Archived How do they select trainers at your store?

[mrknownothing]

BR and most leaders don't actually try at my store. Head right for the operator.

Our STL was helping with flex and he had to find a nondescript black swimsuit bottom in ready to wear and he's not entirely familiar with softlines. He had this "oh crap" look the entire time and it took me and another SL team member to help him

Even I make an attempt to find the item before asking for help.

If I have a softlines SPU, I check the department* and brand, then pull up the picture so I have some idea of what I'm looking for. If I can't find it, then I walkie a softlines TM.

*Be careful with departments. Is it girls' or toddler girls'? Is it the activewear department (women's) or is it the C9 section in men's? The descriptions are so vague that it can get confusing sometimes.

 

[Yetive]

Even I make an attempt to find the item before asking for help.

If I have a softlines SPU, I check the department* and brand, then pull up the picture so I have some idea of what I'm looking for. If I can't find it, then I walkie a softlines TM.

*Be careful with departments. Is it girls' or toddler girls'? Is it the activewear department (women's) or is it the C9 section in men's? The descriptions are so vague that it can get confusing sometimes.

I applaud you trying! I was both SLTL and PATL, so I know all of the depts and crazy abbreviations. I always dread pulling in seasonal--no matter what season.

 

[Quattro]

I was training people while I was still in my first 90 days. What were they thinking?

 

[Bosch]

I was handed a name badge with trainer on it.

 

[semantics]

When I was hired there was "training" (here's a box this is how you read it go) certainly something I changed with my workcenter atleast. Training really needs to be a centerpiece. How can you expect great TMs when you never give people much of a chance. Sure it sucks to invest in training because you're essentially paying 2 people to do less than half the work of 1 but at least afterwords you can tell what kind of TM you have.

 

[aj76257]

I was training people while I was still in my first 90 days. What were they thinking?

HR won't let me train until I'm past my 90 days, even though I've asked, which sucks. I think I could do it.

 

[Xanatos]

At my store, we take some time to think of all the best team members in each area. We come up with a plan and make sure there are certain things that each new team member should learn on day 1, 2, etc. We say how new team members will get added to the schedule as extra coverage and they'll have plenty of time to do all their quizzes and spend lots of time with their TL and their trainer.

Then we say "fuck that noise" and just schedule them with someone who isn't a trainer and try to make sure they never actually meet their TL or their ETL. And we wait to do the quizzes until a couple days before they are due and then sometimes forget about them. And then we ask them to go for backup, sometimes without them actually having cashier training yet. And then we freak out like why the hell did they not get cashier trained. And they also don't know how to do anything on the floor like answer the phone or use an endyme.

(Note: this pretty much just applies to sales floor. We all know exactly what the problems are because they've been the same for years and years. And we all know exactly how to fix the problems. And we want to fix the problems. We just don't actually do it. The fuck...)

 

[SalesFloorSylph]

I don't think the learning plan ever told me how to answer the red phones. Same with the other people who came in at the same time I did. I eventually had to figure out by trial and error

 

[Megaparsec]

Anyone who can pass that intense training training course* gets to be a trainer at my store!


*... it's reading a PDF for like 15 minutes...

 

[Redzee]

Hair of dog, eye of newt, newly boiled spaghetti, invocations to the retail pixies. Could explain the strange altar like structure in the fixture room.

 

[hufflepuff]

I didn't even read anything. Came into work for a pizza lunch while they told us what an honor it is to be a trainer.

Now they took all our trainer photos down because apparently they're moving away from 'trainers'.

 

[SalesFloorSylph]

Hair of dog, eye of newt, newly boiled spaghetti, invocations to the retail pixies. Could explain the strange altar like structure in the fixture room.

Oh. So THAT'S why some of the drawers in there are locked.

 

[SalesFloorSylph]

I remember a long time ago they didn't give any of the male sales floor team members softlines training for some reason. Because, you know, folding shirts and picking shoes up off the floor would blow their manliness to bits.
Now one of the guys that was with me in orientation occasionally gets men's and shoe's and there's a GSTL that helps us out in RTW very frequently

 

[Quattro]

HR won't let me train until I'm past my 90 days, even though I've asked, which sucks. I think I could do it.

I'm sure you could. I looked at my TL/ETL-HR like they were nuts when I was given a trainee. However, if you can do your own job well enough, you can just have the trainee shadow you at first. Explain what you're doing, and why you're doing it. That's really all there is to it.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

I don't think the learning plan ever told me how to answer the red phones. Same with the other people who came in at the same time I did. I eventually had to figure out by trial and error

There is nothing in the learning plan. Just go to a spill station & open the door. Most answers are there.

 

[brizzy93]

I'm not an official trainer, but I've had some new team members tossed at me to train. I know I'm good at my job(s) but I don't think I'll ever be comfortable training people lol

 

[Kartman]

I'm a "trainer."

They all quit or get fired.

 

[aj76257]

I'm sure you could. I looked at my TL/ETL-HR like they were nuts when I was given a trainee. However, if you can do your own job well enough, you can just have the trainee shadow you at first. Explain what you're doing, and why you're doing it. That's really all there is to it.

I kind of act as a secondary trainer already. I follow up with new hires to let them know they can come to me with any questions. There's a lot they don't get told on the first day. I remember that wasn't a good experience, and I still learn something now and then. My goal as a trainer would be to set new TMs up so that they won't be unsure about most things.

 

[mrknownothing]

I don't think the learning plan ever told me how to answer the red phones. Same with the other people who came in at the same time I did. I eventually had to figure out by trial and error

When I last had hardlines trainees, they already knew how to zone, read location schematics, and use the MyDevice, so I taught them 3 things:
1. How to clear call buttons, both phones and actual buttons.
2. How to answer phone calls and put them on hold.
3. How to fold towels the Target way.
I never learned these things during my training and I had to figure them out on my own, so I wanted to make sure my class of trainees wouldn't be in that situation.

 

[Dragonlady]

Does anyone know what this "mentor" thing is? I had my picture taken the other day for it.

 

[Xanatos]

Does anyone know what this "mentor" thing is? I had my picture taken the other day for it.

It's just their new buzzword for trainer.