Archived Flow Rant (Really Long)

[EbAndFlow]

Hey everyone.

Been with Target about 3.5 years now. I work on the Flow team. I don't really know where to start so this may seem to jump around a bit but this is basically just to vent about my "role" as I'll call it on the team.

I'm on the unload pretty much every day as a thrower. If I ever miss an unload during any given week it's once a week maximum.

It seems like everyone on the team generally does the same thing every shift except for me. I honesty go into every shift with no clue what they'll have me do that given day.

Some days I help out with the push, other times I am back stocking in light duty or back stocking in steel. I am the person who does all of the back stocking in the coolers/freezers during the food trucks as well. I cover receiving once a week as well as our receivers call outs/vacations.

I have made it known to my TL and my ETL that I have a very strong dislike for the back room. I would prefer to push the freight over anything else.

We just recently got a new TL and she is trying to get to know everyone and find out what our strengths are and where we like to work the most. I told her that if I am not working in the back room then I am happy. This has had no effect on where I get to work as I am thrust into the back room pretty much 80% of the time I'm working. Even if by some miracle I actually get to push on one of my shifts, at the very first hint that we may be slightly ahead of schedule, I am handed a mydevice and told to go and back stock light duty. Me. Not any of the other 15 team members who are more than capable of backstocking.

Now onto my actual problem. To sum it up in one sentence: I'm never happy with what they have me do there. Every single person on the flow team, which amounts to about 20-25 people on the average day does what they want to do, or at the very least what they don't mind doing. I know I probably sound like I'm coming off as a complainer with a bad attitude, but I honestly feel like the whipping boy of the team who fulfills all the roles no one else wants to do just to kind of take one for the team.

If I am not scheduled for a food truck shift, I can guarantee you 100% that the very next one I do work, I will have the previous day's food trucks back stock plus the current days back stock waiting for me. They just throw it in there and close the door. I'm sure I don't need to tell anyone how unpleasant it is to back stock inside the freezer.

Steel seems to be a huge area no one wants to work. No one wants to use any of the power equipment (wave, crown, power jack). I hate doing this more than anything. Why should I be hauling up huge boxes of plastic with ridiculously small space to work with because of the Christmas back stock getting out of control when I could just be putting a toy on a shelf while making the same amount of money?

Because of the new wage raises, even an 18 year old kid now suddenly makes 50 cents less than I do just to start! Lol what? I have seniority over a lot of these people too who remain day after day pushing on the sales floor at the speed of a turtoise.

What can I do to make a change? I'm so unhappy while I'm working there. If there's an area that many people don't want to work then it shouldn't be forced upon one person. I feel like I don't speak up as much as I could in fear of losing hours and being looked at suddenly as not as valuable.

The other thing I wanted to bring up as something that really bothers me is the role of a female worker. I am curious to see how this goes in other stores but if you are a female worker on the flow team I work on, you are pardoned from about 90% of the things one can do on the flow team. I have never seen a woman step foot into even the dairy cooler. I can understand a woman not being a thrower on the unload, but is it less cold for a man inside the -20 degree freezer than it is for a woman? And the wages are identical or pennies apart. What gives?

Does my boss secretly hate me and want me to quit? Am I being a baby or over reacting? I understand that no one wants to get up and go to work for a living but to be miserable during your shift? No one deserves that man.

I don't know if anyone will read this but I would love to get some responses and advice. Thank you to those who read this huge wall of text!

 

[jenna]

Can you transfer stores?

 

[mikesocal]

Sounds like you are a good worker. Your TL's and ETL's have recognized this but now are taking advantage. Working in the freezer is beyond f'ing ridiculous. I rotate three people each week with Pfresh backstock duties. One TM know's he is the Monday guy, one person knows they are the Wednesday pfresh person, etc. If I see the frozen pfresh is more than 2 vehicles I personally help. If the pog team just dumped a ton of crap in there from end cap resets I will pull up to 5 TM's from the normal truck backstock and take them all in there to get it done as quick as possible. Some of the most difficult conversations I've had as a leader have been around working in the Pfresh coolers. I suspect that your TL and ETL don't want to have these conversations instead you have shown to be capable to just take care of it and don't give them much resistance so they are going to continue to just put you in there and pretend there isn't a problem.

My advice is to ask your TL if some type of rotation can be setup for Pfresh backstocking duties. This way when you are off or sick the freight isn't just left for you to deal with on your next Pfresh shift. If they still do nothing, let them know when there is a backup. Hey "TL" there is still 4 vehicles of backstock from Monday's truck and now an additional 3 from today's truck I'm going to need some help please. If they don't send help don't kill yourself to get everything cleaned up. If they try to tell you some bs about focus on just the freezer finish it first tell them you will do a rack in the freezer but then you need some time to thaw out so you will work in a another cooler for a bit and come back to the freezer. If they complain about this talk to HR.

As a logistics TL of 10 years I think that working in the frozen cooler is the worst task that any team member can be given working in a store.

 

[jenna]

As a logistics TL of 10 years I think that working in the frozen cooler is the worst task that any team member can be given working in a store.

QFT

 

[EbAndFlow]

I haven't thought about transferring stores as the one I work at is a 3 minute drive or a 10 minute walk. And I live just outside the city.

Mikesocal thank you for your advice. It's nice to see TL's who have a clue for once. I know they're out there but still far and few between. You would think some sort of a rotation of 3 people (or more) would be customary with pfresh backstocking but I'm used to shouldering the load solo.

I think the next step is to have one more chat with my ETL and if nothing changes this time the next stop is HR. Thanks again!

 

[oath2order]

QFT

What does this mean

 

[RetailWorld]

What does this mean

Quoted For Truth

 

[signingminion]

I haven't thought about transferring stores as the one I work at is a 3 minute drive or a 10 minute walk. And I live just outside the city.

Mikesocal thank you for your advice. It's nice to see TL's who have a clue for once. I know they're out there but still far and few between. You would think some sort of a rotation of 3 people (or more) would be customary with pfresh backstocking but I'm used to shouldering the load solo.

I think the next step is to have one more chat with my ETL and if nothing changes this time the next stop is HR. Thanks again!

I've had the same guy backstock frozen for five or six years. He doesn't mind, abd it's easier than listening to newbies bitch. They pitch in when needed though. Pfresh also owns bakery backstock from the order so that helps.

I have similar problems. They want you to be global to get his, but it really means you get stuck helping multiple teams with their problems and it's super stressful. Thankfully if I put my foot down and insist on less work centers in a week they concede. Cause otherwise it gets crazy fast.

 

[tgtguy]

First of all, I can completely relate to the dairy/frozen backstock situation. I am the ONLY person in my store who makes an effort to do it . While, I was out on vacation no one backstocked the first thng in there. So, the day I came back I had to spend four hours ( combined) in the freezer and cooler. I was beyond pissed that my fellow tms ( knowing I was gone) didn't step up and bs it...and let alone my srtl couldn't had asked someone to do it. When, I asked my srtl did he realize the mess the cooler and freezer was in he said ..No, I didn't realize it was this bad. There were also a week and a half worth of auto fills that were just left in the cooler/freezer and never pushed...until I came back. I had to do that as well.There is a female at my store who will only walk in the cooler for a few seconds to pull something ... she will not backstock in there...the reason? she says its too cold and makes her bones ache. I often go in to work and find food thrown on the floor in both the freezer and cooler.Once , again its expected that I clean up behind them.

I wouldn't think that your tl is trying to get you to quit More than likely he/she realizes you do a great job ( even though they probably don't tell you that ) and put you where they need you the most . Sounds more like they are taking advantage of you than anything else ( I can relate to that as well).

 

[FoodTruckChuck]

If the pog team just dumped a ton of crap in there from end cap resets I will pull up to 5 TM's from the normal truck backstock and take them all in there to get it done as quick as possible.

This was from an endcap reset. My store alternates Dairy/Produce and Frozen orders 6 days a week. I'd finished backstocking the Dairy/Produce order and my TL had me clean up this mess.

 

[mikesocal]

View attachment 1432

This was from an endcap reset. My store alternates Dairy/Produce and Frozen orders 6 days a week. I'd finished backstocking the Dairy/Produce order and my TL had me clean up this mess.

that's a lot of backstock. I also suspect it's not all true backstock. If this was my freezer I'd have a jacket on helping you get started and creating a game plan whether its getting PA's to re-push certain stuff or just helping knock out the boxes so you can actually move around in there. At least your shelving looks very empty. Is this from one day or has it been building from a couple days? When was last time freezer was 100% clean with bakery backstocked as well?

 

[mikesocal]

I've had the same guy backstock frozen for five or six years. He doesn't mind, abd it's easier than listening to newbies bitch. They pitch in when needed though. Pfresh also owns bakery backstock from the order so that helps.

I have similar problems. They want you to be global to get his, but it really means you get stuck helping multiple teams with their problems and it's super stressful. Thankfully if I put my foot down and insist on less work centers in a week they concede. Cause otherwise it gets crazy fast.

I'd be getting starbucks and target cafe lunchs weekly for this guy if he worked at my store. I'm sure you realize how lucky and not the norm your situation is.

 

[FoodTruckChuck]

The tubs and smart carts were from one day of Plano endcap reset, but it'd been three to five days since the freezer was 100% clean with Bakery backstocked. I believe I'd been off on the previous Frozen order and the guy who alternates with me didn't backstock. About a month ago we received an order of four Frozen pallets, two being double stacked pallets of turkeys. There were a couple racks of endcaps resets and backstock along with a couple tubs of vendor merchandise, mostly Frozen pizza. My Flow TL squeezed the four pallets in. Fast forward to 8am, the Nestlé vendor arrives with a pallet of ice cream and has nowhere to place it, my ETL-LOG is upset, my TL jumps in while I head to lunch. He was in there with me clearing vehicles and we managed to put the turkeys way in the back of the freezer and disappeared the vendor merchandise into the vendor wall.

 

[signingminion]

I'd be getting starbucks and target cafe lunchs weekly for this guy if he worked at my store. I'm sure you realize how lucky and not the norm your situation is.

I do, and our flow gets free drinks way mow more often than the rest of the stores tms. I bake for him on occasion as well. When he takes vacation we all laugh cause nothing gets done. The weekend we both took off, plus his alternate freezer guy they didn't even try to push frozen.

 

[Reddington]

This takes me back. When I was a three year member, I was the shoe guy on flow. I hated shoes! But I chalked it up to paying my dues and building character. Anyway, things changed, times improved, people left, and when I became a five year guy, I became one of those people who you perceive 'do what they want.'. You would be surprised at how far you'll get in Target if you simply act like you know what you're doing.