Archived Certain workcenters thinking they are better than others

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I've never been one to treat a fire with water. Gasoline is more fun.

Mobile is the best workcenter. After all, we're the only ones getting paid fairly AND we don't have to lift anything.
 
Please

Logistics > Front end

Target thinks they're better, that's why the get highest pay out of all normal positions.

I don't really care who's better but I'll just say it again. A BRTM is more likely to a better job cashiering that a cashier would do in the backroom.
 
Flabbergasted said:
Where did I say I thought being GSA was better than working logistics? I was simply pointing out that the logistics team at my store tends to think it's better than me. But they are not, and I am not. We all have an important role to play within the store.
Click to expand...

Flabbergasted said:
As a GSA, I find this situation a little toxic. Flow, backroom, etc. are more than happy to discuss why they think the front lanes has the "easiest job in the store" and "does practically nothing," while they are out moving boxes around breaking rock. One logistics TL has even gotten snappy with me on several occasions, as though I were beneath him, and I don't appreciate it.

Does your store have a workcenter (probably logistics) that thinks it's more important than all other workcenters?
Click to expand...

You didn't come right out and say it. It was implied in the tone of your message. That and you singled out logistics/flow 3 times after you referred to your own position as GSA. It's more about how people can interpret your post, especially those of us who are on the logistics team. I know that you may have had specific incidents with certain people on logistics/flow, but to stereotype the whole workcenter like that is toxic as well. It's also implied in the tone of many people's posts on this forum, not just you.

I'll direct this to everyone else and break it down like this: logistics seems to get a bad rap from other workcenters/posters because

We get dirty
We leave stuff where you don't want it
We're lazy
We smell
We never finish our work
We leave the place a mess
We stand around and talk
We just move boxes around (as Flabbergasted put it)
We misuse equipment
We don't know how or care to locate product in the backroom

If you search through the forum, logistics team members get dehumanized and trashed by posters for those reasons and much more. You know what? We're not all like that. I bring this up because it's a pervasive attitude among some posters on here that logistics/flow people are the lowest of the low. There are going to be times where people in one workcenter don't like what someone in another workcenter does. I get that. However, when someone on logistics/flow does something wrong, it seems like people get a little more superior and nastier about pointing it out.
There are threads and posters that do give props to logisitics/flow, as I'm sure will get pointed out. But what bothers me is how easy and quick the vile comes out against logistics/flow. That is pretty disturbing. Remember every position contributes to the success or failure of the store.

When my kids ask me about how my night went and about what I did, I'm proud to tell them. I'm not so proud of how other team members view people view my position, especially on here. It's one of the reasons I lurk a lot instead of post. This site has been great, but it is a bummer to know that other team members think your position is the scourge of the earth.
 
One of the things about being the Signing Ninja is you get to see all the departments, work with them but are loyal (well maybe a bit to plano) to none.

I think that each job has it's challenges and distinct reasons for qualifying as most difficult.
One of the problems is the lack of specialization.
Most TMs are not cross trained to a point where they are familiar with all aspects of the store.
They don't know just how hard or mind numbing some of the jobs are.

Another is integration.
For all the wanting to call the employees Team Members, the fact is very few see the store as the team.
They see their crew as the team.
Which is normal, the people who have your back every day (or don't as the case may be) are going to be the ones you identify with the most.
But it's only natural for there to be Team rivalries when that is the situation.

And that last problem is leadership.
Far too many stores don't bother to stress the importance of each team.
The ETLs who are supposed to be working together often work at cross purposes even to the point of undercutting each other.
All too often, it's the managers themselves who are making derogatory comments about other departments.

The fact is the stores wouldn't survive without each and everyone of you.
It isn't really a contest as to who works the hardest, all people need to be treated well.
Being part of a group is great but sometimes you want to peak your head out and see how the other half lives.
Empathy is a wonderful thing.
 
commiecorvus said:
One of the things about being the Signing Ninja is you get to see all the departments, work with them but are loyal (well maybe a bit to plano) to none.

I think that each job has it's challenges and distinct reasons for qualifying as most difficult.
One of the problems is the lack of specialization.
Most TMs are not cross trained to a point where they are familiar with all aspects of the store.
They don't know just how hard or mind numbing some of the jobs are.

Another is integration.
For all the wanting to call the employees Team Members, the fact is very few see the store as the team.
They see their crew as the team.
Which is normal, the people who have your back every day (or don't as the case may be) are going to be the ones you identify with the most.
But it's only natural for there to be Team rivalries when that is the situation.

And that last problem is leadership.
Far too many stores don't bother to stress the importance of each team.
The ETLs who are supposed to be working together often work at cross purposes even to the point of undercutting each other.
All too often, it's the managers themselves who are making derogatory comments about other departments.

The fact is the stores wouldn't survive without each and everyone of you.
It isn't really a contest as to who works the hardest, all people need to be treated well.
Being part of a group is great but sometimes you want to peak your head out and see how the other half lives.
Empathy is a wonderful thing.
Click to expand...

My store is pretty good when it comes to working as a team and helping out as needed. The only area where this never seems to be the case though is my workcenter in market. We rarely do freshness friday anymore and instead push out reshop or whatever other project the LOD has for that morning. My C+S push hours have been cut over and over and over to the point where now each C+S pusher is only working 2 1/2 hour shifts AFTER a flow truck shift. That is going on this week and next. Sometimes they have to take a later lunch too because Flow truck needs to be done so its reduced to coming back from Lunch and having 2 or so hours

Lately no C+S backstock has been getting done on push days because there isnt any time allocated to backstock it. Guess who gets to backstock it half the time..oh thats right, me, because I dont have anything better to do with my time I guess....Everything in market needs to be clean

Then the ETL-Log has the audacity to say that they go to slow and just need to push faster in order to ...get this...push everything as well as seperate SBUX AND FA since both of those come in now, BCODE it, and Backstock it all....oh and if its transition it goes on a seperate flat or tub and marked transition so when plano sets it they dont have to pull anything its allready on the vehicle.

Because the hours keep getting cut I am basically a glorified C+S/Backroom team member for half my shifts because before they start to push I have to backstock EVERYTHING so we have vehicles to use for backstock. Then if they dont finish or we have a lot I do Bakery and Meat by myself and sometimes a whole produce pallet.

Plano sets alot of my things which I know from posts here isnt always the case so I am grateful for what they do there, but idk how they could even shift that onto the Market person at my store when they only allocate 70 or so hours for the entire week for market. Subract working huddle projects, backroom autofill pulls and backroom backstock from pulls and C+S push and that number dwindles further
 
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One major problem is metrics. If you severely downsized all those useless numbers and leadership made it clear that guests are the priority, you might see smugness vanish to a great degree. Backroom will be smug always, just maybe not to the Flow team since the best of Flow usually wind up in the BR. The thing is if you are actually are better team member and you are not disrespecting Flow just because of their position but perhaps of certain laziness of certain team members but that applies to all areas. In reality we SHOULD act as a team and train/coach each other to make spot the best corporate will allow, which is an uphill battle.
 
From what I have read project viper looks like it could help with smugness if they increased pay for everyone and got rid of shift differential and had TM in at 6 AM. Maybe keep shift differential for truck unloaded for 4 AM. Shift differential is a huge part of the smugness problem imho.
 
Do your cashiers rotate product and check for outdated when they are not busy with guests or do they stand around at register and read magazines? Not making any accusations but I have seen stores where cashiers will literally stand around and shoot the breeze while logistics is busting their tails off. It all factors in.
Flabbergasted said:
I don't know if you all have had experience with this at your stores, but at mine there seems to be a certain aura of smugness from one workcenter directed towards others, where said workcenter feels they have a harder and more important job than the rest of the store. At my store, that would be logistics. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate logistics, and I recognize they do a lot of important tasks that I couldn't do. But they think they're the most important; that they tower above everyone else in the store, and the store would much quicker fall apart without them than without other areas.

As a GSA, I find this situation a little toxic. Flow, backroom, etc. are more than happy to discuss why they think the front lanes has the "easiest job in the store" and "does practically nothing," while they are out moving boxes around breaking rock. One logistics TL has even gotten snappy with me on several occasions, as though I were beneath him, and I don't appreciate it.

Does your store have a workcenter (probably logistics) that thinks it's more important than all other workcenters?
Click to expand...
 
BckRmBeast said:
Do your cashiers rotate product and check for outdated when they are not busy with guests or do they stand around at register and read magazines? Not making any accusations but I have seen stores where cashiers will literally stand around and shoot the breeze while logistics is busting their tails off. It all factors in.
Click to expand...
^^^^this!!!! Big problem at my store.
 
Backroom22 said:
Sometimes our GSAs get snappy and rude with me when I am working backroom day. They don't under seem that we have timed goals that we have to reach and want to know why we can't bring items up to the front 3 times in an hour when I am the only person in the backroom and have to pull the CAFs by myself. They get real pissed when I say I can't bring something up so I usually just direct them to speak with the LOD if they have a problem at that point.
Click to expand...
What would you suggest that we tell the guest who needs the item? "Oh, sorry, but backroom is too busy to pull anything for you." or "Yeah, I know you placed an order online and it's in the backroom, but sorry. You'll have to wait until the backroom TMs aren't so busy. You don't mind, do you?" I'm quite sure the LOD would be happy to back me up on losing a sale.
 
@Flabbergasted . I will start off by saying that all stores are not the same ( which is a point made on here often). I don't work at your store ( at least I don't think I d0) so, I cant say how your store is. I do know that as a logistics team member I can say that I don't feel as I am better than anyone else. I will add that unless you do someone elses job you don't truly know what they go through on a daily basis. Ie, I don't cashier so I don't know how it is to have to get rec cards etc ( I have even commented on here several times about how I respect cashiers etc) so, I cant relate to a cashier....so I cant say that their job is easier than mine etc. I will say that I bust my ass e very day that I am at Spot and would like to think all of my fellow team members do the same ( no matter what work center they are in). I will also add that you shouldn't judge a whole group of ppl ( log team) based on certain team members actions . IF this is such a big deal in your store then maybe you should work flow.backroom for a couple days and let a flow /backroom team member cashier for a couple days...I am sure that will make both sides more understanding .
 
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RedMan said:
What would you suggest that we tell the guest who needs the item? "Oh, sorry, but backroom is too busy to pull anything for you." or "Yeah, I know you placed an order online and it's in the backroom, but sorry. You'll have to wait until the backroom TMs aren't so busy. You don't mind, do you?" I'm quite sure the LOD would be happy to back me up on losing a sale.
Click to expand...

What would you suggest we tell LOD why CAF pulls didn't get done, where we pull things that were bought the previous hour? How about the backstock? Can't replenish the products that were sold when they're all still in tubs and flats. Now who would the LOD back up now? Can't make any sales when your backroom TMs can't get their work done.

Some of you guys definitely don't know how the workcenters work.
 
Mister Bulky said:
You didn't come right out and say it. It was implied in the tone of your message. That and you singled out logistics/flow 3 times after you referred to your own position as GSA. It's more about how people can interpret your post, especially those of us who are on the logistics team. I know that you may have had specific incidents with certain people on logistics/flow, but to stereotype the whole workcenter like that is toxic as well. It's also implied in the tone of many people's posts on this forum, not just you.

I'll direct this to everyone else and break it down like this: logistics seems to get a bad rap from other workcenters/posters because

We get dirty
We leave stuff where you don't want it
We're lazy
We smell
We never finish our work
We leave the place a mess
We stand around and talk
We just move boxes around (as Flabbergasted put it)
We misuse equipment
We don't know how or care to locate product in the backroom

If you search through the forum, logistics team members get dehumanized and trashed by posters for those reasons and much more. You know what? We're not all like that. I bring this up because it's a pervasive attitude among some posters on here that logistics/flow people are the lowest of the low. There are going to be times where people in one workcenter don't like what someone in another workcenter does. I get that. However, when someone on logistics/flow does something wrong, it seems like people get a little more superior and nastier about pointing it out.
There are threads and posters that do give props to logisitics/flow, as I'm sure will get pointed out. But what bothers me is how easy and quick the vile comes out against logistics/flow. That is pretty disturbing. Remember every position contributes to the success or failure of the store.

When my kids ask me about how my night went and about what I did, I'm proud to tell them. I'm not so proud of how other team members view people view my position, especially on here. It's one of the reasons I lurk a lot instead of post. This site has been great, but it is a bummer to know that other team members think your position is the scourge of the earth.
Click to expand...
VERY well said !!
 
Flabbergasted said:
Where did I say I thought being GSA was better than working logistics? I was simply pointing out that the logistics team at my store tends to think it's better than me. But they are not, and I am not. We all have an important role to play within the store.
Click to expand...
How long have you been with Spot?
 
BckRmBeast said:
Do your cashiers rotate product and check for outdated when they are not busy with guests or do they stand around at register and read magazines? Not making any accusations but I have seen stores where cashiers will literally stand around and shoot the breeze while logistics is busting their tails off. It all factors in.
Click to expand...
Ours like to sit on the end of the register and chat. I like to suggest a register to zone the endcap when I scurry by with reshop.
 
Flabbergasted said:
I don't know if you all have had experience with this at your stores, but at mine there seems to be a certain aura of smugness from one workcenter directed towards others, where said workcenter feels they have a harder and more important job than the rest of the store. At my store, that would be logistics. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate logistics, and I recognize they do a lot of important tasks that I couldn't do. But they think they're the most important; that they tower above everyone else in the store, and the store would much quicker fall apart without them than without other areas.

As a GSA, I find this situation a little toxic. Flow, backroom, etc. are more than happy to discuss why they think the front lanes has the "easiest job in the store" and "does practically nothing," while they are out moving boxes around breaking rock. One logistics TL has even gotten snappy with me on several occasions, as though I were beneath him, and I don't appreciate it.

Does your store have a workcenter (probably logistics) that thinks it's more important than all other workcenters?
Click to expand...

This is funny; I am a flow team member, who is a level-three manager (about the level of an ETL or SrETL) at another job. The flow team does have a difficult job; we are constantly being yelled at to move faster, and we have multiple call-ins every day. However, the front-lanes have a hard job; they have to excel in customer service, and they have the pressure of pushing redcards. The front-lanes give the lasting memory to the company. At the end of the day, every work-center is important. It's kind of like the human body; all systems need to be working together. Every work center believes that the others are not pulling their weight.

What's funny is, we hear Pfresh, market, and dayside people say "flow team doesn't do jack", "flow team is lazy", and "flow team screws everything up". Our team gets the blame for crap that happens on the sales floor. The market TL is notorious for this; he yells at us to FIFO, even when we have been. He threatens to "report us and write us up". He is known to complain about "having to do the whole food truck by himself, because the flow team is lazy". I confronted him, saying "If you have a problem with the flow team, talk to the ETL-log about it; we going to do the food truck after we finish the rest of the truck". He didn't like what I said, but, as a team lead, what he did is unacceptable. An ETL from another work center even tried to blame me for stuff being expired saying "you aren't FIFOing are you?". Naturally, I took umbrage to it, and said "are you blaming me? I can find plenty in your work center that isn't correct"; he continued to ask if I did the push incorrectly. I answered "no", and I walked away.

Even the Store team lead does not think that we work hard. My response to anyone, is that I would extend an invitation to come and watch us do our job (this can be for any work center). No work center is more important than others, but if a gun was held to my head, I would say GE, because that's what the customer remembers, and without customers, Target doesn't exist.
 
I honestly don;t know why everyone likes talking about the Logistics Team. They could literately destroy the whole store process if they wanted to. It's probably the last team you'd want to piss off.
 
Mister Bulky said:
You didn't come right out and say it. It was implied in the tone of your message. That and you singled out logistics/flow 3 times after you referred to your own position as GSA. It's more about how people can interpret your post, especially those of us who are on the logistics team. I know that you may have had specific incidents with certain people on logistics/flow, but to stereotype the whole workcenter like that is toxic as well. It's also implied in the tone of many people's posts on this forum, not just you.

I'll direct this to everyone else and break it down like this: logistics seems to get a bad rap from other workcenters/posters because

We get dirty
We leave stuff where you don't want it
We're lazy
We smell
We never finish our work
We leave the place a mess
We stand around and talk
We just move boxes around (as Flabbergasted put it)
We misuse equipment
We don't know how or care to locate product in the backroom

If you search through the forum, logistics team members get dehumanized and trashed by posters for those reasons and much more. You know what? We're not all like that. I bring this up because it's a pervasive attitude among some posters on here that logistics/flow people are the lowest of the low. There are going to be times where people in one workcenter don't like what someone in another workcenter does. I get that. However, when someone on logistics/flow does something wrong, it seems like people get a little more superior and nastier about pointing it out.
There are threads and posters that do give props to logisitics/flow, as I'm sure will get pointed out. But what bothers me is how easy and quick the vile comes out against logistics/flow. That is pretty disturbing. Remember every position contributes to the success or failure of the store.

When my kids ask me about how my night went and about what I did, I'm proud to tell them. I'm not so proud of how other team members view people view my position, especially on here. It's one of the reasons I lurk a lot instead of post. This site has been great, but it is a bummer to know that other team members think your position is the scourge of the earth.
Click to expand...

And there are just as many threads here about how lazy and horrible the GSAs are. It doesn't matter what work center you are in, when it feels like you are the punching bag for all other work centers, it just plain sucks.
 
Well I apologize if it came off like I was bashing the logistics guys. I guess I was being unfair in my venting. Really I just wish they would stop telling me the front lanes doesn't do anything.
 
jb08045 said:
Please

Logistics > Front end

Target thinks they're better, that's why the get highest pay out of all normal positions.

I don't really care who's better but I'll just say it again. A BRTM is more likely to a better job cashiering that a cashier would do in the backroom.
Click to expand...
THIS.

Logistics is a higher pay grade. It is more physically demanding and has different job requirements then a cashier. They flow team also tends to have the veteran workers who have more more knowledge then half the leaders in the store, so when they roll their eyes at you it's probably because they have seen 20+ GSAs standing in your place. (They also have probably spent many a day cashiering )

After 6-7 years, I can say I have gotten to know the front end and logistics intimately, and other then being boring, I found nothing too difficult or demanding about my shifts up front.

im sorry you have to smile and deal with guests, but so do we. Except your not being interrupted, that is your sole purpose, and we now are losing time on timed tasks.

And yeah some of those boxes being moved around are pretty heavy. Mock all you want.


Ps) I'm signing not flow.
 
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