Archived backroom bailing out flow team...again

[random]

we are a 4am store and my backroom team lead always sends us out to the floor to help out the flow team. They cant seem to get their job done fast enough. are there any other 4am backroom teams that go out and bail out the flow team almost a daily basis?

the backroom team never gets any help back since the flow team is all gone. what a joke

 

[Barcode]

Flow team in general consists of some really lazy looking people, so doesn't surprise me... Apologies to any hard working flow TMs on here

 

[zeek]

All. The. Time. Any truck over 1600 pieces and we area always pushing toys and/or sporting goods. I've tried to get my STL to understand that it puts my team way behind, but it's only a matter of getting the freight off the floor and out of the guests sight.

 

[commiecorvus]

Our ETL's, adstock team, backroom and plano team have been known to jump in and push when we get our regular 2500 piece trucks.
The fact is we have an awesome flow team, Spot just doesn't give them enough hours to do the job.
Luckily the bosses understand this and are willing to get in and bowl out or whatever needs to be done.

 

[naterstx]

Flow team = Black hole of payroll for the entire store

Not that it's fair, but flow is where we push all our slow, lame, and unfriendly TMs. Also, anyone who shines while working flow, is "promoted" to BR, or SF, or a specialty position. So it's really a self-licking ice cream cone, but it is what it is.

 

[itvgeo]

And sometimes Instocks have to help out.

 

[coolcatmom]

In our store everyone helps the flow team. NO ONE helps the backroom team.

And yet they seem to think we can backstock the truck with three people.

 

[Crohl]

Our flow team is pretty bad except for like maybe 3 or 4 of them. They usually drag ass unless someone lights a fire under them and even then their performance is a joke. When I was the electronics opener I usually would tell the electronics pusher to go help somewhere else and I would push her stuff within 30-45 minutes.

 

[tellmeaboutatime]

Okay guys flow has some slow and lazy team members just like the backroom, salesfloor, instocks and everywhere else. Teamleads and execs that interview ans pass the job applicants through to flow basically because they are breathing are partly to blame. If many of you saw what the goal time is for flow and what they are given in hours to do it, you might be surprised. Our stocking goal, based on the number of people we have scheduled is usually around 1:30. However daily we are scheduled no later than 11. Most of the days we come completely clean some days we don't. On the days when our trucks are 2800 and we have 4 calloffs, we will ask for help. Usually we just ask if we can help blitz toys we will be good. But let's think about how flow also helps out the other teams. Flow will take care of the 10 or more carts of reshop that is left almost daily. The flow teams are trying to stock while they are zoning the store in the morning because often the evening zone looks like it hadn't been touched the night before. I get so tired of hearing how flow is awful, they are lazy, they are the dregs of humanity. But how many of you change your schedule at a moments notice? Hey guys they want to add a truck, we need you to be here tomorrow. Oh geez guys no truck, you won't have your hours tomorrow. We have a double, forget the appointments you made for the day you will be here until we are done. We have 4 call offs, just do your best we can't call anyone in at 4am. The simple fact is that if flow is broke, so is your store. Pass some of the blame on your leaders if they are not managing the team they are suppose to be leading. We all work for Target and we get paid if we are stocking shelves or zoning or cashiering (yes my flow team responds to back ups). Sorry if I sound preachy but I am really REALLY tired of hearing the weekly bash flow rant.

 

[zeek]

I've worked flow for YEARS, and the weekly bashes are somewhat warranted. At the end of the day, it's a job. Sure, it's a ****ty job that comes with terrible hours for physical labor with wages that are next to nothing... but it's a job. Often times people gain the mentality that they will put forth the effort they feel matches the pay they receive, but at the end of the day that effects everybody around you. I'm not saying that comes strictly with flow, but I've seen that mentality more with the flow then in other areas of the store.

Every process of Target is so intricately woven... each one impacts another in ways that most people don't even bother to think about. That box of Bounty detergent you didn't care to work back in seasonal to it's second location is thrown on your backstock skid... which is then taken to the backroom to be backstocked by a team member that shouldn't be touching the product in the first place. Once the 11's drop, the system will recognize that the item was a challenge from the truck, and often times pull it... causing a different backroom team member to touch that box of Bounty again... which then it's placed on a tub that is later worked out by another team member. Ultimately having the box be touched by three more people than what it should have results in time wasted.

What the flow team doesn't see is the day that hours get cut from overspending on a small truck, leaving one team member to attempt to zone hardlines by themselves while the operator fights with guests trying to hang up swimming suits while the phone is ringing off the hook. Sure, it's in their job description to do all that stuff, but so is giving 100% from start to finish on a truck.

One Team. One Dream. Every work center could do a little more to benefit the store/company as a whole.

 

[invictustaylor]

we are a 4am store and my backroom team lead always sends us out to the floor to help out the flow team. They cant seem to get their job done fast enough. are there any other 4am backroom teams that go out and bail out the flow team almost a daily basis?

the backroom team never gets any help back since the flow team is all gone. what a joke

it's different at every store probably. at my store, out backroom teamleader greatly overestimates the importance of the backroom, so we are always sending people back there and they are constantly stealing our best new hires to be backroom team members.


but yeah, everybody on this site, just like everybody at my store has this attitude about flow. I get it, here lately we get like 5 new hires at a time, one of them will be normal and quit within a week, and the other four are just plain weird or retarded. And since they greatly outnumber me on flow, I have decided that since I can't beat them, I will join them. I can't get any positive recognition, so I get negative recognition by contributing to the black hole that is flow.

 

[The Mule]

My old store was just about the opposite. Plano needs help blitzing out transition? Soon as truck is done, they get 2-6 people to finish out their scheduled shift. Backroom need a few bodies to finish up? Soon as truck is done, they get 2-3 TMs to finish things out. Same goes with areas that need zoning, filling callouts in Plano, Pricing and Instocks as well as any other tasks they can find for them. They stayed under payroll while still helping out all the other teams when they could. Only time they really ask for help is during the winter if there is too many callouts due to the roads.

 

[Leonhart621]

We*all work for Target and we get paid if we are stocking shelves or zoning or cashiering (yes my flow team responds to back ups). Sorry if I sound preachy but I am really REALLY tired of hearing the weekly bash flow rant.

Boo ****ing hoo. Cry me a river.

You expect other workcenters to finish your job because your team can't get **** done. How about our workcenters? Do we see the flow team go to Instocks or backroom once flow finish their work? Who the hell do you think gonna get blamed for the scans not being done on the floor? How about all the back stock in the backroom? Obviously not flow team.

Yea, I understand how the flow process works. I work Flow Electronics for more than 3 years. I know about being pressured about time. After pushing, I have to deal with back stock and then trailer back stock.

I know not all flow team are lazy but check your team and I guarantee you'll find some people slacking.

Don't ***** about why we're trashing flow team. If they can't get their job done, we can't get ours done because we have to bail them out. Check your fellow team members and tell them to pick up the pace

 

[tellmeaboutatime]

But see young grasshopper, flow does bail out other teams, all the time. They fill after plano sets. They help backroom clean up the backroom if they are running behind. They stay and cashier if there are callouts. They stay and pick up cart shifts. They correct the millions of mistakes from the evening "zone" or lack thereof.As I said of course there are lazy and entitled team members on flow just like every other team in the building. Again, it is all one team, every single process affects another. For anyone to point the finger at flow and say they are the entire problem is short sited and ignorant.

 

[Red11]

I wish a nice long life of working on the flow team to pretty much all of you.

 

[random]

I love how most, not all, dont even answer the question but instead talk about how flow is either great or sucks. just wanted to know if backroom team helped out the flow team on mostly a daily basis at your store....by the way our flow team doesnt ever help out the backroom team since most are mainly gone by 9am

 

[thelogtl]

Flow team = Black hole of payroll for the entire store

Not that it's fair, but flow is where we push all our slow, lame, and unfriendly TMs. Also, anyone who shines while working flow, is "promoted" to BR, or SF, or a specialty position. So it's really a self-licking ice cream cone, but it is what it is.

Team members can't get promoted to salesfloor from logistics since they'd take a cut in pay. It is true that typically we move stronger team members to backroom but it's because of the metrics they impact in the backroom. Slow and unfriendly team members get fired from the flow teams, that's not where they get assigned. Typically people work flow because of the pay increase or because the hours work great with their other jobs.

 

[thelogtl]

Yes, it is typical in stores in our area for the backroom team (or part of the backroom team) to assist with pushing the truck once pull are on the floor. Many stores in our Market actually schedule backroom team members under flow for part of their shift to ensure that there are enough people to get the floor clean. They probably count on some of the flow team members that are backroom trained to stay and help backstock, or schedule the backroom team longer shifts and allow them to work longer to get closer to 40 hours.

 

[flonomo]

ITA with tellmeaboutatime. Yes I had lazy flow team members just like the ones I saw on sales floor talking while doing nothing. Zoning slowly with one hand. 3 POG team members to stock 1 endcap. We have all seen it. My good team members were cross-trained in the backroom and some were better and more detailed than those team members but preferred Flow. We helped POG push, pricing when heavy, and other areas too. My softline ladies rock and would put leftover reshop away faster than the regular salesfloor team. They were also really good at remerchandising seasonal to get more product in one aisle. Yes sometimes we got help from the backroom but I also saw them walking slowly, talking while not working. I gave the backroom help more than I ever got back.

 

[Santee]

I'm an overnight backroom TM and our flow team is ok but I do think its because of the hours they are given that the process cant be finished. We rarely help flow push unless PDA's are down or we are ahead of the process [which is usually all the time]. Instocks use to push but their TL complained.

 

[stupid rules]

To everyone complaining about flow - let's see you go push a 2500 piece truck with 250 repacks with 110 hours.
To everyone complaining about the floor - let's see you zone the store to planogram nightly with 2 team members.
To everyone complaining about planogram - let's see you complete a 330 hour transition week while being given 170 hours.
The company does not give anyone what they need to complete everything perfectly to the lofty goals, they give what is needed to get the job done with the bare minimum.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

So true, rules!

 

[tmoneytx]

Backroom has been helping the flow team at our store in a few areas... But backroom don't really like to... Imo there shouldn't be a lot of backroom TMs early in the morning.. After they get the pulls pulled...what is there to do for them?

 

[invictustaylor]

at my store, after the pulls are done, they like to joke about the bottom of the barrell workers that are on flowteam and then talk about how they are so much superior and that they appreciate the job security the messups on flow provide them. Not saying I can't always agree with em, but the backroom has sort of an ego problem, that if left uncheck at my store, would push them to think they were the most important part of the company.

 

[Santee]

Backroom has been helping the flow team at our store in a few areas... But backroom don't really like to... Imo there shouldn't be a lot of backroom TMs early in the morning.. After they get the pulls pulled...what is there to do for them?

Are you talking about morning BR or ON backroom?