Archived Former ETL- ask me anything.

[txocurt1]

My last day with Spot was Friday the 22nd. Ask me anything and I will answer to the best of my abilities.

Some background ... I was a sales floor ETL for 2 years in region 400 and decided to leave upon the realization that Target did not have me in their long term plans. I am not here to trash Target, but I am here to provide transparency. Ask away.

 

[StateofTarget]

Serious question I have always wondered from an ETL's perspective....

Considering you as an ETL were paid extremely well, now that you have left and are looking back, was it worth it? Do you have any regrets, or would you do it again? Would you recommend other people work for Target as an ETL, or is not worth it?

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

My last day with Spot was Friday the 22nd. Ask me anything and I will answer to the best of my abilities.

Some background ... I was a sales floor ETL for 2 years in region 400 and decided to leave upon the realization that Target did not have me in their long term plans. I am not here to trash Target, but I am here to provide transparency. Ask away.

Wow! You are in my region! Welcome!
We vent a little, teach, learn to do our jobs better on this forum. We try help each other out too.
Spot is going through a lot of changes these days. With payroll hours cuts & red cards witch hunt on tm's, tl's & etl's these days, I understand all too well.
Spot does look good on a resume & the logistics side will help you get that job outside of spot.
Here a link to our job resource link for jobs outside of retail/spot.
http://www.thebreakroom.org/showthread.php/2547

 

[Dr Laytex]

Did it feel weird sitting in your office and ordering Panera while the little people were working hard to keep your scores green?
View attachment opwilldeliver.jpg

 

[insiteful1]

My last day with Spot was Friday the 22nd. Ask me anything and I will answer to the best of my abilities.

Some background ... I was a sales floor ETL for 2 years in region 400 and decided to leave upon the realization that Target did not have me in their long term plans. I am not here to trash Target, but I am here to provide transparency. Ask away.

What if I don't believe you are a former ETL?

 

[txocurt1]

Serious question I have always wondered from an ETL's perspective....

Considering you as an ETL were paid extremely well, now that you have left and are looking back, was it worth it? Do you have any regrets, or would you do it again? Would you recommend other people work for Target as an ETL, or is not worth it?

The management skills I learned right out of college (I was a campus recruit) are invaluable to me. Target did a great job training me on how to deal a broad range of leadership situations. However, between the hours and the shifting priorities which focused on minimizing risk as opposed to driving sales, I began to dislike my job. The "handcuffs" from HR (payroll, CA process, etc) kept getting worse while expectations unreasonably grew.

To answer your question, the misery my daily life turned into was not "worth it," but lessons I will take into the future DEFINITELY were worth it.

I would NOT recommend the position. The work/life balance rumors are true and your career advancement is more based on DTL/BPs liking you than merit.

No regrets. I'll save the regrets for when they really matter in life.

 

[txocurt1]

My last day with Spot was Friday the 22nd. Ask me anything and I will answer to the best of my abilities.

Some background ... I was a sales floor ETL for 2 years in region 400 and decided to leave upon the realization that Target did not have me in their long term plans. I am not here to trash Target, but I am here to provide transparency. Ask away.

What if I don't believe you are a former ETL?

Your choice! I can't convince you through a computer screen nor do I want to give away my identity.

 

[txocurt1]

Did it feel weird sitting in your office and ordering Panera while the little people were working hard to keep your scores green?
View attachment 298

It felt weirder when my scores were red.

 

[VibeNup]

How much did you make, may I ask? And did all ETLs inspire to be a STL someday? (or higher)

 

[txocurt1]

How much did you make, may I ask? And did all ETLs inspire to be a STL someday? (or higher)

Ending salary was high 50's. never received a pay grade raise though. A major reason for my departure.

90 percent of ETLs starting with the company want to become STL or higher. Notice I said starting. That number drops to about 50% after a year.

 

[greydot]

Serious question I have always wondered from an ETL's perspective....

Considering you as an ETL were paid extremely well, now that you have left and are looking back, was it worth it? Do you have any regrets, or would you do it again? Would you recommend other people work for Target as an ETL, or is not worth it?

The management skills I learned right out of college (I was a campus recruit) are invaluable to me. Target did a great job training me on how to deal a broad range of leadership situations. However, between the hours and the shifting priorities which focused on minimizing risk as opposed to driving sales, I began to dislike my job. The "handcuffs" from HR (payroll, CA process, etc) kept getting worse while expectations unreasonably grew.

To answer your question, the misery my daily life turned into was not "worth it," but lessons I will take into the future DEFINITELY were worth it.

I would NOT recommend the position. The work/life balance rumors are true and your career advancement is more based on DTL/BPs liking you than merit.

No regrets. I'll save the regrets for when they really matter in life.

Can you speak more about the limitations you mentioned? Eliminating risk as well as HR "handcuffs"?

I know the board speaks much about how they feel limited through the unreasonable expectations put on them through ETLs. I'm sure most of this is just pushed on them from even higher up. What are some of the frustrations from that perspective? Are there any times where changes happened where the non-exempt team was going to get screwed but there was nothing you could do about it? Or the opposite?

 

[txocurt1]

Can you speak more about the limitations you mentioned? Eliminating risk as well as HR "handcuffs"?

I know the board speaks much about how they feel limited through the unreasonable expectations put on them through ETLs. I'm sure most of this is just pushed on them from even higher up. What are some of the frustrations from that perspective? Are there any times where changes happened where the non-exempt team was going to get screwed but there was nothing you could do about it? Or the opposite?

Allow me to first assuage everybody's fears. There was never one time where we sat in a meeting and tried to screw team members via hours. Trust me, to make us look better, we needed the team to perform as best as they could. If anything, the higher ups are more concerned about the well being of TMs as opposed to exempt leadership. Is it because of fear of unrest which leads to unionization? Maybe.

The handcuffs I speak of are mainly payroll and talent management abilities. To minimize risk, Spot must be 100% they have their bases covered when terminating. Therefore, "dead weight" hangs around and unless the store is running smoothly from HR, it's nearly impossible to properly deal with talent management. Especially attendance! Then, this lack of performance falls onto the TL and ETL.

 

[jay86]

i got a q:

who exactly really does the TM schedules?
i am a backroom TM and there always seems to be some sort of chaos in the scheduling... talking to the TL didn't help and the ETLs don't seem to know what is going on. just curious, thankyou

 

[greydot]

Can you speak more about the limitations you mentioned? Eliminating risk as well as HR "handcuffs"?

I know the board speaks much about how they feel limited through the unreasonable expectations put on them through ETLs. I'm sure most of this is just pushed on them from even higher up. What are some of the frustrations from that perspective? Are there any times where changes happened where the non-exempt team was going to get screwed but there was nothing you could do about it? Or the opposite?

Allow me to first assuage everybody's fears. There was never one time where we sat in a meeting and tried to screw team members via hours. Trust me, to make us look better, we needed the team to perform as best as they could. If anything, the higher ups are more concerned about the well being of TMs as opposed to exempt leadership. Is it because of fear of unrest which leads to unionization? Maybe.

The handcuffs I speak of are mainly payroll and talent management abilities. To minimize risk, Spot must be 100% they have their bases covered when terminating. Therefore, "dead weight" hangs around and unless the store is running smoothly from HR, it's nearly impossible to properly deal with talent management. Especially attendance! Then, this lack of performance falls onto the TL and ETL.

Sorry if it came off that way. It's not what I meant. I guess a better way to pose the questions what are some of the frustrations at the ETL level hat TMs may not be aware of. As frustrating as new rollouts are on the TM level (as noted in most threads on this board) what are some things from that level?

Not sure if that clarified anything.

 

[commiecorvus]

How did you deal with some of the moral quandaries that came from cutting hours on people you knew desperately needed them to pay their bills?
I understand you never planned to screw the TMs but there must have been times when you saw that people you worked closely with every day were being hurt by decisions you were being forced to make.

 

[talan123]

Our DTL came over and hammered us on our AP controls because we weren't, um, dusting enough.

Do you see as much disconnect between DTL's and ETL's? To us it was just insane and we promised to dust more.

 

[pfreshdude]

Our DTL came over and hammered us on our AP controls because we weren't, um, dusting enough.

Do you see as much disconnect between DTL's and ETL's? To us it was just insane and we promised to dust more.

lol yep pretty much. DTLS worried about straightening the pantie bins and apparently dusting the AP controls.

 

[txocurt1]

Can you speak more about the limitations you mentioned? Eliminating risk as well as HR "handcuffs"?

I know the board speaks much about how they feel limited through the unreasonable expectations put on them through ETLs. I'm sure most of this is just pushed on them from even higher up. What are some of the frustrations from that perspective? Are there any times where changes happened where the non-exempt team was going to get screwed but there was nothing you could do about it? Or the opposite?

Allow me to first assuage everybody's fears. There was never one time where we sat in a meeting and tried to screw team members via hours. Trust me, to make us look better, we needed the team to perform as best as they could. If anything, the higher ups are more concerned about the well being of TMs as opposed to exempt leadership. Is it because of fear of unrest which leads to unionization? Maybe.

The handcuffs I speak of are mainly payroll and talent management abilities. To minimize risk, Spot must be 100% they have their bases covered when terminating. Therefore, "dead weight" hangs around and unless the store is running smoothly from HR, it's nearly impossible to properly deal with talent management. Especially attendance! Then, this lack of performance falls onto the TL and ETL.

Sorry if it came off that way. It's not what I meant. I guess a better way to pose the questions what are some of the frustrations at the ETL level hat TMs may not be aware of. As frustrating as new rollouts are on the TM level (as noted in most threads on this board) what are some things from that level?

Not sure if that clarified anything.

ETL's are constantly being evaluated by their superiors on visits, statuses, etc. We get frustrated when we achieve a goal and then are told that the standards are now higher. For instance, having a green survey score is not good, even though the company tells you it is (hence it being green). You must have a HIGH green survey score to be considered successful. Same with BRLA, conversion, etc. And then payroll is slashed and expectations continue to rise. That's when your ETL's 50 hour week turns into 60 (with no overtime). That's also when you feel added pressure, because we are feeling it just as much and need those results.

 

[txocurt1]

How did you deal with some of the moral quandaries that came from cutting hours on people you knew desperately needed them to pay their bills?
I understand you never planned to screw the TMs but there must have been times when you saw that people you worked closely with every day were being hurt by decisions you were being forced to make.

That's part of being a manager. Sometimes you're the bad guy. It's not a fun part of the job but it's real and it's necessary. You have to make payroll.

 

[txocurt1]

Our DTL came over and hammered us on our AP controls because we weren't, um, dusting enough.

Do you see as much disconnect between DTL's and ETL's? To us it was just insane and we promised to dust more.

DTL's pick little things for two reasons:

1. Their boss noticed it on a visit somewhere and sent an email to put everyone on notice.
2. To make the point of "if you can't even keep a keyboard dusted, how do you expect to successfully complete the hard parts of your job?"

 

[bikebryan]

Serious question I have always wondered from an ETL's perspective....

Considering you as an ETL were paid extremely well, now that you have left and are looking back, was it worth it? Do you have any regrets, or would you do it again? Would you recommend other people work for Target as an ETL, or is not worth it?

I can't speak for the OP, but as a former ETL myself, I would say that it depends. Retail is a calling; you either love it or you don't. I started grinding my teeth when I woke up realizing I had to work and walk that same raceway over and over again for another day. Although I made very good money, all the money in the world does not make up for hating what you do.

 

[bikebryan]

Did it feel weird sitting in your office and ordering Panera while the little people were working hard to keep your scores green?
View attachment 298

I had an office - or a room with six other desks in it. I saw it when I came in and dropped off my coat, and again when I went in got it on my way out. If I was very very lucky, I *might* get a few minutes at that desk to eat something - but that rarely happened. I get so tired when I hear this generalization of ETLs. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but none of the ETLs I dealt with in my district certainly lived that life.

 

[Dr Laytex]

Did it feel weird sitting in your office and ordering Panera while the little people were working hard to keep your scores green?
View attachment 298

I had an office - or a room with six other desks in it. I saw it when I came in and dropped off my coat, and again when I went in got it on my way out. If I was very very lucky, I *might* get a few minutes at that desk to eat something - but that rarely happened. I get so tired when I hear this generalization of ETLs. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but none of the ETLs I dealt with in my district certainly lived that life.

That's exactly how those 22 year old girls are getting fat, by not sitting at their desks and eating sh!tty food. Please.
Switch over to channel 2 to place your order.

 

[daninnj]

Did it feel weird sitting in your office and ordering Panera while the little people were working hard to keep your scores green?
View attachment 298

I had an office - or a room with six other desks in it. I saw it when I came in and dropped off my coat, and again when I went in got it on my way out. If I was very very lucky, I *might* get a few minutes at that desk to eat something - but that rarely happened. I get so tired when I hear this generalization of ETLs. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but none of the ETLs I dealt with in my district certainly lived that life.

That's exactly how those 22 year old girls are getting fat, by not sitting at their desks and eating sh!tty food. Please.
Switch over to channel 2 to place your order.

Truth be told, while some stores may have those lazy, sit-in-their-office-all-day young ETLs, many of the ETLs that went through my store gained weight because they worked on the floor and were stressed out. One whom I talked to much during her tenure at Target and after said she was stressing out so much that her acne came back and she was gaining weight. I've seen that with at least two others too.

 

[pellinore]

First, txocurt1, Thank-you so much for your honest answers and being willing to take on our questions!

Second, you said that the upper level people are concerned about TMs well-being....but the way that hours are set (i.e. Black Friday is now Black Thursday) it doesn't appear to me that they are concerned about my well-being. How do they define "well-being?" Do they mean TMs working, do they mean making money for the shareholders?

Third, as a TM it often feels like the corporate world of Target doesn't really seem to "get it." I often wonder if these people have any idea what it is like to be WORKING in a store on a daily basis. Are they really that much out of touch?

Fourth, is communication as bad at the ETL level with DTLs as the communication between ETLs, TLs and TMs?

Fifth, Corporate used to seem like they encouraged TMs of any level to pass along ideas....but it doesn't seem that way now. Is this a correct observation?

Sixth, Target pushes REDcards (which is a concept that is good and makes sense).....Gift cards are a great way to get people to "spend" money at Target....so why don't they have a greater focus, more card design choices, better visibility in the store so that these cards CAN be sold at a much higher rate? It seems to me that selling Gift cards ought to have some priority and not be so much of a secondary product sales item.....you know, located on some half side cap shelves....or only at a few registers?

Seventh, actually, there is no seventh....not at the moment! In advance, thanks for taking the time to address these questions!