Archived New app tracking individual sales?

[countingsheep]

We were tokd a new app is rolling out that tracks what each persona sells. We were told we will all have goals and be coached accordingly. Anyone know further details on this? Did I maybe miss this in one of the modernization threads?

 

[countingsheep]

Never heard of that app that kinda sucks though -_-

 

[RightArm]

How in the heck can they track who sells what? The only way that would work is if everyone of us carried one of those devices that allows us to check out people and we were logged in and actually ringing up the guest. Otherwise there's no way of knowing if a TM was even involved in a guest's reason for purchasing something. Or am I missing something here?

 

[Rarejem]

I was told to keep track of anything that a guest put into their cart because I helped them. .. it doesn't matter if they later change their mind. If it is a sale. cartwheel or clearance item I am supposed to record the original price. Right now the reason is to see how effective increased guest interaction is, but I am pretty sure that this is somehow going to lead to having set sales goals ala redcard goals. I don't know for sure, of course, but I can feel it in the air.

 

[sprinklesontop]

I am with @RightArm on this one. Within our current structure, it is impossible to track individual sales. The only department that could potentially be tracked is Electronics...... but even then, a few Guests may slip by and finalize their purchase at a checklane.
I've worked at a small (Junior fashion) store at a mall when I was younger... and you assisted your Guest from "start-to-finish"; hence tracking the sale. I also worked at a Department store w/ multiple satellite registers, and the same "start-to-finish" assistance applied. But when you have a centralized checkout structure, like Spot..... there's no way to KNOW exactly what your Guest actually purchased.
Who KNOWS if the shirt, pant, dress, shoes, handbag, etc..... was STILL in their cart when they checked out??? @Rarejem, HOW does your Leadership actually expect you to do this??? Sift through the Guest's cart calculating the total? That is too much to ask, my friend (not to mention, a weird experience for the Guest)!
Our Team knows the Department Sales Goal for the day..... we ask them to share how they contribute. Example: If Bob spent time w/ a Guest in Men's that was purchasing shirts and pants for a new job, Bob can tell us that he helped his Guest pick out 6 shirts and 3 pants (no actual monetary total). If Sue helped a Guest w/ swimsuits for a cruise, Sue will share that her Guest left w/ 3 new swimsuits and a cover-up (again no monetary total).
LASTLY, (and I know this is a bit of a ramble)...... IF your Leadership was on the floor observing the quality of Guest interaction, they would KNOW who is meeting the Service expectations, and who isn't. It doesn't take a calculator to determine this.

I'm done now. sorry.

 

[YoNanas]

If they want to start keeping track of who sells what and how much, then they will have to pay us a commission!

 

[Panda13]

And will this app be on the MyDevice which half the TMs don't have because there are not enough to start with (include those that get hidden by TM or kept by ETLs!!!)?

 

[BoxCutter]

So, TMs will concentrate excessively on sales to keep their numbers up, leaving tasks undone, thus leading to holes all around the sales floor. I foresee even greater turnover in TMs, and more difficulty hiring TMs to perform at this level even st $15 an hour.

 

[countingsheep]

All I know is it will indeed be on the zebra and we were told we will be coached based on our goals and supposedly their will be incentives to reach the goals. With my years at spot all I hesr is "it will be this much easier to fire you so sell shit"

 

[BoxCutter]

"it will be this much easier to fire you so sell shit"

Which will be much harder with all of the unpushed and un-backstocked freight that will be all over the place. "Wait right here while I go spelunking in our backroom to see if I can find it for you. This may take awhile but first let me see if I can make a sale with some other guest before I do that."

 

[countingsheep]

Exactly and this is why I cannot understand why some people are ok with these so called changes. Tbh the only thing I see is target trying to kick dirt over the logistics process and beg for treats. You made the mess, refuse to fix it, then want to pretend it never existed. Granted its not as bad as some but you cant run a department store like a mall store. Its not logical. Add to that zones not getting done because you spend 3 hours being a guests personal shopper. Sure it says we have 2 of this item let me spend the next 7 hours looking for it. I mean come on I am all for change but right now vulcans would be actually laughing at this :/

 

[HLN13]

supposedly their will be incentives

incentives. How much do you wanna bet it’s a free candy bar or small icee from the cafe?

 

[TargetLife]

At my store they’ve started having us write down our department’s sales as of when we clocked in, clocked out, and if we helped a guest find something how much it cost and what the item was. For example if you worked from 1PM to close and spent most of your day in BGI you would put how much sales BGI had made as of 1PM. Then if you helped a guest buy 2 boys shirts you would put down about $12 and 2 cat and jack boys tees. Then before you clock out you would put that BGI had sold a total of $6,000. Supposedly it’s supposed to help us “take accountability” of our area but it’s really just annoying.

 

[2Spooky4U]

I'm concerned with how guests are taking this whole thing. The new process is very helpful for guests on a mission, but what about guests who come in just to browse? The majority of guests that I've come across generally prefer to be left alone. Having someone breathing down their neck is just going to either scare them off to online orders, or just stop shopping at Target altogether.

Correct me if I'm wrong, and I'd love to hear insight from more informed and experienced people here, but the new approach just comes across to me as aggressive and desperate.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Electronics is the real way to track this option. Because you have to touch a register to complete transaction. But you can increase basket size & get points for great service by spot.

 

[can't touch this]

I frequently pull things out of BR for guest requests, did it like 200 times today. They should track that and give me a fat gift card every month

 

[Rarejem]

I am with @RightArm on this one. Within our current structure, it is impossible to track individual sales. The only department that could potentially be tracked is Electronics...... but even then, a few Guests may slip by and finalize their purchase at a checklane.
I've worked at a small (Junior fashion) store at a mall when I was younger... and you assisted your Guest from "start-to-finish"; hence tracking the sale. I also worked at a Department store w/ multiple satellite registers, and the same "start-to-finish" assistance applied. But when you have a centralized checkout structure, like Spot..... there's no way to KNOW exactly what your Guest actually purchased.
Who KNOWS if the shirt, pant, dress, shoes, handbag, etc..... was STILL in their cart when they checked out??? @Rarejem, HOW does your Leadership actually expect you to do this??? Sift through the Guest's cart calculating the total? That is too much to ask, my friend (not to mention, a weird experience for the Guest)!
Our Team knows the Department Sales Goal for the day..... we ask them to share how they contribute. Example: If Bob spent time w/ a Guest in Men's that was purchasing shirts and pants for a new job, Bob can tell us that he helped his Guest pick out 6 shirts and 3 pants (no actual monetary total). If Sue helped a Guest w/ swimsuits for a cruise, Sue will share that her Guest left w/ 3 new swimsuits and a cover-up (again no monetary total).
LASTLY, (and I know this is a bit of a ramble)...... IF your Leadership was on the floor observing the quality of Guest interaction, they would KNOW who is meeting the Service expectations, and who isn't. It doesn't take a calculator to determine this.

I'm done now. sorry.

I'm not saying at all that I agree with this. I'm saying that this is the expectation. I asked what the individual goals are based on.... kind of got blown off. IMO home is different than the other departments. Electronics has tangible attachments. Softlines has a person to dress and accessorize. Beauty has skin tones, wrinkles, hair color. It's all right in front of them. Home is accessorizing the unseen, selling concepts. That's hard for some. There is a big difference between being able to sell washcloths and command strips as opposed to being able to sell furniture. I've never worked in a place where I had to set my own daily goal and then keep track of it on a piece of paper... yes, that is exactly what we are doing. I don't sift through the cart, but do have to keep a mental running total and then write it down. While all team members in the FACE areas are expected to do this (and electronics has to announce their sales on the walkie) at this time I am the only one in home that has to do it. I expressed the opinion that all consultants in home should be held to the same standard, but was told that others are experts in hardlines, not home consultants. WTH does that even mean? Do I sound a bit frustrated by the inconsistencies? I'm not really...I sort of expect it. I'd love to now how other pilot stores are doing this.

 

[Rarejem]

I'm concerned with how guests are taking this whole thing. The new process is very helpful for guests on a mission, but what about guests who come in just to browse? The majority of guests that I've come across generally prefer to be left alone. Having someone breathing down their neck is just going to either scare them off to online orders, or just stop shopping at Target altogether.

Correct me if I'm wrong, and I'd love to hear insight from more informed and experienced people here, but the new approach just comes across to me as aggressive and desperate.

Interestingly enough, guests really like it. It's not much different at all than current expectations. If they don't need/want help just move on. If they do. be friendly, confident and sell. I don't see anyone breathing down anyone else's neck and scheduling is so tight right now, they'll only be asked at most by 2 people in any given department.

 

[Ahem]

Yikes. I ended up at Target because of my annoyance with sales goals. People were so ruthless and would "steal" customers in order to make their goal and I felt that was obvious to shoppers and they were turned off by it. It comes off like you didn't even wanna help them.. you just wanna look good in your metrics. I hated that. And I don't like shopping at stores like that

 

[can't touch this]

I hate being pressured to sell/upsell and guests hate it too. It's sketchy, impersonal and irritating. They can sense the desperation and pressure behind it, and it reminds them of the last time they bought a laptop on a budget at Best Buy and the four eyed nerd with the greasy ponytail wouldn't shut the fuck up about tacking on the $200 warranty, from the demo floor all the way to the check lanes (where they were hassled for the 20th time by the cashier). Fuck off or I'll drive that used car straight up your ass, m8

 

[Bethy]

I hate being pressured to sell/upsell and guests hate it too. It's sketchy, impersonal and irritating. They can sense the desperation and pressure behind it, and it reminds them of the last time they bought a laptop on a budget at Best Buy and the four eyed nerd with the greasy ponytail wouldn't shut the fuck up about tacking on the $200 warranty, from the demo floor all the way to the check lanes (where they were hassled for the 20th time by the cashier). Fuck off or I'll drive that used car straight up your ass, m8

I agree with this and feel super uncomfortable when any salesperson approaches me in a store (which is why I mostly only do online).

However, I do think there are ways to successfully pull off the sales floor helpfulness without being sketchy.
Such as:
- subtle approach to a new mom in the baby food aisle while you’re restocking, like “oh gosh my son loves that one too!”...blah blah...”have you tried this one yet?”
- don’t be afraid of “putting down” the costs for stuff we sell. “Oh wow, I can’t believe those pampers diapers cost $35 either!”, “you know the up&up ones are pretty similar and only cost $20”. Of course if they don’t work out then you can always bring them back.

 

[Rarejem]

I hate being pressured to sell/upsell and guests hate it too. It's sketchy, impersonal and irritating. They can sense the desperation and pressure behind it, and it reminds them of the last time they bought a laptop on a budget at Best Buy and the four eyed nerd with the greasy ponytail wouldn't shut the fuck up about tacking on the $200 warranty, from the demo floor all the way to the check lanes (where they were hassled for the 20th time by the cashier). Fuck off or I'll drive that used car straight up your ass, m8

See, that pressured feeling that you purvey just means that you aren't making it fun for yourself or for the guest. Talk to them... ask where they are using the mirror and if they're just adding it or redoing a whole room. Have a conversation, not a sales pitch. I realize that many people aren't really used to having a conversation in person any more. It can be fun.

 

[Rarejem]

If I had any input to corporate (ARE YOU THERE, SPOT?) regarding modernization (which seems to me to actually be old school retail) I might suggest that they plan for small group inservice training on sales 101. It seems to me through both observation and reading some of the posts here that many are not comfortable or know how to sell to a customer (guest, in our case) who isn't looking for something specific. It is not what most people working for Target think that they were actually hired to do, as odd as that sounds. While it sounds easy, being a salesperson (at least a good one) takes skill and practice. It's one of the few areas that I think role playing scenarios might actually be of some help.

 

[can't touch this]

See, that pressured feeling that you purvey just means that you aren't making it fun for yourself or for the guest. Talk to them... ask where they are using the mirror and if they're just adding it or redoing a whole room. Have a conversation, not a sales pitch. I realize that many people aren't really used to having a conversation in person any more. It can be fun.

nah, I like talking to people, but trying to upsell them adds a twinge of insincerity to it that people pick up on and often react negatively to. It's like hearing a slick politician making a speech. Even if you agree with the words they're mouthing, it rankles knowing that they're reading from a script handed to them by a focus group.

I worked a seasonal stint at Best Buy and I've been extremely reluctant to go this route ever again. The marching orders from management were basically, you should never let a computer walk out the door without attaching our warranty plan. If the customer says they can't afford it right now, talk to them about signing up for our credit card (35% compound interest). It was unspoken but implied that I was to "massage the truth" a bit if it helped close the sale. Well, I'm not a very good liar, and customers were picking up on the BS like a drug dog sniffing a joint in a student's backpack, and many a time it spooked them into saying "we're gonna look around some more, thanks" and running away in a hurry.

 

[Rarejem]

Why would you lie? It'll only come back as a return. Moving on to the next guest when there's a no is much smarter. Letting the guests know that you'll "be right over here should you have any questions or need help with anything" often brings them to you. I'll start zoning or working pulls/reshop/audit a couple of aisles down. They don't see me going from one guest to another with a fake smile on my face. .. I just wanted to help them. Maybe I'm just really good at it. (hahahaha) I'm actually interested and sincere. It makes my days go by quickly and I go home feeling like I accomplished something.