Archived Front end: how do you do it?

[HangMe]

This is for all of you who work front end.

You're amazing and I don't know how you stand it. I could never be a cashier (lol, sorry I mean SERVICE AND ENGAGEMENT ADVOCATE). Besides the fact that I get insane anxiety at the lanes, holy shit I wouldn't be able to stand doing the same thing over and over and not being able to walk away. Also constantly dealing with guests. I like being on the sales floor because I am not always dealing with people. I like helping people but damn not constantly. Also having to take so much shit from guests and their dumb bs. I was a cashier (not retail, think very busy chuck e cheese type business) and I really don't know how I lasted 6 years there. SCO seems so boring. I have one girl at my store who works it nearly every day and she seems dead inside.

Guest service is really the only thing I think I would like just because I like problem solving and fixing issues. Would hate to deal with irate guests but once I was comfortable up there it would be fine. But damn I don't know how some of you don't accidentally say something you shouldn't to some of the guests that you have to deal with.

Cart attendants - you're amazing. How you put up with being out in the cold/heat and having to get carts that Karen decided to leave way out at the end of the lot and having to clean up people's literal vomit is beyond me.

GSTLs (and GSAs even though they're technically not a thing) - how do you do it? My aunt is a GSTL at my store and I actually don't know how she does it. I don't even know what else to say other than you guys are awesome for doing what you do.

 

[Target_serf]

There are rumors that I died sometime during the Reagan administration, and no one has had the heart to tell me yet. But seriously, as someone who has done all of the above, except GSTL/GSA, I can explain a lot. I personally find cashier the most stressful of the tasks on the front end. As you say, there are occasions when I wish I could walk away, and I can't. It used to be much more stressful, as the registers were timing transactions, and we were under threat of coaching if that score fell below a certain threshold (85% originally, later raised to 87%, and then 90% until the program was discontinued). This could have been managed, had the score not included the guest's payment time and stoppages beyond the cashier's control. Every time a guest wrote a check, the score was red. Every time Granny Weatherwax was digging for her zipper bag full of pennies, the score was red. Every time there was a price challenge, the score was red, etc.

I do SCO most often now, and I actually like it. It looks boring, but there are many different tasks to do, and it lets me move around and help other cashiers as well. I've come to think of that posting as being "GSA lite." I often find myself taking care of minor issues that don't necessarily require GSA/GSTL intervention. And sometimes covering the GSA/GSTL breaks and lunch. The main negative is that many guests have strong opinions about SCO, and do not hesitate to tell you about it.

Guest service can also be quite stimulating. There are several tasks to be done, and helping guests can be quite rewarding. You do have the occasional irate guest, and sadly, more than a few fraudsters plying their trade. In my store, GS tends to be a feast or famine thing. You either have nearly no guests, or a line going from here to Hiroshima.

Cart attendant is the role I had when I entered the store, and one I occasionally am called upon to do even now. It really is amazing what our cart attendants do now. Not only do that have to do the tasks in the core roles, but they have been saddled over the years with more and more jobs that shouldn't really be their jobs, leaving much less time for them to tend to their main roles. If it is dirty, dreary, or dangerous, it's probably going to fall to the cart attendant to do it.

 

[Dog]

I was originally hired as a cashier for the Christmas season, and on the inside I am very shy. I really have to force myself to interact with people and make connections with them, I would much rather just hide and do tasks like zoning onespot, zoning card wall, grabbing product to fill endcaps, cleaning, etc.

I quickly got really bored of cashiering and doing SCO and got “trained” at the service desk which was nice for me because it is a little bit more mental work to make things happen over there and you also have defectives which can be done in your downtime or organizing. It was much more bearable than cashiering for me.

Unfortunately, I also began to get bored at guest service when I pretty much knew everything I thought I could over there (I’m sure I still have plenty to learn, don’t get me wrong!) and asked to be considered for a GSA position when one opened up.

Being a GSA was a nice position for me because it involved a lot of tasking which is what I like doing. But now it is going away (RIP) and if I have to be confined to the service desk, cashiering, or SCO on a daily basis I’ll probably go bonkers. Especially now that the way that Target is headed, they do not want anyone on the front end to be doing any tasking whatsoever. Front end is there to greet guests, educate them about services and offers within the store, read the weekly ad, and that’s it. Onespot, candy, etc. are all owned by someone else.

So TL;DR: being on the front end can be nice if you would otherwise be slow at doing tasks in another department like pushing, zoning, etc. and if you like talking to people. If you are more of a busybody and like working on projects and whatnot it is probably not for you, especially with the new modernization stuff.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

Thank you 😊😊😊

GS can be very stressful at times but it’s hands down my favorite job. Cashiering is to me less stressful but omg it’s mind numbingly boring. I prefer express lane since it’s quicker interactions, less items to bag. Idk how cashiers do it. SCO isn’t bad in short bursts but a whole shift there sucks.

Cart attendants are the real front end heroes. No explanation needed for all the work they do. Starbucks also seems stressful. I do POS there but making drinks is way to complicated for me lol

 

[idkwhattodo]

i was so nice and sweet and quiet and shy when i started as a seasonal cashier and now i am a dead inside GSA (rip to me and also my position) who wants to die at all times and also is always ready to fight.

stopping blatant scams is such a rush tbh and i never thought i’d be able to handle it, but it’s so fun. i’m talking like empty ipad return, very fake coupons, photoshopped price matches, etc. i live for that stuff like such a weirdo.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

stopping blatant scams is such a rush tbh and i never thought i’d be able to handle it, but it’s so fun. i’m talking like empty ipad return, very fake coupons, photoshopped price matches, etc. i live for that stuff like such a weirdo.

literally same omg

 

[RedcardReba]

One aspect of the new system is that where we work varies now. It used to be you would get stuck. Get red cards? Expect to be on lane, nonstop. Trained at SCO when not many are? Get ready for months of SCO.

Now, we all (nearly) can do all the front end. Soon we can do the GSA tasks, and that will open it up even more.

But yes, there are days when guests are challenging.

 

[FrontEndBitch]

It sucks I literally was promoted to GSA in February cause my GSTL on my last years review told me to work for it and when I finally get it they rip it away I feel like it’s a slap in the face.

Also I’m trained in all areas except soft lines so I can do everything up to Starbucks gonna give this new model a couple months and see what happens then might leave.

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

It sucks I literally was promoted to GSA in February cause my GSTL on my last years review told me to work for it and when I finally get it they rip it away I feel like it’s a slap in the face.

Also I’m trained in all areas except soft lines so I can do everything up to Starbucks gonna give this new model a couple months and see what happens then might leave.

Think of it this way. You’re no longer doing more work for the same pay as a cashier.

 

[starfishncoffee]

If everything flows, time goes really fast up front, and I enjoy that. I'd say the thing I hate most is cashiering, though I don't mind doing it for a little bit at a time. I mostly dislike it because I end up getting overheated and uncomfortable, and I'm stuck there until someone unsticks me, which makes me a little anxious.

I dislike the "Schrodinger's Job" aspect of the GSA position, but I also like it on days I really nail it and am able to come through with a good open/close. I'll miss that feeling of satisfaction, but I'm not bent. It is what it is, and as I've said before, the loss of the pay differential felt like a slap in the face when I was doing far more than a cashier (and yes, I know Leads have more responsibilities).

As for the rest of the front end, I enjoy SCO and have my best luck with educating the guests there because I talk with the ones who are waiting in line and drop it into the conversation. My favorite work center is, bar none, GS, because I enjoy solving the quirky return issues, stopping the scammers, and, yeah, saving the sale with MyCheckout. I haven't gotten many shifts there lately because we haven't rolled out yet and I'm the last GSA standing, meaning I'm doing a lot of training. I hope that will change once the rollout is complete.

 

[FrontEndBitch]

Has anyone gotten scheduled anymore GSA shifts? I don’t have any this week, but have one the upcoming week. Anyone else?

 

[Anelmi]

I was never an actual GSA but am now getting GSA tagged shifts bc I’m the closer now that the GSTLs have mid shifts.

 

[Dog]

Has anyone gotten scheduled anymore GSA shifts? I don’t have any this week, but have one the upcoming week. Anyone else?

I am still getting GSA shifts up to 5/18.

 

[Voicetarget]

With the new op model, since 'GSA' no longer exist, we are supposed to train cashiers to open/close registers and do their own overrides when GSTL is not around in morning or night. How are you guys giving them override/supervisor codes? I don't know how to do this

 

[FrontEndBitch]

With the new op model, since 'GSA' no longer exist, we are supposed to train cashiers to open/close registers and do their own overrides when GSTL is not around in morning or night. How are you guys giving them override/supervisor codes? I don't know how to do this

We haven’t rolled out the new model yet...

 

[Target_serf]

With the new op model, since 'GSA' no longer exist, we are supposed to train cashiers to open/close registers and do their own overrides when GSTL is not around in morning or night. How are you guys giving them override/supervisor codes? I don't know how to do this

We know it's coming, but hasn't begun to be implemented yet. I'm curious to see whether they really mean that all cashiers will be trained, or just certain ones.

 

[Anelmi]

In my store, everyone kinda is going to have a cursory knowledge. Some will get more training in GS than others and then a very select few will do the new opening/closing duties.

 

[starfishncoffee]

I’m terrified I’m going to become the designated closer, which would be fine if I could get every weekend off. I know that’s what the closing lead wants, and since I’m used to running the front alone while no one else at that level is (our other GSAs quit), well ...

 

[Target_serf]

In my store, everyone kinda is going to have a cursory knowledge. Some will get more training in GS than others and then a very select few will do the new opening/closing duties.

In my store, everyone kinda is going to have a cursory knowledge. Some will get more training in GS than others and then a very select few will do the new opening/closing duties.

That's kind of what I suspected/feared. The ETL's favorites will get the rewards of added responsability, while I remain in the hamster wheel chasing the carrot of advancement and cross-training