks in this store in for a rude awakening!"?

 

[ClearanceMaster]

It sounds like your store's leadership doesn't know how to read basic communication. Even going off of what you mentioned about the scheduling. That is against the role's direction.
VMLs have to work 1 closing shift and have rotating weekends. Their other shifts should start around 9am. We are not supposed to be coming in at the break of dawn..our roles involve tasks, but they are also to be used to train the team members who work the floor as well as engage with our guests. We also have Merchant Hours that we use to schedule brand or other team members each month to work in departments in softlines, this is outside of the normal hours the teams are used to seeing when planning their schedules.

Softlines does take the majority of my time, but it also depends which area based on business needs and if there is a VA happening that week. Generally, my mandatory focus is 1 day for home dept (15%-20% of the biz) and 2 days each week for RTW (10%-12% of the biz). Both have to be focused each week since they are the single largest contributors to the store and the company. I divide up my workloads and delegation based on the other departments according to merch updates, redwire and other communication like store walks.

I have been talking to some other VMLs and yes, it does seem some 'lazy' leadership is utilizing the role for purposes they are not intended for just because they don't want to deal with those issues themselves. It is quite gross and hopefully they start addressing and documenting the experience so far. Luckily my team has been very adamant in utilizing the role in the way it was intended and have been very supportive in getting me trained and ready to generate results.

The information I am giving is all in print btw. Honestly, your leadership will get called out for this once the VMMLs are in their roles and they begin to ensure it is being used as intended.

I hope they do. They need a swift kick in the butt. I've printed the VMLs core roles and I'm keeping it with me in my cart for when the argument arises. If I don't do it, nobody will. My management is non existent and it seems only the veteran tms seem to care about anything happening in the store right now.

Also 8-430 is not that far off from the schedule. Any tm they need to engage with is there during that time frame. And they sure don't need to be closing because they'll be wasting their time zoning and cashing people out. So I don't see my store making her close ever. Rotating weekends, yes.

 

[tanner6116]

Im wondering if once all the dust settles- if the company will standardize the vmls schedule- so it is more uniform across the table

 

[ClearanceMaster]

Im wondering if once all the dust settles- if the company will standardize the vmls schedule- so it is more uniform across the table

The thing about target is ASANTS. Even when they say it should be one thing, each store/district/group has discretion to change it.

 

[ClearanceMaster]

@Ashfromoldsite the garment steamer for mannequins. So they're not all wrinkly. Lol.

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

We have no such thing. Lol

 

[ClearanceMaster]

We have no such thing. Lol

Thats odd. Are you sure they didn't tuck it away in the TL office or something? When your stores VML takes over they will be looking for it.. your store may have to requisition one

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

The last 4 stores I've worked in over the last 13 years haven't had one.

 

[ClearanceMaster]

The last 4 stores I've worked in over the last 13 years haven't had one.

We just got them when mannequins were added. Does your store have mannequins yet?

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

We've had mannequins for a year. We are ultra low volume super and only staff our fitting room 4pm to close. It would be pointless.

 

[ClearanceMaster]

Well unless your VML raises a fit then I guess you won't be needing/getting one...lol. we are a C/B volume pfresh and have one, but rarely use it unless we are putting folded clothes on a mannequin.

 

[tanner6116]

I will tell you- when my vmml visited last week- when u change forms and manikans- - will be required to be steamed- she made that very very clear-

 

[tellmeaboutatime]

Skyklad- have you- like me- shopped some of the other stores and said to yourself" wow once all the vm roles are settled in- are the folks in this store in for a rude awakening!"?

After reading the last few pages I was thinking the same thing except for the VMLs are in for a rude awakening.
To call out leadership as "lazy" is crazy. While some leadership may be, MOST leadership is simply trying to keep the store afloat. They know what, in theory, the VML position is, the reality is.....stores have NO payroll. When you have no payroll, tasks do no get done,guests do not get help and trucks to not get pushed. The VML gets 40 hours a week. Do you really think all stores were given and additional 40 hours? Ha ha ha. No the hours were simply taken away from other areas to give to the VML.
One last thing, and it is snarky I admit....After being told many times how the college degree for this position was so important, can we please spell manniquin correctly?

 

[tanner6116]

Its actually spelled both ways

 

[tanner6116]

A " qu" is the french version

 

[ClearanceMaster]

To all the VMLs out there. Get used to getting pulled away from your tasks to do something else that isn't your responsibility. This is target, and no amount of corporate directive stating they should only be doing Home trend areas and mannequins is enough to stop the individual stores from having a VML do reshop, respond for backup, set a sales planner, push a pull. It is not in your job title but you are now a team player whether you like it or not and that means being "global" and doing what needs done regardless if you think that this is why the position was opened.

For instance, I am a price accuracy team member. I should only be marking clearance and changing labels around the store. Bit every day I am flexing over outs because clearance sold out and going 4x4s with the rest of the store in the freezers and getting carts because there's no cart attendant and spending 60+ minutes a shift on the register. You are going to be no different. Payroll is payroll.

 

[skyclad]

After reading the last few pages I was thinking the same thing except for the VMLs are in for a rude awakening.
To call out leadership as "lazy" is crazy. While some leadership may be, MOST leadership is simply trying to keep the store afloat. They know what, in theory, the VML position is, the reality is.....stores have NO payroll. When you have no payroll, tasks do no get done,guests do not get help and trucks to not get pushed. The VML gets 40 hours a week. Do you really think all stores were given and additional 40 hours? Ha ha ha. No the hours were simply taken away from other areas to give to the VML.
One last thing, and it is snarky I admit....After being told many times how the college degree for this position was so important, can we please spell manniquin correctly?

Learn to read forum posts and avoid taking them out of context.
1) I was not calling out leadership as "lazy". I was calling out the instance that was being talked about as lazy. The majority of my posts have been about leadership being spread thin, unsupported, etc. There is a difference in being overwhelmed and flat out not following directives. I am quite aware of what the challenges were and still are for my team. Luckily, ignoring new pilot directives is not a attribute that my leadership embraces.

2) The 40 hours for the VML actually were *added* to store budgets. That is a fact. It is an additional expense and the single largest investment the company is making, long-term, with a new direction of presentation and brand experience. You can verify this, if you are a leader, by comparing payroll expenditures from the past couple years to this year. Stores actually have *more* hours this year. The same is true of any of the Merchant Brand Team Members (when working in those roles), it doesn't come out of the normal payroll. Since these are invested pilots, not utilizing them for their potential and purpose is not only detrimental to their long term benefits, but also to that role since they may lose who they brought in and need to go through the training process again.

3)Snarky is one thing, ignorant is completely another. The correct spelling is mannequin and anyone with/without a college degree would know this if they simply paid attention to spell check. @tanner6116 usage of manikin is also a correct spelling...it isn't used much in America, but in high end boutiques or French based companies, that is how most spell that word. Again, ignorance isn't the same as snarky. One requires that you probably know what you are talking about.

😉

 

[ClearanceMaster]

And this, is why the VML position isn't being accepted.
Because the 40 hours for VML is NOT going to be added to the payroll indefinitely. If you were told it is it's because CURRENTLY they are, but once you are in your role and trained those hours go away pumpkin. Meanwhile we are one cashier/sales floor/flow tm short while you work on bedazzling your focus areas and we are running around doing everything else with no extra payroll because you think that you should not be doing other tasks.

 

[skyclad]

And this, is why the VML position isn't being accepted.
Because the 40 hours for VML is NOT going to be added to the payroll indefinitely. If you we're told it is it's because CURRENTLY they are, but once you are in your roll and trained those hours go away pumpkin.

Source?

Sorry, we have already heard remarks all of this thread that are unsubstantiated and they don't contribute at all to VMLs coming here to get insight into their role or share experiences so far.
While we all get that tenured members have seen a lot of changes over their time, none of you seem to be the decision makers behind these initiatives, so unless you have classified information it is just conjecture.

While I certainly don't think MBTM hours will be funded much after holiday, since the need isn't there, the VML role will be there especially since the more drastic changes to presentation and merchandising directives begin in 2016. Will the role be there next holiday? Who knows, the exact responsibilities will certainly change as does anything in retail. I don't work with the idea that "I'm a goner" attitude. We are all at-will.

 

[sher]

What is mbtm?