Archived GSA rant

[HRZone]

Morale can be effected both ways. You can either set clear expectations that you will hold everyone accountable or you can pick and choose who you will hold accountable for underperforming.

In the first scenario, TMs know what they are expected to do - sell the RED Card to every guest that passes through your line. Practice makes perfect. TMs may feel uncomfortable at first, but will learn the strategies, build a comfort level, and reduce pressure as a routine is built. You can argue that holding TMs accountable to their core roles puts pressure on them to perform, but as long as expectations are clear and everyone is held to the same standard, those that want a job will learn the routine, making it natural and and decrease pressure.

In the second scenario, you can hold no one accountable and just hope you have cashiers who will come in and want to perform well. These cashiers will carry most of the burden, while watching underperformers get away with not performing up to company standards, lowering the morale of the top performers. At some point the better TMs will stop performing and just wait until rewards are handed out in order to step up their game.

Our store does very well on the BTS. We set clear expectations, hold everyone accountable to an equal standard, and reward those who make a concerted effort to exceed expectations.

Except your scenario B is nowhere close to what happens. No one at my store doesnt try because we have some cashiers who struggle to sell red cards. The standard is high but if we dont meet it, we try again ghe following week. Those who are good at selling the cards wear it as a badge of honor and are rewarded for it.

Your scenario sounds good in the corporate BS world where every store meets their goals every week and every cashier gets a red card each shift but realistically some weeks will be better than others. We treat all our cashiers with respect as long as they do their core roles which is to "Promote the Red Card and its benefits." I would hate to shop at a store that sells red cards but their cashiers look like they dont want to be there.

 

[SrTLall]

Except your scenario B is nowhere close to what happens. No one at my store doesnt try because we have some cashiers who struggle to sell red cards. The standard is high but if we dont meet it, we try again ghe following week. Those who are good at selling the cards wear it as a badge of honor and are rewarded for it.

Your scenario sounds good in the corporate BS world where every store meets their goals every week and every cashier gets a red card each shift but realistically some weeks will be better than others. We treat all our cashiers with respect as long as they do their core roles which is to "Promote the Red Card and its benefits." I would hate to shop at a store that sells red cards but their cashiers look like they dont want to be there.

You're making a lot of false assumptions in this post....


Anyways, scenario B does exist, and not only on the Front End where preferential is given and creates a divide, but in other work centers as well. But in this example, cashiers willingly admit they will not perform because there is no accountability. They wait until there is a reward to actually put forth the effort to do what is expected. Even in this thread a cashier admits "I get more cards when I get a little something that the non performing cashiers don't get."

Set clear, concise expectations: sell RED Cards. Hold TMs accountable to that standard and the RED Cards will come. You want to reward people because they do well, not entice people to do well because there is a reward/bribe.

 

[Brine]

I worked backroom for several years. We had a goal every hour. Not once was I ever told hey get those pulls done on time and I'll give you a gift card. NEVER. I did my job well because making a wage and keeping my job was enough of an incentive. The notion that you should be given more than just your wage for doing a job you signed up for and know the expectations of is sickening.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

I'd love to see empirical data on which brings guests back more often, having a Red Card vs. feeling like they received excellent guest service. My money is on the latter.

Exactly, poor guest service will make a guest not want to return, whether they have a red card or not. I've had guests head to SCO because they don't want to be asked about a red card.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

I worked backroom for several years. We had a goal every hour. Not once was I ever told hey get those pulls done on time and I'll give you a gift card. NEVER. I did my job well because making a wage and keeping my job was enough of an incentive. The notion that you should be given more than just your wage for doing a job you signed up for and know the expectations of is sickening.

I get this, getting your job done was down to you. Having a person decide if they want a red card, or not, is a factor you can't always control. I can ask every single person in my line and tell them the benefits and still get turned down.

 

[PassinTime]

You're making a lot of false assumptions in this post....


Anyways, scenario B does exist, and not only on the Front End where preferential is given and creates a divide, but in other work centers as well. But in this example, cashiers willingly admit they will not perform because there is no accountability. They wait until there is a reward to actually put forth the effort to do what is expected. Even in this thread a cashier admits "I get more cards when I get a little something that the non performing cashiers don't get."

Set clear, concise expectations: sell RED Cards. Hold TMs accountable to that standard and the RED Cards will come. You want to reward people because they do well, not entice people to do well because there is a reward/bribe.

I feel you confuse "selling" and promoting RCS. It's fairly easy to spout a few of the virtues of a RC. Heck, if leadership gave credit for each guest that a cashier explained the RCs benefits to, they've meet GOAL for the week. However, what corporate really wants is for the cashier to get the shopper to part with their personal information. That's way more than just promoting! It takes a special skill set...salesmanship. Yet, Target looks at cashiers as the bottom of the food chain, hence they are at the very bottom of Spot's payscale. Yup, the bottom.

In order to attract and retain skilled sales people, you gotta give better compensation. And, clearly state the job expectations. Yes, we want you to scan and bag, additionally, we require you to get sign ups for our credit card; we have goals/qoutas that must be met EACH and EVERY week.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

You're making a lot of false assumptions in this post....


Anyways, scenario B does exist, and not only on the Front End where preferential is given and creates a divide, but in other work centers as well. But in this example, cashiers willingly admit they will not perform because there is no accountability. They wait until there is a reward to actually put forth the effort to do what is expected. Even in this thread a cashier admits "I get more cards when I get a little something that the non performing cashiers don't get."

Set clear, concise expectations: sell RED Cards. Hold TMs accountable to that standard and the RED Cards will come. You want to reward people because they do well, not entice people to do well because there is a reward/bribe.

Still waiting for that reward and recognition for when I do well.

I don't agree with all this. First, I ask all my guests and do so because it is a job requirement. You start holding cashiers accountable based on some metric and threatening them, it will create low morale and they will leave. Can Target manage running a business over threats creating instability? The guests I have want a fast and friendly cashier who knows what they are doing. A happy customer will return based on the service and merchandise, an unhappy customer will not, even if they have a red card. I hate coming to work knowing I haven't gotten a red card in a couple days and hearing we NEED RED CARDS!! Two weeks ago we were offered a free drink if we got a red card. Wasn't much of a bonus and really didn't increase our numbers. Pretty sad for a cashier when the only time they are recognized is when they get a red card.

 

[SrTLall]

I feel you confuse "selling" and promoting RCS. It's fairly easy to spout a few of the virtues of a RC. Heck, if leadership gave credit for each guest that a cashier explained the RCs benefits to, they've meet GOAL for the week. However, what corporate really wants is for the cashier to get the shopper to part with their personal information. That's way more than just promoting! It takes a special skill set...salesmanship. Yet, Target looks at cashiers as the bottom of the food chain, hence they are at the very bottom of Spot's payscale. Yup, the bottom.

In order to attract and retain skilled sales people, you gotta give better compensation. And, clearly state the job expectations. Yes, we want you to scan and bag, additionally, we require you to get sign ups for our credit card; we have goals/qoutas that must be met EACH and EVERY week.

I definitely mean selling. In all of our interviews we explain to the applicants that part of the cashier's role is to sell RED Cards, setting that expectation right from the start.

 

[SrTLall]

Still waiting for that reward and recognition for when I do well.

I don't agree with all this. First, I ask all my guests and do so because it is a job requirement. You start holding cashiers accountable based on some metric and threatening them, it will create low morale and they will leave. Can Target manage running a business over threats creating instability? The guests I have want a fast and friendly cashier who knows what they are doing. A happy customer will return based on the service and merchandise, an unhappy customer will not, even if they have a red card. I hate coming to work knowing I haven't gotten a red card in a couple days and hearing we NEED RED CARDS!! Two weeks ago we were offered a free drink if we got a red card. Wasn't much of a bonus and really didn't increase our numbers. Pretty sad for a cashier when the only time they are recognized is when they get a red card.

ASANTS. You can use the word 'threathen,' but I prefer 'develop.' If leadership treats accountability as a threat to TMs in order to get them to perform better, they won't maintain morale and retention will be dismal. Accordingly, leadership in our store is trained to treat accountability as an opportunity to develop. There is a very clear difference and tone in these offstage encounters, as I have sat in on many and have helped drive the change. Leaders want to build up a TMs confidence during accountability meetings, not break down.

Unfortunately for Target, leadership development isn't often promoted and alot of leaders aren't trained properly when it comes to coaching TMs.

 

[radiochu]

I honestly really agree with all your points @SrTLall. I'm purely Starbucks now, I haven't had a GSA shift in months, but when I did, I had MANY, many conversations with my ETL-GE about this subject. unfortunately, I am too socially anxious and awkward to help drive the necessary change in our cashiers (and I suspect this is why they moved me - but I'm much more comfortable in my new role, so I don't mind. incidentally that supports your point that moving a TM out of a role they're not performing well in doesn't always hurt morale and can be a much more effective use of personnel). that being said...

I think there's two things that make a difference in opinions here, the first one being, of course, ASANTS. only you, as a GSA/GSTL at your store, know what your cashiers are like. no one else is in a position to know what will motivate them or what will get them to do their jobs. it may vary. still, some generalizations can be made - yes, it IS true that in most cases, people who are consistently rewarded for doing a task will perform that task fewer times or not at all when the reward is withdrawn. behavioral science will tell you that. when that task is a key part of your job, you should never feel that you're in a position to choose not to do it, for any reason. are there better ways to encourage people to ask for REDcards? yes. do all stores/leaders in stores use them? no. certainly not. development is going to benefit people more in the long run though. dangling rewards has many costs associated with it, from actual money to a lack of motivation. actually developing TMs, working with them to entrain the necessary sales skills, will make them more effective at completing their role and is a transferrable skill if they ever want to, you know, not be a cashier at Target for the rest of their lives.

the second one goes back to knowing the group of cashiers, and also perspective. I don't think cashiers are in the best position to understand how their peers actually feel or actually work. you may talk to each other about it, but it's not an effective way to get the big picture. GSAs/GSTLs have to look at the big picture, every day. we see the metrics, we see the trends. we know who is actually doing the work and who is doing it lipservice. we know who will straight up admit they won't even try without a reward. we know who asks and asks and just needs that little push in technique to be able to close it just a little more often. what the leadership chooses to do about that information is what can make or break a team and a REDcard goal. shouting and overly critical coaching and lazily rewarding are not a great way to elevate the team. development is. spending hands-on time teaching and coaching constructively is. it doesn't happen as often as it needs to, but when it's done right, it really, really does work.

and for the people it doesn't work on, well, those people likely SHOULD be in a different workcenter, or not here at all. like it or not, failure to perform your role or outright refusal to perform a key part of your role is not okay. I think the real conversation shouldn't be 'how can we make cashiers meet these goals that seem unrealistic;' it'd be more appropriate to discuss whether or not this really ought to be part of the core role for a cashier. but as long as corporate sees that this is something that drives loyalty, increases basket size, and gets them valuable marketing information, like it or not, agree with it or not, it's going to be a core role, and people are going to have to be held accountable to it.

 

[commiecorvus]

I definitely mean selling. In all of our interviews we explain to the applicants that part of the cashier's role is to sell RED Cards, setting that expectation right from the start.

Here's the problem; there is a huge difference between a cashier, i.e. someone who rings up your order when you are done shopping then helps you get out the door and a salesperson, the person who is finding stuff for you, making recommendations, and explaining what the store has to offer.
The most important parts being training (a salesperson should be trained to sell and deal with challenges to a sale), and time (when guests customers are that close to the door they are not interested in the spiel that goes into a proper sales pitch.
So there will be a handful of cashiers who will be able to fire off the list to every customer (and annoy plenty of them in the process) but hit the marks.
There will be enough who will make the effort but not hit the mark, possibly not annoy as many customers.
And there are some people who are just not meant to be salespeople (at least not without the time and proper training).

The other problem is the people are put to manage the front end.
You have, by in large, ETLs fresh from college who have very little experience in motivating people or maintaining standards without the principle of "The beatings will continue until moral improves."
You often have a mix of TLs who are either long time cashiers who are just trying to keep it together and newbies who can't quite believe this mess.
Add to that the poor GSA's who are TL's without any power, authority and with all the responsibility to get a serious management problem.

 

[SrTLall]

Here's the problem; there is a huge difference between a cashier, i.e. someone who rings up your order when you are done shopping then helps you get out the door and a salesperson, the person who is finding stuff for you, making recommendations, and explaining what the store has to offer.
The most important parts being training (a salesperson should be trained to sell and deal with challenges to a sale), and time (when guests customers are that close to the door they are not interested in the spiel that goes into a proper sales pitch.
So there will be a handful of cashiers who will be able to fire off the list to every customer (and annoy plenty of them in the process) but hit the marks.
There will be enough who will make the effort but not hit the mark, possibly not annoy as many customers.
And there are some people who are just not meant to be salespeople (at least not without the time and proper training).

The other problem is the people are put to manage the front end.
You have, by in large, ETLs fresh from college who have very little experience in motivating people or maintaining standards without the principle of "The beatings will continue until moral improves."
You often have a mix of TLs who are either long time cashiers who are just trying to keep it together and newbies who can't quite believe this mess.
Add to that the poor GSA's who are TL's without any power, authority and with all the responsibility to get a serious management problem.

You've hit the nail on the head, and as I've said before and I'm sure I'll say again, Target does not put enough emphasis/resources into quality development of its employees. Proper development and training go a long ways in making retail work less stressful and more rewarding. Basically, it's up to the stores to determine how much effort gets put into development. It's not a cooncidence that stores that do really well make the effort to develop the team.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

I definitely mean selling. In all of our interviews we explain to the applicants that part of the cashier's role is to sell RED Cards, setting that expectation right from the start.

We are told to inform our guests about the perks of having a read card. On the walkie we are reminded to share this information with the guests. Nothing about selling a red card.