Archived FLOW TEAM ISSUES AT MY STORE

[knoir]

When I started at Target, it seemed too good to be true. TV in the Break room, Free food events every week, Chat sessions to talk about issues and ideas each and every team member had. It was as close to perfect as a work place could be, everything but the hours at first but over time it all worked out and after the first year i saw it as a very positive and for-filling job. Then it all changed.

We would come in at 6am to start the truck, unload it all and push it and be done by 1pm 3 days a week that came out to about 25 hours a week. This system was like clock work. If we would get done early sometimes they would let the team members that wanted to leave go and the ones that wanted to stay would stay. Now they have changed the 6am unload time to 7:3o, so we cant process the truck the same way with guests on the floor. We also stopped unloading the entire truck and was told to start doing a meter unload. unload for a little, push, unload for a little push, back stock, unload, then push again. This process is a huge miss step in my eyes, but not even a biggest issue i have.

We are now being told we "HAVE TO STAY TILL THE ENTIRE TRUCK IS DONE" we are threatened that if we leave on our scheduled time that they will change our work time to 9am-5pm shifting us another hour in a bad direction.

We are being punished harshly for working the hours we are told to work. They are the ones who changed the system that is taking us so much longer, and then blaming us for it. We are told our hours are just guidelines and if the truck is not done, our job is not.

A work place that is based on threats and punishment is one I don't think any worker would want to stay apart of.

What do you all think?

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

That's weird to stay till truck is done.
Here is a link that might help you.
http://www.thebreakroom.org/index.p...ow-leaders-and-team-members.8807/#post-134560

 

[Noiinteam]

Wow! Your store must be ulv . Never have I heard of that type of unload. I am sure I'm in the minority, but I would be transferring or putting in my two weeks. I feel terrible for you. Changing your availability probably isn't an option. Good luck

 

[konk]

I understand that you feel that they can't make you stay and they can't. However, if they change your schedule, you're getting more hours and are working a 9-5. Sounds pretty good to me.

 

[knoir]

Not if i have other responsibility like a child to take care of. Target mite be my job, but its not my life. We were told the entire company was processing this way, so when a store is full of lies, punishment and threats, who in there right mind would want to work there???

 

[Circle9]

Speaking as a flow TM at a store where we almost never finish trucks by 10:30a (starting at 6a), that's some BS you're dealing with there. If we're running behind people have the option to stay and maybe if you're supposed to switch to a different workcenter you get held on truck a little longer but there's no threats to mess with schedules like that. I'd get out of there if you can because I kind of doubt things are going to get much better.

I understand that you feel that they can't make you stay and they can't. However, if they change your schedule, you're getting more hours and are working a 9-5. Sounds pretty good to me.

Unless you've got a second job or other commitments, like half of flow team where I'm at.

 

[IhaveaDream]

Hi, 7:30 process here. Almost never go past 12:30 doing push unless we get an unexpected large truck. My first comment is the whole unload a little then push a little thing is extremely dumb. We have a stagger schedule, a couple at 7:00, unload starts about 7:25-7:30, with the line coming in at 7:30. Then 2 more coming in at 7:45.
the people at 7, set up everything. They included the unloaders.
The people at 7:30, normally work unloading the line and depending on who is unloading 1 or 2 can be spared to push pipo.
The 2 at 7:45 come in and 1 starts on pipo and the other starts pushing the the pallets that fill quick, Typically Paper. but sometimes domestics.
If it goes past scheduled time then we are asked to stay, most do not stay cause either 1. they have another workcenter to go to, or 2, they have things to do. but usually 2-3 stay.

 

[Rock Lobster]

From what I have heard, they are doing away with 7:30 process stores and moving them back to 6AM. I agree that it is very stupid to do a 7:30 process. I understood the concept (If we move the flow team to working freight when the store is open, we can schedule salesfloor much later and save payroll)... However, the concept doesn't work in practice. You may have saved 8 hours of payroll (assuming 1 HL and 1 SL Team member now each come in at 12pm instead of 8am) but you just made your logistics process incredibly less efficient. What could have been done in just a few hours now takes 1-3 more hours (times 20 or so team members) and you just spent 20 to 60 more hours per truck (which makes that 8 hours look much more appealing to go ahead and spend).

 

[mrknownothing]

From what I have heard, they are doing away with 7:30 process stores and moving them back to 6AM. I agree that it is very stupid to do a 7:30 process. I understood the concept (If we move the flow team to working freight when the store is open, we can schedule salesfloor much later and save payroll)... However, the concept doesn't work in practice. You may have saved 8 hours of payroll (assuming 1 HL and 1 SL Team member now each come in at 12pm instead of 8am) but you just made your logistics process incredibly less efficient. What could have been done in just a few hours now takes 1-3 more hours (times 20 or so team members) and you just spent 20 to 60 more hours per truck (which makes that 8 hours look much more appealing to go ahead and spend).

What about Z volume stores like @insiteful1's that have an 8:00 process?

 

[RunForACallBox]

I used to be on flow (I was miserable) and when I first started on it we were still 6AM. A month later, they switched it to 7:30AM. It was terrible. Guests were already shopping, TMs start bowling, aisles are cluttered with boxes. Guests are zigzagging down aisles, or taking boxes with them that get caught under their cart. I have overheard so many guests complain they can't even get down the aisles. I mean what happened to keeping Target stores looking clean& tidy. Boxes all over the floor in the way. Not a great look and image of Target stores. I understand the idea of wanting more people on the floor during store hours, but I may get backlash from this but is that not what they hire Salesfloor TMs for?! I know that we are all there to ultimately assist guests, but when the process of unloading a truck starts interfering with guest traffic, I don't see any thing positive from it. I remember when they did 4am unload, and we were/still am a ULV store, the floor and truck was just about done and clean and ready for guests to shop our UNCLUTTERED stores! I wish they would do overnight, but yeah right. Couple weeks ago we had a guest literally b*tch for 20 minutes she couldn't walk around the store and that we shouldn't be doing unload during store hours while people are shopping. Everyone found her annoying (and she was) but i 100% understood why she was saying it. But I'm done and will get off my soap box now...

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Insiteful1 is longer with spot.

 

[anathema]

Metered unload, lol.

 

[Elandora]

After just leaving a 7:30am store for the past year and going to a 6am store I know i would have loved to see them back at 6am.... we were extremely productive and it went really well for us (35k sales/day maybe 40-45 on weekends). Then 7:30 hit and we were overspending like crazy.... not only were we ULV we were a small format GM store with very small aisles and no room for more than a shopping cart and a half in the aisle(hah).
Now im in a large format PFresh store with a 6am process and flow will typically stay 6-7 hours since our trucks are insanely huge and the morning guest traffic is insane too.
In theory it makes sense... more people when the store is open less payroll needed for sales floor, but in practice the loss of productivity seems to make no sense at all. We make upwards of 80-90k per day on the weekends, 4am made sense and worked well. Now its just ridiculous.
@mrknownothing there were two stores last year that tested an 8:30am flow process with a 9am store opening... that test has ended and they have gone back to 7:30 and 8am. I guess they didnt see much of difference in payroll or something.

 

[knoir]

Are team was told that every single store company wide is doing the exact same thing, so not only is my store run on a threat and punishment system, its also lies...

I understand the workplace can be one of a need to know relationship, but tell me what relationship be it was a person or a team that lying is acceptable or makes any issue better?

Our flow team is also now responsible for backing up the lanes, doing in-stocks, zoning, pulls and 4x4'ing.

 

[Anonymous12345]

Metered unload, lol.

Whats so funny about metered unload??

If you have a strong logistics team, the metered unload can improve a store tremendously. We are a high volume store and our zone is close to 4x4 quality almost every morning before 8. The areas that aren't are usually poor performing TMs that need to be coached. We will push remaking CAFs, zone the entire store, work all of the strays, and of course push and backstock the truck.

The only real challenge with the process is overspending payroll and probably with any logistics process is overspending payroll. The process will definitely take up more payroll then a normal process. You need about 29-33 TMs a night to cover all areas of the store and the unload usually takes about 2-3 hours. With the unload we don't stop and start like the other guy mentioned, that doesn't make sense. We unload with 1 unloader, 2 on front side, 2 on back, 2 pallet pullers, and usually I'm side by side with them pushing the line. If you make sure the line is being pushed at all times, it actually is extremely more productive then having like 11-12 people to achieve a 1-1:30 hour unlaod.

 

[knoir]

December we had 30 flow team members, now we are down to 20 and they refuse to replace anyone who leaves.

 

[Anonymous12345]

@knoir if you're not on a metered unload then I would say 18-24 is a reasonable number to just push the truck and 3-6 in the back to backstock

 

[Bosch]

December we had 30 flow team members, now we are down to 20 and they refuse to replace anyone who leaves.

You lucky, we are down to 15 and can't get anyone to work for us with the BS they have to put up with. And we are overnight.

Though I wouldn't put it past management to be lying and just not hiring.

 

[RunForACallBox]

Oh my gosh... 15 people sounds amazing. My store has been down to about 4-5 give OR take some.

 

[anathema]

Metered unload, lol.

Whats so funny about metered unload??

If you have a strong logistics team, the metered unload can improve a store tremendously. We are a high volume store and our zone is close to 4x4 quality almost every morning before 8. The areas that aren't are usually poor performing TMs that need to be coached. We will push remaking CAFs, zone the entire store, work all of the strays, and of course push and backstock the truck.

The only real challenge with the process is overspending payroll and probably with any logistics process is overspending payroll. The process will definitely take up more payroll then a normal process. You need about 29-33 TMs a night to cover all areas of the store and the unload usually takes about 2-3 hours. With the unload we don't stop and start like the other guy mentioned, that doesn't make sense. We unload with 1 unloader, 2 on front side, 2 on back, 2 pallet pullers, and usually I'm side by side with them pushing the line. If you make sure the line is being pushed at all times, it actually is extremely more productive then having like 11-12 people to achieve a 1-1:30 hour unlaod.

The starting/stopping is what makes it metered in his context, not having few people on the line.

Also, he said they unload at 730, which is what's kind of funny about also having it be metered.

 

[Ringwraith917]

Our flow team is also now responsible for backing up the lanes, doing in-stocks, zoning, pulls and 4x4'ing.

Well there's your problem. Flow team goals don't take any of this extra work into account. You have X hours allotted to do X hours worth of work. Start adding work (X+Y) & they need to add hours too.
X==X
X=\= X + Y

 

[Anonymous12345]

@anonymousflowmember Oh maybe that what he meant by it, but there is a process that actually is called metered unload and then they changed the name to Enhanced Replenishment Tactic.

 

[FloorReplenishor]

Any Super target 6a.m. stores doing the metered unload? If so, how's it done? How many on the line? How many on your team? I've been trying to push my ETL to support me trying this. The way I see it, if the same people are doing the same area everyday and doing 4x4s this creates a pride factor therefore diminishing stocking issues and creating a better accountability culture. It will be obvious if someone is incorrectly stocking or just blatantly going slow. I understand logistics is severely unsupported with hours however these people would become specialized in their areas making the process more effecient.

 

[tgtguy]

I have never heard of the metered unload...but to be blunt I don't see how they ( Spot) even think this makes sense. My store is on a 730 process and has been since the early part of the year..The trucks are not being pushed they are rolling over to the next day ( non truck day) then they are finished.....it makes quite a mess.

 

[Anonymous12345]

@FloorReplenishor there is a power point they sent us on exactly how to do it but every store that is still on it is allowed to tweak it up. The reason I say "still" is because there is some stores that couldn't handle it and got off the process. It can be a challenge to execute and can eat up a lot of payroll if not executed right. But if executed right, your store will look amazing everyday. Right now at my store we have certain areas that look amazing everyday and some that aren't, the ones that aren't are usually poor performing TMs, which is being worked on. The process helps them stick out like a sore thumb unlike the wave. But the biggest challenge is not overspending payroll, right now we are overspending because of some productivity issues and some scheduling issues and by this I mean not scheduling some people long enough. Some areas can be done in about 4-5 hours (strays, push, and zone) and some areas take more like 6-7, it's all dependant on wants on the truck.

Now more on your other questions

• On the line we have 1 unloader, 2 on the front, 2 on back, 2 pallet pullers, and usually me or one of the other TLs side by side with the unload team to help push the line. If you are not able to be back there, then it's probably a good idea to have another person to push the line. That can be the difference of about 30-45 minutes cut off your unload time. It on average takes anywhere from 2:30-3:30hrs. At first it will take longer because the team will have to get use to not having so many people on the unload process.
• Once unload is done, they pull all the remaining pallets to the floor, 1 person stays to clean up the remaining stuff in the truck. Once all that is done, they take their break. There shift is usually 4 hrs, so they will stay to help push for a little or just go home early.
• On the floor you have about 26-28 (29-32 total including truck people) We have one person in every area, some nights we have to shift people around to cover other areas or to help in heavier areas.
• Backroom has about 6 people every night. You can have less if your dayside is doing manual CAFs but we stop doing them because it took up a lot of payroll and it was hard to manage.

I love the process because you can have more accountablity with individuals based of their zone, backstock, and timelines and you can recognize the ones that execute they area right, plus the store will look amazing, better then most stores that i have seen, but we are overnight, so it's easier to get things done without distractions. An early AM process would be more of a challenge but still doable.

It will be hard to actually have them 4x4 zone, they can but that would mean probably giving every TM a 7-8hr shift, which would be 200+ hrs spent per truck. We get about 170-185 per truck but spend a little more. I would recommend just having a small team specifically for 4x4, like 2-3 people.

If you have any other questions let me know....