Archived Hardlines TL drowning...

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I'm going to list the problems I've been called out for, my solutions so far and then my feelings on the whole thing. I'm really looking for an outsider opinion here. What am I not doing that I should be doing and am I really just victimizing myself and need to get over it?

So these are the problems:

  • It's transition time in domestics and half of my aisles are in transition, were in transition or just finished setting.
  • My clearance endcaps are filling and emptying within a week of each other so keeping them full is a challenge and keeping them brand even more so.
  • A lot of my salesplanners, especially front, started to break last week or the week before
  • Domestics is a tough gig to get zoned, most of our team members are scared of zoning it (something about the towels and the fact that it's 109 aisle zone typically done by a single person) so I frequently have brand issues on this side.
  • Signing issues in small appliances
  • Displays missing in small appliances


That's all I can think of right now.

These are the solutions I've done:
  • I've been PTMing aggressively since January, making sure aisles look full. The only aisles I haven't PTMed are the dinnerware trend run and home decor trend runs. The dinnerware trend run is light, the home decor ones not so much.
  • I had been keeping my clearance endcaps brand and zoned up until last week when I received feedback that I was spending too much time keeping them brand. I have however partnered with closing zoners for domestics and shown them how I expect the clearance endcaps to look like. This has more or less worked...some endcaps better than others.
  • Because my salesplanners started to break early, I have been setting this week (92 salesplanners) and next weeks SP. There is a TL in training that sometimes helps me out, I frequently split my tasks with him: PTMing/clearance endcaps/zone to POG/setting salesplanners/etc. However if I'm not there they pull him to other parts of the store. Also, because of my salesplanners being such a huge focus I have been unable to find time to PTM home decor and dinnerware trend runs the past two weeks.
  • Every time I close I zone to POG as much of my side as possible (usually about 3/4 of the area). I have partnered with my peers on zoning expectations, partnered with closing team members to show them my expectations and coached those who did not meet them. I've made sure new hires zone domestics with myself so they can learn what their expectations are and I can correct them if they do something wrong. I've always rotated through several experienced team members to try and find one who would excel in domestics (unsuccessful on that so far.) I have also had several conversations with the flow TL about flow team members stocking incorrectly on my side. I've also asked for her and her TM's partnership on identifying zoning issues, especially if they look as if they were caused by an improper closing zone so I can have a conversation with the responsible TM.
  • I fixed small appliances signing last weekend but I'm still missing displays due to us not having the product (probably because small appliances is breaking and will go PTM soon)

I have only been a TL for a year with no prior management experience and it was a very rough year. I went through three store managers and two different ETLs. The first ETL never had a complaint about me, she always told me I was doing a fabulous job. For most of the second half of the year I rarely had status's with my ETL and I hardly received feedback from any of the other ETLs. If I was doing something wrong, I sure as heck wasn't made aware of it. It hasn't been until January that I started receiving feedback and I feel as if everyone is disappointed that I'm not 'where I should be' even though I really had no guidance at all last year. Plus, compared to where I was last year I think I've improved leaps and bounds.

My last status my ETL told me if I have to come to her for ideas on how to fix domestics issues, which I never do go to her for ideas in the first place, then my ability to to be a TL would be questioned. And yet she keeps having to explain why domestics is red to our STL...but the only thing she's doing to try and help is brow beat me over and over again and now I can't ask her for help even if I was prone to doing so because apparently that makes me a poor leader.

Perhaps I am just playing the victim, but when I see my ETL going out of her way to help market and electronics TL with the same issues she says I have with my side I become very frustrated and irate. This last status she made me feel like I was two inches tall and I spent half of it trying not to cry because everything coming out of her mouth just said I suck. She's always told me if I need to release some of my frustration I could talk to her, now I've been told I can't do so unless I already have a solution to what's causing me frustration which...just makes me more frustrated. I don't even know where to turn anymore. It feels like I'm drowning in the deep of a swimming pool because I don't know how to swim and she's just standing there lecturing me and saying it's my fault for not knowing how to swim in the first place.
 
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Well it's good to know that I'm not the only one at least. For a moment I thought I was going crazy and missing the secret to being a good TL that apparently my peers know...

But complaining aside, I really am looking for suggestions on what I can do better and how I can make sure my side is green...
 
know your team well(when you have a team) & do your saleplanners when possible. our payroll hours are cut badly this week, very little time to do anything.
 
Here is a way to try and keep endcaps more full with clearance selling down and salesplanners breaking - though you are shooting for PTMs and Stand-Alone PTMs, also pull up the Backroom Detail Report and using the "Sort by Status" button, pull any discontinued product which may not be coming out in the PTM pulls (i.e. the D-Code, NOP items). Also, when doing the PTMs, make sure that you are using the Alternate Fill function and pull Carry Forward items along with the D-Coded items. Create new labels for the items you are flexing either in the aisles or on Endcaps. Hopefully this helps out.
 
partner with your presentation tl. with a great partnership, you can arrange for the aisles to be set before/as they break. to handle all the clearance, we used one towel run. we went ahead and set all the other aisles, and merchandised all the clearance on one run. this way, it's easier for the team to know where to put things, and we arranged it by aisle as we took it down. so there are 8 feet of towels, 8 feet of bathroom stuffs, pillows, etc. grouped together/by percentage. so, make friends with your ptl. jump in and offer to help set/push if they can set your aisles. take partnership with your fellow tl. help them when their spl reset, and hope they return the favor (sometimes you really have to assist them with the returning part).
when your pog team set small apps, have them use double sided tape to hold the display signs in. this way, when the sf pulls the ad signs out, they won't pull out your display signs too. clearance displays are removed once the items are sold out. so if you ptm the aisle and don't have ncf product for the display, pull it and have it damaged out or trash it (depending on if its sellable or not. we throw away our extra parts when we set, because guests that buy clearance displays will just bring them back saying crap is missing anyways. we damage everything out.)
document your direction with your team for your development. it looks great on your status. partner with a tl who is experienced and ask for honest feedback. only communicate when necessary with your etl, and always 100% brand. document every conversation you have. if you are new in role, send out an email to your peers/etl group and ask for feedback for your improvement. involve your stl. if your stl is lod for the day, take the opportunity to ask him/her to walk your department with you. share your concerns and ideas. or just drop in and ask to chat. you'll learn, etls are a dime a dozen. you may very well be there long after they are gone. just do your job, document your issues, be upbeat, and help your peers (even when they don't deserve it). you will develop a good rep with your tl group and tm, and your tm are ultimately the ones that will have your back. this forum is a great place to learn, and we have tons of different tm/tl/etl/stl perspectives to learn from. don't let a bum etl get you down!
 
I was going to reply and give tons of advice (good and bad), but I'm out of all types of mind/mood altering substances and reading your post got me annoyed. Just tell your sorry ass ETL that while she's sitting her ignorant ass in TSC texting her friends, you're trying to run a damn store and make the company money. So she can either come out and show you how to get it done as she expects, or to stay out of your business so you can get your **** done.

I bet it's her first manager position and the STL is riding her ass over something, the dumb ***** doesn't know what to do so she's blaming you.
 
Here is a way to try and keep endcaps more full with clearance selling down and salesplanners breaking - though you are shooting for PTMs and Stand-Alone PTMs, also pull up the Backroom Detail Report and using the "Sort by Status" button, pull any discontinued product which may not be coming out in the PTM pulls (i.e. the D-Code, NOP items). Also, when doing the PTMs, make sure that you are using the Alternate Fill function and pull Carry Forward items along with the D-Coded items. Create new labels for the items you are flexing either in the aisles or on Endcaps. Hopefully this helps out.

Also, if you have any empty endcaps, consider using Store Tie to bring out NOP items, especially ones that are discontinued. Remember to communicate with your team and others (i.e. Pricing and Instocks) when you flex or Store Tie items so everyone is on the same page.
 
What is the function in the pda that allows you to pull out disc and nop. Seems like we end w loads of that crap stockpiled in certain br areas
 
What is the function in the pda that allows you to pull out disc and nop. Seems like we end w loads of that crap stockpiled in certain br areas

If you're talking about items that PTM misses, you can probably just EXF them (very carefully) using the backroom detail report.
 
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