Archived Anyone one else have a flow team that always looks disgruntled

[Kompa]

I hate this mentality. My Backroom will absolutely not help with cooler/freezer/food truck backstock unless the planets are aligned just right. So, my food truck team gets hours from backroom to take care of it.

It's not a mentality, it's how it is. CAFs, Flexes, POGs, Research, Audit and Flow Backstock all take priority over c&s. Flow needs to come in to a clean BR, not cooler. Sucks but hey, that's what the Market team is for

 

[dannyy315]

and the p fresh team ALWAYS helps when guests are looking for something

P fresh is awesome at my store.

 

[sigma7]

Not when I only have three people to work anywhere from a 600-1000 piece truck. And backstock it all in 5 or 6 hours. Plus FIFO. Sometimes they need help. When my Backroom team is standing around waiting for CAFs to drop for 15 minutes...that's 15 minutes they could be backstocking behind the doors.

 

[Produce Queen]

We schedule someone from the FDC truck team to backstock after they help push the truck. Sometimes they need help and BR will jump in. Sometimes BR hasn't backstocked autofill/CAFS from the day before so the truck person will do it. We help each other out. Things work much better when there isn't a line drawn in the sand about whose job it is to do certain things all the time.
Just my .02

 

[see spot save]

I think I'm entitled to bash flow when they overstock like this, without even taking the plastic off that keeps individual items together.

In all fairness, I know they pretty much keep the store running and everything. It's just a few incompetent people at my store I'm pissed at.

I'm pretty sure that was put on a shelf temporarily and forgotten about. Or at least I hope that's what happened.

My stores Pfresh also has a TM backstock the coolers when they are done pushing (or while they are pushing). Backroom pulls the cooler Autos/CAFs, pushes and backstocks them. They also aren't above helping out Pfresh, but backroom goals and getting ready for the DC trailer come first.

 

[sigma7]

We schedule someone from the FDC truck team to backstock after they help push the truck. Sometimes they need help and BR will jump in. Sometimes BR hasn't backstocked autofill/CAFS from the day before so the truck person will do it. We help each other out. Things work much better when there isn't a line drawn in the sand about whose job it is to do certain things all the time.
Just my .02

This is exactly how I work. I jump in where I'm needed when I'm needed. Especially when I'm LOD.

 

[dannyy315]

I'm pretty sure that was put on a shelf temporarily and forgotten about. Or at least I hope that's what happened.

I think it's incompetency. That same day someone put several bottles of Summer's Eve in the men's body wash aisle. Sure enough, I go to the women's hygiene aisle and there was no space left for that product, so they put it somewhere randomly. I had a good idea of who was responsible too. Whenever I closed, there was one person from flow who always slammed boxes on the ground. He didn't seem like he had a care in the world.

Again, nothing against flow in general. Just a couple bad eggs at my store.

 

[daninnj]

I think I'm entitled to bash flow when they overstock like this, without even taking the plastic off that keeps individual items together.
In all fairness, I know they pretty much keep the store running and everything. It's just a few incompetent people at my store I'm pissed at.

The best is the stuff like scrapbooking materials that come in plastic bags. I wonder how many guests have gotten 15 packs of stickers for the price of one.

 

[dannyy315]

The best is the stuff like scrapbooking materials that come in plastic bags. I wonder how many guests have gotten 15 packs of stickers for the price of one.

The worst is back to school season. There have been many times where I would find 5 packs of subject dividers in one plastic bag.

 

[see spot save]

My theory is that most of the flow team dislikes working in softlines - probably due to the lack of schematics, and general messiness.

I try my hardest to avoid softlines at all costs. I can put away mens basics and wander around until I find the right table, but without a schematic I'm pretty lost. All I've ever known in my time at Target is everything has a specific place that's easily identifiable. Unless you work it all the time, softlines is the exception.

I'm guilty of putting softlines onto the wrong table (similar items, but different) just so that I can get rid of it and move on.

 

[sigma7]

Softlines is an intimidating beast if you never go over there. It works so much differently than hardlines. But after a few shifts on the softlines floorpad, you really begin to understand it. I can whip out z racks faster now than I ever thought I would be able to when I first came over from hardlines. It's at the point now where I actually prefer to work in softlines. Flexing and filling is so much faster and easier. You also get to be more creative. I also have a pretty good team of ladies who work the freight. A couple could stand to be a little faster, but they all come in with good attitudes everyday and that is really saying something. Treat your team right and they will treat you right.

It might also help when the majority of your softlines flow are older moms and grandmas and they think you are just the sweetest, cutest guy lol. Those ladies are some of the best and are always willing to do anything I ask of them. But I also treat them with respect, work alongside them, and I never ask them to do anything I wouldn't be willing or able to do myself.

 

[see spot save]

But I also treat them with respect, work alongside them, and I never ask them to do anything I wouldn't be willing or able to do myself.

^Good points all around. This in particular, though, is the difference between good and bad leaders. A TL or ETL that isn't afraid to do the work with their team is a great leader and ultimately makes a great team. We're bound to be a lot less disgruntled if we aren't constantly being talked down to.

 

[jenna]

I try my hardest to avoid softlines at all costs. I can put away mens basics and wander around until I find the right table, but without a schematic I'm pretty lost. All I've ever known in my time at Target is everything has a specific place that's easily identifiable. Unless you work it all the time, softlines is the exception.

I'm guilty of putting softlines onto the wrong table (similar items, but different) just so that I can get rid of it and move on.

Hiss. boo.

:facepalm:

 

[thunder20]

It takes a person to work in flow to understand the struggle. Especially, when you don't want to work for that department but you got no option.

 

[Kick Shot]

I think I'm entitled to bash flow when they overstock like this, without even taking the plastic off that keeps individual items together.

View attachment 946

In all fairness, I know they pretty much keep the store running and everything. It's just a few incompetent people at my store I'm pissed at.

Hah! That looks like it was done by someone working priority pulls or CAFS,,,I see that quite often during the flow process after I know that "I" stocked it correctly the day before.

 

[semantics]

Hah! That looks like it was done by someone working priority pulls or CAFS,,,I see that quite often during the flow process after I know that "I" stocked it correctly the day before.

Work e&e you see some lazy shit there.

 

[Kick Shot]

Faster, faster, you're taking to long. Don't FIFO that stuff, it'll get done on Friday. Hmmm explains why we come across expired in 2013,,,,
To top it all off, our district is having a pseudo truck unload competition between stores. I know better,,,as they will expect us to unload at those times going forward, after their little competition is over, ya know you did it in this much time before,,
I'm not so sure it's disgruntled as much as it's exhaustion. It's hot, dirty, physical fast paced work. Once the line starts it stops for no one,,,,

 

[mrknownothing]

We have a few disgruntled flow TMs, but most of them seem like they enjoy coming in and working with their friends and not having to deal with guests.

 

[incredulu]

So I guess my question to you all as a Log TL is how do you keep a flow team engaged and happy while motivating them to work fast?

 

[BigEyedPhish]

So I guess my question to you all as a Log TL is how do you keep a flow team engaged and happy while motivating them to work fast?

Empathy, a good sense of humor, and the need to be the hardest working guy in the room. People tend to listen to someone who busts their ass the hardest and can still crack a joke.

 

[Rdhdstpchl]

Our flow team usually looks grouchy, but to me it shows how they are being trained and treated by the TLS. 75% of the team has never been taught the basics of reading shelf labels. The lead is constantly after the team to push it all out, but our shelf zone takes a beating due to excess flexing (or cramming)

 

[Rdhdstpchl]

So I guess my question to you all as a Log TL is how do you keep a flow team engaged and happy while motivating them to work fast?

Don't yell at the team. Have a game plan and stick with it. Don't start a TM on an aisle, tub or flat, only to yank them off to do something else.

Let the team know what the game plan is, before starting the truck. Assign people to particular sections of the unloading and hold them accountable. If the team is staying with your game plan, let them know that you appreciate the hard work. Sometimes it takes little things to get the team to work a little harder.

Sodas used to be a big incitement to get some of the biggest trucks done.

 

[Westcoast7]

So I guess my question to you all as a Log TL is how do you keep a flow team engaged and happy while motivating them to work fast?

Be out on the floor and jump in an aisle with them. Being constantly in their presence knows you can see someone slackin off lol

 

[Targe]

Our guys are usually only disgruntled on FDC days and when we have 4 call outs (..with a large truck and an understaffed team)

(Danny's Tampons)

Our ETL-LOG would've went Liam Neeson on the TM who did that.

 

[Redzee]

So I guess my question to you all as a Log TL is how do you keep a flow team engaged and happy while motivating them to work fast?

Raises? (Special disclaimer: remark was aimed primarily at Corporate). Incredulu it's a good question, I know there can be very little budget to work with.