Archived What are the worst and best ideas in the last 5 years at Target?

[konk]

I'm not pfresh and I envy those stores.

 

[pookiesma]

I know we have a box of dishes in the backroom. It's active when checked with a MyDevice.

Someone returned a hammock stand because it didn't have a hammock.

 

[Bosch]

Someone returned a hammock stand because it didn't have a hammock.

Wow..

 

[sigma7]

Someone returned a hammock stand because it didn't have a hammock.

In their defense, $200 for a plain white hammock stand should include a hammock lol.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

In their defense, $200 for a plain white hammock stand should include a hammock lol.

That would be a Lilly stand.

 

[sigma7]

That would be a Lilly stand.

I know. That was a stupid piece imo.

 

[On6]

My district for about a year piloted a 4am (or later) process for all stores under $70 million in sales. That was probably the worst idea I saw.

Cutting specialist positions was another one.

 

[missionimpossible]

on a micro level

best - cartwheel

worst - my device

 

[Bosch]

In their defense, $200 for a plain white hammock stand should include a hammock lol.

No. Cause they were stupid and didn't read the box. Nowhere does it say it is a Hammock.

 

[sigma7]

No. Cause they were stupid and didn't read the box. Nowhere does it say it is a Hammock.

Agreed.

 

[daninnj]

Another stupid idea was replacing the baked in-store cookies with prebaked ones. I remember reading on here that QMOS from cookies reached $120k a month after the switch. They're horrible.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Another stupid idea was replacing the baked in-store cookies with prebaked ones. I remember reading on here that QMOS from cookies reached $120k a month after the switch. They're horrible.

I loved the smell of the cookies in the am. The new ones are real bad.

 

[redeye58]

Yep, when I first started at FA the smell of those cookies brought everybody to the counter & we sometimes sold them all before we could wrap them.
Good times....

 

[kyle petty]

3) I am completely and totally against the Target Mobile take over. think one of the strainghts we had was being non commissioned sales people. We could offer honest advice and sell guests what they wanted/needed. Now they're going to be sold whatever makes the Target mobile rep the most money. I think it's going to be a big turn off. Red Cards? as I understand Target Mobile reps. have no red card goal. It doesn't make them any money, so why bother. Red Card production out of Electronics has dropped dramatically in my store.

This is false. (except the part about red cards) I am a mobile team member. We do make commission but it's not by the type of phone, but the number of phones. It's not the type of accessory but the total dollar value. Yes, I'm motivated to fill the basket but so are you. Such is sales.

Nobody is paying me extra to recommend Sprint over Verizon or Boost over Consumer Cellular. It all depends on the guest and their needs. [/QUOTE]

 

[oath2order]

The Transcend Beauty was probably one of the best things in the past five years. It made one of the worst to zone departments in the store one of the easiest with the hard-to-break pushers and the signs that that when they're they make things easier.

Oh, and it might be a little over-dramatic but I think the new black pushers that have rolled out to the deodorant and printer ink aisles almost top the list of best 5 things. Those are amazing and they rarely break and I hated the old ones they fucking hurt when they broke which they did. A lot.

 

[BadWolf4531]

Worst:
Eliminating Specialists
Target Canada (the execution, not the idea)
Eliminating/Combining so many TL and ETL positions

I get that 2008 happened and brick-and-mortar stores aren't what they were in 2000. I get that. I understand that if a company isn't profitable, processes need to be analyzed and/or cuts should be made to fix it. I understand that a lot of TMs have had to adapt from days spent doing mostly "tasks" to dealing with a lot more "service." But right now too few TMs, TLs, and ETLs are being told too focus on too many things... VIBE, REDCards, Endymes, In-Stocks, CAFs pulled on time, FAs picked on time, 4x4s, Payroll, Cartwheel, ...... the list goes on. Just last week I see a memo on Registries and how the LOD and TLs should be greeting EVERY new registrant that comes in the doors! That's a great concept, and it would set us apart from a service standpoint, but are you kidding me??

Best:
Cartwheel
myDevices and Gift Registry iPads/iPods (when it all actually works)
Target Mobile
Flexible Fulfillment (I know, I know...)

Okay, about Flexible Fulfillment. I get that it's a huge pain from a TM standpoint, whether you're Backroom or Service Desk. Most stores need a TM whose primary task during the day is picking FAs and then working reshop, guest servicing, etc. in between picks, especially as this feature becomes more popular with guests. At least during peak service hours, say 11-7 each day. But from a competitive standpoint, I think we need it. It's convenient for guests and most retailers have a Ship To Store/Pick Up in Store feature nowadays. Same reason we started price matching a few years ago. What do I think would make it better?
- Offer some incentive for guests who pick up an order to do more shopping in the store (maybe a 10% off coupon that must be used within 7 days...15% if they use it same day)
- Set a maximum number of items to order at one time (last year during BTS we had an order for 32 items, all for different colored folders, binders, pens, and pencils. Was not worth the time and effort)
- Merge the FA app with myWork (it's my understanding that this is eventually coming). A big reason that the Backroom TM gets slammed with all the FA picks is that myDevices are currently useless here.
- Make signing on to the myGo app less tedious. Can't we add myGo to the myDevices and maybe even open it directly from the myWork app? Even better, merge myGo into myWork? If that works, we could do the same thing with the Price Match app and just get rid of the iPads at the Service Desk.