Is this Real Life? (A Market vent thread)

[pfreshdude]

It's gotta be a Target wide-problem

We are still a C&S store and only MAYBE, got 1 case of hamburger and thats it...

I reallllllly miss the days when we ordered this shit ourselves, and were VERY VERY rarely out of stock, and our guest surveys were 90%+

Ya...they changed it to ...SAVE US SO MUCH TIME!!! ALL THE TIME SAVED!!!! even though the actual time saved was probably no more than 20 minutes and its a huge headache when half the meat section is missing

 

[pfreshdude]

You'd think Market would be the priority work center considering it's Thanksgiving week.

But what do I know......

NO..niether is electronics at my store..

Both departments have ZERO overlap in scheduling with just 1 opener and 1 closer...First time in Market where its been like this since we have had Pfresh...the past couple years we had someone come in an work a 10-2, 10-4 or 10-6 and it helped out tremendously. Not to mention we also are pretty much part of the C+S push team now at my store so 3 of the 7 days we spend hours pushing out product and backroom doesnt backstock my morning pulls so I do that too EVERY day

 

[pfreshdude]

My store has made market the priority workcenter for the week.
If there's market CAFs, you better push those before touching any others or you'll be chewed out by the LOD, same goes for strays, and we have to CIHYFS every market guest (AA volume store, does not strictly enforce CIHYFS every guest because nothing would get done).

I've had TMs from other locations and guests comment on how well-stocked our market section is, shame that after this week it will go back to what it was even though market is a large percentage of our sales.

Ya Market is always a huge percentage of sales even though the Margins are really low. It always makes me laugh when they expect so much out of Market but slowly they keep dropping support and expect us to do more and more and more.

I honestly dont know how anyone cleans in their market section. If you are routinely being able to do the monthly cleaning you must have full support of your store, never have to backup or help C+S push and your backroom helps you out a ton

 

[Jack of all Workcenters]

My store has made market the priority workcenter for the week.
If there's market CAFs, you better push those before touching any others or you'll be chewed out by the LOD, same goes for strays, and we have to CIHYFS every market guest (AA volume store, does not strictly enforce CIHYFS every guest because nothing would get done).

I've had TMs from other locations and guests comment on how well-stocked our market section is, shame that after this week it will go back to what it was even though market is a large percentage of our sales.

Ya Market is always a huge percentage of sales even though the Margins are really low. It always makes me laugh when they expect so much out of Market but slowly they keep dropping support and expect us to do more and more and more.

I honestly dont know how anyone cleans in their market section. If you are routinely being able to do the monthly cleaning you must have full support of your store, never have to backup or help C+S push and your backroom helps you out a ton

I've found for some of it, it is actually easier to order replacements rather than clean things.

 

[pfreshdude]

My store has made market the priority workcenter for the week.
If there's market CAFs, you better push those before touching any others or you'll be chewed out by the LOD, same goes for strays, and we have to CIHYFS every market guest (AA volume store, does not strictly enforce CIHYFS every guest because nothing would get done).

I've had TMs from other locations and guests comment on how well-stocked our market section is, shame that after this week it will go back to what it was even though market is a large percentage of our sales.

Ya Market is always a huge percentage of sales even though the Margins are really low. It always makes me laugh when they expect so much out of Market but slowly they keep dropping support and expect us to do more and more and more.

I honestly dont know how anyone cleans in their market section. If you are routinely being able to do the monthly cleaning you must have full support of your store, never have to backup or help C+S push and your backroom helps you out a ton

I've found for some of it, it is actually easier to order replacements rather than clean things.

My shelves are pretty dirty and nasty. Under the fan and platinng we had milk/juice spill down and spread out over like 6 ...4 foot sections. To clean just 1 section took me forever one day because it was thick and coated on and almost impossible to remove in a timely manner. Had to unscrew and turn off the fan and get under the actual shelving where the product is. Still havent finished it. Been months....

Dont know when im supposed to get to it.

Push out ALL morning pulls from 6:30 and 7:30 batches
Complete SDA + QMOS
Deep cull + QMOS
Huddle at 8 plus working Huddle then break
LOD Sales Walk

Fill Milk which apparently is invisible in the backroom to all but me. Came in today and found out it wasnt pushed at all yesterday. Guess who got to push out a whole flatbed of it today..this guy. Also fill eggs while doing this. On Tuesday and Friday we have our milk deliveries and it is routinely 150-200 gallons of Milk to push out to the opposite side of the store. We also have to take the milk from the pallets and put them on flats so its not prepped or anything to work out we have to form our own push. Whats even better is when there is inevitably a spill and you have to clean it up either on the shelves on the floor or one of the gallons on the pallet. Happens 90% of the time and its always so much fun!!!

Backstock all of the morning pulls because I guess backroom is "too busy" or something to do it, ever.

Actually break down my cardboard and put it in the bailer. Not just leave full cartons stacked on top of another in a tub for the closing Market TM to take care of like one of my fellow PAs does.

Do reshop + fill baskets since half the time it will sit empty for half the day unless I do it.
Backup cashier and help answer call boxes and guest questions. More than half of which are not even market related.

Meet with Vendors about upcoming POGs, Survey, and whatever signing or labeling issues that might be occuring. Once a month I set all the wine Sidecaps, ECs, etc.

Receive C+S truck and stage in appropriate area. We are usually the first or second stop so it takes a long freaking time to unload the truck, especially when they have pallets sideways and on both sides. Nothing more frustrating than having your freezer be on the right side and most of your other product on the left.....

Work out C+S M,W,F. Usually have to help out from 10-2 or so on each of those days. Its just expected that I have to work out the truck in order to be done on time even if we ask for more help they never give it to us. Now that it is on flow days its gotten amazingly bad. People coming back late from Lunch not even getting started until after 11 and then only being scheduled til 2 and taking a break in there as well. C+S also BCODES EVERYTHING that we work out so when it comes to the back it allready has the label to backstock, backroom doesnt even have to do it..oh but wait...there is no actual backroom because we have a C+S person backstock all of it for them....AND...it is expected that person do the 12,1,2 pulls for all of Pfresh...must be nice to be backroom huh?

Do the order. I launched in Pfresh so I am still in the habit of actually checking everything in the backroom for dates and freshness and all that. It usually takes me a little longer but thats because I am a lot more thorough on ordering than everyone else and I make sure we arent out of product for days on end like we ALWAYS are when somebody else does the ordering

Thats just the normal stuff that happens on a daily basis for the most part. That doesnt include

Freshness Friday in which I have to QMOS the 1-2 cart full of product.
Having to prep for visits which we had 3 out of the last 4 fridays...go us
Having to zone paper
Having to cover electronics breaks

and a bunch of other things I cant remmber

 

[sigma7]

Sounds like a normal day in consumables.

 

[qmosqueen]

i feel your pain @pfreshdude that's a normal day for me. I'm the only one to fill milk on most days and push bananas, produce (berries/grapes/clementines), meat (which seldom comes out on pullas these days), dairy. and qmos dairy from the dairy cooler, most of our yogurt expires November 30, 2014, especially that NOOSA Pumpkin flavor !

 

[signingminion]

My store has made market the priority workcenter for the week.
If there's market CAFs, you better push those before touching any others or you'll be chewed out by the LOD, same goes for strays, and we have to CIHYFS every market guest (AA volume store, does not strictly enforce CIHYFS every guest because nothing would get done).

I've had TMs from other locations and guests comment on how well-stocked our market section is, shame that after this week it will go back to what it was even though market is a large percentage of our sales.

Ya Market is always a huge percentage of sales even though the Margins are really low. It always makes me laugh when they expect so much out of Market but slowly they keep dropping support and expect us to do more and more and more.

I honestly dont know how anyone cleans in their market section. If you are routinely being able to do the monthly cleaning you must have full support of your store, never have to backup or help C+S push and your backroom helps you out a ton

I've found for some of it, it is actually easier to order replacements rather than clean things.

My shelves are pretty dirty and nasty. Under the fan and platinng we had milk/juice spill down and spread out over like 6 ...4 foot sections. To clean just 1 section took me forever one day because it was thick and coated on and almost impossible to remove in a timely manner. Had to unscrew and turn off the fan and get under the actual shelving where the product is. Still havent finished it. Been months....

Dont know when im supposed to get to it.

Push out ALL morning pulls from 6:30 and 7:30 batches
Complete SDA + QMOS
Deep cull + QMOS
Huddle at 8 plus working Huddle then break
LOD Sales Walk

Fill Milk which apparently is invisible in the backroom to all but me. Came in today and found out it wasnt pushed at all yesterday. Guess who got to push out a whole flatbed of it today..this guy. Also fill eggs while doing this. On Tuesday and Friday we have our milk deliveries and it is routinely 150-200 gallons of Milk to push out to the opposite side of the store. We also have to take the milk from the pallets and put them on flats so its not prepped or anything to work out we have to form our own push. Whats even better is when there is inevitably a spill and you have to clean it up either on the shelves on the floor or one of the gallons on the pallet. Happens 90% of the time and its always so much fun!!!

Backstock all of the morning pulls because I guess backroom is "too busy" or something to do it, ever.

Actually break down my cardboard and put it in the bailer. Not just leave full cartons stacked on top of another in a tub for the closing Market TM to take care of like one of my fellow PAs does.

Do reshop + fill baskets since half the time it will sit empty for half the day unless I do it.
Backup cashier and help answer call boxes and guest questions. More than half of which are not even market related.

Meet with Vendors about upcoming POGs, Survey, and whatever signing or labeling issues that might be occuring. Once a month I set all the wine Sidecaps, ECs, etc.

Receive C+S truck and stage in appropriate area. We are usually the first or second stop so it takes a long freaking time to unload the truck, especially when they have pallets sideways and on both sides. Nothing more frustrating than having your freezer be on the right side and most of your other product on the left.....

Work out C+S M,W,F. Usually have to help out from 10-2 or so on each of those days. Its just expected that I have to work out the truck in order to be done on time even if we ask for more help they never give it to us. Now that it is on flow days its gotten amazingly bad. People coming back late from Lunch not even getting started until after 11 and then only being scheduled til 2 and taking a break in there as well. C+S also BCODES EVERYTHING that we work out so when it comes to the back it allready has the label to backstock, backroom doesnt even have to do it..oh but wait...there is no actual backroom because we have a C+S person backstock all of it for them....AND...it is expected that person do the 12,1,2 pulls for all of Pfresh...must be nice to be backroom huh?

Do the order. I launched in Pfresh so I am still in the habit of actually checking everything in the backroom for dates and freshness and all that. It usually takes me a little longer but thats because I am a lot more thorough on ordering than everyone else and I make sure we arent out of product for days on end like we ALWAYS are when somebody else does the ordering

Thats just the normal stuff that happens on a daily basis for the most part. That doesnt include

Freshness Friday in which I have to QMOS the 1-2 cart full of product.
Having to prep for visits which we had 3 out of the last 4 fridays...go us
Having to zone paper
Having to cover electronics breaks

and a bunch of other things I cant remmber

Yup. I made a spreadsheet for ordering so I can take a quick inventory before every order. Even the other PA using it doesn't prevent us from running out or over ordering in their day. Sadly. Since they started using it it's a bit better though. I can do it order in thirty minutes if I have to with few things getting missed.

Today I pulled milk dated last month off the dang shelf. Which means no less than five people missed it. Me and my mid shift weekend persons least, but definitely all off us. Ugh.

 

[qmosqueen]

Today I pulled milk dated last month off the dang shelf. Which means no less than five people missed it. Me and my mid shift weekend persons least, but definitely all off us. Ugh.

You may have not overlooked it.
It was probably in a reshop cart and a newbie put it back on the shelf, happens all the time at my store.
Or it was left in softlines, toys, electronice, seasonal and then ended up in grocery reshop and then made it back to your milk shelf.

 

[Bosch]

Today I pulled milk dated last month off the dang shelf. Which means no less than five people missed it. Me and my mid shift weekend persons least, but definitely all off us. Ugh.

You may have not overlooked it.
It was probably in a reshop cart and a newbie put it back on the shelf, happens all the time at my store.
Or it was left in softlines, toys, electronice, seasonal and then ended up in grocery reshop and then made it back to your milk shelf.

I am in-stocks and find defected stuff on shelves with the stickers on it all the time, people don't look or read.

 

[signingminion]

Today I pulled milk dated last month off the dang shelf. Which means no less than five people missed it. Me and my mid shift weekend persons least, but definitely all off us. Ugh.

You may have not overlooked it.
It was probably in a reshop cart and a newbie put it back on the shelf, happens all the time at my store.
Or it was left in softlines, toys, electronice, seasonal and then ended up in grocery reshop and then made it back to your milk shelf.

There were six of them...more likely the old man missed the date while muttering to himself about how we are lazy.

 

[signingminion]

I've been trying to order the black label holders for the pfresh the part black shelves. Finally sent it to mysupport and they told me the fixture is now the clear holder that doesn't snap on but is wedged in there like the ones that go on the well?

It was fx4303 (i think) and now it's fx0029? Help?

 

[Produce Queen]

It's so disheartening that every single Sunday AM opening PA shift is like punishment for having Fri & Sat off.

Why doesn't management give one iota of a fuck about market anymore? So much work went into driving this department. It's the only one with positive comps, but it's starting to decline. Wish I didn't care.

Sitting at Starbucks on my break looking out the window and imagining just walking away........

 

[qmosqueen]

I feel your pain. It hasn't been too bad here since I am working almost every Saturday and every other Sunday. Although with our truck today 2 ncns and 1 call off for truck push ouch. We pushed the FDC truck all day long and there is still 4 freezer pallets left. Thank goodness we got some sales floor TMs after ad set to help push the 4 dairy pallets. And I know my stl and ETL log will smart huddle the freezer pallets Monday morning. Back stock is out of control and no empty metros. 10 carts of back stock in dairy and 5 in freezer.

 

[pfreshdude]

It's so disheartening that every single Sunday AM opening PA shift is like punishment for having Fri & Sat off.

Why doesn't management give one iota of a fuck about market anymore? So much work went into driving this department. It's the only one with positive comps, but it's starting to decline. Wish I didn't care.

Sitting at Starbucks on my break looking out the window and imagining just walking away........

HAHA....so true...but the reason I hate sunday is we receive in our C+S truck, we are the first stop on the route, and we have no receiver in so it falls on the Market team/LOD to unload the entire truck because they cant load it correctly.

If you are not stop 1 or 2 on C+S you prob have no idea what I am talking about. It must be really nice to be one of the later stops instead of the truck opening up and it is stuffed all the way to the back with our stores pallets on both sides of the truck and pallets sideways. Sometimes you have to take out more than 1/2 of the truck just to get the product out. Its just a giant pain in the......

Then there is the fact that I have worked every sunday but 2 since August. I have LITERALLY only had Sat/Sun (the real weekend) off ONLY twice in the ENTIRE year of 2014...one of those was requested off. And I am supposedly the "TL" over there since we dont have an official TL anymore, I am the one mostly in charge. Its really great trying to handle vendors when you dont even see half of them...its just so awesome!!

I love working in Market but I know exactly what you are talking about in regards to how the store views market. It breaks down into 2 categories

1. How the store handles the C+S push process
Our flow push and C+S push days used to be on different days so we had a fairly set team of flow team members that did C+S the other 2 days when they werent doing flow. This used to work great since we began to push at 9 and everyone was fresh and ready to go and everyone knew what they were doing and were actually properly trained on how to do C+S.

NOW flow and C+S are on the same day. Usually they are scheduled 10-2 and we have 5 TMs scheduled to do it on average. Problem is they take lunch around 10 usually a late lunch and they dont even get back and ready to go until 10:45 or 10:50 most days. As a note, we BCODE every full box that cant be pushed when we are out on the floor so when it comes back to backstock it has the label allready.

One of those TMs who works C+S also is responsible for the cardboard from the flow process and the other day they werent even done with that until about 12.

Another is responsible for all the lockup/cage items? in Electronics and is forced to finish that entirely before being able to do C+S. The last truck they had 3x the usual ammount to push. This TM backstocks everything that comes back for C+S, pushes C+S when not backstocking, purges out product from WACOs that we can fit a few more out, and has to pull the 12,1,and 2 PM CAFS for all the Pfresh fillgroups.

2 TMs who are REALLY good and fast have been constantly told to go and do backroom after the flow truck even though they are scheduled C+S and are starting to get really pissed off about it. The flow TL or backroom TL keeps stealing them to do backstock and just subs out someone else from Flow who has no idea what they are doing and we have to show them how to do everything on C+S. Usually at least one if not both are scheduled C+S on the heavy truck days (M and F)

On top of all this BS is Market has to help push basically from 11-2 or 2:30 or so every single C+S truck or else it wont get done on time and will sit in the backroom. I personally will not go off doing other things leaving our truck sit in the backroom because some of that product might be empty and id rather have product out to sell than sitting in the back. Cant research either if pallets are in the back.

2. Scheduling, filling/handling callouts, workload

So as far as scheduling goes we do not have mids. Every single year we had at least mids during the week of Thanksgiving and alot of the times during this time of year. This year? Nope...it would only make too much sense. I think they FINALLY scheduled a mid on the weekends the next 3 weeks but it will go back to no overlap and no mids in a few weeks im sure. We also recently moved a TM who hadnt been with Target that long to Market who had called out multiple times the past couple weeks. That TM is scheduled 4 openings this week having more than I do and has no clue what to do and doesnt even know how to order. This person also has called out multiple times the past couple weeks and they have not even attempted to fill the shift or send help for zoning market.

As far as workload goes, with no overlap and no mids, there is too much to do in order to have the workcenter and tasks completed like Target wants. What is cleaning? I wouldnt know since I havent gotten to do it since the summer. Who has time to clean anything? When market team is pulled to help C+S about 10 hours every week, backstock morning pulls because backroom somehow has amnesia and forgets to do it every single day, and being responsible for zoning the entire side of the store from G1-G44 it gets a little crazy.

 

[pfreshdude]

So the last couple days have just been fantastic...where to start

Supposed to have mid over the weekend on both days but we didnt
Had to help backroom do 4 and 5pm pulls both days on the weekend

While receiving C+S someone took another stores pallet and we have it sitting in our backroom. One of the ETLS has called here and there but still dont have an answer as what we are doing with it and now when I get back from break I have to call C+S to figure out wtf is going on with it. Something so simple yet now I have to take time to deal with something that shouldnt of even happened in the first place

C+S push didnt happen monday and we allready received our truck again for Wednesdays push so we have 2 trucks of C+S in the backroom right now still not touched.

 

[pfreshdude]

Gets even better. One of the TMs is out for who knows how long so no opener on Wednesday, Thursday, and no technical closer on Friday, Saturday, Sunday. The mids we had scheduled Saturday/Sunday will be the "closers"

Oh and we STILL have C+S product in the back. Since Sunday we have had C+S push in the back and have not come clean.

Through this whole holiday season we only had a handful of days where we had more than 2 people working.

Market is a train wreck right now and its annoying

 

[qmosqueen]

so the new zoning guidelines for pfresh, say that the fresh meat top shelf have to stand up. Now this looks stupid for the ground meat and the blood runs to the bottom.

Also, my minced garlic has to lay on its side. This is down right stupid, but hey it's from corporate and we must follow the guidelines is what I am told. What next lay the pasta sauce on its side.


does anyone else have to follow these rediculious guidelines for zoning ?? Our store we have to zone everything to a "T" and follow all the guidelines.

 

[Produce Queen]

I'm not going to zone the meat standing up because the blood makes the product visually undesirable. The garlic thing is just silly but okay, whatever.

To think someone is actually getting paid to come up with this crap! Like the current direction to be bold and flex over all active outs in Market. Yeah that's not gonna cause any issues at all *rolls eyes*

How about the FDC just gets their shit together so we don't have so many damn outs all the time?

 

[qmosqueen]

Flex those bakery tables and the lunch meat aisle. When the truck comes in it will take longer to Unflex when the product comes in. This is such a bad idea Get your shit together and just send us our outs.

 

[pfreshdude]

I'm not going to zone the meat standing up because the blood makes the product visually undesirable. The garlic thing is just silly but okay, whatever.

To think someone is actually getting paid to come up with this crap! Like the current direction to be bold and flex over all active outs in Market. Yeah that's not gonna cause any issues at all *rolls eyes*

How about the FDC just gets their shit together so we don't have so many damn outs all the time?

This haha..how about we..oh i dont know..actually HAVE the product we are supposed to...a crazy idea I know

 

[mrknownothing]

I'm not going to zone the meat standing up because the blood makes the product visually undesirable. The garlic thing is just silly but okay, whatever.

To think someone is actually getting paid to come up with this crap! Like the current direction to be bold and flex over all active outs in Market. Yeah that's not gonna cause any issues at all *rolls eyes*

How about the FDC just gets their shit together so we don't have so many damn outs all the time?

This haha..how about we..oh i dont know..actually HAVE the product we are supposed to...a crazy idea I know

But that would make too much sense.

 

[commiecorvus]

so the new zoning guidelines for pfresh, say that the fresh meat top shelf have to stand up. Now this looks stupid for the ground meat and the blood runs to the bottom.

Also, my minced garlic has to lay on its side. This is down right stupid, but hey it's from corporate and we must follow the guidelines is what I am told. What next lay the pasta sauce on its side.


does anyone else have to follow these rediculious guidelines for zoning ?? Our store we have to zone everything to a "T" and follow all the guidelines.

Am I reading that right?
In that the meat will be standing up instead of laying flat?
I've never seen a store do that unless they have a meat counter window and then it's still at an angle, not straight up and down.
I must have the wrong image in my head.

 

[daninnj]

HEY TARGET!!! HOW ABOUT YOU FIX THE INSTOCK ISSUES IN PFRESH AND THEN WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS BULLSHIT FLEXING!!!?

It's lipstick on a pig. I understand we're not a grocery store but when I worked in the dairy department of a ShopRite we rarely had out of stocks and that was with an unlocated backroom! Of course we had a whole staff for just one department but still.

 

[daninnj]

@commiecorvus I wish you can see the rollout guide for this. We're supposed to flex product, use a portable printer and print out a label, attach a flip label holder over the OOS product, and put the label in the holder. Their rationale is people buy more stuff when it looks full. Guess when else it looks full... WHEN WE HAVE THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF PRODUCT IN THE STORE WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF STAFF!!