Is this Real Life? (A Market vent thread)

[BullseyeStyle]

We are an A volume store and we were given 350 hours I just had to fight them for 450. I cant get anything done and we leave over product its so annoying.

I feel you. I’m an A+ volume store. Our STL took dry away from our market team and gave it to flow. It’s been a total disaster. We had 14 people on our team, two have left and the rest of us have to fight for hours doing C&S which comes four days a week. It’s just not enough time. Target is failing at grocery and it’s their own fault.

 

[signingminion]

Overposted is right

butt they don't get enough hours and can't possibly get it all done...

 

[qmosqueen]

butt they don't get enough hours and can't possibly get it all done...

I think you forgot the sarcasm font.

 

[Flow Warrior]

I will take green peppers and cucumbers any day relative to those juices. Exception would be the big fruits like cantaloupes, watermelons, etc where they send 6 cases of it. At one point they sent us 33 cases of navel oranges for whatever reason. Even after TPCing the hell out of it we were lucky to get it down to 25 cases. I was getting to the point of asking the GSTL to hand out a case of oranges everytime someone opened up a redcard.

I would take that challenge.

 

[Flow Warrior]

B volume is actually a low volume store. They are overposted.

Can you explain that? (why its like that)

 

[glo]

Can you explain that? (why its like that)

They’re getting more hours than allotted.

 

[qmosqueen]

They’re getting more hours than allottede.

I see cuts coming for rest of February and first three weeks of March. Then hours for Easter April 1. Cuts again for April and most of may.

 

[Flow Warrior]

They’re getting more hours than allotted.

I understood that. Sorry I should have been clear. Why is that over the allotment? I feel the problem is the allotments are far beneath what is realistic. (when I say far beneath, I mean go up to an open balance of a 10th floor building and look at the street below. You are the reality and the street is the allotment.)

This is the question I would like asked for anyone who is in HR. Why does spot actually this is good?

 

[HRZone]

This is the question I would like asked for anyone who is in HR. Why does spot actually this is good?

Targets algorithm for how many hours you need for a work center can be accurate. For hardlines, plano, etc. It actually pretty much gives us what we need.

With store modernization it gives you hours for market and apparel based on how many units you are getting. Unfortunately this allotment doesn't take into account guest service, research and other task that can't really be measured in how much freight a truck is projected to bring in 4 weeks in advance.

 

[groceryteamlead]

I feel you. I’m an A+ volume store. Our STL took dry away from our market team and gave it to flow. It’s been a total disaster. We had 14 people on our team, two have left and the rest of us have to fight for hours doing C&S which comes four days a week. It’s just not enough time. Target is failing at grocery and it’s their own fault.

I think that Target isnt failing with food. They're getting better and know what they want but aren't getting the hours right. They are still being scare with them. I use to work in an A+ store and we use to get 600 to 650 hours which is alot and alittle extra but that store is the top food store in the district and one of the best in the group. When hours are poured in with the right leaders in place, food at Target can be amazing and help your store comp overall. Ever since I took over this new store and told them to give me more hours, we begin to comp up and so does the store overall cause when guests shop for food they will naturally shop for other things. Plus food drives most of the sales for the entire company and store.

 

[groceryteamlead]

Targets algorithm for how many hours you need for a work center can be accurate. For hardlines, plano, etc. It actually pretty much gives us what we need.

With store modernization it gives you hours for market and apparel based on how many units you are getting. Unfortunately this allotment doesn't take into account guest service, research and other task that can't really be measured in how much freight we brought in how big a truck is projected to be 3 weeks in advance.

They should find a better way to do that. Honestly I cant think of anything but I dont doubt some of the bright people in HR could. Once they do that then Target can get food right.

 

[groceryteamlead]

Anyone have really light product in their coolers? Like not alot of product. We get 5 trucks a week for C&S and we are a busy store but not nearly enough to have a packed and over flowing cooler. C&S is sending alot and I dont know if its Target telling them too or C&S but its crazy. I could not get a truck for a week and be okay. I heard C&S has been having alot of management changes our trucks always come in with toppled over pallets. Really annoying

 

[Flow Warrior]

Targets algorithm for how many hours you need for a work center can be accurate. For hardlines, plano, etc. It actually pretty much gives us what we need.

With store modernization it gives you hours for market and apparel based on how many units you are getting. Unfortunately this allotment doesn't take into account guest service, research and other task that can't really be measured in how much freight a truck is projected to bring in 4 weeks in advance.

So this is done using an algorithm that doesnt take into account the very purpose of the store existing (IE guest service) and the basic maintenance of the guests interacting with the product.

That explains alot. Its also one of the dumbest things to do.

It my opinion it appears to be broken. At least, this can be fixed. I was afraid you would comment on rules and people with degrees doing things etc.

 

[glo]

So this is done using an algorithm that doesnt take into account the very purpose of the store existing (IE guest service) and the basic maintenance of the guests interacting with the product.

That explains alot. Its also one of the dumbest things to do.

It my opinion it appears to be broken. At least, this can be fixed. I was afraid you would comment on rules and people with degrees doing things etc.

It’s meant to balance workload and the hours across all work centers within the number of hours the store gets. Sound great, but whatever formulae they use don’t seem to work.

 

[Bethy]

So this is done using an algorithm that doesnt take into account the very purpose of the store existing (IE guest service) and the basic maintenance of the guests interacting with the product.

That explains alot. Its also one of the dumbest things to do.

It my opinion it appears to be broken. At least, this can be fixed. I was afraid you would comment on rules and people with degrees doing things etc.

Soo what’s your better solution? Just let TLs schedule whatever they think they might need?

Obviously the current system isn’t perfect, but if each store TL just decided how many hours they needed then everyone would be overstaffed and wasting money. Ideally it would be cool to give each TL a budget or hours per a set time then they could allocate as they see did, but this would obviously be even more disastrous...

My solution would be to be able to schedule more TMs in “flex” shifts. Not flex fulfillment, but flex as in just flexible. Like depending on the day, they might be helping in the backroom or front-end or working pulls. Or any combination of that (maybe cashier then work pulls at 1 and 3). From working in different workcenters nearly every shift, the ineffciency I’ve noticed just kills me! One night I’ll be cashiering and there’s 4 of us working, totally dead, so we’re bored and zoning onespot or refilling checklane giftcards all night. Then next day I’m BR or SF and we’re overwhelmed with stuff to do and the TL says that most of this is catch-up from yesterday (or last week), but we just didn’t have anyone to do it then.... ugh we had a whole team of cashiers twiddling their thumbs yesterday...
Literally almost a daily occurrence that some workcenters have extra hands just messing around while others are crushed by their workload. But nope, not supposed to work in another workcenter unless specifically approved for that shift.

Sorry for rant. Inefficiency is a huge pet peeve

 

[GSAguy]

Soo what’s your better solution? Just let TLs schedule whatever they think they might need?

Obviously the current system isn’t perfect, but if each store TL just decided how many hours they needed then everyone would be overstaffed and wasting money. Ideally it would be cool to give each TL a budget or hours per a set time then they could allocate as they see did, but this would obviously be even more disastrous...

My solution would be to be able to schedule more TMs in “flex” shifts. Not flex fulfillment, but flex as in just flexible. Like depending on the day, they might be helping in the backroom or front-end or working pulls. Or any combination of that (maybe cashier then work pulls at 1 and 3). From working in different workcenters nearly every shift, the ineffciency I’ve noticed just kills me! One night I’ll be cashiering and there’s 4 of us working, totally dead, so we’re bored and zoning onespot or refilling checklane giftcards all night. Then next day I’m BR or SF and we’re overwhelmed with stuff to do and the TL says that most of this is catch-up from yesterday (or last week), but we just didn’t have anyone to do it then.... ugh we had a whole team of cashiers twiddling their thumbs yesterday...
Literally almost a daily occurrence that some workcenters have extra hands just messing around while others are crushed by their workload. But nope, not supposed to work in another workcenter unless specifically approved for that shift.

Sorry for rant. Inefficiency is a huge pet peeve

Same. Some days I’m calling guest first every time I turn around. Other days, I’m sending cashiers to the sales floor with reshop or whatever the LOD needs.

 

[signingminion]

Soo what’s your better solution? Just let TLs schedule whatever they think they might need?

Obviously the current system isn’t perfect, but if each store TL just decided how many hours they needed then everyone would be overstaffed and wasting money. Ideally it would be cool to give each TL a budget or hours per a set time then they could allocate as they see did, but this would obviously be even more disastrous...

My solution would be to be able to schedule more TMs in “flex” shifts. Not flex fulfillment, but flex as in just flexible. Like depending on the day, they might be helping in the backroom or front-end or working pulls. Or any combination of that (maybe cashier then work pulls at 1 and 3). From working in different workcenters nearly every shift, the ineffciency I’ve noticed just kills me! One night I’ll be cashiering and there’s 4 of us working, totally dead, so we’re bored and zoning onespot or refilling checklane giftcards all night. Then next day I’m BR or SF and we’re overwhelmed with stuff to do and the TL says that most of this is catch-up from yesterday (or last week), but we just didn’t have anyone to do it then.... ugh we had a whole team of cashiers twiddling their thumbs yesterday...
Literally almost a daily occurrence that some workcenters have extra hands just messing around while others are crushed by their workload. But nope, not supposed to work in another workcenter unless specifically approved for that shift.

Sorry for rant. Inefficiency is a huge pet peeve

this is literally my life. Scheduled signing/ pog/ pricing but.... flow called out? Truck or truck/ push. Market called out push dry/ coolers/ candy. Sfs called out? Support the team and business needs are my daily directive. Most team members at my store are not as cross trained though.

 

[pfreshdude]

I feel you. I’m an A+ volume store. Our STL took dry away from our market team and gave it to flow. It’s been a total disaster. We had 14 people on our team, two have left and the rest of us have to fight for hours doing C&S which comes four days a week. It’s just not enough time. Target is failing at grocery and it’s their own fault.

Pretty much this....They want it to be ran perfectly but skimp on the hours needed to do it how is needs to and SHOULD be done. We get in probably about 1,100 pieces of flow or so a week for Dry Market Push and probably another 1,000 or so of C&S each week. All of it has to be broken down, pushed, bcoded(C&S), and backstocked. That takes ALOT of time when we are pushing C&S at night when guests are all over the place as well. We get 2,000 or so pieces of Truck push a week and it eats up SO MANY HOURS. We get 130 hours a week lately for the ENTIRE process...like..are you kidding me.

They want out research done EVERY day for the entire market area, the research task list which usually is like half of the entire tasklist for Market items, the Check Dates which is usually 50 or so every day. Today I had almost an entire QMOS white tub full of liquid I had to dump out from the check dates which obviously took a little extra time to do. Also have unloading the C&S trucks, pushing out milk, doing the orders, pulling the 6am, 1pm autofills and 5pm autofills on weekends, then pushing out and backstocking them. Then guest service which is great since we have to go through seasonal everytime we have to go to the backroom. Which sidenote, doesnt help out Pfresh is on the opposite side of the store as our backroom, I know some stores their backroom is right next to their market/Pfresh section.

Then while pushing the trucks they want us to zone and research the outs as we do that for Dry Market area. It doesnt really ever get touched outside of that so sometimes the zone is just trashed. Also forgot going through the CULL every morning, and doing all the coupons and filling baskets in our market area because noone ever does it and if I dont its ALWAYS empty(this doesnt take really any extra time just another task to do)

I think we actually have LESS hours NOW then we did when Flow got the hours for all the truck push if you counted how many hours they got added to what we got. I guess they figure since its all the same team or process its more efficient which in some ways it is..but there is still ALOT that needs to be done

 

[Bethy]

Same. Some days I’m calling guest first every time I turn around. Other days, I’m sending cashiers to the sales floor with reshop or whatever the LOD needs.

When you have down-time, please please teach cashiers basic salesfloor stuff. Just as SF has to know cashier to fill in, should be some cashiers able to at least help do pulls for checklanes...

 

[pfreshdude]

Soo what’s your better solution? Just let TLs schedule whatever they think they might need?

Obviously the current system isn’t perfect, but if each store TL just decided how many hours they needed then everyone would be overstaffed and wasting money. Ideally it would be cool to give each TL a budget or hours per a set time then they could allocate as they see did, but this would obviously be even more disastrous...

My solution would be to be able to schedule more TMs in “flex” shifts. Not flex fulfillment, but flex as in just flexible. Like depending on the day, they might be helping in the backroom or front-end or working pulls. Or any combination of that (maybe cashier then work pulls at 1 and 3). From working in different workcenters nearly every shift, the ineffciency I’ve noticed just kills me! One night I’ll be cashiering and there’s 4 of us working, totally dead, so we’re bored and zoning onespot or refilling checklane giftcards all night. Then next day I’m BR or SF and we’re overwhelmed with stuff to do and the TL says that most of this is catch-up from yesterday (or last week), but we just didn’t have anyone to do it then.... ugh we had a whole team of cashiers twiddling their thumbs yesterday...
Literally almost a daily occurrence that some workcenters have extra hands just messing around while others are crushed by their workload. But nope, not supposed to work in another workcenter unless specifically approved for that shift.

Sorry for rant. Inefficiency is a huge pet peeve

I dont think there is a single day we have nothing to do in market..there is always a shit load to do

 

[Greenandred]

My store is now timing team members with a stop watch that is tied to the u-boat in dry grocery to see how fast they are at completing their aisles on truck days. Since I am a PA and push P-Fresh this doesn't apply to me yet, but my team lead said he would see about finding a way to do it. Anyone else doing this? With the cut hours it is a bad idea in my opinion.

 

[Malkiacera]

My store is now timing team members with a stop watch that is tied to the u-boat in dry grocery to see how fast they are at completing their aisles on truck days. Since I am a PA and push P-Fresh this doesn't apply to me yet, but my team lead said he would see about finding a way to do it. Anyone else doing this? With the cut hours it is a bad idea in my opinion.

My old CTL requisitioned small magnet back timers and we found majority of vehicles could be done via 1min per box in dry. Unfortunately that is just pushing. Doesn’t include zoning, rotating, tossing cardboard, helping guests.

 

[LaTarjetaRoja]

My store is now timing team members with a stop watch that is tied to the u-boat in dry grocery to see how fast they are at completing their aisles on truck days. Since I am a PA and push P-Fresh this doesn't apply to me yet, but my team lead said he would see about finding a way to do it. Anyone else doing this? With the cut hours it is a bad idea in my opinion.

just fuck my FEFO up

 

[IWishIKnew]

My store is now timing team members with a stop watch that is tied to the u-boat in dry grocery to see how fast they are at completing their aisles on truck days. Since I am a PA and push P-Fresh this doesn't apply to me yet, but my team lead said he would see about finding a way to do it. Anyone else doing this? With the cut hours it is a bad idea in my opinion.

Depending on what they're going to do with this information, it could be good. If they're trying to gather info on how long it really takes to complete an aisle, including guest service and breaks and all of that, it could be good if the store can use it to justify more hours (eg. Look! Here's how much the hours cut is costing us in time to get shit out!). Or if you've got slacker TMs that will likely show up, too, and could be a way to performance out the slackers.

I don't have a ton of faith that the info will be used in a useful manner, but that's how I would use it.

 

[Greenandred]

I think my STL wants to make sure that everyone is performing up to maximum efficiency. A couple of my team members may occasionally slack so it may be to do with that.