Archived Cashiers.. how many of you use help k8 get gstl?

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I normally turn on the light but when i see gstl going other way without looking at my side or can't find one, i use the help key...
But it got me to thinking if gstl gets annoyed by getting message. I kinda understand gstl gets busy when there are few lane lights going off and gs area also needs help.
Normally i try to take care of stuff my self but when i get these coupons worth more than 5bucks which to my eye doesnt seem legit to the product guest bought, and register asking if i want to accept it anyways, i would like to ask gstl to check.
Also when there's a guest price challenge for more than 5bucks on something less than 20... I just dont want to get in trouble so i normally try to call gstl over.
Am i overusing call gstl button? I think these issues are pretty common to me and new team member name tag that ive been wearing for almost 2 months probably doesnt help.
 
I use both in an effort to get someone..anyone...to come my direction. That said, I've found using the price issue alert when there is a price discrepancy gets them there a lot faster than if I just use the generic K8 that they may or may not even acknowledge.
 
Best practice is hit Help>K8, and only hit lane light if prompted to do so.... If we are unable to receive the alert it will tell you to put your lane light on. Heck even when we receive the alerts it STILL tells cashiers to put their lane light on.

Nothing annoys the heck out of me more than cashiers not using Help>K8, then I find out theres a random blinker on the other side of the store (30 lane Super-T mind you) when alerts are working perfectly fine.... Also when cashiers put blinkers on for cold food... seriously? /sigh
 
Any high dollar coupon that the register questions, call your GSTL over. Esp if it was an internet coupon. Some have been photo-shopped & Target stands a good chance of not getting reimbursed for it.
And, lest anyone think that it's not a big deal, consider: 6 yrs ago BEFORE coupon use really took off, our 861 acct (which includes coupon reimbursement) recorded an $1873.00 loss due to bogus/misapplied coupons in one yr. That was just our store.
Now that more people redeem & buy in bulk, redemption rates are at an all-time high. Unfortunately, I'm not in an area where I have access to such figure any more but I'd be curious to see what the loss rate is currently.
 
Unfortunately, BP only works if GSA/GSTL are willing to respond to the alerts (and do so in a timely manner). And by timely manner, I mean when the customer gave up the item instead of waiting and I still haven't seen you swing by my register within 5 minutes to even acknowledge me (even though I'm three customers past that one).
 
GSA/GSTL might be busy with other alerts, if it says someone is on the way you should wait a minute at least before you think about putting your blinker on. I respond to alerts timely, sometimes theres a lot though, and having to traverse 30 lanes (on the lucky occasion that electronics/food ave/starbucks dont need me) I can't get to everyone in a minute. If the guest does not want to wait, that is up to them. Sometimes they can have their problem fixed at GS, otherwise in most cases where they forgot an item they'll just get it themselves. That being said if the GSA/GSTL is tied down for a great period of time with a particular issue, they should ask for TL support on alerts.
 
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I have no problem calling a TL/ETL to help out when I'm overwhelmed. I am only one person, ya know!

I just wish when using the help button, cashiers would be more descriptive with their needs. Hitting HELP-K8 doesn't give me much info. If they hit the carry out button, I can call the CA over while I'm walking to that lane. Likewise with spill, trash, etc.
 
we've started coaching cashiers that are only using the k8-guest waiting button. last week i had a cashier call me to her lane 52 times in a 6 hour shift!!! every single time she used the guest waiting key and most of those times it was for something stupid she could have asked me when i walked by or something she really didn't even need to know. It's so helpful if you actually use the help button like you're suppose to instead of just saying you need help.

that being said, yes if you need help call the GSTL to your lane. That's what we're here for! Retail, your gsa's and gstl's are some of the worst i think! =(
 
Mine are either on top of their game or just completely not around....and it's always a guess how things will go that day...it isn't even for sure knowing which one it is....the individual could still go either way.

Today it took me a half hour after I should have gone on break to find something to okay me going. I found the one who had been the morning one who told me to find the evening one and check with her. I finally found her talking to the ETL in his office. I asked her about my breaks, and she told me that I should ask the morning person! I told her I had been told to talk to her. It finally occurred to her that I had fallen through the cracks because no one was paying attention.

They've got to come to some sort of pattern on how things are running now that we sell alcohol. We nearly lost one sale because it took too long for someone to get to the underage cashier....the cashier had me hunt down someone for a walkie, and then it took another 5 minutes. That's what I mean about timely response. I don't mean that as soon as we hit the button the person needs to appear. I just mean that they need to appear before BTS season is over. I had half the candy on the shelves today before the GSTL was even around to notice I was doing it. This is what I mean. I realize ULV means that they have other things to do and can get away with being a bit less available...but there's a limit.

So for that, I am specific as I can be about requests and always flip on the lane light to try to move things along a bit.
 
i wasn't trying to bash what you do because it's obvious you need to turn on that light! I'm positive i would be out the door if cashiers had to hunt me down to help me. That just would never fly at my store. We aren't ULV so i'm not really sure what it's suppose to be like at that kind of store.

How do you do breaks? You don't have someone give you a break?
 
I know you weren't...I was just trying to give a clearer picture. For breaks, we're generally supposed to go at the two hour mark, depending on when everyone else's breaks and lunches fall. There's not really someone to cover....we just let the GSTL/GSA know and then the other cashiers call for back up as needed (with the guest service or photo being the first ones to jump on as needed).
 
They generally have a break list with them. But whether or not they will come up and communicate it on a timely basis is hit or miss. We really don't have lane assignments. We sort of just know where to go...it's sort of pick a register on the one half of the store, but preferably not directly next to someone else. Sometimes the GSA/GSTL will ask if we are super attached to a lane or if they can move us, but generally we just sort of go where ever.

Today, for instance, I picked my register based on getting a back up person off hers. And then the register and I got into a fight, so I broke it off and moved on. (It kept prompting me for red cards on $5 cash orders and such and it will kill my conversion score for the week....never mind the fact I'm back in the middle of a red card drought).
 
that must have been a global issue because it was happening to a couple cashiers today. We have a list on the GSTL lane that tells each cashier what lane they need to go to. We make it every morning before open. We then make breaks lists for all the cashiers, GS/Photo, and TSC (hr/operator), and GSTL if we don't have two but have a gsa up at gs. The cashiers that are breakers are responsible for their break list, bathrooms, and if we aren't busy that we need them on a lane in between breaks they do zone, reshop and picking up reshop from the lanes.
It sounds like we do things a lot different from your store but we are a high volume Super T.
 
I don't use the help feature much except on a carry out. My GSTL's are almost never online, that's the only reason, and 90 percent of the time I have to flick on my light for even that. Christmas season is the only time the help button becomes your best friend at my store...

To add, I found it funny our GSTL's posted a note telling us how helpful the help button can be when they're always offline anyway. Yeah what good is that then? Log in to your friggin' LPDA then and cashiers might actually use it!

On a positive note there are seldom more than 3 or 4 cashiers working at any given time, sometimes as few as two, so long as our gstl isn't at guest service we can usually just say "Hey, I need this at normal volume and they'll hear you."
 
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I don't use the help feature much except on a carry out. My GSTL's are almost never online, that's the only reason, and 90 percent of the time I have to flick on my light for even that. Christmas season is the only time the help button becomes your best friend at my store...

To add, I found it funny our GSTL's posted a note telling us how helpful the help button can be when they're always offline anyway. Yeah what good is that then? Log in to your friggin' LPDA then and cashiers might actually use it!

On a positive note there are seldom more than 3 or 4 cashiers working at any given time, sometimes as few as two, so long as our gstl isn't at guest service we can usually just say "Hey, I need this at normal volume and they'll hear you."

Yeah same here...you know, provided they are within sight at the front end (hit or miss).
 
Generally, I use the HELP button and try to specify as much as possible. However, if the PDA is offline or the GSTL/GSA is taking forever, I turn on my light.

Since I've been working on the floor a lot lately, I've gotten into the habit of just grabbing a walkie if there are extras (few TMs = lots of walkies). Then I can call the GSTL/GSA over if they don't respond to the HELP button.
 
Since I've been working on the floor a lot lately, I've gotten into the habit of just grabbing a walkie if there are extras (few TMs = lots of walkies). Then I can call the GSTL/GSA over if they don't respond to the HELP button.[/QUOTE]

If I am lucky enough to have walkie on hand I get in trouble or anybody next to me by everyone at the front end since I'm not salesfoor. I think a walkie makes less work for everyone, but oh no, don't you ever help a teammate without a walkie. Our cart attendant today was yelled at because I had my lane light on for like 5 minutes and had no reply. I knew exactly what I needed and if I'd had one, she wouldn't have even needed to come to my lane. Calling for a dpci number? Calling for a carryout? Scolded both times. These are the things that drive me nuts. Power trips if you ask me. Okay fine, I'll make the guest wait 10 more mins for your big "you know what" to get up here. Not all are like that, but some are so messed up with walkie's, it's like your stealing their corn or something. SORRY for trying to help while you weren't even on the check lanes and over at Guest Service and unable to help me for 20 minutes. Want to lose a sale? Okay fine.
 
the help buttons have never been used where I work. And since none of the GSAs/GSTLs carry PDAs, it wouldn't work even if we did try to use it lol.
 
Way too many cashiers here making assumptions... You may think that your GSTL's LPDA is offline, but 50% of the time when it tells you to put your lane light on, I still end up receiving the alerts anyways. Then cashiers act confused when I already know that they needed Quarters and Pennies.

So please... Just follow best practice and use the help button. If it doesn't work, you turn your lane light on anyway.

If your're following best practice and your GSTL/GSA still can't respond promptly or designate somebody else to respond, then you just need new GSTL/GSAs, and heck even your ETL team probably doesn't give a rats ass so maybe they should go too.

@redand, we do breaker cashiers at my store too, everyone else is assigned to a lane though.
 
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I think it's different in every store. Some gstl doesnt bring pda with them some do.
 
They don't carry PDAs/LPDAs at my store...they're locked in the drawer with the cash IF they have one [which is maybe 10% of the time].
 
It does not work 100%. GSA/GSTL pda can sign them out randomly so help -> K8 does NOT always work....
 
It does not work 100%. GSA/GSTL pda can sign them out randomly so help -> K8 does NOT always work....

This. If they don't use it at all for so long, they get timed out. Plus, like supertargetwi said, some GSTL/GSAs don't carry the PDA even though best practice dictates that they should.
 
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