Closing team

Tessa120 said:
And when you have no clue who's in, who's on break and who is handling a particular area or who has authority to do what? When a guest is right there needing something or you've spotted a problem, how many people to you call for before getting the right one? Is it leader lottery?

An actual top manager is best, who can either take care of it or know exactly who should take care of it.
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All you do is ask. Nothing really difficult to understand.
 
CoquiAzul said:
All you do is ask. Nothing really difficult to understand.
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Listen to yourself though. That food and beverage TM will have the following conversation.

"F&B TL, you on walkie?"
Crickets.
"F&B ETL, you on walkie?"
Crickets.
"SD, you on walkie?"
Random voice "SD left already."
"Closing TL, you on walkie?"

And only then the reason for the walkie can be addressed. That's a lot of wasted time, calm guests that got upset over their time being wasted, and possibly urgent situations going bad.

No, ridiculous. One go to authority position that can be filled by different people at different times without communication disruption is best.
 
Tessa120 said:
Listen to yourself though. That food and beverage TM will have the following conversation.

"F&B TL, you on walkie?"
Crickets.
"F&B ETL, you on walkie?"
Crickets.
"SD, you on walkie?"
Random voice "SD left already."
"Closing TL, you on walkie?"

And only then the reason for the walkie can be addressed. That's a lot of wasted time, calm guests that got upset over their time being wasted, and possibly urgent situations going bad.

No, ridiculous. One go to authority position that can be filled by different people at different times without communication disruption is best.
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“F&B team, can someone assist me with this guest?” That’s all you have to say. It’s not as complicated as we are making it seem.
 
Until random voice asks what you need and why you need something and you have to explain/justify. I worked at Target, I heard radio calls a lot, I made radio calls a lot. Going through the LOD got considerably faster results that trying to tag a specific person, especially if you didn't know break or work schedules.
 
Geez, it's not that hard. Just today, I had a question about something in GM2. I called the GM2TL over the walkie. Got an immediate response from GM1TL, "He went to break, is there anything I can help you with?" Had another question for the Style TL. Called over the walkie. Got an immediate response from the SSETL, "She had to leave for awhile. What do you need?"

Easy Peasy. If I'm not sure if a specific lead is in the building, it's just "Hey, [X] are you here?" Someone will let me know if they aren't.
 
CrosstrainInsane said:
Why don’t you guys know what leaders are in the building when you get in...
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Because only some leaders end up on the grid on a given day, depending on their executive assignments. Because grids aren't easy to come by. Because people go on break. Because three hours in, you're lucky to remember your own name, much less the names you saw when checking in.
 
So a TM is to know the ETLs' break schedule and know when not to ask for them? Remembering when they are supposed to leave and when they really leave? Without any written record for half of them? When there's several TLs and ETzls in the building at the same time? That the brain should be focused on other people's schedules and not the daily tasks?

You act like there's only 1 leader in the building at a given time, that leader's schedule is clearly posted, and it never varies. Like there's not multiple leaders in the building at any given time, that it's not true most aren't on the grid, and that it's not true there is no 15 minute schedule for anyone and not true that some TMs don't have a defined lunch time and no leader has a defined lunch time.

Trying to figure out which leadership is in the building without multiple walkie calls is like trying to play chess when you dont know how half the pieces move.
 
Has nothing to do with memorizing. Just being conscious and aware of what’s going on around you and what’s being said on the walkie. And yeah, sometimes you might have to use your walkie and ask. Don’t need 1 leader to respond to everything at any given time. If you’re asking for someone and you’re hearing crickets, well your team needs to get it together and help each other on the walkie, similar to what @seasonaldude said a few posts back.
 
I think the LOD program was fine. Everyone had their turn, everyone knew what they had to do, and 99% of the time the LODs were very responsive. It's better than calling for a leader/manager over and over and no one answering. Sears tried to institute a Manager on Duty program several times in the last few years I was there and they always failed miserably because no one ever wanted to be "in charge", including the store manager.

That being said, it does make sense to call a specific leader if the question pertains to their area. If the Style TL is there, it would only make sense to ask them a Style question. Same with HR, GS, SFS, etc.

As for schedules, we have the Leader schedule for the month posted on the wall in TSC.
 
At my store if you ask for an lod no one will answer. Because there isn’t one. You ask for the leader over the area you have a question for. Or you won’t be responded to.
 
Question: What do the people scheduled as "closing experts" do at your stores?
 
happygoth said:
I think the LOD program was fine. Everyone had their turn, everyone knew what they had to do, and 99% of the time the LODs were very responsive. It's better than calling for a leader/manager over and over and no one answering. Sears tried to institute a Manager on Duty program several times in the last few years I was there and they always failed miserably because no one ever wanted to be "in charge", including the store manager.

That being said, it does make sense to call a specific leader if the question pertains to their area. If the Style TL is there, it would only make sense to ask them a Style question. Same with HR, GS, SFS, etc.

As for schedules, we have the Leader schedule for the month posted on the wall in TSC.
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We are NOT ALLOWED to know the ETL/Leader schedule, it is not something we need to know, per the STL.

This is how radio chat goes in our store. "Style, infants, Style infants?" Silence, more silence, "Style TL? Style TL?" Yes this is TL lead X, "Who is in infants?" TL- No one is scheduled, "Ok can you help me with x?" TL - Sorry outside my area.

They then turn off their radio it seems cause that is the last you will hear from them, no matter how much noise you make asking for help. Sale lost and I just let my ETL know..
 
Closing Process:
Print your grid, look for gaps, and get attendance.
Check in with SD
Check in with TLs/ETLs before they leave
Schedule your lunch, take it while another TL or ETL can watch the store while you are offstage. Get used to taking an early lunch, sometimes 2 hours into your shift.
Get nightly plan from leadership before they leave
Make sure plan is reasonable and expectations realistic
For teams with no lead or lead already gone for the day, check in with them and make sure they are on track
For teams with lead still there, let lead know that you want them to give you an update when they leave - and be honest with them. Don't let a style lead leave if the fitting room is trashed without getting a solid plan. Don't let a grocery team lead stick you with an empty milk cooler with no plan to fill it soon. Don't let GM stick you with a bunch of SFS packing to do right before the 430pm goal, or a bunch of truck to push with 1 expert to push half the truck.
Evaluate how busy you are. If you have 1 cashier all night, schedule your consultants and experts a time for them to go up for backup, so it will be more orderly.
Evaluate reshop: this is the only production the closer definitively owns. I would make it their first priority when they get in, but depending on circumstances you cant always do that.
I would walk the entire store at least 3 times throughout your shift, backroom included, vestibule included. Take a 3 tier with you as you walk. Grab all reshop off of front endcaps. Identify zone opportunities. Check in with consultants and experts as you come across them. You have as much authority over them as you allow them to perceive.
Finally you have the front end. This is where you will have to spend a good chunk of your time once the SETL leaves for the night. You will have to prep the cash office and let your closing advocate kno when to start closing the lanes.
This is hardly an exhaustive list, but this will comprise the bulk of what you actually do in any given day.
 
Tessa120 said:
Listen to yourself though. That food and beverage TM will have the following conversation.

"F&B TL, you on walkie?"
Crickets.
"F&B ETL, you on walkie?"
Crickets.
"SD, you on walkie?"
Random voice "SD left already."
"Closing TL, you on walkie?"

And only then the reason for the walkie can be addressed. That's a lot of wasted time, calm guests that got upset over their time being wasted, and possibly urgent situations going bad.

No, ridiculous. One go to authority position that can be filled by different people at different times without communication disruption is best.
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I hate this mentality and let me explain why: nothing we do is rocket science. No guest needs a team leader to explain what kind of ramen we carry. If a guest is there, help the guest. Search terms in mywork in the mydevice. If you dont know where peanut butter is type it in.

If you have a real life honest to god actual emergency then please use the proper procedures. YOU wasting a guests time because you dont feel like doing those things is precisely that, YOU wasting a guests time. Feel bad about it because you are failing that guest and not doing your job.

The only real exceptions are tech and beauty, which are covered open to close - call those consultants either by name or by team to get their attention. Sometimes, they are helping other guests. You should help the other guest while waiting.

Sometimes the only expert for an area is up for guest assistance, along with their leader. That circumstance does not absolve you from helping a guest.

Now with all that being said, you can be completely honest with the guest. If they ask you "whats the best nail polish here?" Just be honest and say you don't use nail polish. A guest demanding someone more knowledgeable speak with them in no way constitutes an emergency whatsoever, under any circumstances whatsoever, anywhere on planet earth, for target or any company. It is a momentary inconvenience for the guest. Sure during Q4 every guest believes their situation constitutes an emergency. They are all wrong.
 
Bosch said:
We are NOT ALLOWED to know the ETL/Leader schedule, it is not something we need to know, per the STL.

This is how radio chat goes in our store. "Style, infants, Style infants?" Silence, more silence, "Style TL? Style TL?" Yes this is TL lead X, "Who is in infants?" TL- No one is scheduled, "Ok can you help me with x?" TL - Sorry outside my area.

They then turn off their radio it seems cause that is the last you will hear from them, no matter how much noise you make asking for help. Sale lost and I just let my ETL know..
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That's insane. If your SD lets the Style TL get away with that, they should both be written up, if not fired. There is no excuse for any TL claiming on the walkie that they won't help because "that's not my area".
 
If you are assigned to Stationery, then you shouldn't be abandoning it to walk a guest to peanut butter. Nope, there's valid reasons to get someone in the right work area to take care of the guest's needs. And if The Powers That Be decided no TMs then yeah, someone, ie TL, should do the job they decided not to schedule for.

And there were not my pay grade moments where I did call for a leader just so I could stop dealing with the person. Usually 5 minutes later the leader was still debating with the guest so very valid, not an emergency yet needed. So yeah, you don't need an emergency to need a leader. That's what they are paid for.
 
Tessa120 said:
If you are assigned to Stationery, then you shouldn't be abandoning it to walk a guest to peanut butter. Nope, there's valid reasons to get someone in the right work area to take care of the guest's needs. And if The Powers That Be decided no TMs then yeah, someone, ie TL, should do the job they decided not to schedule for.

And there were not my pay grade moments where I did call for a leader just so I could stop dealing with the person. Usually 5 minutes later the leader was still debating with the guest so very valid, not an emergency yet needed. So yeah, you don't need an emergency to need a leader. That's what they are paid for.
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Guests like this are why I never get all my work done. Management wants us to assist the guests...so I do...and then I get grilled for doing so. It's like they don't think guests like this exist--or rather they won't admit that there's not enough TMs on the floor and the guests latch on to whoever they see first.

They ALWAYS need to be taken across the store from where you're working :rolleyes:
 
Yeah, we're supposed to walk all guests to the item location, and that works if the item is reasonably close, but most guests don't even want me walk clear across the store with them. Some do, and if I'm in stationery and I know they're never going to find grocery on their own let alone peanut butter, it's me that does the walking. We have a lot of elderly guests, so we do a lot of walking. Especially since odds are good there's nobody on the floor in grocery, anyway, so I can't just say "someone over there will help you"


happygoth said:
That's insane. If your SD lets the Style TL get away with that, they should both be written up, if not fired. There is no excuse for any TL claiming on the walkie that they won't help because "that's not my area".
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Yeah, at my store I can hear the "Shitty TL, go to two" that would come in from an ETL/SD/other TL about 3 nanoseconds after they finished talking. For a Style TL, in particular, to claim any area of Style is "not their area" is bonkers. You're a Style TL, motherfucker, yes baby clothes is your area.

Calling out to grocery to help you find something for a guest if you're not a grocery TM or something is totally fine, but you do the best you can for the guest with your device and if you can't get an answer then call for help. Not rocket science, indeed.
 
And people hate saying it, but sometimes asking someone who works in the area will get you a factual response in 30 seconds when looking it up on the zebra will take 5 minutes.
 
I'm boggled by the notion that at some stores the team is not allowed to know the Leader schedule. What's the big secret? Strange.
 

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