MEGATHREAD 2018-2019 Store Modernization Megathread

[Norm G]

without giving away your location, where is this taking place?

 

[Kartman]

 

[Llamanatee]

 

[Times Up]

Lots of leadership moves/realignments at my store today. Seems like we're slowly implementing some aspects of the pilot. Also going to 6am trucks in August.

I understand that will be happening at my store too. The only thing official is that the VM will now have 2 other stores to vm at besides mine.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

Help! I really blew it during our 3 day modernization visit. I left an email Wednesday for my team to prepare for the weekend by stocking the lanes and filling the SCOs with change.

I was off Thursday and when I came back to open Friday the SCOs on our busiest side (grocery) were almost out of change.

We only get 15 minutes to do everything before we open. That includes checking email, printing the grid and putting money in 5 Guest Service, 8 SCO and 2 pharmacy registers.

So, once I got all the registers open and made sure I had my Guest Service, SCO on grocery and my first lane staffed. Then I talked to my first cashier for a minute and put extra 10's and 20's in her drawer.

I then started putting change in the SCOs. I was trying to avoid having to do it later in the day when we get really busy. The SCO TM is new and I was talking to her about our expectations while I did it.

Our first 45 minutes to one hour we have very, very few guests. I finished everything before 9:00. We open at 8:00.

The STL asks where I am and I was right by him on my way to check on Guest Service because we'd had a c/o and just had our new intern covering it for us.

I walk up to the STL and he's with the DTL and our PMT's boss (not sure of her title.) I start telling them the things I'm doing to try to ensure the guests have a frictionless experience. The STL interrupts me and says the (facility leader?) woman with him had not seen me on the beach for a whole hour and had I been off stage.

I said I was sorry and tried to explain that I was trying to take care of everything while we were slow because I anticipated a busy Friday and weekend.

She said I wasn't available for our guests or for the SCO TM so she wouldn't have been able to call me if she needed help. Also, if we have any guests then we aren't slow. When I was putting change in the SCO I was tieing up the SCO so it wasn't available for our guests. The STL was so pissed. I hate to think what the GE/ETL will do to me when she finds out.

I'm so upset that I did something so stupid. I'm off today thank goodness because I could not sleep last night. I've been trying so hard to do a good job and I just keep failing.

The only problem I see in your post is that you are only allowed 15 minutes to get everything done before you open. My front end leaders come in an hour before opening to take care of all these tasks. If you are given this time then there should be no issues of you not servicing the guest. The is on store management and not you.

 

[starfishncoffee]

The only problem I see in your post is that you are only allowed 15 minutes to get everything done before you open. My front end leaders come in an hour before opening to take care of all these tasks. If you are given this time then there should be no issues of you not servicing the guest. The is on store management and not you.

Agreed. We get 30 minutes. I couldn't believe it when I originally read your post, especially since it sounds like your store is larger. I sat there with my mouth hanging open at it, trying to think of something edifying to say. Fortunately, @Frontlanegirl is more articulate than I am.

 

[qmosqueen]

I also heard that all the pressure to get things done made one of our newer team members breakdown and cry last week.

 

[SNS12345]

The news of this is starting to officially roll out at our store with leadership telling people either individually or at huddles this week. Has the timeline possibly moved up or are they possibly adding more pilot stores? Also if it matters we got a new DTL recently and I guess it could just be something she decided to do on her own?

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

without giving away your location, where is this taking place?

All stores

 

[GoodyNN]

I think my GSTL/GSA reloads the SCOs at night as part of their closing process. That could help you shave time off your morning routines if its an acceptable procedure.

 

[jenna]

I understand that will be happening at my store too. The only thing official is that the VM will now have 2 other stores to vm at besides mine.

That would be terrible. Our VM is [almost] always busy, and very helpful. I can't imagine keeping up with multiple stores.

 

[Rock Lobster]

Lots of leadership moves/realignments at my store today. Seems like we're slowly implementing some aspects of the pilot. Also going to 6am trucks in August.

This is the warning I received as well!!! Be prepared for trailer unload time changes immediately after BTS (all stores push back one level... current O/N go 4AM and current 4AM go 6AM). HQ plans on making this happen despite suggestions to wait after Q4, so we will see.

 

[SpilledTea]

This is the warning I received as well!!! Be prepared for trailer unload time changes immediately after BTS (all stores push back one level... current O/N go 4AM and current 4AM go 6AM). HQ plans on making this happen despite suggestions to wait after Q4, so we will see.

I wonder if 6am will go 4am during Q4 though. Those doubles are gonna be tough enough as it is, I don't wanna think about how bad it'll be if they don't.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

I think my GSTL/GSA reloads the SCOs at night as part of their closing process. That could help you shave time off your morning routines if its an acceptable procedure.

We do this as well.

 

[allnew2]

This is the warning I received as well!!! Be prepared for trailer unload time changes immediately after BTS (all stores push back one level... current O/N go 4AM and current 4AM go 6AM). HQ plans on making this happen despite suggestions to wait after Q4, so we will see.

Overnight is not going anywhere at my store , stays where it is.

 

[sprinklesontop]

I understand that will be happening at my store too. The only thing official is that the VM will now have 2 other stores to vm at besides mine.

This is interesting ! I used to do this at another company long, long ago. I "VM'd" at 3 stores throughout the week. The PMTs operated this way as well. And then, eventually, the HRETL had to visit 3 stores during their week too.

 

[Llamanatee]

Overnight is not going anywhere at my store , stays where it is.

I'm more inclined to believe Rock Lobster. Let us know what happens after BTS. Leaders are good at hiding things until the last minute.

 

[sprinklesontop]

I also heard that all the pressure to get things done made one of our newer team members breakdown and cry last week.

I try to explain the REALITY of the A&A TM position during the interview to avoid ^THIS. I've actually had two candidates end the interview, during the interview, saying that "... this sounds like more work than I expected...".
Okay, then.... NEXT !!!

 

[Yetive]

This is interesting ! I used to do this at another company long, long ago. I "VM'd" at 3 stores throughout the week. The PMTs operated this way as well. And then, eventually, the HRETL had to visit 3 stores during their week too.

I could see this, but they will really have to do a better job defining the role. At some stores, the VM is effectively a TL. Ours is. She interviews, trains, coaches, plans, implements, etc. . . . At some stores, the VM is just another pair of hands to push and do reshop, while at others, the VM is the only person doing VMGs. It would be hard to set everything for 3 stores with no help.

The new HR systems could be a step to making HR cover more than 1 store too.

 

[sprinklesontop]

I could see this, but they will really have to do a better job defining the role. At some stores, the VM is effectively a TL. Ours is. She interviews, trains, coaches, plans, implements, etc. . . . At some stores, the VM is just another pair of hands to push and do reshop, while at others, the VM is the only person doing VMGs. It would be hard to set everything for 3 stores with no help.

The new HR systems could be a step to making HR cover more than 1 store too.

The VM role is clearly "undefined", right??? But that's another story for another thread.... don't wanna poke that bear again.

Anywaaaaayyyyyy...... it was an enormous payroll savings, company-wide, to have the VMs, PMTs, and ETL HR covering 3 stores each. HUGE.

 

[Billybobjoe]

The VM role is clearly "undefined", right??? But that's another story for another thread.... don't wanna poke that bear again.

Anywaaaaayyyyyy...... it was an enormous payroll savings, company-wide, to have the VMs, PMTs, and ETL HR covering 3 stores each. HUGE.

Another boost to the short term profits....long term consequences? Doesn’t matter to them.

 

[allnew2]

I'm more inclined to believe Rock Lobster. Let us know what happens after BTS. Leaders are good at hiding things until the last minute.

It won’t. We are a AAA+ store with an offsite . My DTL already squashed the possibility of no overnight and shut it down with what works best for business meaning our store .

 

[Llamanatee]

It won’t. We are a AAA+ store with an offsite . My DTL already squashed the possibility of no overnight and shut it down with what works best for business meaning our store .

Gotcha.

 

[SNS12345]

I wonder if 6am will go 4am during Q4 though. Those doubles are gonna be tough enough as it is, I don't wanna think about how bad it'll be if they don't.

Our store told us we're going from 4am - 6am today and said that whenever we have doubles for BTS and Q4 we will go back to 4am for those days

 

[Times Up]

This is interesting ! I used to do this at another company long, long ago. I "VM'd" at 3 stores throughout the week. The PMTs operated this way as well. And then, eventually, the HRETL had to visit 3 stores during their week too.

She will be at our store 3 days each week, and will spend 1 day each week at the other two (lower volume) stores.