Archived AE 2015 Official Thread

[Mhugh220]

Here are some ideas where Target could save money or improve processes, realistically. These aren't straightforward and involve a lot of cooperation.

I would cut ETL-HR from the stores - have them all float between 2-3 stores but not have a home store. They should never have LOD duties since that blurs the lines between a neutral third party and management. HRTLs should be given more authority so they can handle most TMs while the ETL is away. --This structure could either remove ETL-HR completely or the HRBP.

Company wide removal of APBP, FMBP, and FoodBP - or have APBP cover more stores. This has been done in our group and should be done company wide.

Multilevel Stores - I would lower ETL-HL and ETL-SL to one person each rather than having one per floor. Replace the ETL with an additional TL for each floor.

Increase pay scales for all TLs and for ETLs consuming more duties.

Cut TM counts but increase number of full-time TMs - I find that TMs who receive full-time hours are more invested in drinking Target Kool-aide than those that get 18 hours. My best TMs were the older folks that needed a full-time job. Have enough TMs where you can rotate weekends and offer full time hours- this isn't McDonald's so pay them a little more.

Change logistics process from instore sorting to sorting by blocks at the distribution center. Have the pallets pre packaged so the stores can roll them from truck to floor - eliminating the unloading process at the store - saves time and hours can be redirected towards guest service (which sets Target apart from its competitors). The unload line can be turned into more shelving for more backstock room. Sure, the truck won't be as full, but if you correctly stack the pallets you can get a ton of stuff on each pallet. Loadmasters in the AF can do it - so can Target.

 

[redandkhaki]

I have never understood our unload process. Now I admit that I've only worked at the front end but I was a manager at a local grocery store and our truck was loaded per aisle. All you had to do was unload the pallets and take them to the aisle. We had the entire truck done and store zoned in 8 hours with about 10 people.

 

[Mhugh220]

I have never understood our unload process. Now I admit that I've only worked at the front end but I was a manager at a local grocery store and our truck was loaded per aisle. All you had to do was unload the pallets and take them to the aisle. We had the entire truck done and store zoned in 8 hours with about 10 people.

Other stores do this as well and I think it saves a ton of time at the store level. There is no order in Target trucks. Boxes are placed in the trailer based on sales and the time it was pulled in the distribution centers. Then each store spends 1hour or more to sort the truck into several aisles (custom blocks). Then they bowl those pallets out into several aisles. Target is all about eliminating footsteps. How about sorting the truck!

 

[Backroom81]

Keep in mind we're talking about the same company who's dotcom process is so messed up that they are moving most of it to the store level.

 

[Goingstrong]

Trailers are loaded to minimize "air space", so basically so you can get more on a truck. You can't really get more then 2 pallets in there across, but there is a TON of dead space in between that can be filled with just case stock.

 

[Backroom81]

Given that trucks go out ranging from as little as 800 pieces to as much as 3000, air space doesn't seem to be that much of a concern. If Target is worried about the possibility of sending more trucks, they can always do something simple like "don't send 20 cases of the same DPCI to one store all at once".

 

[Rock Lobster]

Given that trucks go out ranging from as little as 800 pieces to as much as 3000, air space doesn't seem to be that much of a concern. If Target is worried about the possibility of sending more trucks, they can always do something simple like "don't send 20 cases of the same DPCI to one store all at once".

That is not the point. There are two different questions being asked here. The first is about how we are loading our trucks and the second is what we are loading our truck with. Trailers being loaded like they currently are can fit more product upon them, and therefore is more efficient. It will always be better to send one truck instead of two if possible. What you are bringing up is what they are sending, which is a problem in and of itself.

 

[dave white]

Given that trucks go out ranging from as little as 800 pieces to as much as 3000, air space doesn't seem to be that much of a concern. If Target is worried about the possibility of sending more trucks, they can always do something simple like "don't send 20 cases of the same DPCI to one store all at once".

That is not the point. There are two different questions being asked here. The first is about how we are loading our trucks and the second is what we are loading our truck with. Trailers being loaded like they currently are can fit more product upon them, and therefore is more efficient. It will always be better to send one truck instead of two if possible. What you are bringing up is what they are sending, which is a problem in and of itself.

Lol. Just because it fits more doesn't make it efficient.

 

[RunForACallBox]

Here are some ideas where Target could save money or improve processes, realistically. These aren't straightforward and involve a lot of cooperation.

I would cut ETL-HR from the stores - have them all float between 2-3 stores but not have a home store. They should never have LOD duties since that blurs the lines between a neutral third party and management. HRTLs should be given more authority so they can handle most TMs while the ETL is away. --This structure could either remove ETL-HR completely or the HRBP.

Company wide removal of APBP, FMBP, and FoodBP - or have APBP cover more stores. This has been done in our group and should be done company wide.

Multilevel Stores - I would lower ETL-HL and ETL-SL to one person each rather than having one per floor. Replace the ETL with an additional TL for each floor.

Increase pay scales for all TLs and for ETLs consuming more duties.

Cut TM counts but increase number of full-time TMs - I find that TMs who receive full-time hours are more invested in drinking Target Kool-aide than those that get 18 hours. My best TMs were the older folks that needed a full-time job. Have enough TMs where you can rotate weekends and offer full time hours- this isn't McDonald's so pay them a little more.

Change logistics process from instore sorting to sorting by blocks at the distribution center. Have the pallets pre packaged so the stores can roll them from truck to floor - eliminating the unloading process at the store - saves time and hours can be redirected towards guest service (which sets Target apart from its competitors). The unload line can be turned into more shelving for more backstock room. Sure, the truck won't be as full, but if you correctly stack the pallets you can get a ton of stuff on each pallet. Loadmasters in the AF can do it - so can Target.

I thought the same thing about how the truck was loaded and unloaded a year ago. So much crap they send we don't need.

 

[signingminion]

Hey now, I made more as a trainer at McDonald's than I did at spot...

 

[oath2order]

I thought the same thing about how the truck was loaded and unloaded a year ago. So much crap they send we don't need.

Such as my store receiving approximately 500 of a single orange nail polish.

 

[RunForACallBox]

I thought the same thing about how the truck was loaded and unloaded a year ago. So much crap they send we don't need.

Such as my store receiving approximately 500 of a single orange nail polish.

And we got none. You guys hogging it all! Lol.

 

[oath2order]

I thought the same thing about how the truck was loaded and unloaded a year ago. So much crap they send we don't need.

Such as my store receiving approximately 500 of a single orange nail polish.

And we got none. You guys hogging it all! Lol.

You dont want it. It's clearance and likely salvage this week. Nobody buys it

 

[Backroom81]

A store in my area had ~25 of a certain ad bike on hand while everybody else received exactly 0. Our guests weren't too happy about that.

 

[daninnj]

All this cutting; we should be getting something back. Simplistically, if they cut a hypothetical ETL-HR from a store making $80k, they should be getting 4 TMs making $20k. And it's a balancing act; they will lose a salaried worker that can work more than 40hrs a week but they will probably not have to pay benefits for the TMs. There's no savings (actually there might be, benefits are expensive) but there are more bodies in the store, which is what Target needs.

Of course, historically this is not what happens, as you can see with the lack of TMs on the floor. The above scenario is "trimming the fat," Target has been trimming the tissue and marrow also!

 

[masterofalltrades]

as far as it goes in my store, we are beyond cutting fat. for q1 and 2 there will be almost no mids, and occasionally no electronics closer. this week is the learning week. i hate to think what ae 2015 will do.

 

[Kompa]

So what I'm getting from this thread is that pretty much only the ETL-Log and Flow-TL have a safe position?

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Nobody is safe, anymore.

 

[paidtosmile]

I'm hearing that we should expect some position combinations (HR/GE and HR/AP being the two biggest) and TL combinations. My STL said he didn't think it would be "too drastic" this year.

The HR/GE combo is what we had at Best Buy when I was there as an Operations manager. She had under her a Supervisor (GSTL), who had two Seniors (in our store size, like a GSA). One of those Senior positions was Admin, that did the store paperwork and HR stuff, hence why I always say my job was a combo of CO/GSA and HRTM, with some AP reports thrown in. As Admin I worked a set schedule 7-2:30 with Wednesday and Saturday off. I did the cash office type of stuff first, then the paperwork part and "supervised" the customer service area until the next person came in at 10. My Ops manager didn't have an office, she was on the floor unless she was doing payroll or schedules.

There is redundancy at Spot in some of these areas it seems to me, depending on the size of the store. I would see no reason they couldn't combine them. The issue becomes the personality and drive of the ETL. Our GE one was very hands off the front lanes. The GSTL is running everything - and some things could use some input from another body. It's become a power trip, and while she is responding to the ETL/STL, them being so out of touch with the realities up there is why they have offered 8 people the GSA position and all have said no.

Our AP team worked under our Invemtory Manager, which made sense also.

In the fantasy world the cuts, if any, will make sense to streamline things. But that is fantasy and reality will probably be different.

We had an OPS(logistics)/HR combo at OfficeMax during my stint with that company. It didn't work very well, she (along with just about any other manager I've come in contact with at that company) didn't have the HR training or ability to remain an impartial third party.

It worked well for store planning (sets, seasonal sets, truck, price changes, etc) since she had store operations and our HR systems, but she wasn't impartial enough to be writing a schedule. We ended up with a lot of favoritism towards 2 or 3 of our employees, and the rest were just lumped into whatever closing and weekend hours were left over.

 

[neversaynever]

Ops at BB was just front end, we had an inventory manager and a merch manager, along with a sales manger and GM.

Mine had been with other big companies and was decent, and ruthless with cost cutting. There was not a lot of room for favoritism because the department supers & seniors were the only full time positions. Otherwise it was the 5-10 a week thing.

But I could totally see untrained people issues, but you have that now with the newbie ETLs in any position.

 

[Rock Lobster]

as far as it goes in my store, we are beyond cutting fat. for q1 and 2 there will be almost no mids, and occasionally no electronics closer. this week is the learning week. i hate to think what ae 2015 will do.

Exactly. This is yet again far worse than ly in terms of payroll allocation. There are high volume stores (A+ and higher) that have been getting allocated 100-120 hours per salesfloor area (so one person all day all week in HL, SL, and Market) and we are talking 150k forecasts during the week and 250k on weekends! The nice thing is with MyTime they cannot cut Log or Cashier, so those remain "staffed" just as well, but even good cashier staffing nowadays assumes backups quite a bit, which the stores will not be able to do.

This is a learning week, and we are about to see turnover turn up! Target goes through cycles with turnover (specifically TL, ETL and higher) and the ETLs just got done working 60-70 hours a week this fourth quarter. Q1 is when the workload is supposed to go back to normal for them and they can use vaca and comp days, but with this kind of staffing they are going to screw their workcenters by not putting in long days continually, and the burn out will continue!

 

[Nauzhror]

Any TM making 20k has benefits. I make way less than 20k and get benefits.

9.50 x 31 is 294.5 per week. 294.5 x 52 is only 15,314.

So as GSA I'd make way under 20k at 31 hours, and be among the highest paid TM's in the store.

 

[GangulonCyst]

Ummmmm What happened to the AE2015 thread here???? Back on subject peeps!!!!

 

[Guest]

I had a hunch that it was something like that. I think I remember reading about it vaguely on here. I definitely have never heard anyone talk about it at my store then again communication is not something that's practiced at the store I work at.

 

[dewdrinker]

The reason there has been no information is that the gvps have not met with the DTLs yet. STL has her AE meeting the week of January 20, so I don't think there will be much info until then to share...