Archived Managing breaks at the front end

[hudgie92]

We're understaffed at the front end at my store and we've had a hell of a problem with cashiers following their breaks and returning to the registers on time, there's been countless conversations, pdd's and cca's but yet it seems to still be an issue. we're a high volume store so having 2 cashiers on break at the same time could make a HUGE difference. Today a fellow gstl came to me with a suggestion that instead of writing the time on break cards we should actually write down the name of the TM that will be taking their break before them, the name of TM taking their break after they return and instruct the cashiers not to leave the register until said person comes back from break to swap them off the register and for them to do the same when they return. its sounds like something thats against best practice so my question is ...does anyone do this at their store?

 

[Nauzhror]

We basically do that. We write down break times, but if you're scheduled for 3:15, and the person who was scheduled for 3:00 isn't back, it's very common to be asked to not leave for your break till said person returns.

 

[Retail Girl]

When I tell my cashiers break times, I tell them, "3:15 or when Joe gets back." If we are super busy, I will have Joe take over for the next cashier going, provided I can catch him before he hops back on a lane. Otherwise I will hit the next cashier's light and take over for them to clear their line so I can try to keep things from veering completely off-track if I don't have any recovery time coming up.

 

[eleuthreophile]

I think that sounds like a very good idea. My store usually only has 2-3 cashiers at any time, so it's VERY annoying when someone just leaves right at their scheduled time, even though the person taking break before them isn't back yet.

 

[canibedreamin]

Sounds like it isn't just an issue of being understaffed at the front end. Talk to the TLs in other depts about their team coming up for backup. ALWAYS know who is on the sales floor so you can call them out by name in order to get a response when you need help. I work in a high volume store as well and we don't use break cards. We rarely tell cashiers when their breaks are ahead of time. They go when we say, but we hold the sales floor accountable for backup, especially when we are shorthanded. Cashiers taking extended breaks is probably an issue at every store. Have to remember that most of them are young and don't need the job or just aren't mature enough to have higher work ethic yet. Partner with your ETL-GE on how to handle that.

 

[Nauzhror]

When I tell my cashiers break times, I tell them, "3:15 or when Joe gets back." If we are super busy, I will have Joe take over for the next cashier going, provided I can catch him before he hops back on a lane.

We usually tell cashiers when sending them on their break who is next and to relieve that person when they return from their break so that we don't have to try and catch them when they return before they hop on a lane.

EDIT: Wait, break cards, those are a thing? I have never seen those, wasn't till I saw canibedreamin mention them that I realized the OP mentioned them initially. Only time we ever gave out slips of paper to cashiers with their break times on them was Black Friday weekend, typically breaks are just written on the grid, which is usually at the service desk.

 

[eleuthreophile]

Cashiers taking extended breaks is probably an issue at every store. Have to remember that most of them are young and don't need the job or just aren't mature enough to have higher work ethic yet.

Our worst offender is a 49 year old woman who has a second job. And she ALWAYS takes 25-30 minute breaks, plus leaves her register occasionally to go shop and cash out.

 

[canibedreamin]

When I tell my cashiers break times, I tell them, "3:15 or when Joe gets back." If we are super busy, I will have Joe take over for the next cashier going, provided I can catch him before he hops back on a lane.

We usually tell cashiers when sending them on their break who is next and to relieve that person when they return from their break so that we don't have to try and catch them when they return before they hop on a lane.

This. If they don't know they are going to break soon, then you don't have a cashier on a lane looking around to see when their replacement is coming. If you stick to a reasonable break schedule and hold the rest of the store accountable for back up, then

Cashiers taking extended breaks is probably an issue at every store. Have to remember that most of them are young and don't need the job or just aren't mature enough to have higher work ethic yet.

Our worst offender is a 49 year old woman who has a second job. And she ALWAYS takes 25-30 minute breaks, plus leaves her register occasionally to go shop and cash out.

That's absurd. I wouldn't so much mind the breaks because I have a heart, but that is taking advantage of a situation. She should not be shopping on the clock. I would get with her at the beginning of her shift (everytime if needed) and remind her that she can shop on her break or off the clock.

 

[Nauzhror]

I shop on the clock sometimes at the very end of the night, but only with permission from the GSA/GSTL, ie. ask if I can run and grab a bag of chips or something small so that we don't have to leave a lane open after close, but I only do that if I am closing, and even then I try and remember to buy pop or a bag of chips, or whatever it is on my break, but probably a handful of times I have grabbed a item or two right at close before clocking out.

 

[eleuthreophile]

That's absurd. I wouldn't so much mind the breaks because I have a heart, but that is taking advantage of a situation. She should not be shopping on the clock. I would get with her at the beginning of her shift (everytime if needed) and remind her that she can shop on her break or off the clock.

I'm just a lowly cashier, and she doesn't listen to me even when I'm scheduled as GSA.

 

[canibedreamin]

That's absurd. I wouldn't so much mind the breaks because I have a heart, but that is taking advantage of a situation. She should not be shopping on the clock. I would get with her at the beginning of her shift (everytime if needed) and remind her that she can shop on her break or off the clock.

I'm just a lowly cashier, and she doesn't listen to me even when I'm scheduled as GSA.

I understand. Seems like you have two viable choices: tell your ETL-GE that you are interested in the actual GSA position (where you would then take a stand for yourself) or ignore the situation and do your job the best you can. It's not always fun, but take pride in yourself first and only worry about what you can control. Bottom line - NEVER let what someone else is doing, ruin your day!

 

[thetargetman]

Cashiers taking extended breaks is probably an issue at every store. Have to remember that most of them are young and don't need the job or just aren't mature enough to have higher work ethic yet.

Our worst offender is a 49 year old woman who has a second job. And she ALWAYS takes 25-30 minute breaks, plus leaves her register occasionally to go shop and cash out.

we have the same issue but our worst offender is a 70yr old grandma. she just walks right back without a care in the world from her 25 min 15 and 40 min lunch even though I am pissed beyond belief. I try to set a good example and always come back on time and waiting for the last person to return.

 

[Noiinteam]

That's bullshit. You best believe if another tm was taking advantage of lunches and breaks and affecting mine,that would happen once!

 

[Barcode]

Have a breaker who will relieve people from their breaks (If you're High Vol this shouldn't be a problem), and make sure you DRILL INTO the Breaker's mind that they are NOT to send 2 people at once or overlap. During weekdays I would have an Open Breaker and a Close Breaker (although no breaker coverage from 8-10am, 9:00-11pm).

People were USUALLY good about coming back on time, but sometimes breakers would complain to me about certain people taking long breaks. I usually wrote down the time they stepped off the lane, and then the time they stepped back on, and I would E-Mail the information to my GSTL/CC ETL-GE.

 

[redandkhaki]

We write a break list every day and have two-four cashiers that are breakers. So a cashier cannot go to break until someone comes to their lane to relieve them and if they're taking long breaks the breaker will let us know and we put an end to that immediately.

 

[Retail Girl]

When I tell my cashiers break times, I tell them, "3:15 or when Joe gets back." If we are super busy, I will have Joe take over for the next cashier going, provided I can catch him before he hops back on a lane.

We usually tell cashiers when sending them on their break who is next and to relieve that person when they return from their break so that we don't have to try and catch them when they return before they hop on a lane.

This. If they don't know they are going to break soon, then you don't have a cashier on a lane looking around to see when their replacement is coming.

There are times I don't tell them because if I do, I know they won't wait for the previous person to get back. There are other times I do tell them, because if they ask, well, it's rude not to tell them.

Also, if I get tied up at guest services or something when I meant to go send them on break, they can easily jump off the lane, stick their head around the corner and tell me they are going, and then we don't get off track because I got busy...this is especially important if it is going to be 2 or more hours of nonstop breaks and lunches.

 

[buliSBI]

If you are short staffed on the front end, you should be staggering your cashiers' breaks/lunches.

My stores would write their approximate break/lunch time on the day's breakout sheet. No one takes their break until the GSTL/GSA says so, or when a breaking TM comes back. If they were over 5 minutes with no excuse, then its a coaching.

The GSTL/GSA would take their breaks first, then service desk, then the cashiers. The service desk will also take over for a breaking cashier or stay at SD to take purchase transactions and so on.

The only times it was hard was if the SD was the only Front Lanes TM or only 1 cashier till noon.

 

[Kompa]

Wouldn't it be easier to just tell the person when to take a break, like, at that moment? Since everyone is at the lane, it's not like you have to search them down. Something like, "hey, go on your break now" instead of giving them a time

 

[Barcode]

Wouldn't it be easier to just tell the person when to take a break, like, at that moment? Since everyone is at the lane, it's not like you have to search them down. Something like, "hey, go on your break now" instead of giving them a time

A good Breaker is the easiest and most carefree way to manage breaks as a GSA/GSTL.

 

[Retail Girl]

I've found many TMs, especially those who normally work on the floor and are used to all going at the same damn time, want to know ahead of time when their break or lunch is going to be. And if I don't tell those who are normally in different departments when I want/need them to go, then they will go whenever they want, leaving me screwed.

And some cashiers I have to let know early so we have enough time to debate about it. They won't like that time, and will want me to switch it, there won't be another time, so I have to tell them no, then they have to drag their feet, whine, etc, etc. If I can get some of the arguing done before I want them to go, then we won't get off track for that, either.

A person who specifically covers breaks would be nice. But in ULV-land, we call that person the GSA.

 

[Barcode]

Don't get me started on the break whiners.... Pretty sure every store has em -_-

Sooooo annoying

 

[Nauzhror]

A person who specifically covers breaks would be nice. But in ULV-land, we call that person the GSA.

I often wind up doing that actually. GSTL wil have me hop around all day sending people on their breaks and covering for them, and then going to the next person and sending them etc. Works fairly well. Though results in more time spent on a checklane than I care for

 

[Retail Girl]

A person who specifically covers breaks would be nice. But in ULV-land, we call that person the GSA.

I often wind up doing that actually. GSTL wil have me hop around all day sending people on their breaks and covering for them, and then going to the next person and sending them etc. Works fairly well. Though results in more time spent on a checklane than I care for

Yeah, it works well until you're on a lane and: have a new cashier who needs help, another cashier who is underage with a liquor sale, another cashier who wants a price check on a 79 cent price discrepancy, another cashier who is completely out of change and didn't bother to ask for it until the guest needed it, guest services has a back up, and you're completely out of carts.

And the LOD can't come up to help with any of this for another ten minutes or so because they are too busy zoning to help our guests.

But welcome to Saturday.

 

[Nauzhror]

Well, yeah, but it's not the GSTL that's covering the breaks, so he's not stuck on a lane. I'd think a cashier that hops from lane to lane though relieving people from their breaks and avoids those issues as opposed to the GSA/GSTL being the one doing it.

I can see some of our other seasoned cashiers getting bitchy about it though. One of them always wants to be on the same register and acts like it belongs to her, not sure she'd like it if I had her hope from lane to lane all day.

 

[Retail Girl]

Well, yeah, but it's not the GSTL that's covering the breaks, so he's not stuck on a lane. I'd think a cashier that hops from lane to lane though relieving people from their breaks and avoids those issues as opposed to the GSA/GSTL being the one doing it.

I can see some of our other seasoned cashiers getting bitchy about it though. One of them always wants to be on the same register and acts like it belongs to her, not sure she'd like it if I had her hope from lane to lane all day.

Reread the original post of mine that you quoted where I said a person who covers breaks would be nice...and in ULV-land that person is the GSA.