I got coached because a guest pushed a flat to the front end.

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Seriously, they can do it a home depot. I don't see what the big deal is. I was helping a guest, pulled a patio for him from the back. The were a few empty flats on the floor, and since he noticed it didn't fit in the cart, they used a flat. I'm flow and we were one of the stupid stores that went to 6am. so we can;t really afford to be held up by guest. My ETL told me to get back to work and let Salesfloor handle it, but aren't we salesfloor?
 
Guest can't push flats. My guess is insurance doesn't cover a guest pushing a flat because they are not for customer use like they are at Home Depot, Lowe's, Sam's, etc.
 
There are so many things wrong with this, I don't know where to start...

First, we aren't Home Depot. If Spot wants to consider moving the flats as "work," then they can do that.
Ok, if you pulled it from the back, how did you get it from the back to the guest?
No matter how, it was your responsibility to be sure that the guest got it to the front lanes in the proper manner (by you or another TM trucking it up there for them).
We're a 7:30am store, so I do get this.
But you can't afford to be held up by a guest??? I seriously hope this is not the attitude of your store. Without those pesky guests, there would be no need to stock the shelves, or money for you to get a paycheck. Remember, the guest simply sees someone in red and khaki who works at the store who can help them. They don't care if you think you are exempt.
If your ETL said, "stop helping this guest, we'll take a gamble that someone on the salesfloor team comes along and helps them instead." You have a serious problem with the guest service culture in your store.
And now I understand why 88% gets my store the number one spot in the group for overall guest service.
 
No matter how far behind it's going to put you on your tasks the guests come first.
Company policy is that customers don't push flats.
So yeah, it was a fair cop.

If your ETL told you to bail and let a floor TM take over, you still would have had to stay with them until someone showed up.
The rule is you don't just leave a customer stranded, you have to pass them off to another person.
So you might as well have brought it to the front.
 
There are so many things wrong with this, I don't know where to start...

First, we aren't Home Depot. If Spot wants to consider moving the flats as "work," then they can do that.
Ok, if you pulled it from the back, how did you get it from the back to the guest?
No matter how, it was your responsibility to be sure that the guest got it to the front lanes in the proper manner (by you or another TM trucking it up there for them).
We're a 7:30am store, so I do get this.
But you can't afford to be held up by a guest??? I seriously hope this is not the attitude of your store. Without those pesky guests, there would be no need to stock the shelves, or money for you to get a paycheck. Remember, the guest simply sees someone in red and khaki who works at the store who can help them. They don't care if you think you are exempt.
If your ETL said, "stop helping this guest, we'll take a gamble that someone on the salesfloor team comes along and helps them instead." You have a serious problem with the guest service culture in your store.
And now I understand why 88% gets my store the number one spot in the group for overall guest service.
Helping the guest wasn't the problem, I was fully prepared to help, which i why I pulled a giant patio set from the back. The problem is as I was helping the guest, I was told to got back to work. The salesfloor TM was also helping but he got pulled by another guess right before I was told to go back to work. The guess saw an empty flat and took. How is that my fault?
 
You may be able to explain that your ETL told you had to leave the guest and work on this other task. But getting a flat away from a guest is one of the most top priorities TMs must follow.

From day one, I was always told that guests should not be pushing flats. Even if you are not the TM helping them, but just see it happening, you are to approach the guests and offer to push the flat for them. Its a liability issue for the store if a guest clips another guest, or the flat runs outside and hits a car.

Roll cages and even pallet jacks are to be off the floor during operating hours unless there is no other means.
 
We always have guests that try to grab their own flats when they come up to the front. it usually turns into me chasing after them all panicky saying "Oh here I'll push that for you!" repeatedly because they insist that "oh I got it" is acceptable and they can push it themselves.
 
We always have guests that try to grab their own flats when they come up to the front. it usually turns into me chasing after them all panicky saying "Oh here I'll push that for you!" repeatedly because they insist that "oh I got it" is acceptable and they can push it themselves.

This. But usually it's me trying to scramble out from behind guest services as the guest is grabbing the flat to haul off to where ever. Occasionally I've had to be blunt, when a guest won't take the, "let me help you with that" hint and straight up tell them that if they touch that flat, I'm a dead person.
 
Talk to your HR ETL.. or if you have to STL.. because you shouldn't be coached for following orders.. its okay to be blunt with guest by the way..saves time to say "we are not allowed to let guests use our equipment..company rule but also love to help and paid to give you this help"
 
I hate when guests try and grab flats themselves from up by GS, especially when they don't get the hint from clearly listening to me calling on the walkie for a team lift guest carryout (or whatever).
 
What a sad world we live in when a grown adult can't be trusted to push a flat throughout a store. Somebody, somewhere, way back, must've done something to get hurt or hurt someone else and ruined it for everyone else. Sheesh....
BTW, why isn't the furniture you put together yourself under lock and key? You ever try to get one of those boxes down? They are HEAVY and AWKWARD! Yes, I know they say Team Lift on them but do you think guests know that or read the boxes? No.
Why not lock up the knives and scissors? omg, I could go on...
 
To be fair if you've ever been whacked in the shins by a flat you'll have some idea. Combine that with insurance not covering it and it's not really surprising. Granted I probably run over my foot while out in the parking lot getting carts at least once a month, or smash a finger inside the basket area. Doesn't help that I'm usually exhausted and/or melting in the heat and sun.
 
I can understand customers thinking it's alright to push flats... But when they go into the backroom to get 3 tiered carts... Just wtf? That's all I can say. I did get screamed at when I tried to offer to transfer her items into an actual shopping cart. Some people...
 
Anyway back to the OP, I understand your frustration. When I was GSA my GSTL ordered me to do a return we shouldn't have done... And then the same GSTL coached me for doing the return... The same day!!! Talked to ETL-HR and STL but they were useless and told me I was wrong. I hate to say it but your leadership is probably equally as terrible because, well, it's target. That doesn't mean it's not worth a shot to talk to your ETL-HR just don't get your hopes up that anything will change for the better.
 
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