- Joined
- Oct 8, 2015
- Messages
- 19
Sorry ahead of time for basically writing a novel here! I've got four big chunks of related questions, so I get that it's pretty unreasonable to expect a response to everything I've asked, but any help is 1000% appreciated.
I'm a cashier at my Target, totally new to the company and using modern registers (at my other job I've been working with prehistoric, cranky registers.) When everything goes well, I actually love it. I've had more genuinely nice guests in my two days as cashier for Target than in my whole six months at my first job.
However, today things definitely did not go well. I was scheduled for training but my trainer wasn't there, so I just went to work on a station.
I feel like I screwed up pretty badly quite a few times:
Onto part two of this ridiculously long post.
I flashed my lights so much today. I feel like I'm the only one flashing them! Is this common to feel like you're doing poorly when there are maybe five other trainees on with you but you don't see them -- their struggles and achievements -- or am I lagging behind? I don't want a pat on the back or anything. I legitimately feel like maybe I'm asking my GTSL and senior cashiers dumb questions, or too many questions, but I saw some here on TBR say that they (GSTL) really want you to ask for help and clarification when you need it.
I just feel like I can almost hear the sighs from the ex-trainers and GS team when I flip those switches (not that anyone's actually told me to knock it off! Aside from really sparse training, everyone is so helpful.)
Some newbie questions I have:
On training elsewhere in the store:
My store has crazy amounts of business. If there's no downtime, do I just ask HR if they can schedule me for training in other parts of the store sometime that week, or does a TL have to suggest I go check out other areas?
The thing is that I have another job at a tiny one-off retail store, and actually have a ton of experience doing fitting rooms, exchanges (similar to guest services, as I hold keys and fill in for the manager-on-duty when they're on break,) floor upkeep (similar to softlines,) signage, and cash shop/office stuff (I help count deposits, fill out the deposit slip, escort the manager-on-duty to the bank, and count store receipt copies.)
That said, working at a specialized retail store is entirely different from a large department store like Target with its own established routines. Everything is on a much smaller scale. From what I've seen here, softlines is for sure more complicated than what I do at my other job -- setting up floor sets, adjusting buckets and promos, putting out go-backs, and straightening racks. I'm not sure if I'm overstepping some boundary asking to check out other areas my first week into cashiering, but I'd like to see other parts of my store and gain some flexibility.
You've made it to the end! Woohoo! Thanks for reading. If I was TL, I'd totally recognize you. #You make Target, wink wink.
I'm a cashier at my Target, totally new to the company and using modern registers (at my other job I've been working with prehistoric, cranky registers.) When everything goes well, I actually love it. I've had more genuinely nice guests in my two days as cashier for Target than in my whole six months at my first job.
However, today things definitely did not go well. I was scheduled for training but my trainer wasn't there, so I just went to work on a station.
I feel like I screwed up pretty badly quite a few times:
- I had two sisters who were using a ton of coupons and gift cards. I'd do one transaction -- four coupons for whatever products they were looking at -- then ring them up using a gift card, while handing them another gift card for whatever promo they're taking advantage of. After that, they'd start another transaction with a new set of four (but a different brand, so 4 suave, 4 dove, 4 windex, etc). Do I flash my lights and ask my GSTL to come help when the guest clearly has a million coupons, OR am I good to do four to six different transactions of different brands, letting them use a gift card each time from the last transaction (that I provided them, after the machine prompts me to because of promos)?
- I found the answer for this one here! ^
- This one was definitely my mistake but I'd only dealt with one of those pharmacy envelopes my first day while I had a trainer to walk me through it. Today was my second day. Guest swipes her card while I'm scanning and I hit total before scanning her cartwheel coupon or the pharmacy barcode that she put on the table, and we both realize I've made a mistake. Can she hit "NO" when the machine asks, "Do you want this all on your card?" and restart the payment process without charging her?
- Still about the pharmacy mistake: I ended up having to send her to Guest Services, and I guess those types of mistakes take a LONG time to fix, so obviously she was upset and with good reason. I was approached by one of the GS members, though I don't know if he was TL/A, and he was super nice about it but told me to make sure I scan coupons and other guest paperwork before hitting total -- was this a coaching?? Am I already screwing up any chance of Target keeping me by making such a time consuming mistake?
- This one's a less obvious mistake, but I feel like there was a faster way to do it. I had a guest who wanted to purchase four water bottles, each with its own transaction. I'm guessing they were gifts and she wanted a receipt for each so she could say, "Hey, coworker or friend, you owe me this much." I rung them up, one at a time, each transaction done with cash. There was a lot of back and forth with her handing me twenties and tens, and me handing her tens and change. Should I have rung them all up under one transaction and selected "gift receipt" (which I have no clue how to do right now, though my trainer did tell me the process my first day)? Is there a way to get gift receipts to show the price of the item, if she'd asked me to do that?
Onto part two of this ridiculously long post.
I flashed my lights so much today. I feel like I'm the only one flashing them! Is this common to feel like you're doing poorly when there are maybe five other trainees on with you but you don't see them -- their struggles and achievements -- or am I lagging behind? I don't want a pat on the back or anything. I legitimately feel like maybe I'm asking my GTSL and senior cashiers dumb questions, or too many questions, but I saw some here on TBR say that they (GSTL) really want you to ask for help and clarification when you need it.
I just feel like I can almost hear the sighs from the ex-trainers and GS team when I flip those switches (not that anyone's actually told me to knock it off! Aside from really sparse training, everyone is so helpful.)
Some newbie questions I have:
- After clocking in, do I just run up to GSTL and say, "Just starting my shift, where do you need me?" or do I get on a register right away?
- When I start on a register, do I function > open drawer immediately to check for + order change / file out all the bills before even turning on my light?
- If I'm told, "Your break is at X", do I ring up a guest that approached me a minute before my break and let the customers after them know that I'm about to close my register, or is that against vibe/policy and rude to do??
- Where the heck do I find out everyone's names? Is there a place other than the trainer board with pictures + faces? (I'm assuming this is probably depending on each store, but I wanted to ask in case I'm missing something big!)
- I am a big cheeseball and feel like filling out a dozen of those "#You"/Vibe cards because so many people have been helpful, but should I avoid dishing those suckers out like I've got a confetti gun until I have more to say than "X, thank you so much for being patient with me today." or "Y, you were my guardian angel on Friday!"?
On training elsewhere in the store:
My store has crazy amounts of business. If there's no downtime, do I just ask HR if they can schedule me for training in other parts of the store sometime that week, or does a TL have to suggest I go check out other areas?
The thing is that I have another job at a tiny one-off retail store, and actually have a ton of experience doing fitting rooms, exchanges (similar to guest services, as I hold keys and fill in for the manager-on-duty when they're on break,) floor upkeep (similar to softlines,) signage, and cash shop/office stuff (I help count deposits, fill out the deposit slip, escort the manager-on-duty to the bank, and count store receipt copies.)
That said, working at a specialized retail store is entirely different from a large department store like Target with its own established routines. Everything is on a much smaller scale. From what I've seen here, softlines is for sure more complicated than what I do at my other job -- setting up floor sets, adjusting buckets and promos, putting out go-backs, and straightening racks. I'm not sure if I'm overstepping some boundary asking to check out other areas my first week into cashiering, but I'd like to see other parts of my store and gain some flexibility.
You've made it to the end! Woohoo! Thanks for reading. If I was TL, I'd totally recognize you. #You make Target, wink wink.
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