Archived Advice please...

[FlowChick]

At my old job that also paid me less, I had to supervise, check in vendors, put away shipment, catch shoplifters, cashier, do paperwork, balance the safe, work double shifts, manage the store when our manager and co was off, count inventory and of course handle customers.

I've also done inventory in a clothing store, as well as floor sets, and pricing...

I wasn't really sure where to put this but working on flow kind of leaves me feeling...unchallenged a bit.

As you know I dread going to work and I've realized it's because the job bores me. I thought I would really enjoy stocking because I really enjoyed it at my old job. Of course back there I didn't need to help customers, my only job was to stock the product them go home because Iusually had to be back not long after as a shift supervisor.

So I wanted to know if there are any other positions at target or maybe even another company you'd think I'd do better in, or be happier with.

I'm still in that phase where I don't know what I want to do with my life.

Also, the reason I left my old job was because target paid me more and it was less stressful. I mean seriously...you would work an 8 hour shift with no break because the stores were always super busy and super understaffed. You think ppl at target are rude, try a gas station man...

Any advice?

 

[FlowChick]

I can tell you this. I'm not a people person. I wish I worked in an overnight store because boy do people get on my nerves. Working in retail for over 10 years has made me that way because I've encounter the worst of the worse.

 

[jenna]

Pog team? Pricing? Instocks?

 

[signingminion]

I can tell you this. I'm not a people person. I wish I worked in an overnight store because boy do people get on my nerves. Working in retail for over 10 years has made me that way because I've encounter the worst of the worse.

Most walmarts have third shift flow teams. Even in non-24hr stores. I don't know what pay is these days, but my mom made decent back when I was in high school twenty-ish years ago.

 

[FlowChick]

Isn't Wal-Mart open 24 hours tho?

 

[TallAPGuy]

Isn't Wal-Mart open 24 hours tho?

Not all of them. Both the ones in my county close at 11 p.m.

 

[Bosch]

Not all of them. Both the ones in my county close at 11 p.m.

Doesn't mean they don't have an overnight team in there working.

 

[mrknownothing]

I can tell you this. I'm not a people person. I wish I worked in an overnight store because boy do people get on my nerves. Working in retail for over 10 years has made me that way because I've encounter the worst of the worse.

If you stay at your store, see if you can get into the backroom or plano. Backroom is fast-paced and can teach you more about the logistics process, and plano can be a challenge for many reasons.

 

[Inigma]

Working in the backroom can be cool at first but it can be really repetitive over time, That's what bores me. I like working with the Plano team, Everyday is different. Plano is more fast paced, more responsibility and at times stressful. This all depends on your TL. Why? It depends on How they distribute the work, what they expect you to finish that day and if you get any help by other Plano tms. Instocks is way, way too slow for me. Plus it's geared more towards guest service and back up.

 

[TallAPGuy]

Doesn't mean they don't have an overnight team in there working.

True, but they're not open to customers 24/7.

Isn't Wal-Mart open 24 hours tho?

 

[RetailWorld]

There are complexities and deep-diving in every work center of Target, even flow team where it seems like all you do is "read pick label, stock...read pick label, stock" etc etc.

So, some things you can do to challenge yourself

1. Own multiple locations. While this doesn't sound overly complex...all you're doing is making sure endcaps are full...you can really own this by keeping tabs on what endcaps are being killed, which ones are staying up for awhile, and having a line of communication with the PTL. Having 1 TM on flow team who owns HBAX/CHEM/GRCX endcaps can really make a difference. Take it a step further by setting endcaps as you see product flow in. Notice a Garnier assortment pallet come in? Well, good thing you know that a new endcap is being set on A25, now you can set it then and there rather then let it sit in the back collecting dust until it gets set and the plano team member is wondering why product never came out on their batch.

2. Repacks. You can be the team member that really knows the store inside and out so that you can do repacks with hardly touching a PDA. Take it a step further by super organizing carts. Get all the natures own vitamins in one pile, get all the hair color organized by brand, get the pharmaceuticals organized by section. There are ways 1 TM can make repacks a breezes.

3. Bulk. Pallets of junk coming in. Own paper/pets/diapers. Know whats coming in, what needs to the floor, what is on ad, and what you can flex onto endcaps. Bulk CLR paper/diapers? Partner with pricing team, stage off to the side, partner with team leads to get space ready to go.

You have options

 

[signingminion]

Isn't Wal-Mart open 24 hours tho?

The only one near me that opened as a 24hr hasn't been since I was in high school. There isn't a 24hr store within a good long drive of me.

 

[FlowChick]

If I was going to head to a different department I'd go to a different store. My store managment doesn't really encourage promotions.

 

[BigEyedPhish]

If you can do ALL that you mentioned in one shift..

Perishables Assistant is where u may want to be.

Pretty much Market Brand Team member, but (in my opinion) you have more responsibility than a regular Brand Team Member.

You also sound like you would fit into receiving quite well.


If you want to stay Flow be the dreaded "PFresh Flow Guy" of your store.

 

[FlowChick]

If you can do ALL that you mentioned in one shift..

Perishables Assistant is where u may want to be.

Pretty much Market Brand Team member, but (in my opinion) you have more responsibility than a regular Brand Team Member.

You also sound like you would fit into receiving quite well.


If you want to stay Flow be the dreaded "PFresh Flow Guy" of your store.

Well I did it all well enough to be promoted to shift supervisor after all

When I first started at Target it was different seeing that everything I was responsible for before had its own individual teams.

My typical day shift at my old job was

Clock in, email our gas readings to the DM.
Send an email to corporate on current gas prices in the area.
Count and level the safe.
Start up the money order.
Go over the previous days sales, voids, money orders, lottery, making sure nothing was missing. Who was over, who was short. Take notes.
I'd send it all to corporate.
I'd count the cigarettes and do an inventory count on various products including backstock.
In between that I'd help ring up customers when it was busy.
Watch the cameras for any theft from employees or regular customers.
(You'd be surprised how many of your regulars could be stealing. Smh.)
(Had an employee lose her job over a 12 pack of cookies!! Smh!!!)
I'd make sure we had food on our grill, on our warmers, and we had fresh brewed coffee. Make sure cups and straws were stocked. Change BIBS.
Count and check dates for our fresh food. Rotate as needed.
Create new stale out sheets.
Check in the vendors. Make sure everything was accounted for.
Pay the vendors that required a money order payment.

A typical night shift for me was
Cashier
Take inventory of all fresh food in the store.
We had to count every box of bananas individually.
Stock the cooler.
Check in our store vendor that brings in the candy, and cigs, and general store merchandise.

Tobacco was a big one because it was high theft. We'd received about 150 cartons and if you imagine how much a carton is you can imagine the cost.

I had to count all cartons and totes they brought in to make sure it all added up. Average cost was about $23,000 worth of product. I had to put it all away once our overnight crew arrived.

All this with barely a break.

So as you can imagine...I'm really used to fast paced multi tasking!!!!!!

 

[GSA2TL]

If I was going to head to a different department I'd go to a different store. My store managment doesn't really encourage promotions.

Target is guest driven so to be considered for a promotion you need to be able to show great guest service. The only area that doesn't have to deal with guests on an everyday basis is probably backroom and sometimes they even have to deal with them.
So my advice would be to go to a company who has overnight stockers, if you don't want guest service in your job description.

 

[TiedAndDropped]

I like working with the Plano team, Everyday is different. Plano is more fast paced, more responsibility and at times stressful.

I agree with this 100% and I would add that at the end of every day you have an actual physical RESULT (your finished aisle, focals, endcaps, whatever) that you can admire. That never got old with me.