Archived What do you view as being the most difficult TL position to be successful at?

[allnew2]

Still seems unbalanced for a store that size. I’ve been to a 90 million dollar store before and they had 20ish TLs and I don’t know their exact head count but they definitely had atleast 3 gstls, 4 softlines and 6 hardlines plus food and bev, Starbucks, AP, and a few in the back. I guess it makes sense with an off site. I assume most of your backroom TLs are key carriers? Although 3 LOG ETLs and 7 backroom TLs just seems insane. Your store is definitely blessed with logistics leadership.

Yes we are all key carriers. If you think about it logistics is what keeps the store . Our sales floor leads are more for the guest and maybe fill some end caps , but for those to be filled they need us to pull it . Just like we pull price change and exf, pogs , autos , manuals , caf and etc

 

[gsa4lyfe]

Yes we are all key carriers. If you think about it logistics is what keeps the store . Our sales floor leads are more for the guest and maybe fill some end caps , but for those to be filled they need us to pull it . Just like we pull price change and exf, pogs , autos , manuals , caf and etc

Right but those just seem like TM things at most stores. Our backroom TL is a senior so he’s pretty never even in the backroom. Just a strong backroom team that takes care of most and he jumps in when necessary

 

[allnew2]

Right but those just seem like TM things at most stores. Our backroom TL is a senior so he’s pretty never even in the backroom. Just a strong backroom team that takes care of most and he jumps in when necessary

Where is he if not in the back? I mean even with A player team if you are not there to lead then he shouldn’t even have the position for the backroom tl. Modernization on paper is in effect but to actually be able to come clean and current with doubles and 2500-2600 each night is not fisible . So if the lead is not there then all team members should have his pay.

 

[gsa4lyfe]

Where is he if not in the back? I mean even with A player team if you are not there to lead then he shouldn’t even have the position for the backroom tl. Modernization on paper is in effect but to actually be able to come clean and current with doubles and 2500-2600 each night is not fisible . So if the lead is not there then all team members should have his pay.

He’s LOD three days a week. Leading doesn’t require constant supervision? Targets says you should be 80% leading 20% doing. Think about all the TL stuff that you get to split up with 7 peoples. He has to do all of that so no he doesn’t really have time to pull autos or backstock a ton of pallets. Sure he does it but no not everyday. I mean as a GSTL I’m not spending my whole shift cashiering and doing returns but I jump in and help out when necessary.

 

[allnew2]

He’s LOD three days a week. Leading doesn’t require constant supervision? Targets says you should be 80% leading 20% doing. Think about all the TL stuff that you get to split up with 7 peoples. He has to do all of that so no he doesn’t really have time to pull autos or backstock a ton of pallets. Sure he does it but no not everyday. I mean as a GSTL I’m not spending my whole shift cashiering and doing returns but I jump in and help out when necessary.

Okay I think we misunderstood each other a bit . We are all key carriers but we don’t do lod shifts that shit is still for the etls and the other srtl for the floor. I’m not doing constant supervision I’m working along my team and make sure metrics are staying green

 

[allnew2]

Okay I think we misunderstood each other a bit . We are all key carriers but we don’t do lod shifts that shit is still for the etls. I’m not doing constant supervision I’m working along my team and make sure metrics are staying green

My position is srtl logistics and I’ve never had to do lod shifts . What for? My role is to worry about the logistics side and not how many red cards front end gets, or if softlines zone is green etc

 

[gsa4lyfe]

My position is srtl logistics and I’ve never had to do lod shifts . What for? My role is to worry about the logistics side and not how many red cards front end gets, or if softlines zone is green etc

I mean the whole point of being a senior is you can be acting LOD. If they just want you to be a TL with a key that’s 100% do able so not sure why they’re wasting the payroll on a senior position when you’re only doing the role of a TL with a key. No offense but it seems like they’re paying you too much to do what most stores are having basic TMs do. I surely know nothing about your store but I can see a few positions getting cut come company wide modernization in January. Or atleast more responsibility

 

[allnew2]

I mean the whole point of being a senior is you can be acting LOD. If they just want you to be a TL with a key that’s 100% do able so not sure why they’re wasting the payroll on a senior position when you’re only doing the role of a TL with a key. No offense but it seems like they’re paying you too much to do what most stores are having basic TMs do. I surely know nothing about your store but I can see a few positions getting cut come company wide modernization in January. Or atleast more responsibility

No offense taken . So why have etls to begin with? If the seniors supposed to do their job? You obviously think my role is next to nothing which is cool . But I run an off-site day in , day out . No etls or even the stl don’t come by. So if you think im overpaid you should run and off-site with 3 team members and over 50-70 pallets a day and come clean at the end of the day.

 

[gsa4lyfe]

No offense taken . So why have etls to begin with? If the seniors supposed to do their job? You obviously think my role is next to nothing which is cool . But I run an off-site day in , day out . No etls or even the stl don’t come by. So if you think im overpaid you should run and off-site with 3 team members and over 50-70 pallets a day and come clean at the end of the day.

Like I said I know nothing about your store. If you’re running the offsite with no ETL there then sure you a senior and technically acting LOD for your three TMs. If you were store side and keyed as a senior but never doing LOD shifts then that would be a waste of a senior position.

 

[allnew2]

Like I said I know nothing about your store. If you’re running the offsite with no ETL there then sure you a senior and technically acting LOD for your three TMs. If you were store side and keyed as a senior but never doing LOD shifts then that would be a waste of a senior position.

But what are the etls roles if the srtl supposed to do their duties? Wouldn’t you say that they are well overpaid ?

 

[Black Sheep 214]

But what are the etls roles if the srtl supposed to do their duties? Wouldn’t you say that they will be way overpaid ?

Yes, and redundant.

 

[gsa4lyfe]

But what are the etls roles if the srtl supposed to do their duties? Wouldn’t you say that they are well overpaid ?

ETLs deal with a lot more than just being acting LOD same with senior. Lod is basically baby sitting the floor for your shift. All I’m saying the whole point of being a senior is being able to be acting LOD and be in the rotation with the etls. Our inbound TL is a key carrier but he isn’t a senior, he just gets paid for having the key. I’m sure you work hard ALL I’m saying is your store wouldn’t be properly utilizing the position if you were a store side senior that was never LOD. That’s literally the whole point of the role. I see the need for it with an off-site but I mean if you want to get technical you are technically LOD or the off-site when and if you’re the only senior or key carrier in the building.

 

[allnew2]

I think you give to much credit to the etls . Deal with so much more? You said it they babysit the floor ( they are never in the backroom ) . Making sure a zone is green? and deal with some upset guest ? ( which you probably deal more with that then them) . Take sick calls? As for the senior tl acting as the lod is the same thing . And adding that to your closing notes .
I don’t know how your store is , but if it wasn’t for the team memebers and the team leads , the store would go to shit. Like my work wasn’t working last week , I called the csc my etl ge didn’t even know . Because if she has a zebra doesn’t mean she actually needs it .

 

[phibot]

Are you from a low volume store? Those are hard positions at my store.

GSTL, ours have it easy. Ordering bags, dropping candy batches and making some other team pull it, and babysitting the cashiers. Their main struggle is finding the time to do coachings lol. They got smart and became super strict and coaching for everything, so now everyone is afraid of getting coached and so there’s now less coachings.

Starbucks TL: needs to be someone who knows Starbucks in and out, it’s a position for a Starbucks TM who has leadership qualities, not a position for a leader who’s needed or being moved to another role to fill a gap. If you have someone who’s in it to win it and knows their stuff, it tends to come together. If only we could get Starbucks hiring to happen lol.

Presentation has it easy at mine, they get all their payroll and we don’t ever pull their team to do other stuff.

Flex TL I wouldn’t say has it hard, it’s their own fault their team sucks and they don’t hold them accountable and they make shitty hiring decisions. 1500 a day doesn’t help though lol.

Electronics TL, has toys and entertainment as well, and with the importance of guest service and selling goals with accessory attach rates and service replacement plans being additional metrics, and requiring open to close coverage, and street dated launches; not what I’d call unnecessary.

Beauty TL? Yeah fuck that noise; give it to electronics to handle the selling and service piece and have hardlines cover the logistics aspect of it.

HRTL? Scheduling that includes 120+ different TMs every given day, seasonal hiring, and retention and hours cutting the rest of the year, I’d say it’s not too bad but not easy.

Flow TL is unnecessary. In fact, it isn’t in the new ops model anymore since all of their team ends up falling under...

Hardlines TL. SHOULD be the easiest. Small flexible and global team, reshop and push and help guests and zoning is what the team worries about.

What I actually end up doing at my high volume store is be the only sales floor coverage when I open. So task lists, filling outs, covering gstl breaks, helping guests, backing up, plus all the other standard TL stuff. But also every hour I’m being hounded about piling up reshop. Kill me.

Softlines TL; if you have your team on lock, it can be easy. If you have high turnover and a team that lacks problem solving skills? Good luck, have fun doing truck or sorting reshop your whole shift to get them caught up.

Backroom TL: lol there’s still stores with backroom teams? Ours are all openers, and they just do audits and some autos; they pull it then push it immediately. I actually like this part.

Food TL. That’s the answer to your question. This one is the hardest no matter what kind of store yours is.

The fact that you didn't list PMT and VML as TL roles shows how little respect the positions get, which is the 1st reason why those two can be worse than any other position in the building.

Which one of those other non-LOD positions deals with the entire store instead of one or two departments and is liable to get visits just for them?

 

[allnew2]

The fact that you didn't list PMT and VML as TL roles shows how little respect the positions get, which is the 1st reason why those two can be worse than any other position in the building.

Which one of those other non-LOD positions deals with the entire store instead of one or two departments and is liable to get visits just for them?

I agree especially the pmt when everyone wants them to fix things with no work orders.

 

[busyzoningtoys]

The fact that you didn't list PMT and VML as TL roles shows how little respect the positions get, which is the 1st reason why those two can be worse than any other position in the building.

Which one of those other non-LOD positions deals with the entire store instead of one or two departments and is liable to get visits just for them?

Closing leads deal with the entire store, and if closing tasks are consistently behind, it’ll be them thrown under the bus if it’s called out on a visit. Having said that, seems like the closing leads on this site love the role.

I have major respect for my PMT. I do realize that’s a senior leadership role. They report to their BP though, and don’t have a specific workcenter or team members, which yes adds to their struggle. But it’s such a crap shoot which PMTs have it hard and which ones don’t. My store is a shit show with demanding ETLs and TMs who break shit and create more work. A neighboring store is pretty new, and low volume, with ETLs who leave him alone and our PMT is jealous of how easy they have it.

As for VML; they aren’t leads anymore. Ours literally hasn’t set foot in home for months, and sales floor team leads had to take care of the home innovation reset 100% with limited help from presentation, and won’t be helping with the hearth and hand either. She basically stays in the backroom, or complains that leadership singles out softlines for backup despite there being only one hardlines TM, electronics and beauty who the DTL says are not to backup, and food TMs unloading their truck or having refrigerated food vehicles on the floor which are time sensitive, while softlines has 6 openers.

Also of note, a recent TL meeting with the DTL, VM wasn’t invited and PMT was given the option to go but declined because he doesn’t have time for that lol

 

[Coqui]

ETLs deal with a lot more than just being acting LOD same with senior. Lod is basically baby sitting the floor for your shift. All I’m saying the whole point of being a senior is being able to be acting LOD and be in the rotation with the etls. Our inbound TL is a key carrier but he isn’t a senior, he just gets paid for having the key. I’m sure you work hard ALL I’m saying is your store wouldn’t be properly utilizing the position if you were a store side senior that was never LOD. That’s literally the whole point of the role. I see the need for it with an off-site but I mean if you want to get technical you are technically LOD or the off-site when and if you’re the only senior or key carrier in the building.

What @gsa4lyfe is trying to explain to you is, that as a SrTL/ETL acting as LOD you are not just responsible for your specific workcenter/department. When you’re the LOD, you’re accountable to every area in the store. So if something is not getting done in the backroom or front end, or in food or wherever else, the LOD whether it be a SrTL or an ETL are accountable to that. That’s what the role is for whether your store utilizes it or not and we are also not questioning your store’s way of running things. Yeah 7 logistics TLs sounds unbalanced but it’s not my store so I don’t care.

 

[TM2]

I'd say pretty much without a doubt that gstl is the easiest. It sucks to play babysitter to the cashiers, and get yelled at by guests constantly, but unless your store is truly holding you accountable for your metrics (redcard, mycheckout, nps) then there's not much you can screw up.

As far as hardest goes it really depends on the store. I'd say there are stores where you could make an argument for most roles, but if I had to pick one it'd be food tl.

 

[allnew2]

What @gsa4lyfe is trying to explain to you is, that as a SrTL/ETL acting as LOD you are not just responsible for your specific workcenter/department. When you’re the LOD, you’re accountable to every area in the store. So if something is not getting done in the backroom or front end, or in food or wherever else, the LOD whether it be a SrTL or an ETL are accountable to that. That’s what the role is for whether your store utilizes it or not and we are also not questioning your store’s way of running things. Yeah 7 logistics TLs sounds unbalanced but it’s not my store so I don’t care.

I know what an lod does , I opened few times and covered when I have time . But just like gsa4life said , if you have a strong team everything should be good and all he/she would have to do is closing notes . Let’s say today my srtlgstl closing , he never has to come to the back if I work , walks the floor a bit , asking the other tl where everyone is in charge , and then he is pretty much at the front. Until almost closing night walks again and does the necessary closing duties .And if something doesn’t get done in the backroom the lod doesn’t get in trouble . Is the 2 leads that are scheduled that day to work in the back.
It hasn’t been a time when any of the srtl that does lod shift got in trouble for anything with my stl, but they have with me because things wouldn’t be done in the backroom or flex fill missed goal because no help was offered to the team . Because all lods, etls tend to forget that backroom needs anything.

 

[Black Sheep 214]

[

Because all lods, etls tend to forget that backroom needs anything.

Sad but true. Same for SFS at my store at least. Never could understand why most of leadership ignores backroom entirely, like it’s not even part of the store, when if it is run right it is actually one of the cornerstones of profitability.🙄

 

[gsa4lyfe]

I know what an lod does , I opened few times and covered when I have time . But just like gsa4life said , if you have a strong team everything should be good and all he/she would have to do is closing notes . Let’s say today my srtlgstl closing , he never has to come to the back if I work , walks the floor a bit , asking the other tl where everyone is in charge , and then he is pretty much at the front. Until almost closing night walks again and does the necessary closing duties .And if something doesn’t get done in the backroom the lod doesn’t get in trouble . Is the 2 leads that are scheduled that day to work in the back.
It hasn’t been a time when any of the srtl that does lod shift got in trouble for anything with my stl, but they have with me because things wouldn’t be done in the backroom or flex fill missed goal because no help was offered to the team . Because all lods, etls tend to forget that backroom needs anything.

I think that comes with the fact you have 7 TLs.... stores with only one can’t hold the TL responsible for everything in the backroom every day of the week. TM A didn’t do any backstock one night? Well that LOD should have been checking up on them to make sure they were doing what they were supposed to do.

 

[allnew2]

I think that comes with the fact you have 7 TLs.... stores with only one can’t hold the TL responsible for everything in the backroom every day of the week. TM A didn’t do any backstock one night? Well that LOD should have been checking up on them to make sure they were doing what they were supposed to do.

My team has to stock the caf. And do flex at the same time. Because hardlines only do reshop. So lod should check on them too or ask to see if they need help. Which they don’t ever

 

[Black Sheep 214]

. stores with only one can’t hold the TL responsible for everything in the backroom every day of the week

You’d be surprised how much a TL can be held responsible for if the ETL is primarily interested in placing blame and covering their ass. There were two of us dayside and we were held responsible for things that went wrong on our days off while the ETL was there and supposedly in charge. I had the backroom process running smoothly, and the team did what was necessary whether I was there or not. If the ETL comes in on my day off, changes everything around and it blows up in her face there’s nothing I could do about it from home, but I would still get the blame for it when I got back.🙄

 

[Lazy]

You’d be surprised how much a TL can be held responsible for if the ETL is primarily interested in placing blame and covering their ass. There were two of us dayside and we were held responsible for things that went wrong on our days off while the ETL was there and supposedly in charge. I had the backroom process running smoothly, and the team did what was necessary whether I was there or not. If the ETL comes in on my day off, changes everything around and it blows up in her face there’s nothing I could do about it from home, but I would still get the blame for it when I got back.🙄

I love when I walk in and get asked why such and such hasn't happened.. I just answer can I clock in first?!?