Changes for VMs

[Breakeven]

This is all just so confusing. I was offered VM but we already have a VML. By my understanding my raise wouldn't be much at all or nothing. Is that correct for a VMTM?

 

[REDcardJJ]

I don't believe that it's rude to state that VM isn't a lead, because it isn't. GSA is in a similar (but vastly underpaid) boat.

 

[oath2order]

The VM at my store spends 99% of her time in Home Innovation. We are about a week and a half to two weeks behind on VMGs in A&A.

Is this happening anywhere else?

It is at my store because the VM was told to stop helping out softlines so much. Some corporate VM guy came and told the TWO softlines TLs to stop relying on the VM so much

 

[busyzoningtoys]

Same here.

I have a VM just for home, and softlines has one for them as well. As a Hardlines-Domestics TL, it’s amazing. She’s 38 hours a week, and we do some really cool moments on endcaps even beyond the home flat. We help each other a lot and our ETL doesn’t know the extent of how much teamwork there is; I’ll help her execute projects that are large or intense and she takes ownership of a couple of backroom aisles and keeping them free of discontinued/clearance. She’s also considered a leader in our building, even though she’s new to the company, alongside our other VM who was brought on back when it was a true TL spot that paid above SrTL pay. They are always expected at TL meetings.

 

[noodles594]

I have a VM just for home, and softlines has one for them as well. As a Hardlines-Domestics TL, it’s amazing. She’s 38 hours a week, and we do some really cool moments on endcaps even beyond the home flat. We help each other a lot and our ETL doesn’t know the extent of how much teamwork there is; I’ll help her execute projects that are large or intense and she takes ownership of a couple of backroom aisles and keeping them free of discontinued/clearance. She’s also considered a leader in our building, even though she’s new to the company, alongside our other VM who was brought on back when it was a true TL spot that paid above SrTL pay. They are always expected at TL meetings.

That partnership is my dream!

 

[SpilledTea]

Forreals. We can't even get our VM to respond to calls for backup at the checklanes.

 

[busyzoningtoys]

Forreals. We can't even get our VM to respond to calls for backup at the checklanes.

I have to tell mine to back up less lol.

The one I have trouble getting to backup is HR. It’s rare that I need that from them but when we say all specialty teams, we mean it. Oh well, When they remove the phone from fitting room next year I was told operator duties will belong to HR when they are in the building.

 

[SpeedwalkDonna]

The VM at my store spends 99% of her time in Home Innovation. We are about a week and a half to two weeks behind on VMGs in A&A.

Is this happening anywhere else?

Ha! As a VM, I spend 99% of my time in softlines. Of course I have been doing nothing I am supposed to in my role—instead they are utilizing me as an additional SL TM, and everyone seems ok with that. I’ve set one VMG since February, and they won’t even let me take the time to file my VMGs, so they are all just piled on my desk. SORRY, I’ve already ranted about this...

Anyway, clearly all stores are different. *shrugs*

 

[Far from newbie]

Can I resurrect this for any changes ?
Any VM stories ?
Is the position here to stay or changing at all ?
Is the one/two at your store any good ?

 

[isthatathing]

I'm wondering how some stores get 2 vms and some don't. I understand volume and innovation vs non innovation stores.... but I'm at a 50M next gen store. Wondering if that is enough to have 1 for home and 1 for style. I'm always pulled in so many directions it's hard to get everything looking good. I give direction when I can to DBOs for remerch, but some things I would like to execute to my own standards and just dont have the time to do it all. (Esp with owning signing during Q4. wth?)

 

[oath2order]

I'm wondering how some stores get 2 vms and some don't. I understand volume and innovation vs non innovation stores.... but I'm at a 50M next gen store. Wondering if that is enough to have 1 for home and 1 for style. I'm always pulled in so many directions it's hard to get everything looking good. I give direction when I can to DBOs for remerch, but some things I would like to execute to my own standards and just dont have the time to do it all. (Esp with owning signing during Q4. wth?)

I don't know how NextGen stores don't have 2 as a default, or at least have it as a full-time position.

VMs have CB1, CB2, home flat, a Hearth and Hand of variant size, tables and bookshelves in both bed and bath, seasonal sometimes, and the kitchen table.

And softlines.

 

[PackAndCry]

Because it's trendy to have a "visual merchandiser", so Spot just has to have one.

 

[StyleMaven1]

I'd l8ke to have a few words with the "vm" team that makes the vmg because their constant placement of pants on the left and tops on the right is a crime against humanity. Cherry on top is the horrible outfit pairings required on mannequins.

 

[gsa4lyfe]

Can anyone provide a justification for why VM is a dedicated position, especially at PG45?

GMTLs not only own multiple areas of the store, but also a process: inbound, presentation, or fulfillment. They're also TLs, and so they have TL responsibilities.

Why isn't VM a "process" for existing Style TLs to own? I don't understand why we need a pseudo-TL position to handle half the workload that GMTLs get paid the same amount for, especially when they tend to focus on Style anyway.

The difference in responsibility between GMTLs and Specialty TLs is laughably lopsided.

Because instead of training all TLs style and GM on visual standards they pay and train one person to follow up will all the TMs. You sound salty but all the VMs I worked with are super hard working and definitely necessary.

 

[oath2order]

I'd l8ke to have a few words with the "vm" team that makes the vmg because their constant placement of pants on the left and tops on the right is a crime against humanity. Cherry on top is the horrible outfit pairings required on mannequins.

but those outfits are totally IN right now huehuehue

 

[happygoth]

I don't have a problem with the VM being a dedicated position, but I definitely feel that they should be earning that extra pay and full-time status. I'll say no more...

 

[StyleMaven1]

I'm hearing a pretty damned strong bias against Style TL and I don't know who burned you, but damn. Yes, I DO have processes to run. I supervise our inbound breakout team members even though their hours are pulled from inbound workcenter. I make them aware of upcoming transitions and proper sorting for departments. No GMTL helps us with transitions of any kind, my fellow Style TL and I do them! We're also current on signing, price change and reshop and consistently beating our goals and comping strong. Our seasoned fulfillment team can find 1/2 of our stuff, but we find the rest and 100% of the products for seasonal because they don't even try. The GMTL over H&H never steps into it and neither does the team member who is technically the dbo of it and no one is holding them accountable - so our VM has to do it all. Not just initial set, but pulls and remerch because they send it all straight to backstock! Same with Fan Central, which is supposed to be owned by electronics (adjacent dept for zone/fill) and guess what, she does that too. ASANTS. If you've had shitty style teams I'm sorry, but I bust my ass every day. Yes, I initially thought the VM position was weird, I was a softlines lead for years with no need for one but especially in the newer remodeled stores there's a really strong emphasis on presentation and with no real signing or true pog/presentation team anymore there is definitely more to maintain and remerchandise on a daily basis.

 

[gsa4lyfe]

What happens at your store (and many others) may be different than what's expected. That's fine, but it's pretty clear what the expectations are on paper.

Style TLs own an area. GMTLs own an area. This includes signing, price change, reshop, etc.. for both.
Style TLs do not own a process. GMTLs do own a process.

GMTLs objectively have more responsibilities than Style TLs. What you do is irrelevant. If you go beyond what's expected of you, great. But that can't serve as a justification for roles being the way they are. The GMTL that oversees Inbound is supposed to supervise the softlines breakout. Why? Because the ones that are supposed to be breaking out softlines are Inbound Experts, not Style Consultants.

It's pretty simple logic. If owning an area is x and owning a process is y (and both are clearly positive integers), then x < x + y.

If things were to be equal, as in x + y = x + y, then you'd give Style TLs a process to own as well -- and there's no reason why VM can't be that process. This isn't about being burned, it's about making sense.

That isn't justification. VMGs are the visual standards. If you have a VMG for Hearth & Hand, you don't need a VM to tell you how to visually merchandise that area -- that's already being done by corporate. You just match the images. It couldn't be easier.

Not to mention all Style TMs should have received visual merchandising training months back via Workday. Why do they need a VM to tell them which order colors should go in? Or how to properly edge?

VMs and Style TLs have objectively fewer responsibilities than their GM counterparts. It makes zero sense not to combine those two positions. Having a dedicated VM position is a waste of money. There's no reason why those super hard working VMs you've worked with couldn't have been super hard working Style TLs or TMs instead and been just as valuable. Again, that isn't a justification for the VM role existing as it currently does. Besides, not every TL would need to be VM trained -- just the Style TL(s). Is every GMTL trained to run Inbound? Fulfillment? Presentation? No. They're not. The GMTL that oversees Presentation is responsible for supporting Style during transitions, so why couldn't a Style TL that oversees VM be responsible for supporting the GMTL that owns Home? Likewise, the GMTL that is oversees Inbound is responsible for softlines breakout. Again, no reason why a Style TL or two couldn't be responsible for store-wide VM. What else do Style TLs do? All they own is softlines. They don't own a process.

If a GMTL can handle owning all of essentials and the unload process, there's no reason why a Style TL couldn't handle doing what they do now and doing what a VM currently does. That's still less of a workload than what the GMTL has.

Someone is salty....

I’m not going to touch the Style VS GM thing but as for your comment on the VMG and VM position. Great you have a VMG for the set which isn’t done by the VM anyway so you’re right TMs do the work of setting but oh no you sold out of something or it’s EOS and you need filler or to remerchandise now there’s no VMG to follow? Just because from the sounds of it your VM doesn’t do work doesn’t mean they’re not needed. I can see an argument that they shouldn’t be PG45 because I kind of agree but the position itself is definitely necessary


Also your Style TL should be owning all aspects of the inbound process for style. GM owns the inbound process for GM but they’re not going to sort, breakout or push the style. You’re looking at it from the old point where there was an ETL Log. Now it’s

GM and Specialty Sales and the inbound process should be split.

 

[SigningLady]

I'm wondering how some stores get 2 vms and some don't. I understand volume and innovation vs non innovation stores.... but I'm at a 50M next gen store. Wondering if that is enough to have 1 for home and 1 for style. I'm always pulled in so many directions it's hard to get everything looking good. I give direction when I can to DBOs for remerch, but some things I would like to execute to my own standards and just dont have the time to do it all. (Esp with owning signing during Q4. wth?)

Hate to break it you but I'm pretty sure VMs are going to own non-pog signing outside of Q4 too. And without a trained signing TM to help them like there was for Christmas ISM. VMs are not only responsible for removing all the Christmas ISM next week, but they also have to put up more of the non-pog ISM like CSEs for seasonal and mini. That's never been on their plate to do before. My VM was told by corporate to expect signing changes early next year. This is it.

 

[isthatathing]

Thanks @SigningLady I was aware of the clearance dash and new signing roll out in the addendum. I put up all the power aisles myself so I'll be happy to take those suckers down and harvest all those sweet sweet ceiling clips.

The thing is dont get is the "partner with vm" for the fixture room refresh. Signing etc I'm like, okay fine. Visual impact area. Okay. But the fixture room as a whole feels kinda random.

I mean I was plano TL before VM so it's fine. Whatever. But I for a lot of VMs its gonna be like, huh? 7 loop stationary divider, baseball hat fixture? Transcend shelves? The godforsaken ball pit????

 

[PogDog]

Wrong. Inbound owns softlines breakout. That's part of Modernization. The only thing Style Consultants do is push, backstock, and zone. It's all in the guide, so give it a read.

Again, I don't care what your store does. That doesn't matter. I don't care if your VM is the greatest VM of all time. That doesn't matter. I am strictly talking about roles and responsibilities (read: what they should be doing, not what they are doing).

It sounds like you're not reading what I'm typing. I'm the only unbiased one here because I'm not referencing a specific VM and boasting about how good or bad a job they're doing. Just remove all your own personal feelings from the argument for a second. It's not about being salty or having been burned. Just look at it logically.

If you remove a process from GMTLs, they have all the same responsibilities that Style TLs have. They own pricing. They own signing. They own push for their area. It's the same job, just in a different part of the store. It's equal. But the second you add Inbound, Fulfillment, or Presentation to the GMTL's workload, they take on more responsibility than the Style TLs have. It's that simple. There's no room in the argument for personal experiences. That's purely how it should be because that is Modernization.

I am saying that it doesn't make sense. That if all leaders share the same paygrade, they should also have a similar weight of responsibility. Giving VM to Style TLs would be a solution to that. It's not something we need a dedicated position for. Some stores, maybe, but again, it's just like Inbound -- most stores don't have a dedicated Inbound TL, despite Inbound being a greater workload than VM. So why is VM a dedicated position? It clearly doesn't need to be. There is nothing that requires it.

Everything a VM currently does now could easily be done by a Style TL that owns VM. If you don't think so, then you're the one being salty and underestimating our Style TLs.

Reduced down like that is eye opening.

All the GMTLs in my store are key carriers too. Style does not. Style owns 3 valleys in the backroom. That's all. Nothing else is their's in the way of backroom ownership outside of the style breakout area.

VM only has a few sections in HOME. And our VM barely can manage that.

Meanwhile each GMTL owns minimum 5 valleys and equal portions of steel space. They also have their secondary function roles and are held to the same standards as Style. Style has 4 seasonal changes. GM areas reset every 6 weeks.

The workloads are not divided evenly.

 

[gsa4lyfe]

Reduced down like that is eye opening.

All the GMTLs in my store are key carriers too. Style does not. Style owns 3 valleys in the backroom. That's all. Nothing else is their's in the way of backroom ownership outside of the style breakout area.

VM only has a few sections in HOME. And our VM barely can manage that.

Meanwhile each GMTL owns minimum 5 valleys and equal portions of steel space. They also have their secondary function roles and are held to the same standards as Style. Style has 4 seasonal changes. GM areas reset every 6 weeks.

The workloads are not divided evenly.

Thanks I’ve read the guide I even have a copy for reference. You clearly don’t understand what the VM does day to day. You can read all the guides you want but it won’t show you the reality of it. I have full confidence that any style TL I’ve ever worked with could do the role of the VM but the reason it’s necessary is because you’re looking at it black and white. Just because style doesn’t own a “process” doesn’t mean they have less work. Style is a forever changing area that requires constant attention. Paper? Pets? Chem? Oh no you’re out of a toilet paper, just wait and you’ll get more. On the other hand if you run out of a sweater you have to now remerchendise an entire table or rack. It’s apples to oranges. You need to look big picture not on paper.

 

[MavDog]

Reduced down like that is eye opening.

All the GMTLs in my store are key carriers too. Style does not. Style owns 3 valleys in the backroom. That's all. Nothing else is their's in the way of backroom ownership outside of the style breakout area.

VM only has a few sections in HOME. And our VM barely can manage that.

Meanwhile each GMTL owns minimum 5 valleys and equal portions of steel space. They also have their secondary function roles and are held to the same standards as Style. Style has 4 seasonal changes. GM areas reset every 6 weeks.

The workloads are not divided evenly.

TECHNICALLY, the GMTL over inbound owns the entire backroom in the guide, but in practice it doesnt work that way. Why wouldnt the leader over an area own their piece of the backroom?

 

[SigningLady]

Thanks @SigningLady I was aware of the clearance dash and new signing roll out in the addendum. I put up all the power aisles myself so I'll be happy to take those suckers down and harvest all those sweet sweet ceiling clips.

The thing is dont get is the "partner with vm" for the fixture room refresh. Signing etc I'm like, okay fine. Visual impact area. Okay. But the fixture room as a whole feels kinda random.

I mean I was plano TL before VM so it's fine. Whatever. But I for a lot of VMs its gonna be like, huh? 7 loop stationary divider, baseball hat fixture? Transcend shelves? The godforsaken ball pit????

I am the resident fixture expert at my store. Unfortunately that week for the fixture refresh I need to set the beauty/haircare/cosmetics transition since I am a Presentation Expert. Not sure how this is going to play out..... I anticipate lots of calls on the walkie.

 

[PogDog]

Thanks I’ve read the guide I even have a copy for reference. You clearly don’t understand what the VM does day to day. You can read all the guides you want but it won’t show you the reality of it. I have full confidence that any style TL I’ve ever worked with could do the role of the VM but the reason it’s necessary is because you’re looking at it black and white. Just because style doesn’t own a “process” doesn’t mean they have less work. Style is a forever changing area that requires constant attention. Paper? Pets? Chem? Oh no you’re out of a toilet paper, just wait and you’ll get more. On the other hand if you run out of a sweater you have to now remerchendise an entire table or rack. It’s apples to oranges. You need to look big picture not on paper.

Did you mean to respond to me or Selfish? I wasn't referencing the guide, just Selfish's response.