Archived Favorite work center and why?

Favorite work center and why?

  • Sales Floor

    Votes: 10 18.2%
  • Guest Experience

    Votes: 9 16.4%
  • Logistics

    Votes: 15 27.3%
  • Pricing & Presentation

    Votes: 7 12.7%
  • Food

    Votes: 2 3.6%
  • Specialty

    Votes: 12 21.8%

  • Total voters
    55
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BrokenPDA

Vendor Babysitter
Joined
Sep 15, 2012
Messages
113
Don't have enough poll options to list every work center so I'll just list the work groups. Pick one and post about your preferred work center and why you like it. This poll isn't used to demean any work center, but rather to get an overall sense of each one and why someone prefers it.


I myself love the logistics side of target. Backroom and receiving mainly. I love the high paced environment and always being pressured under time. I especially love receiving and having to manage time more efficiently with receiving vendors and getting things ready for shipment (MIR's and sweeps). I've been all through out the store (from the front to the back) and receiving has to be my favorite work center.
 
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When I was at the red circles of hell, my favorite workcenter was Sales Floor because I mainly worked by myself and had only the occasional interaction with the store's Crotch Droppings.
 
I see 4 other votes but no response! Reply people! lol
 
Backroom for sure! out of all the positions there, backroom is the funnest, most chillest and at the same time challanging position at target, compared to every other area ive worked in. i prefer backroom day out of all
 
When I was at the red circles of hell, my favorite workcenter was Sales Floor because I mainly worked by myself and had only the occasional interaction with the store's Crotch Droppings.

That's another reason I love receiving. I'm by myself all 7 hours (can be a bad thing at times) other than dealing with vendors. Plus the hours are awesome. I love having a set schedule with the weekends off. :D
 
I've only done cashiering and salesfloor. Cashiering is too repetitive/robotic for me. I start to lose my mind after saying the following phrases all day long.
"Hello how are you?"
"Would you like to save 5%..."
"Would you like your milk in a bag?"
"Total is $$"
"Out of $__"

Salesfloor is more exciting, kind of. Oh and you don't have to deal with guests as often.
 
I've only done cashiering and salesfloor. Cashiering is too repetitive/robotic for me. I start to lose my mind after saying the following phrases all day long.
"Hello how are you?"
"Would you like to save 5%..."
"Would you like your milk in a bag?"
"Total is $$"
"Out of $__"

Salesfloor is more exciting, kind of. Oh and you don't have to deal with guests as often.

One of the highlights of being in backroom lol.
 
Pricing and Presentation. I love both, and am scheduled both. Guaranteed 40 hours and my TL doesn't bother me at all. She just gives us our assignments and trusts us to go on with our day.
 
Pricing and Presentation. I love both, and am scheduled both. Guaranteed 40 hours and my TL doesn't bother me at all. She just gives us our assignments and trusts us to go on with our day.

Pricing is the main work center I'm actually trying to get cross trained in.
 
Seeing as I have only truly known the front end (cart attendant > GSA > GSTL) I may be a bit biased. I have done other shifts around the store but I love the pace of the front end. Sure I have to stand there and take it when guests want to express their opions, but the front end is very much a big puzzle. For example, will another express lane clear the backup or should I do a regular.

Certain days are crazy so the time goes by very fast and other days are slow so I have a chance to get to know my team on a more personal level. I love it!
 
You got to love food. The work center is unique and always changes day to day. Its a relaxing environment to be in once you get a hang of it. And it always keeps you on your toes.
 
I like cashiering the best.

While some of the questions may get repetitive, I love the interaction that I have with the guests.
Also, I've been at my store for a few years and I've gotten to know a lot of guests...they'll come through my line just to say "hello!"

It is fun to share information with guests.....from how Target products are rated in Consumer Reports (Up & Up laundry detergent is listed as the best overall value when compared to national laundry brands) or talk about the magazine Shopsmart.

Sometimes I try to cross sell our products...
1) Telling guests about Archer Farms yogurt....the cost or lots of flavors.
2) When people come through my line with the Pepridge (or however you spell it!) Farm goldfish I ask them if they've tried Target's answer to them.....the Chickadees crackers.

I enjoy talking to the little kids.

Or sometimes I will share some trivia about products....
1) Red Baron pizza.....telling people about the REAL Red Baron....or telling the kids to look him up on the computer at home.
2) Swedish Fish......why are they called Swedish Fish?
3) The little sock monkey's that we sell.
4) Nick and Nora pajamas.....and Who Nick and Nora are....or are named after.
5) Campbells soup (there is always something to mention about the soups.)

This time of year I can ask kids about school....do they like their teachers? Are they having fun?
Another seasonal thing is talking to the kids about what they're going to be for Halloween.

I guess that I love cashiering the most because it allows me the chance to be friendly and make a difference in someone's day.....and it gives me the chance to have contact with people.

Finally, it's fun!
 
Logistics - it's nice to get away from people every now and then.
 
Logistics and Presentation for me! :) my primary work center is logistics but I work presentation anywhere from 4-8 times a month, depending on how big the reset is.
 
Having been a cashier for most of my 6 yrs (wow, has it been that long?) I love it now that I've been moved to the sf. I just was so tired of the push for red cards and now the service plans. There's just always so much to do and except for backup you don't even need to go near a register.
 
Instocks is great because of the independence of it. I also like when I go help out in price accuracy because you get to see what's going clearance first!
 
I love food... Food service, market and production... Love the time lines and the go go go pace
 
Given my limited experience in the Sea of Red, the only areas I'm trained in are cashing and hardlines. I would have to say hardlines because I like being able to move around and it helps me get to know some of the products and where they're located. Specifically, my favorite thing to do is push CAFs (my store uses the Zone workcenter for this because it's considered separate from the rest of hardlines) because I don't have to deal with the pressure of getting my zone done in X amount of time - just getting all the CAFs worked, plus the independence is nice.
 
Admins, could you make the votes public? Forgot to mark it when I made the poll.
 
I've worked in every work center except front end (I don't count backup cashiering). Personally, the logistics area of the store can be fast paced since you have x amount of time to get things done. That was great for awhile but once you master it, it settles into a routine with few deviations. That gets a little dull for me.

The sales floor work center regardless of the area assigned, (except Consumeables/pfresh) is enjoyable since you interact more with guests on stage. Take calls when operator announces over radio -- I usually announce on radio and take the call, unless it was for electronics. When guest service requests announced on radio, I'd drop everything and run to the area to clear the request. I just enjoyed zig zagging all over store, knowing shortest routes and beat other TMs to it. Along with stocking product from the auto fills and zoning made the shift go by quickly if it was a busy day. The only thing that's a constant was zoning, but since I'm minor OCD -- it was kind of fun. The routine varies from time to time, but ultimately it becomes repetitive but if you're a people person, you don't mind the routine as much.

Plano is also another fun area to work in. It was the easiest workcenter for me, personally. I have a good eye for detail, I move at only one speed -- light speed. But whether one enjoys working in that workcenter really is dependent on the rest of the plano team. I refuse to be scheduled in this work center so long as the current Plano TL continues working there. When our store was up for remodel back awhile ago, I had been assigned to plano to help out. I picked up the process, understood the planograms, how to set, use the PDA to set it, etc in about two or three days. After a week, I'd just be assigned an aisle up for revision and just set it up. The problem though is that most of the people in plano aren't what I'd label as "people oriented." My enthusiasm / energy seemed to annoy the TM's that had been there for years. A few times, those more senior TM's who were supposed to train the new remodel hires were too absorbed in what they were doing and ignored questions the new trainees had about anything plano-related. So I just started answering the questions they had, took the time to explain how to read a planogram, put up signing, etc. The whole nine yards. I had been there 4 months at that point, and I suppose they felt I was stepping on their toes or whatnot. Plano TL calls me into her office at end of shift and literally sits me down to have a "talk." She said nothing was going on paper or in writing, but that since I had only been with plano for a week at that point, to stop answering questions. She said valued my enthusiasm and energy but I should just let the more senior people help out the newer trainees.

Not to mention, Plano TL is always grouchy, seems to be an opportunistic backstabber and probably a bit bitter since that individual has been with Spot almost two decades and still not key carrier/Sr TL. So, I just apologized and went directly to HR to transfer out of the workcenter. I refuse to work with the plano tl at my store or in plano workcenter, so long as that person is TL.

My favorite workcenter is Consumeables/PFresh hands down. It's everything rolled into one, plus I'm also responsible for dealing with the vendors & scorecard as well as the endcaps in all of market. There's so many different things that a PA has to juggle on a given day, that despite the routines we have -- it's always invariably different. I constantly have to communicate and address any process issues as they occur, which involves dealing with leadership and the TM's when they don't follow Best Practices, training the new TM's as they get hired into their assigned workcenter on pfresh overview. I enjoy this part of it because I like to know everyone by name and want them to feel more at ease/comfortable as they start their new job at Spot. I have a problem of biting off more than I can chew, yet still manage to get it done. This usually requires prioritizing assigned tasks based on importance, and ensuring any unfinished tasks are communicated at shift change to incoming PA.

I also love going into temp zones that are -20 degrees, 36 degrees and room temp constantly! It's very refreshing and wakes me up. I personally love the freezer and sometimes I'll even help the BR TM's with the backstock if they leave it out too long and I happen to have time. (Mostly because I've gotten tired of listening to them complain about how cold the freezer is and neglect the backstock while only doing the pulls. I've even had a BR TM actually refuse to do a new freezer pog fill on an EC I was working. That TM had no autofills in gun, everything in BR was back stocked and they didn't have anything going on.) I've had a discussion with the BR-TL, ETL-Log and my CTL about that and suggested BR TM's be put on a rotating schedule to do freezer pulls/backstock on FDC truck days. I personally don't get it, since I love working in the freezer -- plus all protective clothing to keep you warm are provided by Spot.

I love being a PA due to the fact that you'll always essentially be dealing with different issues, even if the core routines are the same. Plus, the leadership team leaves me to my own devices now, don't attempt to micromanage me or dictate when I can or cannot go on breaks. I do my thing, communicate issues as they come up, announce on radio whenever tasks are completed and keeping them informed proactively. Only thing I dislike a little bit about Pfresh workcenter are the workplace politics that seem to come into play when you have to communicate with a particular person about process issues, or whatever. Such is life though. I'm enjoying myself at work, probably take it a little seriously but it's my area of responsibility and I answer for anything that happens.

Pricing/Instocks is okay, but honestly not my thing. Too much walking around, scanning things, putting labels etc. It was way too repetitive with little variation. As for leadership roles, I couldn't tell ya. Haven't been one yet, and don't know if I'll be there long enough. It depends on when certain circumstances IRL will enable me to leave Spot to be trained / start my career. I could be there for as little as another year or god forbid, 3 years. Hopefully, I'll have a promotion or two and pay raises by then. But I won't hold my breath. :)
 
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