MEGATHREAD 2018-2019 Store Modernization Megathread

[Targetedbullseye]

If the trade war and tariffs on China are not stopping guests from shopping at target yet...I don't think anything will stop shoppers...perhaps a 50% tariff in time for the holidays on big box items like tv's. Then it could be black and blue Friday for the guests when prices escalate.

 

[Send me a sign]

I flat out refuse to use self checkout. I am not going to contribute to the corporate idea of "why pay for a cashier when we can have the customers do our work for free?"

Ironically, the intention of corporate having the customer do our work for free with SCO has backfired. Customers used to come into the physical store to do all their own shopping for free. Now employees must be paid to do the customers’ shopping for them with SFS, OPUs and drive ups.

 

[RedcardReba]

Ironically, the intention of corporate having the customer do our work for free with SCO has backfired. Customers used to come into the physical store to do all their own shopping for free. Now employees must be paid to do the customers’ shopping for them with SFS, OPUs and drive ups.

That was a strategy, not a backfire.

 

[can't touch this]

If the trade war and tariffs on China are not stopping guests from shopping at target yet...I don't think anything will stop shoppers...perhaps a 50% tariff in time for the holidays on big box items like tv's. Then it could be black and blue Friday for the guests when prices escalate.

That would be hilarious shit and I hope it happens

 

[Rock Lobster]

I still think that TPTB (The Powers That Be) are trying to tank Target because there's money to be made if it stumbles and loses value - property could be bought on the cheap, same with product, tax reduction from a loss, no doubt other things.

But maybe someone high up sees an opening for more money in a different way - if Target falters and at least part of it is due to modernization practices, then someone who helped design modernization can negotiate a fat paycheck with the promise of increasing Target's value, knowing that reversing standard orders to the old way will likely fulfill that promise with no real effort and minimal risk.

There may be some truth to this theory, maybe just not the specifics. Target seems to be artificially inflated with sales. What I mean by this is that there are some things causing a sales boon through large expenditures (remodels and new brands) while also pushing itself into a good position during an artificially rich economy (again, it’s not organic so won’t last). Anything else Target is doing is a design in cutting resources. You can’t tell me that sales are up because we work freight during the day and it gets done less often. It’s a profit driver so you can reduce your minimum staffing in all stores.

IMO, the name of the game is to drive the stock up as much as possible while the economy can support us. When the economy falters, Target has never been the place to go as consumer trust shifts to bargains over Target style. Target will have these beautiful stores staffed by nobody if sales ever show a decrease during a difficult year, and start a spiral. I think Cornell knows that, and likely wants to increase the value of the company as much as possible as quickly as possible even if that means in 5 years it will hurt us.

 

[Send me a sign]

That was a strategy, not a backfire.

Agreed. It’s not just a Target thing, but an overall retail thing to stay competitive with Amazon. Just mentioning it because there is no payroll being saved with SCO, just redirected to different processes now.

I’m curious how much profit is being missed out on without the Target walk-in guest, who notoriously came in for toilet paper and mindlessly filled their carts with impulse items they never knew they couldn’t live without.

 

[Tessa120]

How is there no payroll being saved? Each SCO is the equivalent of one cashier, but only one person is assigned to multiple SCO units.

 

[REDcardJJ]

Agreed. It’s not just a Target thing, but an overall retail thing to stay competitive with Amazon. Just mentioning it because there is no payroll being saved with SCO, just redirected to different processes now.

I’m curious how much profit is being missed out on without the Target walk-in guest, who notoriously came in for toilet paper and mindlessly filled their carts with impulse items they never knew they couldn’t live without.

obviousy we’d love those guests to come in store but the alternative to not having digital fulfillment is losing the sale entirely

 

[Bosch]

How is there no payroll being saved? Each SCO is the equivalent of one cashier, but only one person is assigned to multiple SCO units.

Cause now you have to pay my ass to shop for 8hrs a day and put stuff into hold that the guest might actually show up and buy. I don't cashier, I don't really help live guests in store(I answer questions happily) but I do no backroom pulls(can't since I can't miss goal times) and what I do take priority over what you do if I need help.

 

[Send me a sign]

Payroll is saved on SCO that takes approximately 2 minutes per transaction. Payroll is lost being redirected to SFS employees spending 20+ minutes to fill one order that a customer use to do themselves. This is the trade off in the modern retail world and those who don’t adjust don’t make it. You know who you are

 

[Send me a sign]

I personally LOVE SCO. I no longer have to do small talk with someone after a hard, long shift. It is none of their nosey business why I’m purchasing rope, duct tape, lawn bags, and bleach. Like I mentioned, it was a hard shift.

 

[Tessa120]

?? No lime or shovel?

 

[qmosqueen]

Honk Honk

 

[Send me a sign]

?? No lime or shovel?

😂 I think I was getting Cheetos from the kitchen when that part of Snapped was on. Amateur move on my part.

 

[seasonaldude]

Agreed. It’s not just a Target thing, but an overall retail thing to stay competitive with Amazon. Just mentioning it because there is no payroll being saved with SCO, just redirected to different processes now.

I’m curious how much profit is being missed out on without the Target walk-in guest, who notoriously came in for toilet paper and mindlessly filled their carts with impulse items they never knew they couldn’t live without.

Likely no profit is really lost. It's just redirected to online impulse buying, which is frequent. Target's good at generating it too. If they send out an email one afternoon highlighting an online only deal on women's shoes, today only with promo code SUCKERS, I'm going to spend the next hour or so picking shoe after shoe after shoe. Also, if someone has a thought that hey maybe they want something, they can order it online within in a few seconds before they change their mind or forget about it. Once someone starts ordering online frequently from Target, filling their online basket becomes easier and easier. Karen might have jumped online to order a new set of sheets, but she's also going to see the special suggestions just for her and oh yeah, she does want to go ahead and stock up on her favorite candy. This all works extremely well with clothes because even the gaudiest of gaudy Exhileration jumpers looks good on the model.

 

[Antennae]

Likely no profit is really lost. It's just redirected to online impulse buying, which is frequent. Target's good at generating it too. If they send out an email one afternoon highlighting an online only deal on women's shoes, today only with promo code SUCKERS, I'm going to spend the next hour or so picking shoe after shoe after shoe. Also, if someone has a thought that hey maybe they want something, they can order it online within in a few seconds before they change their mind or forget about it. Once someone starts ordering online frequently from Target, filling their online basket becomes easier and easier. Karen might have jumped online to order a new set of sheets, but she's also going to see the special suggestions just for her and oh yeah, she does want to go ahead and stock up on her favorite candy. This all works extremely well with clothes because even the gaudiest of gaudy Exhileration jumpers looks good on the model.

Not to mention if you just look at something online, not even put it in your cart, Target will send you a "Hey do you wanna look at xxxxxx again? Are you sure? Just look!" email the next day.

 

[can't touch this]

😂 I think I was getting Cheetos from the kitchen when that part of Snapped was on. Amateur move on my part.

lol @ not keeping your Cheetos in the tactical snack holder on the armrest of your overclocked gaming chair

 

[Dead and Khaki]

According to some study I don't feel like digging up, with every moment you spend physically holding an item, you become more likely to buy it.

 

[Bosch]

?? No lime or shovel?

You grab those at Home Depot across town.. Pay in cash.. ☠

 

[Yetive]

I personally LOVE SCO. I no longer have to do small talk with someone after a hard, long shift. It is none of their nosey business why I’m purchasing rope, duct tape, lawn bags, and bleach. Like I mentioned, it was a hard shift.

Have you met @redeye58 ?

 

[BoxCutter]

You grab those at Home Depot across town.. Pay in cash.. ☠

Park on a street, walk to the store, wear a hoodie and keep your head down.

 

[can't touch this]

According to some study I don't feel like digging up, with every moment you spend physically holding an item, you become more likely to buy it.

I tried that with a Rolex once but nothing happened

 

[InboundGrunt]

regarding the self-checkout talk (might have been posted before idk)

Why Self-Checkout Is and Has Always Been the Worst - https://gizmodo.com/why-self-checkout-is-and-has-always-been-the-worst-1833106695

tl:dr
SCO machines are expensive to maintain and the time and training required to keep employees up to date in how to use them is also costly. They also have a higher percentage of stolen goods vs human being cashiers.

I also like the part about how customers used to walk into the grocery store and hand the employee a list, the employee collected everything in the back and handed them a bag. The entire store was basically just a backroom and a front to pay for stuff. Over time, owners started having customers do the actual labor of collecting items to save on payroll and re-branded it as the "freedom" for consumers to wander around a supermarket.

God Bless Capitalism. eagle_cry.gif

 

[Send me a sign]

Good read InboundGrunt.

“In public statements about retail tech, companies typically say that systems like self-checkout or inventory-scanning robots free up workers’ time, which can then be redirected to do other necessary tasks in stores,” Mateescu says. “However, that’s not an inevitable outcome, since employers can choose instead to simply cut hours and make fewer employees do more of the work.”

Modernization summed up in a nut shell right there.

 

[Times Up]

Park on a street, walk to the store, wear a hoodie and keep your head down.

Don't forget to wear a baseball cap with a visor under your hoodie!