Archived Does your fitting room/operator just stay in the fitting room?

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I do fitting room/ operator now and then and I use to not mind it. I didn't have to respond to front lanes, carry outs, just for softlines call buttons. I just worked on sorting and pushing go-backs. However, as of lately we're basically another sales floor team member who just answers the phone.

They'll ask us to respond for fast service (which isn't a problem until We get stuck up there or the phone starts ringing) and they've been giving all fitting room/ operators projects to work on. So last time I saw the fitting room it look like a bomb went off. Then they like to tell us "I want this 100%" we'll sorry...we can only push so much so fast.

So, what's everyone else's store like?
 
I'm mainly a front end guy but I've worked softlines several times and covered a break as operator.

At our store (A SuperT but somewhat low volume) the operator answers phones and sorts. If we are really backed up, they will be asked to do some zoning or "projects". However, they are not expected to respond to fast service.

Seems like your store is probably a bit shorthanded (Our Target never has anyone in softlines, usually 1 or 2 people at a time) and they need you to do more work then you really should be.
 
Service desk plays operator. Fitting room has been known to help out during a week day when begged. But otherwise it's on us to balance the guests staring at you with the guests on the phone.
 
TSC is operator and fitting room pretty much stays in fitting room except to maybe put out abandon near the fitting room and zone active wear which is right there.
 
Our fitting room operator has a cordless phone so that the TM can help out on the sales floor, but that is for softlines only. The operator also puts clothes on hangers to go out for re-shop.
 
TSC is operator? Does that mean there is someone hanging around in there by the desk all the time?
 
Our HR TMs sit at a desk in the TSC, answer the phone, manage keys and equipment and are able to do their tasks on the workstation there while they're answering the phones, etc.
 
ours are scheduled 730am-10pm. Once in awhile they will work over night too. Mostly during open enrollment and maybe two-three times during 4th quarter.
 
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All I know is there's someone there from the time I come in (some days at 6:30 am) til the time I leave (some nights 1:30 am). I wonder if there's somebody there overnight. I guess I could ask, huh?
 
even if for some reason we don't have an HRTM there we always have someone scheduled to be at TSC. Even if the HRTM calls in they will pull someone else to sit back there to deal with the phones, open the door for TM's, and handle the equipment. Once in a great while they will pull that person to go out to the floor to help zone but never before 8pm and it has to be quiet on the phones.
 
If we're shorthanded in HR, I've seem the ETLs work operator duties. They may as well do something, eh?

j/k Most of our ETLs are hands on. Only a couple of the pretty boys and girls appear to be "thinking" rather than "doing."
 
My current store: fitting room is NOT operator (guest service is). FR dayside (noon to 5 or so) sorts abandon, mid-day zones around fitting room, works abandon across all of softlines. Closing fitting room sorts abandon, zones around fitting room. Our fitting room TMs do not usually do hanging projects, etc. They just don't have the hours for it.

My old store: fitting room was operator, and was scheduled all day (open to close pretty much). They did hanging projects, managed equipment, zoned RTW/Intimates, sorted abandon.
 
Oh, FR. Well, I haven't been back to my store since August, but when I left, the FR person was the operator. It's been a constant tug of war between AP and the sales floor, because AP wanted the operator at the fitting room at ALL times, and only zoning men's and a portion of RTW. The sales floor (ETLs, TLs, whoever) always think of the operator should be helping the team zone and do pulls and such.

The operator is usually scheduled open to close, unless hours got tight, then HR would answer the phones in the morning until 10 or so.

We had one ETL who made the operator back up at the lanes once. That didn't fly!
 
our operator works 8 hours a day - backs up at the lanes, has a large area to zone, plus needs to keep up with reshop, emptying the rooms, and answering the phone and usually going to check for the item for the caller too

the rest of the day the phone is bonging overhead like the gong show
 
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we have full fitting room/operator coverage the times that the store is open (15 or so hours). We (I was the main closing FRO, now I do it about 2 times a week). I: a)answer the phones, answering all questions that I can at the FR. b) sort softlines reshop properly c)retag/repackage/defect out items as needed d) TAG the guest's items and check the fitting rooms periodically e)special projects (I tagged and hung 300+ shirts yesterday) and am expected during "slow" times of the year to zone at least plus and men's basics and often some in shoes. I said I do these things because the rest of the FRO's do some of these things some of the time...
 
Our store has someone at TSC at all times to answer phones, etc... (we have 2 HR team leads and 3 HRTM's). The TM in the fitting room mostly stays there but also does reshop, backup and answers jewelry call buttons.
 
Oh wow. It's funny how stores do things differently. Out fitting room /operator only works 12-5 as of lately. Then we have someone come in at 5 to do the phone but they just zone softlines. You can see how this would lead to our fitting room exploding.
 
the rest of the day the phone is bonging overhead like the gong show

They turned down our overhead, so it's nearly impossible to hear unless it is slow/quiet or you are in the bathroom/TSC/break room. My coworkers claim they hear it just fine...but since I hear it ring like 10 times when I am on break before someone answers it, clearly they are not hearing it, either.
 
Wow... I work at a Super and we have an operator at all times that the store is open. Operator stays at the fitting room at all times, counts guest items coming in and out of the rooms, sorts SL reshop, does repackaging and projects that can be done at the fitting room such as hanging folded that needs it. Our AP would probably go apesh*t if our operator ever got out of the line of sight of the fitting room. Half an hour before we open, the operator does rack alignment and then the closing operator helps finish the zone after the doors are locked.
 
I'd probably lose my mind if I had to stand in the fitting room all day. I had to at my last job and the days felt like they never ended. I don't mind carrying around the wireless phone. Though, we have to do fitting room checks every hour and it drives me crazy when people don't see the sticker that say "please take all clothes out to the fitting room attendant." Like it's not that hard! My favorite is when they leave the clothes on the floor, in side out.

How lazy can you be?
 
In all honesty, I've had operator shifts and it is very dull during the one or two hours that its slow. However, my store is often quite busy, or there's always something the operator can do. Rewrap is a never ending thing at times. If worse comes to worst, I grab an armful of unfolded shirts from a nearby table and fold those.
 
I sorted reshop, putting anything away that was close. Zoned all of mens and to the fire door in RTW sometimes shoes. Ran back to answer phone calls, this was before the cordless phones. Stuffed and checked signs for ad on certain nights. I hated going on break and seeing someone sit there and do nothing. This put me behind. I never sat unless doing the ad. I didnt' especially love the fitting room but it was regular hours when hours were tight.
 
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