Archived Locked Out

[raspberry]

On Sunday I was five minutes late for my 3:30am shift (I was doing the softlines ad) and the LOD radioed the staff at the front to come to the door and tell me that I was to go wait in my car for the 4am people to arrive because she was busy in the back. It was all kinds of humiliating. Plus there was a creepy person outside at the end of the carts watching me. After I finally got in someone came up to me defending the LOD and they told me there was an alarm issue and the LOD couldn't just open the door whenever. Is that legit?

My store isn't in a very good area. And at no point did anyone check to see if I had a car to go wait in. The only comment I got was from my ETL who said she wouldn't write me up for being a half hour late since I was technically there. Should I bother following up with the STL? I'm very upset about this.

 

[buliSBI]

Thats BS. I would document that and report that to the STL.

 

[POGguy]

I hope you did a punch correction for the time you got there.

Technically they are only supposed to open the door (and take the alarm down) at certain times. But what they did was a joke.

 

[commiecorvus]

The LOD was just punishing you (and the signing crew) for being late.
The alarms can be turned off as needed, the excuse was bullshit.

Follow up with the STL, especially mention your fear for you safety.

 

[dcline414]

I think I saw something (maybe signed agreement during orientation?) that the door will ONLY be opened between 5 minutes early and the time you are scheduled. If you are late then they will not turn off the alarm to open the door.

Seems a bit harsh to me, but at least I've never been on the outside of that locked door.

 

[Mhugh220]

Unless you have been an overnight LOD you'll never fully understand this. Several things could have been happening that were more important than getting the door.

For instance, we have an alarm on the receiving door as well. Sometimes we receive our food truck exactly when TMs are showing up for their early morning shift. If I'm pulling a pallet from the truck, I'm not going to leave it on the floor, close the bay, set the alarm, go to the front to get the door, then come back, disarm, open the bay door, pull another pallet, close the bay door, rearm, then have to go back to the front door for stragglers. It's a pain in the ass.

Alarm violations can be a FW or Term - not worth getting fired for a TM who is running late. And technically the LOD has to be near the door when the alarm is disabled. If Target is out for you they will pin that on you (the LOD).

In this case I would have had you come to the receiving door (in the back) and I would have let you in there or I would have done what your LOD did. Sometimes it comes off as being a dick but it's annoying hearing that damn door bell ring every five seconds.

 

[Retail Girl]

My guess is that particular LOD has had to come up there a billion times one too many times, so they decided that if they forced the issue, people would stop showing up late and expecting the LOD to drop everything all the time.

 

[Bosch]

Punch correction "LOD refused to open door"

 

[Mhugh220]

Punch correction "LOD refused to open door"

Yes - this is a valid punch correction reason. I told TMs to use it when I couldn't get to the door. Sometimes we're caught up in something we can't walk away from. Another bugaboo was that our store's door bell didn't ring upstairs. If we were upstairs pushing we didn't hear a thing and most BR TMs had headphones in.

 

[raspberry]

I wanted to thank everyone for their replies. Especially Mhugh220; it's always enlightening to hear the other sides POV.

In the 6 months I've been scheduled to do ad, I've worked every Saturday but one. I've been scheduled to work mids - usually getting off at 7:30 or 8:30pm. I've never said anything about having to come back to work 7 or 8 hours later because hours are hours and bills have to be paid. In all this time, this was the first time I'd been late. In the future, if I'm running late on Sunday mornings when this particular LOD is on duty, I'll just call out for my own safety.

Thanks again.

 

[Bosch]

Yes - this is a valid punch correction reason. I told TMs to use it when I couldn't get to the door. Sometimes we're caught up in something we can't walk away from. Another bugaboo was that our store's door bell didn't ring upstairs. If we were upstairs pushing we didn't hear a thing and most BR TMs had headphones in.

We just had a couple that are gone now that were just lazy and refused to open the door until there was a group. Sorry I was not the one who scheduled me at 6:15am and you making me wait until 6:30am is not going to fly.

 

[tgtguy]

I have heard etls threaten to do this but never actually follow through. I am sure it does get aggravating to the etl to have to make multiple trips to the door. However, that is part of their job as well trying to make sure their team is safe etc. Leaving someone outside that time of the morning is not being safe. To the Op, did the etl who didn't come to the door say anything to your personally ? Even if the etl didn't feel they owed you an apology ( ie they are taking the stance that the OP was in the wrong since she was late) I would think they would at least approach you and explain themselves. Because I am pretty sure they don't turn away everyone who is 5 min late...if my store did that there would be no flow team

 

[raspberry]

To the Op, did the etl who didn't come to the door say anything to your personally ?

As I walked through the door with the flow team at 4am she said she "waited and waited and waited" for me. She didn't speak to me again for the rest of my shift.

I think more than the refusal to let me in, it was the humiliation of her calling over the radio to tell another team member that I was going to have to wait outside. Everyone knew and quite a few people gave me looks that I couldn't decipher. I'm a rather shy person; I try to do my best at work and embarrass easily.

Honestly, I was really just curious if this was SOP or if it was an issue I should bring up with the STL. I've been a long-time lurker on the boards here and just wanted to get some input. I appreciate all of you taking the time to reply.

 

[tgtguy]

She shouldn't had broadcasted it over the walkie. If it happened again I would go to the stl....or I would talk to the etl herself Because if the etl told you she waited and waited for you that sounds like a guilty conscience ...cause in my book 5 minutes is not waiting and waiting .

 

[Ringwraith917]

I think it's funny that people expect to be let in when they show up whatever time they want. The door will be open 5 minutes before and 5 minutes after. Everyone has work to do. Part of your job is being there on time.

That being said I am sometimes late. I expect to wait. Possibly a long time.

 

[commiecorvus]

I'll start by saying I do understand where the LOD-LOG is coming from.
Having to stop and open the door, especially if you've got the back open is a major problem and not one that can be handled easily.

That said, I worked the signing team for years and having just one person late for that long can be a major pain in the ass.
And leaving them out in the parking lot of a bad neighborhood is even worse.

Having somebody who is consistently late might call for this kind of response but the fact is we all have days when life just hands us things we can't control.
I remember calling work from a bike trail after having the wind knocked out of me and my front tire bent to hell because I hit a tree that had fallen across the trail.
It wasn't there the day before dammit.

There just aren't that many jobs that would make you wait like that for being late.

 

[anathema]

How is receiving different for ON? Why are you the one accepting the food truck and not receiver or flow? I've never heard of having to close the bay door or set the alarm to walk away for a moment.

 

[mrknownothing]

At my store, the overnight TLs are key carriers, so they're usually the ones who take down the alarm and open the door. @Mhugh220, were your TLs not allowed to open the door or were they busy with the team?

 

[Reshop Ninja]

The LOD was just punishing you (and the signing crew) for being late.
The alarms can be turned off as needed, the excuse was bullshit.

Follow up with the STL, especially mention your fear for you safety.

I always thought that we had a total of seven minutes to clock in after the scheduled start of our shift before we're counted as being late.

 

[commiecorvus]

I always thought that we had a total of seven minutes to clock in after the scheduled start of our shift before we're counted as being late.

I think she meant 5 minutes past the 7 which would have been like a quarter after.

Since everyone has cell phones these days if you call on your way in and tell them you're going to be late by a few minutes, it does put them in a position of not being able to say they weren't warned.
Of course if they don't pick up the phone ...

 

[Ajax11]

at 5 minutes you are considered "late"
In all of the stores I have worked in over the last decade plus, the policy has been 5 minutes before until 5 minutes after the hour / half hour (5:55-6:05 for someone to be at door), anything beyond that they are not *required* to let you in and it's YMMV if they let you in.

 

[Reshop Ninja]

at 5 minutes you are considered "late"
In all of the stores I have worked in over the last decade plus, the policy has been 5 minutes before until 5 minutes after the hour / half hour (5:55-6:05 for someone to be at door), anything beyond that they are not *required* to let you in and it's YMMV if they let you in.

I guess my store is simply more lenient.

 

[dcline414]

I always thought that we had a total of seven minutes to clock in after the scheduled start of our shift before we're counted as being late.

Never heard of 7... Only ever 5. More than 5 requires LOD approval any time of day.

I think she meant 5 minutes past the 7 which would have been like a quarter after.

DEFINITELY don't think 12 minutes late is a thing. Is that the cutoff for NCNS perhaps?

 

[Producer]

I guess my store is simply more lenient.

MyTime automatically counts anything beyond five minutes as being a late punch on the work absence summary report

 

[Kompa]

Telling me to wait and hour is pretty much telling me to go home.