Archived Fellow APTM's: Feeling Abandoned, Yet?

[Rock Lobster]

I actually disagree with this. Our APBP, Group AP Leader, Region AP Leader and DM (surprisingly) are all VERY invested into AP. Morale has never been higher for our district, from what I hear. The ETL-APs are very close in my district and we talk ALL the time about relevant activity. We haven't had any cuts in positions either. Most stores in our district have 3-4 TPS, 1-2 APS, and an ETL AP and the district external numbers are very high when compared to our peers around the country.

As someone who has gone to other retailers (as an APS, internal investigator, and Manager in AP), the grass is not greener on the other side. You will miss the tech, you will miss the reports you have handy all the time, you will miss your partnerships and the people. Target's AP is hands down the best in the business by a landslide.

My store is also completely invested into AP. I have them bought in to how it will benefit their bonus at the end of the year. TMs are excited. It's not easy getting people to care about shortage, believe me I know, but as soon as you rationalize with other leaders and how it directly affects their work centers, they will straighten out...eventually.

Good luck to you

I personally am appreciating the irony of AP lately. The workcenter is self-proclaimed as the objective problem-solver that deals in facts and uses evidence, yet it seems to be unable to do so when it comes to actually analyzing its own value and direction. When pressured it suddenly becomes the most fluid explanation without any actual use of facts to back their claims.

How much shortage does AP prevent with its current direction (no longer worrying about operations and only focusing on "bad guys") versus how much does our AP cost us right now? How much does this weigh in total shortage for the company and could the money be better invested in improving some other aspect of the business?

 

[anathema]

Update: Speaking of morale being non existent, two veteran TPS's of 5 years each were just termed with the official reason being "causing an NPI" when they were barely even involved. My entire district is fed up.

Not sure how a TPS causes an NPI. Bad info? APS makes the decision, can't ask a TPS if he saw concealment or not.

 

[HardlinesGuy]

Come on everyone, there's no need to fight one another here. Let's be civil about this.

Not sure how a TPS causes an NPI. Bad info? APS makes the decision, can't ask a TPS if he saw concealment or not.

It's a case of an ETL with a bad reputation letting power get to his head and throwing out two good performing TPS's that enjoyed their jobs to cover his own ass.

 

[BigEyedPhish]

Is anybody else feeling totally abandoned by Spot lately? Or otherwise just experiencing a huge lack of morale in regard to AP? It feels like they simply don't give a single shit about AP anymore.

Lately, every AP team in my district has been getting the short end of the stick. Stores with shitty camera layouts to begin with are being forced to lose even more cameras, TPS's being told to push carts and getting yelled at for not being at the front doors greeting, APS's being put on final warning for the most minuscule things, and ETL-AP's being forced into doing general store work to the point that they don't have time to do anything AP related.

Don't get me wrong, there's always been issues and I'm not trying to sound whiny, but this is getting ridiculous. Morale across basically my whole district is at an all time low, and a good majority of us have started considering looking for other employment, because we all know Target has no problem screwing us over and replacing us in a heartbeat.

You could say this about every job in the store for the last 2 years.

 

[Poohdini]

I guess it depends where you are when you say they are "self proclaimed problem solvers". Myself nor my peers are like that at all, at least I know I'm not. Sorry if your AP leader feels that way.

As far as AP's value to the company, I think it's extremely valuable. It's the AP leaders and TM's who create and execute processes in the store to prevent as much shortage as possible. The focus isn't solely on the bad guys anymore. A lot of loss comes from everyday processes and that is something that our group is trying to help with (training, additional processes, etc). We know CRC, Damage, and front end overrides account for a lot of loss. I thank God everyday that my STL, ETL GE, ETL LOG are all on board!

The way our group is focusing right now is:

IC - Internal theft, process manipulation
ETLAP/APTL - Internal Merchandise Theft, Prcoess Management (with partnerships).
APS - External Theft
TPS - Merch Protection Standards, Presence, assistance where needed.

Good luck to you

 

[HardlinesGuy]

Thread Revival! Weigh in once more, everybody. Change your votes if you'd like, discuss! I feel like my original post here is bearing true now more than ever.

 

[EagleEye]

I think your district just sucks man. Mine has very little AP turnover and we are well-respected.

 

[redcardroy]

I'm interested in pursuing an ETL-AP spot after college as an external hire. I worked as a TPS in 2014. Has it really gotten that bad in AP? I'll be interning as an ETL this summer, very curious to see what it's like now.

 

[TGT411]

I'm interested in pursuing an ETL-AP spot after college as an external hire. I worked as a TPS in 2014. Has it really gotten that bad in AP? I'll be interning as an ETL this summer, very curious to see what it's like now.

No.

A lot of what you read is very location dependent. Target is a lot stricter on the directives than they used to be, but my district is still very external and internal focused. No TPS in my district is being told to stand at the door all day and pass out carts or ads.

 

[HardlinesGuy]

I think your district just sucks man. Mine has very little AP turnover and we are well-respected.

I feel like it's my entire group at this point. It's pretty wide spread over here :/

 

[On6]

I'm interested in pursuing an ETL-AP spot after college as an external hire. I worked as a TPS in 2014. Has it really gotten that bad in AP? I'll be interning as an ETL this summer, very curious to see what it's like now.

ETL AP positions are mostly being eliminated, as are ETL HR. Except for high risk/super high volume stores most AP and HR ETL positions will be replaced with TLs.

Doesn't mean you can't go for it. But realize that the position may not exist in a few years.

 

[Cart king]

I walked in to my old store the tps was standing at the door. But for some reason the vml has an ap walkie?!? Maybe it's incase of a naked mannequin

 

[legend2828]

I personally feel abandoned my APBP tells me that I do a great job and that I'm going to do more yet the last three positions to open in my area (APTL,APS, then APTL) have all gone to external hires two were Walmart one unknown. They're supposedly making an ap bench this year which I'm supposed to be on so we'll see

 

[redcardroy]

So for those of you who are or know the on-boarding process for an ETL-AP, how does it work once you have the position as for store assignment? Do you work at some training store shadowing an ETL-AP until a store in your district is in need of an ETL-AP?

 

[EagleEye]

So for those of you who are or know the on-boarding process for an ETL-AP, how does it work once you have the position as for store assignment? Do you work at some training store shadowing an ETL-AP until a store in your district is in need of an ETL-AP?

They already know what store you'll be going to once you're training, actually they probably know right now. However, yes, you will train with an ETL-AP at another store.

 

[garbage]

I think your district just sucks man. Mine has very little AP turnover and we are well-respected.

Mine has extraordinarily high turn over for TPSs. I'm currently the most senior TPS in my area at two years. The second most senior TPS who was hired a year after me, was just fired the other day. I'm still waiting on that promotion....

Door time is being heavily stressed in my area, but not too enforced at the store level. The TPS level at Target nowadays is shit plain and simple. I am tempted to switch over to a PA position I was offered.

 

[HRZone]

Mine has extraordinarily high turn over for TPSs. I'm currently the most senior TPS in my area at two years. The second most senior TPS who was hired a year after me, was just fired the other day. I'm still waiting on that promotion....

Door time is being heavily stressed in my area, but not too enforced at the store level. The TPS level at Target nowadays is shit plain and simple. I am tempted to switch over to a PA position I was offered.

Sounds like a great trade off. No paycut although the hours aren't as solid.

 

[HardlinesGuy]

Honestly the only thing keeping me in AP right now is the fact I have steady hours. If not for that I would've bailed a while ago.

 

[garbage]

Honestly the only thing keeping me in AP right now is the fact I have steady hours. If not for that I would've bailed a while ago.

Same here.

 

[Makeshift TPS]

Morale in our store is so low we've had 20+ long term TMs quit the past few months. Come to think of it, ever since we got a new ETL-HR people have been dropping. She talks bad about TMs out in the open, takes 3 week vacations and come back bragging about her good time and how she's so glad she is an EtL and not TM. Last week she requisitioned out peanutbutter...that was it. Just some expired peanut butter for the breakroom, no bread, no jelly...lol actually come to think of it again, each time shes requisitioned food for the breakroom it's been expired. She took away the DVD player and movies because it condones TMs to take longer breaks. Not making this stuff up.

Sounds like a hotline call

 

[Makeshift TPS]

I'm interested in pursuing an ETL-AP spot after college as an external hire. I worked as a TPS in 2014. Has it really gotten that bad in AP? I'll be interning as an ETL this summer, very curious to see what it's like now.

You'll basically be a regular ETL. You'll be shafter with so many LOD shifts that you won't have any time for investigations or APPs. Your performance will still be based on shortage, which the company still expects you to reduce even while stripping you of all the tools necessary to reduce the shortage. The position is a joke now, the company doesn't seem to care.

 

[HRZone]

Sounds like a hotline call

Hotline calls are directed right back to etl hr.

You'll basically be a regular ETL. You'll be shafter with so many LOD shifts that you won't have any time for investigations or APPs. Your performance will still be based on shortage, which the company still expects you to reduce even while stripping you of all the tools necessary to reduce the shortage. The position is a joke now, the company doesn't seem to care.

All of this is spot on. Unless you are at a high risk store. High risk stores the ETL AP isn't allowed to be LOD and being plainclothes has it's advantages.