MEGATHREAD Hang Me (The Softlines Thread)

[SoftlinesTM2018]

Who's excited for the launch of the new brand Prologue it looks loke it's going to be cute business stuff according to whats on the VMG

 

[sprinklesontop]

Who's excited for the launch of the new brand Prologue it looks loke it's going to be cute business stuff according to whats on the VMG

It's got a "calvin klein-esque" simplicity to the collection. Looks nice in pics...... let's see what it looks/fits like in person !

 

[Yetive]

I'm getting an Everlane vibe. I'm interested to see about the elevated fabric selection.

 

[TargetLounger]

Hang me, I'm joining the Style side of things lol.

 

[Ahem]

I know AND and Goodfellow offer them, but they don't offer them in store now, and that really sucks for people who just got a call this morning about an interview and it's noon tomorrow.

Whaaat? We have blazers in mens goodfellow and H26, women's AND, and boys cat & jack lol. This thread is educating me to how inconsistent the merchandise is across stores.

im curious whether or not your softlines area has only one rack for hangers ? i'm talking like. one rack from the fixtures and that's it. also ? do you guys have a hanger bin in the back where you have to fish through for those little infant hangers ?

we have a small rack with multiple bars that can be reconfigured. I've seen a pic either here or on reddit where another store used the same rack for bras. It has like 6 bars and a small basket thing on the bottom. But in the past we had less and we'd either search through hangers at the checklanes or go to the backroom to dig through the bin. We used to have a cart attendant who would stop by the fitting room on his way to dump hangers to see if we needed any or if we had too much of any that we didn't need. He was nice. None of the current ones do that. I think I could probably get one of our friendlier, more social CAs to do that

 

[Tessa120]

we have a small rack with multiple bars that can be reconfigured. I've seen a pic either here or on reddit where another store used the same rack for bras. It has like 6 bars and a small basket thing on the bottom. But in the past we had less and we'd either search through hangers at the checklanes or go to the backroom to dig through the bin. We used to have a cart attendant who would stop by the fitting room on his way to dump hangers to see if we needed any or if we had too much of any that we didn't need. He was nice. None of the current ones do that. I think I could probably get one of our friendlier, more social CAs to do that

To be honest, it'd probably be faster to take a shopping cart to the big box in the back room and fill it up with the hangers you need. That'd last a long time, and if you have too many of one type of hanger you can use the cart to dump those at the same time.

 

[Ahem]

To be honest, it'd probably be faster to take a shopping cart to the big box in the back room and fill it up with the hangers you need. That'd last a long time, and if you have too many of one type of hanger you can use the cart to dump those at the same time.

porque no los dos?? Even with the social CA, we did both. I think he came by more because he liked talking lol, but he also wanted to help us. He even sometimes pulled out those pj connectors if he saw them while dumping. Whenever I cashier, I put those in my pocket and bring them right to SL. We get majority of the hangers we need from fr guests and zoning, though.

Carts of hangers are the worst, though. When they first started that lobby nonsense last year, someone threw our old, smaller rack away and we all complained until they ordered us a nicer rack. Digging through a cart takes more time than having a nice rack of hangers that's somewhat organized and it's an eyesore and takes more space up.

 

[Tessa120]

Carts of hangers are the worst, though. When they first started that lobby nonsense last year, someone threw our old, smaller rack away and we all complained until they ordered us a nicer rack. Digging through a cart takes more time than having a nice rack of hangers that's somewhat organized and it's an eyesore and takes more space up.

I didn't say leave them in the cart. As you say, wasted time, and it's an eyesore. But when I don't have enough pants hangers to make it through the shift, grabbing a cart full and putting them on the bars in the closet is easier than climbing inside the bin coming from the front and it'll be enough to last for the rest of the week.

 

[IWishIKnew]

Did anyone else's store get a little corrugated steel mini fitting room as part of remodel? This thing showed up at the back of men's the other day, despite our STL's protests. It's not fully installed but it doesn't look like it will have a lock, and its size, placement and lack of lock (though other two fitting rooms will have locks on the doors) means it will be a magnet for theft, drug use and all manner of bodily fluids. Seriously, Target, WTF? It's ugly, it takes up valuable space, no good will come from it, we already have two sizable fitting rooms after remodel, so whyyyyyyyy????

 

[soyaxo]

Wait what does it look like? That sounds so bizarre!

 

[Tessa120]

Did anyone else's store get a little corrugated steel mini fitting room as part of remodel? This thing showed up at the back of men's the other day, despite our STL's protests. It's not fully installed but it doesn't look like it will have a lock, and its size, placement and lack of lock (though other two fitting rooms will have locks on the doors) means it will be a magnet for theft, drug use and all manner of bodily fluids. Seriously, Target, WTF? It's ugly, it takes up valuable space, no good will come from it, we already have two sizable fitting rooms after remodel, so whyyyyyyyy????

That sounds horrid. And if Tessa ran the world the door would be blocked open, a men's mannequin (or two) placed in front practically touching it, and items hung on the sides and placed inside to give the illusion of a man cave (advertising other items available in store), while also placed in a way that people can't actually get in the room.

But Tessa doesn't run the world. I hope we don't get one.

 

[IcePeasant]

For all to “Admire” - frankly looks like a port-a-potty IMO.

Curious For any SFTL/A&A TL/ Style TL : how do y’all “separate” Softlines/apparel/style into designated areas each EDIT: SFTL/Apparel/Style TL “owns” I know it may sound silly as it would make sense to own all of Softlines/apparel/style, but I’m just curious how/if others do that.

Realized I wasn’t as clear as I should have been, TLs, do you own the entire department or do you split it between the subcategories of BG/NIT/MEN etc..

 

[hufflepuff]

That would drive me absolutely crazy being partly on carpet/ partly on tile like that.

 

[SpilledTea]

Curious For any SFTL/A&A TL/ Style TL : how do y’all “separate” Softlines/apparel/style into designated areas each person “owns” I know it may sound silly as it would make sense to own all of Softlines/apparel/style, but I’m just curious how/if others do that.

This is how we break down the areas:

Shoes/Accesories/Bubble (Performance,
Intimates/Hosiery/Sleep)
Boys/Girls/Infants
RTW (includes Young Contemporary, Swim,
Style, Plus and Maternity)
Mens

 

[Tessa120]

For all to “Admire” - frankly looks like a port-a-potty IMO.

Blech. And quite unnecessary. If they'd reserve the family rooms at the actual fitting room for families instead of letting those who simply want a bigger room have them and making who can't manage a smaller room wait, then they wouldn't need extra family fitting rooms.

I still say take the door off and turn it into a display man cave.

 

[Slayer]

Yep. We have one. It was supposed to be locked and the men's SL TM was supposed to get a key. Hasn't happened and yes, HUGE theft magnet.

 

[Tessa120]

Yep. We have one. It was supposed to be locked and the men's sl TJ was supposed to get a key. Hasn't happened and yes, HUGE theft magnet.

Due to theft does AP hate it as much as you guys? Maybe they can be talked into putting a fake dome in the room. No one, legitimate or thief, will use it.

 

[GoodyNN]

That would drive me absolutely crazy being partly on carpet/ partly on tile like that.

I'm having the same twitch response to its placement.

 

[Ahem]

But when I don't have enough pants hangers to make it through the shift, grabbing a cart full and putting them on the bars in the closet is easier than climbing inside the bin coming from the front and it'll be enough to last for the rest of the week.

oh absolutely!! If I went to the front I don't have a large need like that just filling in to prevent getting there, or the backroom bin is too low for me to reach the hangers. I actually mentioned going to both the back and the front in my first hanger post. I prob didn't word it well. Back in the day, I wasn't supposed to leave the fr and the trip to the front is shorter so I would go without getting caught 🙊🙊🙊. I fully understand that the backroom is much more convenient.

Did anyone else's store get a little corrugated steel mini fitting room as part of remodel?

lol.. yea we have the men's shipping container shed. you mean a lock from the outside???? Yall have locks on the outside of your doors? I wonder if this is something they do based on theft levels. Only issue with it in my store is that tms keep forgetting it exists because menswear is baaaaarely staffed.

 

[Ahem]

but yo... they're no longer staffing either of the 2 (sets of 5 FRs) in my store and I... don't understand how they think this works. I only work sl like once a week now, but the girls I talked to agree it's stupid and not working. They're doing the thing where each dept collects their bins and hangs and reshops it. But they called me down for what essentially was a cart full less than an hour before closing and the tables were wrecked. And despite the bin being labeled as my dept, I had to sort out other depts from it still

Our girls accessories have no place to go (ok, some do) post-remodel. They have all these bins on the bottoms of basics and it looks like everything is on clearance. It looks like a fucking rummage sale. I wouldn't shop at target if I didn't work there.

I think I'm gonna stop picking up sl shifts. I used to love the dept and zoning is relaxing to me, I enjoy helping guests find shit... but no more. I'm done. Here's hoping they forget to schedule me over there now, because I won't be intentionally picking anything up for sure.

 

[IcePeasant]

Yep. We have one. It was supposed to be locked and the men's sl TJ was supposed to get a key. Hasn't happened and yes, HUGE theft magnet.

I gave the key to the STL, saying it’s the only one, don’t lose it. Immediately got it back lol
Apparently AP is supposed to lock all fitting rooms, yet to happen.

 

[Tessa120]

oh absolutely!! If I went to the front I don't have a large need like that just filling in to prevent getting there, or the backroom bin is too low for me to reach the hangers. I actually mentioned going to both the back and the front in my first hanger post. I prob didn't word it well. Back in the day, I wasn't supposed to leave the fr and the trip to the front is shorter so I would go without getting caught 🙊🙊🙊. I fully understand that the backroom is much more convenient.

I wish you worked with me. None of my coworkers seem to know about the bin in the back or how to use it to make their lives easier.

One time I arrived for work and the fitting room was out of a type of hanger. I asked a coworker to get me some, she carried an armful from the hanger box. Not a cart, just carried less than 10 hangers in her arms. We had been out of those well before I arrived and they had simply been putting off hanging those items until a few cycled their way back with the reshop, and it never occurred to her to do different than just carry an armful.

Frequently the closet is so stuffed full of hangers that you can't get them out without making a big mess, but I've seen people walk in and cram even more onto those bars and ignore the ones that fall to the floor in the back in the process. If they can't cram them, they leave them all over any horizontal bar surface outside the room. I don't think anyone else regularly takes hangers back, I could be wrong, but hangers build up really, really fast. Time disappears fast too, so there is a tradeoff for those few minutes, maybe people don't see dumping hangers as essential enough to pull those minutes away from zoning and reshop.

And there was the shift that I arrived and the hanger bin from the front was at the fitting room, as ugly as it is. Great image that was presented. We were out of a particular hanger, and rather than rummage through it for what was needed and take the bin back to the front it was left there. I figured that meant the hanger box in the back had been shipped off that day, which would necessitate raiding the front bin, but still, leave the bin? I grabbed what I needed and decided to empty it completely before taking it up front. And the hanger box in the back was 2/3 full of hangers, including the type that was needed.

 

[IWishIKnew]

lol.. yea we have the men's shipping container shed. you mean a lock from the outside???? Yall have locks on the outside of your doors? I wonder if this is something they do based on theft levels. Only issue with it in my store is that tms keep forgetting it exists because menswear is baaaaarely staffed.

Yes, they now have one fitting room locked, but I think the other is still unlocked. Not sure when that's supposed to change. The mini fitting room pictured above (though ours, at least, is fully on the carpet) is still not in use, and I'm hoping we can just quietly keep it that way

"Yes, there does always seem to be someone in there doesn't there? Interesting. So, what are you looking for today...?"

 

[SL101]

Can anyone explain to me why SL hanging isn't in location in the back but the folded has to be?

 

[Go To Six]

I was recently presented with the opportunity to make the jump to Softlines. I haven't even started my training yet, but a search through the forum led to many people in my position and a minimal guide or two. Inspired by the Presentation and Signing threads, I think softlines could use its own dedicated place to vent, opine and share experiences that help each other get through the daily grind.

I don't know how other stores are lately, but my new team couldn't even be described as blood red. That would be too generous. We consistently do not finish neither zone nor reshop with our team of 2 closers. Our presentation team spent an entire day recently helping set adjacencies that were a month old, because we have had no TL for 2 months, and no brand TM for the past 8 months+. Half the team is brand new(hired within the last week) and the other half has been with target 5+ years and are burned out. No hipos. I'm basically tasked with rebuilding a very broken process in a dept I know nothing about. Fun times ahead.

Any advice from others, anyone else want to share their horror/success stories?

-------
I am new to AP and found my training to be like your training. And my leader left and my district leader is new and away in training and my director only cares about visits. It's totally frustrating. I can't offer any advice for your position, but I can sympathize. I'm just trying to hang in there and look for the opportunities in the obstacles. Good luck!