Alright so this happened a week ago, and pretty much it is water under the bridge now. However, I felt it was something that would be good to bring up but has probably already been before. First a little background. I was in the backroom with my other TM's, helping with the 4 o'clock pulls, we only had 3 batches left in the gun when the ETL-LOG called us over to receiving , apparently when an ETL-LOG say's over the walkie on channel 2 "I need to see you guys over in receiving", it is code for "I'm going to bite your head off". Now the previous day I was working, we had a no show (who was a newbie might I add) and I didn't come in until 2 pm. Well the other new guy who was scheduled to work was rather slow and didn't have anyone to help him , so what do you think happened, yep you're right, about 20 or so pulls bled over (i.e. we are very high volume store). So that is one of the things that happened, and try as I might to keep up with the next hour, still a few bled over. As I explained this to our ETL-LOG, he refused my explanation, and said that is just an excuse. Okay sorry I'm not the Flash, but whatever. So during the meeting he raised his voice and yelled a couple times at all four of us for not getting stuff completed and as we try and explain the stuff that happens (that he doesn't see happen), he had a rebuttal for every single thing we would say. I was a about to get smart with him, but figured it wasn't worth it. Anyways all this to say, I felt there was a more effective way to handle the situation. Yes I understand you are an exec, you are trying to run a business, but still a "leader" should be somewhat understanding. So any of this ever happen to you? Again it was not skin off my nose, just thought I would share.
Archived ETL Layed into Us
- Thread starter filmer88
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It is clear your etl-log sounds like he is very stressed out. He isn't happy because of the numbers. Our etl-log "forgot" to mention that 7pm cafs started last week to the closing br or sf teams last week. Just let ride for now, but do document the event, in case it happens more often.
This is a great place to vent, btw.
This is a great place to vent, btw.
Thanks HLmaster. Yea I mean I guess I would be stressed to with what we have to do in the BR to get ready for Black Friday. And we do generally get all of our work done on time before our shift ends, just sometimes there is a lot and not all of it gets done and we do point that out and I even offer to stay later at times, but am told that I can't due to payroll already set for the week. I will say that pushing pulls also does take some time from our tasks (especially if they are big), but is an advantage to know what is full on the shelf and what is not, instead of pulling jars of mustard (just as an example) and then having them all come back. So yeah, I do have it in the back of my mind, but for now I will ride and do what what is set for the days at work.
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Ludwig3
Guest
Your ETL-LOG sounds very hard nosed, trying to prove his point and accepting nothing else. Surely he can't expect a new hire to pull every batch, not to mention being a high volume store as you said. We have experienced guys who have called for help before because the batch sizes are unrealistic for an hour. He's probably being pressured himself, but that's NO excuse to threat you guys that way. Just do your best and take him with a grain of salt.
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Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week our 12pm CAFs were HUGE. 4 or 5 BRTMs pulling, and they still couldn't make the hour, without some rolling over into the 1pm CAFs. It takes nearly the full hour from 12pm - 1pm just to do the riser locations! Our ETL-LOG was actually helping with the CAFs on Wednesday, and they still didn't make some hours.
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We had very few riser locations, only 1 in a caf. Overall, no risers with product in several areas in my store. In the old days, lT was over the place.
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Does this guy help you with your workload? Probably not! He is a typical lazy ETL who has no people skills to handle a tough situation. All he can do is yell at someone because he doesn't have a solution.
At my store our STL tells the backroom that if we think we will have a problem finishing the CAFs on time we are to call the LOD and he/she will send someone back from another work center to help us get the pulls done before the hour is up.
My advice is to do your best and sit back and watch him "hang himself." He won't last 6 months.
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Okay, as much as I like that people share my feelings on this, I must say (as much as it pains me to), I have been with Target for a year as a BR TM, and My ETL-LOG has always been the same ever since I was hired there. He has also been with the company for 30 years (uhhh.... I would shoot myself). He is a ....um....... hmm...... okay person I will put it that way, but I have never seen him help out with the pulls, but rather say "what are you doing, you got to get these done within the hour, hurry up now". Okay yes , you don't have to tell me to do that, why not tell the newbies that still need help, or better yet, help us ; but wait stupid question cause you won't. My co-worker and I are the fastest on dayside team (or among the fastest I like to think) (since we have been there for over a year) and know the ropes, but at times I feel like my ETL-LOG is wasting his breath rehashing stuff that I have known since day 1!
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I wish I could clone my ETL-LOG a couple times and let you guys have him; when he doesn't have ETL stuff to do, he's always in the back pulling or backstocking or doing whatever needs doing. I can't count how many times he was called an all-star when we first got him.
Also, what's a riser location? I saw it mentioned in this thread, but no one at my store uses that term.
Also, what's a riser location? I saw it mentioned in this thread, but no one at my store uses that term.
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A riser location is on the salefloor depending on the department. For ex: toys or small appilances.
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A shelf on the salesfloor, over an aisle, with loose (out-of-casepack) product on it, that is used as a BACKROOM location. Yeah, a pain in the ass.
Say aisle E14, in a pull it would be "99B0E14". You scan the location label on the aisle, on the salesfloor, then scan the product on the riser shelf, and it'll tell you pull a quantity on whichever item, just like a regular backroom batch/location.
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Why do they do that? Is it because there isn't enough room in the back for stuff?
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Ludwig3
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It might be different for other stores but we keep risers in toys, so when you pull the item, you can automatically fill the home location. It keeps toys nice and full during the holiday season.
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Oh, well...as I said in another post: What do I know about anything? Not much!!!
Thank goodness this guy doesn't work at my store.
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Some ETL's are real big on the drek rolls down hill concept.
If they get the slightest bit of heat they make sure to pass it along in spades.
They like to justify this as a management method.
Then they wonder why their TM leave in droves.
If they get the slightest bit of heat they make sure to pass it along in spades.
They like to justify this as a management method.
Then they wonder why their TM leave in droves.
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Target as a whole wasn't suppose to have risers locations this year, as HQ know it's a waste of payroll for Backroom TMs. But our DTL gave our district gave the "OK" to put up risers. So then the ETL-LOG and STL at my store went nuts with them, and there are more risers than any previous year. There's risers in B, for PLUG and OFCE, risers in D for FURN, risers in E for TOY1, TOY2, TOY3, BIKE, and SPRT, and risers in F for LUGG, SEA1, and SEA2. That's 11 batches that all drop in the 12pm CAFs.
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risers= brtm enemy
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Ludwig3
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I hear ya! It waste our time having to run outside and scan the wall. Thankfully we only have them in toys (so far). See I thought we weren't doing risers too, but we got sent a billion board games and I figured something was up.
Board games are the worst when having to scan them on the risers because it seems like there is a bagillion types of games . I usually take the wave out there, because Unfortunately I am not that tall to reach the top shelf by myself.
Another thing about being a BR TM is pushing pulls (this just recently started at my store about a month ago, but I know ULV stores normally do this for their BR TM's), I don't mind if it is a small pull and is in grocery, B,D, C, or F because those items are usually easy to spot out on the floor and also using the nop application. However I refuse to do soft lines pulls, for one, the aisles/kiosk shelves are not always labeled, which can be nerve racking when looking for an aisle number that isn't there, second, for a normal BR TM, it would take a while to push a lot of soft lines, when we are hardly ever over in that area. Luckily our ETL-LOG has realized this and instructed us not to push them anymore. My question that still has gone unaswwered (aka was answered in a beat around the bush way that meant nothing), is why as a high volume store are in the BR pushing pulls? What are the SF TM's doing, I know they are tending to guests, zoning, and doing signs (or whatever you call it), but isn't pushing pulls part of their job, not ours? Again, I don't mind it much, but we have a heck of a lot to do, and pushing pulls takes away a lot of time that could be spent getting everything done (thus why some nights everything does not get done on the tasks list). I think compensation is needed (here's dreaming lol).
walruses
Former Softlines TL
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It is Best Practice for the Sales Floor team to push all pulls and for the InStocks team to assist if available. I've never heard of a store making the backroom push pulls.
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We're a B-volume store, and our BR Dayside TMs push all the CAF pulls.
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Ludwig3
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It usually comes down to store volume and sales floor members on deck. During slow months (between holidays) BR will help push pulls, usually later in the evening though for us.
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Wow, our BR never pushes anything, although that's probably because we only come clean like once a week, if that. CAFs have been known to sit on the line for 3-4 hours, though.
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Ludwig3
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I love when CAFS sit so long that you pull the almost exact batch the next hour. Usually our LOD has to beg sales floor to come push one tub. Lazy fools....
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