Archived GSA not being supported by Sr.GSTL

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FrontEndFirecracker

Vibe Machine
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Dec 25, 2011
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I'm a new GSA - I've had about 7 shifts by myself. 90% of my shifts are service desk, but I got my pay raise and my supervisor status (finally), so I'm happy.

I have had some issues with veteran cashiers, and when I go to my Sr.GSTL about it, he brushes it off like it's not a big deal. Problem is - the guests thought it was a big deal enough to complain, and I had to call the LOD for one of them because she was absolutely irate.

Example - guest brings a bottle of Listerine up, and it rings as $6.99. Guest told the cashier it was $5.89 on sale. Most cashiers would just change it, and it would come up in PCV - maintain the vibe, right? I had a cashier last night call me over after the guest had already left to tell me about it. I told her she should have just changed it, and she said "I don't want to lose my job" (mind you, she's been there over a year, she covers SD, she knows the rules…). I shrugged it off because she said they left and didn't buy it.

Fast forward 20 minutes, and I have RX calling me to go back there. The guest went back to RX and was rung out, and they did the adjustment to $5.89 and gave the guest some apology coupons because they were very upset and felt that the cashier was accusing them of lying. Besides the fact that nobody told me about this until after the guests left the store - I went back to the aisle to check the shelf. Sure enough, there were about 2 dozen of the Listerine's in the wrong place with a sale sign, but we know that isn't the guests fault.

Second example: Another veteran cashier (2+ years) called me over because something was ringing up $14.99, guest claimed $5.99. I ran back to the aisle and again, about 6 of them in the wrong spot. I go back and tell him to adjust it so it comes up in PCV. He refuses, and says he does not feel comfortable - so I have to suspend it and bring the guest to another register to finish their transaction. I gave them an apology coupon also because I felt bad.

I emailed my GSTL before leaving last night, and he texted me this morning saying "thanks for the info about last night, but that stuff isn't worth documenting..little things like that are just part of the job". Is it me, or is he not taking it seriously? Cashiers refusing to do something that a "supervisor" tells them to do is not part of being fast, fun, and friendly.

Am I overreacting?

(I should note - I texted my other GSTL (who is not fond of the first GSTL) after I got that text, and he said he would speak with both cashiers because what they did was wrong. I didn't tell him about the text I got from Sr.GSTL, though.)
 
it is a big deal that they " did not feel comfortable" and you had to go to another register! what!?! it is called empowerment, and Target encourages it. Good grief! if it was a high dollar item, then perhaps. But for $12 bucks? that is what the vibe is all about in our store. not a good impression to that guest. drive the vibe and carry on!
 
I always tell the cashier if they look uncomfortable doing something that I will take the the heat for it if it comes back to them. But they know I will, and have passed things on that I have approved so those higher than me know what is up.

That said, we have a couple of cashiers who will fight any discount they have to give. Our cashiers who fight it are always the one searching for every little deal, talking to the LOD to get prices knocked down because the packaging isn't perfect, etc. Basically, if they can't get in on it, they don't want anyone else to, either.

I pretty much go to my one GSTL for everything, knowing he supports me 110%. The SrGSTL I only go to when I either have to because she is the LOD (or the one in the building) or when she seems to be in an agreeable mood. If you have the support of one of the GSTLs, go to that one as much as you can and save your sanity.
 
when I was new at the position I had a few cashiers question me about things, because they just weren't used to me being their GSA. Once i started taking more GSA shifts and played a bigger role in maintaining/running the check lanes, it was no longer an issue. Hopefully that's how it'll work out for you, too :)
 
If a cashier pulled that crap on me, I would have raised all hell on them. Especially the suspending and moving registers. If they ever refused (only happened about once, and I was NOT happy), I would tell them to move, and sign out and do it on my numbers. If you say change it, cashiers need to know it's not ok to argue and to do it -- some of the old timers can be very oppositional too which doesn't help.

You're not overreacting, cashiers need to know how empowerment and PCV works. The gstl might just not be wanting to coach over it since it IS kind of a minor offense (just an annoyance), but I think you can handle it by yourself by being assertive with cashiers. Try partnering with other LODs and see what they think (but don't backstab your GSTL). I would raise concerns that guests are leaving without buying, and you verified some of the price discrepancies are legitimate.

Also save your texts. Hourly TLs aren't supposed to be texting people out of work regarding work, especially a TM. Only etls can really do that, and only each other.
 
Sounds like your TL is instilling fear into your cashiers, and is warning you not to get in the way.
 
1.) They probably have not told you that the GSTL's split up the team. Therefore is sounds like YOU are NOT on the team of the Sr. GSTL. And so they are not concerned with your performance since they do not do your review.

....Anyways, ALL leaders should be giving support to the GSA. Your problem should be taken up with your ETL or your HR-ETL, whichever you are more comfortable with.
 
my personal rule has always been if it is a 5 dollar difference I will change the price no problem. I remember one day the New GSA didn't want to honor a very hard to understand sign for 50% off when you buy two toys. I still feel strongly we should have honored the sign. it was not like a 50 dollar difference it was more like a 3 dollar difference.
 
^ Target's best practices empower you to make any price adjustments under $20 without leadership consent, or even questioning the situation.. Granted, you should always take everything with a grain of salt, but really anything small like that isn't a big deal that you could just change without a second thought :)
 
1.) They probably have not told you that the GSTL's split up the team. Therefore is sounds like YOU are NOT on the team of the Sr. GSTL. And so they are not concerned with your performance since they do not do your review.

....Anyways, ALL leaders should be giving support to the GSA. Your problem should be taken up with your ETL or your HR-ETL, whichever you are more comfortable with.
I think they stopped doing this at our store a few months ago.. But things constantly change and revert back, so who knows.
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Last week there was a problem with a price on a tv - came up as 279. Guest thought it was 179. I called back to electronics and it was in the wrong place, so I had the cashier to change it and we would have to wait for gstl to get back for her numbers, but when we did the change it went through.. Has anyone ever seen such a large amount go through without supervisor numbers? We were all a bit baffled.
 
Last week there was a problem with a price on a tv - came up as 279. Guest thought it was 179. I called back to electronics and it was in the wrong place, so I had the cashier to change it and we would have to wait for gstl to get back for her numbers, but when we did the change it went through.. Has anyone ever seen such a large amount go through without supervisor numbers? We were all a bit baffled.

I don't generally make large price changes like that, but I don't recall ever having to get a GSTL override for a price challenge. Only large coupons that had to be entered manually.
 
I can't imagine a cashier refusing to price challenge an items price after a GSA told them to. I am, officially, a cashier. I am one of our most knowledgeable cashiers, and probably the most confident cashier we have (in regards to making it right for the guest and being bold and not fearing repercussion), but still, just a cashier - not a GSA, and if I am working at the service desk and a cashier's light is blinking and I go over to help them because the GSA/GSTL is busy or on break or in another area of the store, I have never had a cashier question me, whether I told them to lower the price of an item or ring up a free gift card or make an item free (guest claims it was buy 3 get 1 free, etc.), and if they did I strongly suspect they'd be reprimanded for doing so.

I don't generally make large price changes like that, but I don't recall ever having to get a GSTL override for a price challenge. Only large coupons that had to be entered manually.

What he said. Mostly.

Price challenges never prompt for an override, ever. Though some coupons do even when scanned, not just when entered manually. ie. The $20+ manufacturer coupons require an override whether scanned or entered manually (most common example I can think of is off of electric toothbrushes).
 
I don't generally make large price changes like that, but I don't recall ever having to get a GSTL override for a price challenge. Only large coupons that had to be entered manually.

What he said. Mostly.

Price challenges never prompt for an override, ever. Though some coupons do even when scanned, not just when entered manually. ie. The $20+ manufacturer coupons require an override whether scanned or entered manually (most common example I can think of is off of electric toothbrushes).

I forgot about those. I guess I've gotten a little rusty since I'm mainly hardlines now.
 
@FrontEndFirecracker

Careful with texting as an hourly worker, you can get in trouble for that. Texting about the things like you were doing would be constituted as working off the clock. Keep your communication to Store E-Mail and on the clock.

Anyways, both examples you were right (mostly). The $13 to $5 example is pretty steep, but is within $20 (stick to the $20 rule) so I would say that it is still acceptable. I probably would have told the Guest it was in the wrong spot where another item should have went, and if they made a huge fuss, then change the price. The cashier isn't doing anything wrong for calling you over on a 50%+ price discrepancy though.

However for any discrepancies similar to your first example, those should never require GSTL assistance. Cashiers who habitually call you over for such differences are time-wasters and should be trained on Cashier Empowerment.

For price discrepancies over $20, do a price check with Sales Floor. If its in the "wrong spot" I would tell the guest that the item doesn't go there, and somebody else might have accidentally shifted it there. If they continue to be very upset, I would offer to reduce the price of the item for them up to and not exceeding $20 -- explaining that we will make an exception for them. If it is a sale sign from previous weeks that was left up, go ahead and honor the Sale Price (even if its over $20 difference), and have Sales Floor take the sign down & toss.

If a cashier doesn't feel comfortable, I would hit their Suspend Button and take the slip to another register, finish helping the guest and apologize.

You aren't allowed to coach cashiers, but you can do trainings. I would ask problem cashiers if they were trained on Cashier Empowerment (you can print the Best Practices off Workbench), and if they say No, have them read it over and tell them to ask you if they have questions. Utilize training for the habitual abusers, and if they continue to be a problem, document and send an E-Mail up to your GSTL explaining the problem.





EDIT: Holy crap just noticed this post is from January and I typed this whole response out... Freaking Necro! -_-
 
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Whoops, I checked when the most recent response was before I posted, but...not when the thread was actually made, yeah, necro indeed.
 
I know this thread is old but it's still relevant. I recently had a newly promoted GSA at my store receive a lot of pushback from the cashiers since she was once a cashier herself. I noticed her having a hard time and when I had a moment and she did as well I asked to speak to her and we sat down and spoke. I congratulated her for her promotion and asked her how her journey has been as a GSA so far. That's when she confirmed what I had noticed that she was receiving a lot of pushback from the cashiers and they weren't respecting her authority especially with the cashiers loafing in Dollar Spot which I had seen too. I gave her some advice and I told her that she could always partner with me if she needs assistance especially with Dollar Spot since it's right next to Starbucks(I'm the SBTL). I totally understand how it feels to not have support especially when you're newly promoted. She left with a smile and now I've been seeing her excel in her role. It made me happy to see that confidence.
 
It's hard going from cashier to GSA/GSTL. A lot of people get nasty with you simply because you were promoted over them. I had a service desk TM I had ongoing issues with up until the very end, and I was GSA for 6 months. Turns out he was very jealous and is now trying to be my replacement. Just remember, the nasty people will get theirs one day.
 
It's hard going from cashier to GSA/GSTL. A lot of people get nasty with you simply because you were promoted over them. I had a service desk TM I had ongoing issues with up until the very end, and I was GSA for 6 months. Turns out he was very jealous and is now trying to be my replacement. Just remember, the nasty people will get theirs one day.
Yeah that is always a problem but there's a reason why some don't get promoted. If you're failing as a cashier or have a lot of opportunities to work on, you're not going to be promoted. You have to be great in your current role before you tackle another, especially one that requires more responsiblities and duties.
 
Hmmm... I wonder if it's my store you work at or if SrGSTLs are just assholes universally...

Given the situation here, I would save the text and go straight to my HR ETL about it and ask that the GSTL be coached, as anything causing conflict up front is not a minor issue and by them brushing it off they're not doing their job. What it is is most likely favoritism going on where he doesn't want to punish people on his side, but I wouldn't let him get away with this as I promise if he doesn't like you he will have no issue coaching/corrective action you for the most petty/minor of things.
 
Hmmm... I wonder if it's my store you work at or if SrGSTLs are just assholes universally...

Given the situation here, I would save the text and go straight to my HR ETL about it and ask that the GSTL be coached, as anything causing conflict up front is not a minor issue and by them brushing it off they're not doing their job. What it is is most likely favoritism going on where he doesn't want to punish people on his side, but I wouldn't let him get away with this as I promise if he doesn't like you he will have no issue coaching/corrective action you for the most petty/minor of things.
If you're going to talk to your ETL-HR, I would advise you not to state that you feel that your Sr GSTL warrants a coaching because regardless of your feelings towards them, they are your direct supervisor and it'll set a bad tone with your ETL-HR. I would make it known that you feel that there are certain opportunities with some cashiers regarding the Vibe and their refusal to follow your direction which is a form of insubordination. While I'm not sure how it works for GSAs if a cashier refuses to follow what they delegate to them, but technically insubordination can put them on a CCA instead of a coaching. Just make it clear that you're concerned about the integrity of the Check Lanes and that when you bring up concerns/performance issues about other cashiers to your GSTL, they aren't proactively addressing the gaps.
 
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