Archived Average day for vml

[MiracleWorker]

If you’re a VM, what does your every day look like? Do you work mostly in hardlines or softlines?

How do team members treat you? Especially now since we are “team leaders”.

Do you have a set schedule that never changes? What times do you usually work?

I’m curious as I feel like my experience as a VM hasn’t been super great and I would like to see others experiences so I can go to my ETL and talk about some solutions.

 

[HRZone]

How do team members treat you? Especially now since we are “team leaders”.

Do you have a set schedule that never changes? What times do you usually work?

We hired ours after the team lead position went away so she is treated like an esteemed team member (think pmt or gsa)

Ours rotates weekends, one close a week, set 8 to 430 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Friday.

 

[BackroomAlpha]

Our VM does a lot throuought the store, specifically softlines and should move to SrTL imo.

 

[HLN13]

Our VMTL mostly works in Softlines, but also occasionally does the displays in Hardlines like Hearth and Hand and seasonal. Recently we've been super short staffed on SFS TM's so they've had the VMTL help with that a lot.

 

[sprinklesontop]

If you’re a VM, what does your every day look like? Do you work mostly in hardlines or softlines?

How do team members treat you? Especially now since we are “team leaders”.

Do you have a set schedule that never changes? What times do you usually work?

I’m curious as I feel like my experience as a VM hasn’t been super great and I would like to see others experiences so I can go to my ETL and talk about some solutions.

This is one of those topics that define "all stores are NOT the same". I can only speak for myself (and a few VMs, that I'm friends with)......

First: YES ! I have a set schedule: MTW,F / and every other weekend. 6am. For my store, these are primary truck days, and it's when most of our "merchandising" occurs so it goes hand-in-hand w/ our job. If I feel my workload/task/project can benefit in some way, I partner w/ the STL to make adjustments. Hearth and Hand launch day, for example.... I made arrangements for 4am.

My "routine" is this: Since I have a set schedule..... I walk the floor every morning and give a little attention to our Mannequin Moments and "special project" areas (ie Hearth and Hand; and the Home Decor pad). I also make a mental note of zoning opps for the TMs. After the quick walk-thru, I get into my workload responsibilities that I've planned in advance: VMGs (Adjacencies) and/or POGs (note: I usually only do POGs that are relative to "Visual".... ie: Cat&Jack tables, X-merch, or Handbag/Acc dept since it's so "flexible").

As for my relationship/partnership with the TMs..... it's exactly that: a PARTNERSHIP. A very delicately balanced partnership, because, technically we are NOT" TLs" anymore. But we are responsible for "leading and developing and inspiring" the Merchandising Process. Equally important, is the partnership we have w/ the HLTL and the A&ATL; because we need "their" TMs to assist in the execution of merchandising, zoning and POGs (and damn near everything else E2E related).

The VM role is not a " I have a vision and I need to delegate" role. Divas, do not apply. Push your sleeves up, move fast, get dirty, and make a difference. A visible difference in your store.

Hope this helps......

 

[BigEyedPhish]

For our Hearth & Hand launch (Giant House included) My Plano team, and PPTL, set and pushed. While I did all the Signing, and Accessories/Displays, and Lighting. All my VM did was come in, circle the new set for an hour, while stopping and looking pensively, then turn a dish, and move on to the next four feet, then took pictures.

My Log-ETL joked about how innovative he was, when he grabbed a chair to stand on to take an elevated shot.

Which is what we always did before this new VM arrived from another store, for new launches . I just looked at my ETL and muttered,"Do you want me to grab the wave?". Which gets way better shots.

I will admit, however, as a signing TM, right now I am incredibly, biased in my opinion of the position and its compensation.

They should also own the Softlines area of the Fixture Room.

 

[sprinklesontop]

The TL responsibilities were removed from my position. So, no interviews, no "formal" coachings (PDDs). I still have my "space" in the TL office, I still attend Leadership meetings, and I still Lead the A&A Team in the absence of their Leader. I was never given LOD-type responsibilities (nor did I want them).... but I know this is still something that other VMs are contending with.

 

[signingminion]

For our Hearth & Hand launch (Giant House included) My Plano team, and PPTL, set and pushed. While I did all the Signing, and Accessories/Displays, and Lighting. All my VM did was come in, circle the new set for an hour, while stopping and looking pensively, then turn a dish, and move on to the next four feet, then took pictures.

My Log-ETL joked about how innovative he was, when he grabbed a chair to stand on to take an elevated shot.

Which is what we always did before this new VM arrived from another store, for new launches . I just looked at my ETL and muttered,"Do you want me to grab the wave?". Which gets way better shots.

I will admit, however, as a signing TM, right now I am incredibly, biased in my opinion of the position and its compensation.

They should also own the Softlines area of the Fixture Room.

mine pushed quite a bit but bitched non-stop. The wav did take fucking epic pics though.

Mine has been with us just under a year, no more vmtl- just vml now. Can't access the grid, can't override early punch. It's amusing watching her bitch.

 

[BigEyedPhish]

The TL responsibilities were removed from my position. So, no interviews, no "formal" coachings (PDDs). I still have my "space" in the TL office, I still attend Leadership meetings, and I still Lead the A&A Team in the absence of their Leader. I was never given LOD-type responsibilities (nor did I want them).... but I know this is still something that other VMs are contending with.

Welcome to the life of a Perishables Assistant, and Signing TM (Besides leader meetings).

 

[HRZone]

Do the vmtl's that were hired prior to them dropping it as a leadership position get to keep their TL status? I certainly hope so as the one in my store is an excellent peer and left her other manager job to be a VMTL about 5 months ago.

Asants.

They can't use mytime, interview, write schedules or coach anymore but they can still be included in tl meetings if your stl wishes such

 

[isthatathing]

For our Hearth & Hand launch (Giant House included) My Plano team, and PPTL, set and pushed. While I did all the Signing, and Accessories/Displays, and Lighting. All my VM did was come in, circle the new set for an hour, while stopping and looking pensively, then turn a dish, and move on to the next four feet, then took pictures.

My Log-ETL joked about how innovative he was, when he grabbed a chair to stand on to take an elevated shot.

Which is what we always did before this new VM arrived from another store, for new launches . I just looked at my ETL and muttered,"Do you want me to grab the wave?". Which gets way better shots.

I will admit, however, as a signing TM, right now I am incredibly, biased in my opinion of the position and its compensation.

They should also own the Softlines area of the Fixture Room.

Things like this just really illustrate how different this role is from store to store.

As VM I did the demerch and helped PMT with gondola build. Saturday before launch I set up shelving and pegs, put up signing. Moved "new at target" overhead and built display tree. Day of launch I came in at 4 am and pushed to VMG while guiding 2 Plano tms and 2 flow tms. Got everything done and swept up by 15 til opening.

I can't imagine just waltzing in and taking a pic. I always take pride in the things I work on because I care and want it to look good. If I walk by and it's been wrecked, I drop a fill and make it look like a new set again. TMs are uncomfortable with no labels on the shelves but to me it's soooo convenient.

 

[sprinklesontop]

Things like this just really illustrate how different this role is from store to store.

As VM I did the demerch and helped PMT with gondola build. Saturday before launch I set up shelving and pegs, put up signing. Moved "new at target" overhead and built display tree. Day of launch I came in at 4 am and pushed to VMG while guiding 2 Plano tms and 2 flow tms. Got everything done and swept up by 15 til opening.

I can't imagine just waltzing in and taking a pic. I always take pride in the things I work on because I care and want it to look good. If I walk by and it's been wrecked, I drop a fill and make it look like a new set again. TMs are uncomfortable with no labels on the shelves but to me it's soooo convenient.

With other companies, my VM role included "prep" work for displays and shops. But w/ Target, I don't participate in "prep" unless it specifically calls for it. If Plano has all the hours for a set..... then Plano sets it. I won't take their Teams' hours, nor will I volunteer my hours so Plano can keep theirs for other tasks. ( No offense to all PPTLs ; just my own tends to do this to all departments). I will help, if needed, and troubleshoot, when needed. I feel I have far too much on my plate throughout the rest of the store..... and I don't have additional time to donate when hours have already been allocated.

I, too, take great pride in maintaining "shops and sets" so they look Brand new everyday. And I don't "waltz" either .

 

[IcePeasant]

The VM at my home is “supposed to” do Fan Central, H&H, Home Innovation, but hasn’t til now. Now that H&H and HI came to the store, they try to make more of a presence in hardlines, but I still set my endcaps and probably will continue to do Home Innovation set up despite it being under their workload. My PPTL here had a huge workload for the team and couldn’t set but helped me do it. Rarely in on the weekends, always in A&A, as they should be, it’s a large area to cover. Came in the morning before H&H set, but that’s about it as far as hardlines aspects. I personally think having a VM for just hardlines at my house would be beneficial as the VM isn’t cut out for “demerching, setting, pulling” as they should be doing here.

 

[Bullseyerc]

Chit chatting it away at Starbucks with the GSTL... jk.

 

[sprinklesontop]

Oh..... I thought the chit-chatting "task" was for my A&A TL. When they're not in the office. Hiding from responsibility. Or crying.

 

[Tc1208]

We’re a lower volume store so our VM is just a TM, not a TL. She does have her own desk with the other TLs though. She works every other weekend, and works mon-wed and fri. She’s 8-430 every day that she works but if there’s a special project, she’ll either do a mid or close. She’s strictly softlines. She’s never done anything for HL. She sets the planograms in SL and reworks things a lot because people will shop more if it’s slightly different than a week before.