Archived Is becoming a GSA worth it?

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So last night, completely out of the blue I was approached by two GSTL's and asked if I was interested in becoming a GSA. I said I was, and they immediately started going into how they thought I'd be a great fit and they could definitely see me doing it and further explained to me that they, and a few other higher ups had been talking about it amongst themselves and all agreed that I should apply. I was absolutely ecstatic and flattered and somewhat confused. I'm a cashier, I've worked here for about 4-5 months (which makes me apprehensive because there are sooo many people who have been there much longer than I have), I've been begging to learn GS but there hasn't been any time for them to train me in it yet. We recently got self-checkouts and typically they pick me to run them 90% of the time because they like my interaction with guests and that I'm fairly knowledgeable in the area and rarely if ever have to call someone over to fix/correct something. I was being watched by one of the higher ups who has a reputation for not being easy to please and they actually came up to me and told me I was a very strong team member and they were impressed with the way I do my job. I went home pretty excited and then texted a few former GSA's about it, to which I became less excited about the position. They told me that you are basically thrown to the wolves and they see how well you fare, that most of the time you're just getting chewed out and that it's not worth it for the $.25 or $.50 raise you'd get. Any GSAs or former GSA input would be fantastic. I have two weeks to think about it as I don't turn 21 till then, and our store serves alcohol so I have to be of age. Any help/advice/guidance would be great!
 
Listen to the former GSAs. You do pretty much the same work as a GSTL, including ride the cashiers about Red Cards, and you get a whopping .50 more an hour.
 
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If you want to be a TL someday, I say take it. If you do a good job, it'll get you noticed and get you some experience leading. It worked for me and a couple other GSAs at my store.

Having said that, it's not a job you want to get stuck in for more than a couple years because it is stressful and not worth the minuscule pay increase.
 
GSA, no...but it's sometimes a necessary step before becoming a GSTL. Is GSTL worth it? I dunno, I guess. I think GSTL pay isn't too bad. I wouldn't take GSA for less than a dollar.
 
It is worth doing it IF you want to use the position as a stepping stone towards a TL position. Otherwise it's just a lot of extra stress for an extra 5o cents/hour. One benefit at our store is that GSA never go below 35 hours and get every other weekend off. You will have to learn the service desk and photo (if your store has it) to help team members with service desk/photo issues.
 
One thing I will say is that at my store only GSAs do service desk for the most part, we have two GSAs who only do service desk (never seem to have to oversee the lanes) that said I think its a good challenge. I would take it if you have ambitions to be a team lead in the store someday.

Our new HLTL was a GSA.
 
Unless you aspire to become a TL/ETL with Target in the future or if you a complete masochist, I would steer clear. It's a stressful and thankless job unless you have superb leadership, and even then it can be rough. The $0.50 raise isn't anywhere near worth it.

Take it from those of us who have been in that position, it isn't fun. I only lasted through the holiday season as a GSA before I needed to be transferred elsewhere in the store just to maintain my sanity. People around the store seem to turn up their nose at GSAs, because they think that all they do is boss around cashiers and call for backup but there is so much more to it than that and it is stressful as hell.
 
Ahhh, you guys gave me a lot to think about. I appreciate all the various input. I have no idea what I'd like to do with my future but I figured moving up even if it's only slightly can't hurt me right? I am a little terrified what with holidays coming, I think I'll sit down with a few people in management and see what they think.. I'm just worried they'll be deceptive because we need to fill two GSA spots.
 
You could always try to negotiate wage. GSAs make 13.50 minimum, but some make more.

"What would my hourly wage be if I was a GSA?"

"13.50"

"Eh, I don't know is that it?"
 
You could always try to negotiate wage. GSAs make 13.50 minimum, but some make more.

"What would my hourly wage be if I was a GSA?"

"13.50"

"Eh, I don't know is that it?"

Definitely depends on the store. My store has a base pay of $10.50, so a GSA should make at minimum $11/hr.
 
Uh yeah it's 10.50 in a lot of places. Like, just about anywhere that the minimum is 10.00.
 
I don't know your current situation, but there is more to it than just .50 cents. Generally GSAs get more hours and their schedules are more regular.

With that being said, you're coincidentally being put in a very tough spot. Working a supervisory role on the front end during 4th quarter is probably the most stressful position an hourly TM can hold. You'll have little time to get comfortable in your role before the adnormally angry 4th quarter guests begin hunting you down.
 
On top of that, you also get to have the pleasure of simultaneously being a TM in a supervisory roll. By this, I mean that you are a TL when it's convenient and a TM when it isn't. You're expected to act like a leader and drive your team to success, but it isn't "your team" and you lack all the tools and authority to actually drive results. You are a leader, yet you are unable to coach or write up team members. You are a leader, but you aren't afforded anywhere near the level of communication as your fellow GSTL's. As a GSA, my leadership had far higher expectations of me than even our Sr. GSTL, which was absurd and unfair.

The GSA is a tool created solely so that Target can cut payroll by using an underpaid and overworked position as a replacement for GSTL's. It's a poor man's GSTL.
 
I've posted more than enough rants about the GSA position and my experience with it, but I'll just drop these here.

Don't forget staying on top of hand baskets, hangers, and reshop. Also, you had better be speed-weaving. Oh and hey, the LOD just let you know that one of your closers called out so you have to try to ask cashiers between guests if they would be willing to stay an extra hour or else be a man down. That line at Guest Services is getting pretty long, let me head over and help clear the line. Damn, this is transactions is gonna take a while-- oh, and the cashier on register 11 is completely out of $1 bills (didn't request them, of course) and can't give the guest their change, and I'm still in the middle of doing a complicated return. Okay, return is done, now I can get the cashier their change-- OH, yes ma'am, the restrooms are right over there... 5 feet away... with a big sign. Alright, now the cashier has their change, and I can finally take a look at the break schedule and get caught up. Oh hey, the LOD just walked up and wants to take away a cashier to work on one of the two carts of reshop. It's not like it's busy and I'm already behind on breaks or anything. And now here's the TPS letting me know that a frequent coupon/return fraudster is in the building, so you gotta make sure that you are watching every single guest that goes through the front lanes so that they don't slip through. And guess what? It's been 5 hours since you've clocked in (haven't been able to take your 15, of course) and now you have to figure out who's going to cover for you so that you can take your meal before you go into non-compliance. Also, REDCARDSSS!!!!

Writing that out was enough to increase my blood pressure. I'm glad I'm out of it.

I was scheduled as our backroom closer yesterday (3-11). However, our piece of shit closing GSA called out, so after we finished pulling the 3's they had to pull me to cover the front lanes, the bane of my existence. Wanna guess who I had to close with, on the Saturday before Mother's day? 1 fucking cashier past 8pm, 3 salesfloor team members past 7:30, myself, and a guest service team member. Then my Guest Service TM has to call off because of a family emergency (Can't blame him at all, just fuck my store and their lack of ability to plan coverage appropriate for the day before mother's day) so I had to cover the service desk, run the front lanes, and watch self checkout for the latter half of the night.

It's making my blood pressure rise just thinking about it. We literally had the entire salesfloor on a register, operator and all, for almost two hours straight and the lines were still 7 or 8 plus people deep. There were still pulls on the line and on the floor at 10pm. Well over 15 carts of reshop, nobody had zoned at all. I was furious the entire night. Thankfully our closing LOD is the nicest dude, so he was able to defuse my anger a bit.

But that all came undone later in the night when the overnight crew came in. So you see, what tends to happen when you pull the closing backroom person out of the backroom is that things have an annoying tendency of not getting done, who'd have thunk it, y'know? So when our ETL-REPL came in to run the truck and found that the line wasn't set and that none of the backstock from the 3's or 5's was done, he made the poor decision of taking it out on me, a walking volcano of anger and stress. I came so fucking close to snapping, and he must have picked up on that because he shut right the fuck up. I had to get out of there, told the the LOD I was taking my 30 and vented all of that anger on a fucking trash can out behind the store. People talk about how, in their anger, they kinda black out and act without thinking. I was very, very close to that precipice already and that stupid ETL went and nudged me over the edge. It's a miracle I didn't hit the guy or scream and holler at him. I'm not even an angry man, most people thought of me as the most cool-headed and logical of the GSAs and I've never had an inclination to violence or anger but god damn did this whole shitty situation try my patience.After my 30 minute vent-session, all the LOD said was "Better?" when I got back and that helped immensely.

After all that happened it was fairly anti-climatic, as I still perfectly remembered how to close all the registers and self-checkout, and the foot traffic slowed down to much more manageable levels after around 10 pm. I had to stay to help out the salesfloor team, mostly because they had to spend so much time on backup and I'd feel awful if I just up and left. Thankfully, we were out at 1 am because the LOD told us to not even bother with the zone, just finish the reshop and we could go. So all in all, I go in expecting a 7.5 hour backroom shift, and instead it turns into a 10 hour GSA shift with abysmal coverage and tons of foot traffic. My literal definition of hell.

And at the end of the night? We didn't make sales.
 
You need to run screaming into the night.
Not kidding.
You don't want this position & the fact that others there longer than you aren't suckered considering it bears this out.
GSA is basically a poor man's GSTL & a whipping post to see what you can endure.
Run - don't walk - away from this 'offer'.
 
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Uh yeah it's 10.50 in a lot of places. Like, just about anywhere that the minimum is 10.00.

I apologize I should have said fifty cents over base. Our minimum wage is different from a lot of states.
 
This is kinda upsetting, I felt almost honored like I was doing a good job...
 
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