Archived cashiers and walkies.

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lanemich

cashier
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May 31, 2013
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is it just my target or all they think cashiers dont need walkies. im tired of having a rush backed up waiting and hoping a gsa or my gstl will see my lights blinking when i need a price check or a dcpi. then today i got introuble for doing like i was told in training and hitting the additional cashier button. got told by my gsa that cashiers arent allowed to hit that button cause the gsa's are watching. we had a HUGE line and the cart attendant and food ave had their walkies and i heard NOTHING for backup. so i pushed the button and got coached for it.:angry:
 
When your lane is more than 1+1, it is in fact best practice to press the button. If the GSTL/GSA isn't going to call for back-up from the sales floor, then they should be speedweaving and moving the guests to other open lanes. I've only recently gotten into the habit of grabbing a walkie when I come in because I've been pulled to help out on the floor a lot lately.
 
We do not allow our cashiers to have walkies. Squawking into a walkie doesn't make me more available if I'm with another guest. It's just more noise that no one needs. Can you imagine 25 cashiers with walkies?

We instruct our cashiers to never hit that button. We're there to watch the lanes. You have no idea from your position what's going on, who we've called up, how we're speedweaving, or what we're doing. It's our job to watch the lanes. It's your job to check people out and let us worry about the back ups.
 
Mxr that's a prime example whats wrong with most GSTLs.

If a cashier wants to hit that button, you most likely aren't doing your job. Sure it makes you look good when they don't hit it, because the LOD doesn't hear it go off, and it makes it look like you're being pre-emptive with the backups. But in reality you're just telling cashiers to not follow best practice. But hey, that sure makes you look good to your boss when they never hear additional assistance go off, doesn't it?!?

Also, if you're with another guest and busy, who's going to call for backup if you aren't? That's right. Hit the button.

Plus, at night I almost always made sure at least one of my cashiers had a walkie while I was closing registers. Especially if I wasn't in line of sight of the open registers (can't always trust the LPDA). It's just called good communication. Stop treating your cashiers like peons who don't deserve a walkie.
 
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And during my training i was instructed by a gstl to hit that button. plus our lpda's have been messing up. change not popping or redcards. why not have just onewlkie the cashiers share for emergencies
 
Cashiers are at the lowest priority for walkies...so during the day, they aren't likely to get one because there aren't enough to go around at my store. But at night, at least one cashier really needs a walkie. It's the easiest way to get a hold of me if I'm covering guest services break or checking my email or something and my lpda decides to log me out because it's been slow.

And they can hit the back up button all they want....and should. First, that helps them figure out when they need to have more cashiers scheduled...because that is measured. Second, sometimes I don't realize they are stalled for a Redcard/a big order/a pain in the butt guest. Besides, no one actually jumps to come up on back up at my store if they hear that go off. It's just a signal to the GSA/GSTL to check the lanes (if they happen to be not looking) and then the GSA/GSTL either calls for back up or mentions we're fine.

Fun times...during the day, when the cashier(s) have no walkie, the GSTL refuses to turn on/use her lpda, and disappears for long periods of time, if the cashier needs something (spider wrap, price check, dpci, change, pretty well anything), the only way to get anyone to come running is hit the back up button. Then at the very least someone with a walkie will appear (most of the time) so we can get the GSTL's attention. Otherwise you can flip on your light and stand there for a good 5 minutes before someone notices and comes to help. I hate those damn lights.
 
I don't get why you would not have your cashiers press the button. It's there for a reason and it's best practice to use it. Tonight I was up at the service desk dealing with an issue for a good 10 minutes and walk out and have one of my sides backed up so far i needed 5 people to come up and get us through the rush. If the cashier would have pressed the button earlier it wouldn't have been that big of a deal and just because that happened doesn't mean I wasn't doing my job. At my store you can't see the lanes from the service desk. and it actually is a cashiers job to press the button.

Also, we don't have our cashiers have walkies if they're just on a lane but if they're off the lanes doing abandon or zone then they have one to back up. We aren't allowed to work on any tasks from 10-7 so there's always a gstl/gsa around to answer the calls even if the lpda doesn't work.
 
is it just my target or all they think cashiers dont need walkies. im tired of having a rush backed up waiting and hoping a gsa or my gstl will see my lights blinking when i need a price check or a dcpi. then today i got introuble for doing like i was told in training and hitting the additional cashier button. got told by my gsa that cashiers arent allowed to hit that button cause the gsa's are watching. we had a HUGE line and the cart attendant and food ave had their walkies and i heard NOTHING for backup. so i pushed the button and got coached for it.:angry:

Best Practice would say that the "perfect backup" is for the cashier to hit the additional assist button, the salesfloor to respond, and the GSTL to ONLY get on the walkie if more or less backups are needed from the response and to tell them where to go! If the GSTL/GSA is on the walkie before the button is hit, then that is not Best Practice...

Also why the heck are store's still using the blinking lights? The Help button/LPDA is best practice now and you should not be using blinkers... Only if the system is down for maintenance or something should you resort to blinkers! And the whole "it doesn't work much" excuse doesn't really fly... The reason the alerts don't work consistently is because they haven't been used much so nobody has bothered to call CSC to get it repaired or restarted! Once you give them a few calls it works all the time...I have only had to resort back to blinkers for maybe two shifts in the last year due to them being down...
 
We do not allow our cashiers to have walkies. Squawking into a walkie doesn't make me more available if I'm with another guest. It's just more noise that no one needs. Can you imagine 25 cashiers with walkies?

We instruct our cashiers to never hit that button. We're there to watch the lanes. You have no idea from your position what's going on, who we've called up, how we're speedweaving, or what we're doing. It's our job to watch the lanes. It's your job to check people out and let us worry about the back ups.

Actually, you are there to man the Guest Services desk. The cashiers should be able to see if there are 2 people in the lane and hit a single button. Then, if a GSA is available, you make sure it's not a dire situation.

Sounds like someone has a bit of a power trip...
 
Actually, you are there to man the Guest Services desk. The cashiers should be able to see if there are 2 people in the lane and hit a single button. Then, if a GSA is available, you make sure it's not a dire situation.

Sounds like someone has a bit of a power trip...

I agree about the back up button, best practice is for cashiers to hit the button. If they don't feel empowered to do that, how can we expect them to feel empowered to Vibe with the guest.

However, I can't understand what you're talking about here? The GSTL is supposed to man the service desk while the GSA does. . . ? I'm just really confused as to what you're getting at.
 
Mxr that's a prime example whats wrong with most GSTLs.

If a cashier wants to hit that button, you most likely aren't doing your job. Sure it makes you look good when they don't hit it, because the LOD doesn't hear it go off, and it makes it look like you're being pre-emptive with the backups. But in reality you're just telling cashiers to not follow best practice. But hey, that sure makes you look good to your boss when they never hear additional assistance go off, doesn't it?!?

Also, if you're with another guest and busy, who's going to call for backup if you aren't? That's right. Hit the button.

Plus, at night I almost always made sure at least one of my cashiers had a walkie while I was closing registers. Especially if I wasn't in line of sight of the open registers (can't always trust the LPDA). It's just called good communication. Stop treating your cashiers like peons who don't deserve a walkie.

They still don't need walkies and I don't treat them like peons. I just want them to let me do my job. I can do it better than they can as I stated because they don't have the line of sight that I do from the front of the lanes. When you're at the register, you have no idea what I'm doing and what I'm planning. If I'm in the process of moving a cashier to the busier side, can you tell that from lane 1? Nope. Then is it reasonable to press the button? Nope. Because help is one the way. Let me do my job. You do yours, mkay?

As far as closing registers, the GSA closes the registers each night while the GSTL watches the lanes. I guess our store volume is greater than yours was so different rules apply.
 
And during my training i was instructed by a gstl to hit that button. plus our lpda's have been messing up. change not popping or redcards. why not have just onewlkie the cashiers share for emergencies

Because we have 32 lanes. One walkie isn't going to do any good and 32 walkies would be life threatening.
 
We do not allow our cashiers to have walkies. Squawking into a walkie doesn't make me more available if I'm with another guest. It's just more noise that no one needs. Can you imagine 25 cashiers with walkies?

We instruct our cashiers to never hit that button. We're there to watch the lanes. You have no idea from your position what's going on, who we've called up, how we're speedweaving, or what we're doing. It's our job to watch the lanes. It's your job to check people out and let us worry about the back ups.



Actually, you are there to man the Guest Services desk. The cashiers should be able to see if there are 2 people in the lane and hit a single button. Then, if a GSA is available, you make sure it's not a dire situation.

Sounds like someone has a bit of a power trip...

I am not there to man the GS desk. I'm there to watch over the front end. Do you even know what the duties of a GSTL are? Perhaps you should spend a little more time on the front end.
 
I'm not a cashier, but I take cashier shifts on occasion. Our cashiers never get walkies. In a perfect Target, they wouldn't need one because the GSTL/A would be able to attend to everything they need. I don't work in a perfect Target.

No one on the floor responds to that robot voice. Usually, when it goes off, GSA or GSTL will either confirm that they need backup or let us know it's a false alarm. I don't actually know how to use the blinking light thing lol. I use the help buttons on the register. One time, I experienced it not working and the register prompting me to turn on the light. It was for change that wasn't actually urgent at the time, so I waited for a lull, then I told her. Every time I've used the button for a dpci, the guest changed their mind before the GSTL/A responded.

25 cashiers, though? Never happens here.
 
We have 32 lanes. We use one as a check in point for our cashiers. We usually have 4 or 5 down due to bad card readers or just sick registers/monitors. We routinely have 25 cashiers running at a time on Fridays, Sats and Sundays.
 
Mxr that's a prime example whats wrong with most GSTLs.

If a cashier wants to hit that button, you most likely aren't doing your job. Sure it makes you look good when they don't hit it, because the LOD doesn't hear it go off, and it makes it look like you're being pre-emptive with the backups. But in reality you're just telling cashiers to not follow best practice. But hey, that sure makes you look good to your boss when they never hear additional assistance go off, doesn't it?!?

Also, if you're with another guest and busy, who's going to call for backup if you aren't? That's right. Hit the button.

Plus, at night I almost always made sure at least one of my cashiers had a walkie while I was closing registers. Especially if I wasn't in line of sight of the open registers (can't always trust the LPDA). It's just called good communication. Stop treating your cashiers like peons who don't deserve a walkie.

They still don't need walkies and I don't treat them like peons. I just want them to let me do my job. I can do it better than they can as I stated because they don't have the line of sight that I do from the front of the lanes. When you're at the register, you have no idea what I'm doing and what I'm planning. If I'm in the process of moving a cashier to the busier side, can you tell that from lane 1? Nope. Then is it reasonable to press the button? Nope. Because help is one the way. Let me do my job. You do yours, mkay?

As far as closing registers, the GSA closes the registers each night while the GSTL watches the lanes. I guess our store volume is greater than yours was so different rules apply.

Does it matter what the overall picture is for a single cashier? No. If their line exceeds 1+1 they hit the button. It is best practice. For all they know you're in the tsc eating donuts in the swirly chair. The cashier is doing their job by hitting the button. You are NOT doing your job by telling them to ignore best practice.

Yeah maybe if you're a top volume store. Mine was always between AA and AA+ on the org charts (super t) and we never got that kind of coverage. I'm honestly thinking that you are greatly exaggerating because even in the most busy stores there aren't enough gstl/GSA hours to have major overlap. Unless you're siphoning cashier or photo hours to make it work.
 
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I think we only have 20. I have no clue, but there's never more than like 7 cashiers working at once. If you have that many cashiers, that's almost all the available registers, so you wouldn't even need to call for backup. A few walkies shared amongst a few groups of cashiers for emergencies wouldn't be a problem, in my opinion. The button's there for a reason though. If they didn't want it to be used, ever, in any circumstances, the button wouldn't exist.

I think dpci calls would go faster if a cashier could just ask for it directly rather than going through the b.s. of requesting it through outdated tech (those PDAs are based on like win 98 and probably are using wireless b) then having the GSA/TL come check it out, then call the floor for someone to look for it (which sometimes includes walking up just to walk back to where you were.)
 
Of course cashiers using the back up button is best practice, it is not only best for the guests but, also lets HQ monitor how much back up stores are in. Stores break best practice because they do not want to look like they are in back up all the time. Stores complain about payroll for the front end and HQ pulls out its little charts and proclaims why do you need more hours you are almost never in back up. This what is called slitting your own throat. Next time HQ is looking for payrole to cut guess where they will look.
 
I'm not greatly exaggerating. We are a top volume store. We have two openers and two closers (GSA/GSTLs) every day, seven days a week, and often we are run ragged even with that coverage. During 4th quarter, we also have a mid. The only time we are off the lanes is during our hour per week scheduled office time (before opening) and breaks. No eating doughnuts at the TSC for us, but I wish. ;)
 
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Some targets, like mine, are two level stores. GTLS/GSAs at one level store should have an easier time watching the lanes. But when you are a 2 level store, you have to use the button. I am not a cashier but I know how it is at my store.

Wait...Are you saying they don't have a GSTL or GSA on each floor? I always assumed they'd have a GSTL on one floor and a GSA on another. WHat happens when one takes a break?
 
Our store is a C Volume and we never have more than one dedicated GSA/GSTL scheduled at a time. When they need their breaks or lunches, another TL from the floor will cover them.
 
My store is an A+, but we only get double coverage during the holidays. I've found that it's helpful to have a walkie as a cashier just before closing when the GSTL is closing the electronics registers. My GSTLs aren't great about staying logged in to the PDA, and they're obviously not going to see my blinker from the back of the store.
 
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