Archived Just in case Brian decides to see what his Leadership team really needs!!

[Bullseyeprincess]

To save Target and the brand...stop with the harping on us for Guest Service when hours are cut to nothing. I can't service the entire store as LOD when I have only 3 people on the floor on non truck days that aren't part of the process teams...give us back our hours we were promised when we cut TL head count. Get back to the awesome designer lines that people actually wanted...we are a Midwest company, make your buyers buy for Midwesterners...Fix Canada and quit making US stores pay for that mistake...do something about myTime, it's killing us all...promote from within, make it harder for SrTLs without a degree but at least make it an option, I have so much more knowledge than 2/3 of the ETLs and I work harder than them so I would be an asset! Who knows how many more of us you have out there!!

 

[Rock Lobster]

Improve Target.com and the Online Business: We need a better system for online sales. Improve Target.com and reduce mistakes. We all know online shopping is the way of the future and we need a better infrastructure for this medium of business TODAY! Improve the website and the logistics around shipping. Improve selection (I saw that customizable furniture is coming out which is exactly the direction we need to go).

Start Improving Stores to Drive Online Sales: The Brick and Mortar business is changing. The stores themselves need to continue to drive their own sales in ways that make sense (commodities which has been done due to P-Fresh Remodels) but the rest of the store needs to be symbiotic with the online store as well. Electronics Experience and Baby 360 stores look amazing and the same needs to be done to our "Home Goods" departments. Open up the areas, give the guests displays to look at and more options. Give the Team Members and Guests tools to order and drive online sales (which would be customizable in these areas). Imagine a counter or station in Furniture that Team Members can put together a set of furniture for a guest, customize the colors to match, and ship it to the guests house (maybe opening a REDcard and waving all the shipping on the spot!)... The reason I bring up Furniture specifically is because the floor space is wasted! We keep the displays and box stock out on the floor, which is eating away money. The guests have to call a TM over for a flat to carry the items anyway, so why keep them out there? We could expand and carry more displays and more SKUs, maybe even remodel some of the area to allow for them to be on the floor (remember Global Bazaar type setup but with our ACTUAL furniture we sell?) and have us getting guests orders ready? As of right now, it does not drive sales in a productive way. Picture your home area looking like a Bed, Bath, and Beyond but less cluttered, having a majority of your gondolas gone except for major dividers that create a U shape for each major area (bedding, furniture, bath etc.)

Streamline Processes and Replenishment: When the top two objectives are met, less inventory is required to maintain a store. By driving online sales, we do reduce the store sales, but the money is still at Target and we are spending less shipping items to our stores (sometimes unnecessarily) which opens us up to risk of inventory depreciation. With reduced truck size, you can streamline the process more easily and go to push all processes. Remove CAFs and utilize MyTime better (or upgrade it). It really does work in theory, and takes a ton of work to execute at the moment.

 

[commiecorvus]

Focus on customer service.
If you want people to fill up their carts, hell to even come into a brick and mortar store at all you have to offer something special.
Make specialists who work in makeup, shoes, entertainment, electronics, food, small appliances, softlines.
Give them ownership over their areas, the training to know it top to bottom and the hours needed to maintain them.
The people will buy more when helped by knowledgeable, attentive people who aren't being yanked in nine directions at once.

 

[Cel]

Stop pushing Redcards down peoples throats so fucking much.

Stop pushing Redcards down peoples throats so fucking much.

Stop pushing Redcards down peoples throats so fucking much.

They're not a worthless product but they're far from the panacea they're pushed as, and goals have gone up by an amount that would be hilarious if it wasn't intended to be serious recently.

 

[Bullseyeprincess]

We HAVE to have back specialist!! So what if you pay them a little more especially now that we've cut TL head count! How can ONE person run the ENTIRE floor without specialized people to help them?? I miss those days when there were enough people to run a store and actually knew the business. They want us to teach every TM that but really I can barley keep up because of all that I have to do how can I add that to my list. You want sales back invest in payroll...you have to spend money to make money and running a store on bare minimum gives you bare minimum results

 

[Mhugh220]

promote from within, make it harder for SrTLs without a degree but at least make it an option

I wouldn't say make it harder, just make it an option. A Sr.TL's experience is can be more valuable than a degree. A Sr.TL basically does the job of an ETL.

Stop pushing Redcards down peoples throats so fucking much.

This should be a goal, not a metric.

You want sales back invest in payroll...you have to spend money to make money and running a store on bare minimum gives you bare minimum results

2008 is over, now pull your pants up and invest in yourself Target. Stores need more hours to make Target better than its competitors. If I wanted lousy service I would go elsewhere, but everyone knows Target for having great guest service. Bring that back!

My addition - be innovative. Don't take ideas from another company and slap a Target bullseye on it. Offer specialized products that consumers want.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

 

[Backroom81]

2008 is over, now pull your pants up and invest in yourself Target. Stores need more hours to make Target better than its competitors. If I wanted lousy service I would go elsewhere, but everyone knows Target for having great guest service. Bring that back!

This. 1000 times over.

 

[paidtosmile]

Switch back to MAX-FSTL. We actually had sufficient staffing and payroll with that system.

 

[BobLoblaw]

Love this thread already. Such constructive criticism with possible solutions!

My dad is getting up there in age, not super technologically advanced, but knows his way around MS products and his phone. He told me "it feels like your company stopped investing in technology in about 1990." FFS, that is spot on! (sorry, why does "spot on" work so well?)

Fix Canada and quit making US stores pay for that mistake

Think this plays a bigger part in things than we let on right now, unfortunately. Yes, we half-assed it according to the dozen Canadians I've spoken to in store; Targets up there aren't stocked and don't run nearly the same deals to make it stand out. Not including less payroll to set us apart in the ways of service.

That kind of roll out, and we're still making profit...time to invest in yourself!


No Canadian jokes, I think I'm growing as a person.

 

[paidtosmile]

Give STL's and DTL's more power to run their own stores the way THEY want. Let them tweak headcounts, base-pay, raise allowances, etc etc. They're the ones running the store(s), let them determine their store needs.

 

[xNightStockerx]

I dread going to the Target store area where the game systems, cell phones etc... are at. Because there is never anybody there! I always have to hunt down someone than they usually have to page somebody to help me.
Today I needed to buy a cell phone but I could not find anybody....again. I went back twice but no luck. So I left and bought it some where else.
More TM need to be in that area...the busiest place in the store!

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

A lot of tm help for guests.

 

[kingpin003]

Interlink online and instore POS:
Instead of offering rainchecks and substitutions, allow the guest to purchase an item in-store which will be shipped as a typical online order or as a store-ship if the item is on the way. There is no reason we should ever tell a guest an item is out of stock. They will go elsewhere, so we must capture the sale at the impulse. Also, when a guest makes a purchase on Target.com, proactively offer in-store pickup at nearby locations. Position the benefits, potentially offer a small discount for RC holders to offset the shipping costs we would have incurred.

Prioritize Training:
Invest in TMs to reduce turnover. A team that has intimate product knowledge will be more effective than the useless info we offer guests now. As our guests become more technologically savvy, they will typically do their research before they arrive in store. They know more about our products than our TMs do. If we are to provide meaningful service, we need to teach our TMs about the products we sell.

And I think this is just a cool idea... Videogame Vending Machines:
Since we keep these in locked cases, lets tech them up. Each 4-foot section contains a card reader and each price label becomes a button. It's like redbox but simpler. Allow guests to swipe their card and purchase a game without needing a TM to come unlock the case. Electronics TMs would still be available to unlock and procure games as usual, but this would eliminate a vast majority of call-button usage.

 

[redeye58]

Target lost its way & stopped being a leader/trend-setter.
They need to get back to coming up with the unique & innovative concepts that made Target stand out.
-You want outstanding guest service? Three words: fully staffed floor.
-Bring back Global Bazaar, Cheap Chic, Michael Graves & the other brands we were known for.
-The Shops were an over-priced failure; try mini-popups with low price points geared for various occasions (Godiva chocolates for Valentines, bath & boudoir for Mother's Day, Radio Shack for Father's Day, etc).
-Do whatever it takes to fix shipping & FF in time for the holidays. That could get us back in the running.
-Invest in equipment, not gadgets; update the technology too. It's pretty pathetic to have POS systems like ours with transactions that take so long, I could finish a 3 drink order before the receipt prints.

 

[BigEyedPhish]

I dread going to the Target store area where the game systems, cell phones etc... are at. Because there is never anybody there! I always have to hunt down someone than they usually have to page somebody to help me.
Today I needed to buy a cell phone but I could not find anybody....again. I went back twice but no luck. So I left and bought it some where else.
More TM need to be in that area...the busiest place in the store!

My Store's busiest place is Market, yet I am the only one over there, and half my job has to do with the Backroom.

 

[BullseyeBabe]

I want to be a Guest service specialist.
I want to maximize our interactions with every guest.
I want a headset to wear so I can take phone calls from guests from anywhere in the store.
I want an iPad so if we do not have the item in stock that the guest wants I can pull it up and take their payment right there in the aisle and yes sign them up for a red card right there and then to waive shipping.
I want us to treat everyone that comes into our store like a valued guest and show them we are glad they came into our store. That comes naturally to me and I want to train every team member how to do it. Oh, it would be so exciting to see any of this actually happen. I wish they knew the true value of those of us that still care.

 

[commiecorvus]

Invest the one the one thing that will make a difference long term and that is your people.
Not the ones hanging around corporate, though some of them are fine people I'm sure, but the TMs who make Target what it is and will be the ones to count on in the future.
If you want have a profitable powerhouse of a company you have to stop treating your employees like disposable tissues and invest in their well being.

Make sure that they have decent health insurance that is easily accessible and affordable.
Pay them a living wage and recognize their work with real raises.
Give people consistent hours with schedules that meet their needs.
It can be done, other companies do it.

Don't use labor cuts as the go to way to deal with any slide in profits.
Your employees don't deserve that.

 

[salesfloor10]

To save Target and the brand...stop with the harping on us for Guest Service when hours are cut to nothing. I can't service the entire store as LOD when I have only 3 people on the floor on non truck days that aren't part of the process teams...give us back our hours we were promised when we cut TL head count.

This!!! That payroll definitely didn't come back to the store, or whatever small amount they did give us back isn't being used well (dayside sales floor TMs at my store are useless!!!)
I agree with others that we need specialists back! Even if they aren't called specialists that's fine but we need people who are well trained to actually help areas that need more people/knowledge (cosmetics, softlines, electronics).

 

[eleuthreophile]

Wow, you guys have got some really good ideas. Being able to order an item right at the register is brilliant.

 

[wokkawokka]

Quit spreading the TL's and specialists so thin. If Target really is moving towards the VIPER model you NEED people who know their area like the back of their hand and can completely own it. By spreading the TL's all over the floor and having TM's pick up the slack, it's really shown in the gradual reduce in quality and accuracy in the store. I can only speak for pFresh, but back when I had a CTL and us PA's were in pFresh and pFresh only, the area was picture perfect, always Steritech 100% and we made sales because we were ON TOP of all of our instocks and whatnot. Now, our CTL is gone and our TL is spread over the entire store, and the PA's are expected to pick up the slack from the now non-existent CTL position. The lack of attention is really becoming apparent. Before the switch, I could have seen VIPER working amazingly for pFresh. Now, not so much!

 

[Bullseyeprincess]

I love everyone's ideas!! I really hope that Spot takes a look at this and at least has a moment that someone thinks...you know they're right and we should take a look at some of these!! Keep them coming, we are on the front lines everyday we know what guests want and what's not working that they've rolled out. They have to stop being so defensive about programs that don't work and find ones that do

 

[whippingboy]

You want outstanding guest service? Three words: fully staffed floor.

This. This. This.
It's a basic problem that is easily fixed. I'm tired of hearing that because of the credit hack.. yada yada yada. Fix your credit hack and bring back the FFF fully staffed floor.

Oh, and focus on food freshness. I realize market/produce isn't the top seller in the stores but it brings people in the door - and can quickly turn people away! Can't be fresh without the manpower to freshen it!

 

[BobLoblaw]

Invest the one the one thing that will make a difference long term and that is your people.
Not the ones hanging around corporate, though some of them are fine people I'm sure, but the TMs who make Target what it is and will be the ones to count on in the future.
If you want have a profitable powerhouse of a company you have to stop treating your employees like disposable tissues and invest in their well being.

Make sure that they have decent health insurance that is easily accessible and affordable.
Pay them a living wage and recognize their work with real raises.
Give people consistent hours with schedules that meet their needs.
It can be done, other companies do it.

Don't use labor cuts as the go to way to deal with any slide in profits.
Your employees don't deserve that.

This seems like such a fundamental idea. Yes, payroll is your biggest expense but it also has the most adverse affect on profits when you cut it to pieces. There are some amazing leaders in my store with nobody to lead!

I understand cutting costs when profit isn't as high as projected, but why not get rid of the crappy forecasters? If my store is any example, investing in some equipment, growing the balls to let go of some of those that drag the store down, and putting that time/effort into development would come back ten fold.

Glad this is a place to bitch about stuff. Even though Spot does raises as "merit based" each year, I swear there are 10 people making minimum wage that run circles around the 20 making double that because they've been with the company for 10 years.

Putting 10% effort into 10 things isn't going to make 100% change. Insightful, I know.

 

[thetargetman]

please lets go back to how things were with proper staffing, consistent hours, better training, please Brian you can make it happen man! Also please lets do a "reward card" so the guests can save 5% and not end up having to open a credit card I have seen so many forcing down Guests' throats!

 

[tgtguy]

One of my biggest pet peeves with Spot is the fact that we ( team members) are constantly told...Don't forget to vibe....yet it seems that Spot forgets that the vibe should be a two sided coin....treat your team members the way you want them to treat the guests. Spot empowers us to replace a guests Starbucks drink if they spill it on the floor to "vibe" it up....and the team cant even get respect. Respect is free...so it wouldn't even affect payroll Mr Spot !