Answered New for Softline curious

[Moonkati]

Hi I just transfered from beauty dep. and right now I got the Style mostly closing shift and usually have no idea much about Zoning because everyone in this department looks busy.So as 4 hours shift of closing while walking to get stuffs out of the floor , reshop , along the way, fingerspace and staring folded on tables. Do I need to get reshop on the backroom and reshop them too? or I am slow to not even quite get done perfectly in my zone because one of TM at night tell me to get some backroom out and do reshop which is I got 4 hours how do I manage this.
Thank you for answering.

 

[MrT]

Some nights the zone will be better then others, some nights the push in the backroom might be priority. Your team lead should be telling you and the closing tl what you should be working on. Its impossible for us to know your stores needs. Do your best and you should be able to increase your speed as you learn the area and find a routine that allows you to be more productive. If your really concerned about your productivity talk with you closing team lead and ask what they think is expected of you and work from there

 

[Style2563]

I am one of the closing experts in Style and my shift is just like yours for 4 hours. Usually our Closing TL will assigned me and the others a particular department to zone. Our game plan is usually pick up returns (from the front lanes only) and grab quarantine items from guest service to put back in the fitting room. Then we go to our departments to zone. Then we will meet to tackle clearance area an hour before closing plus whatever departments that did not have an assigned person to do a quick pick up/zone.
As for zoning, it’s not going to be super perfect aka green zone. When I am in a department, I usually make sure that there is nothing on the floor. Also, I do the folds on the tables especially I do the ones in the front. The front racetrack is important because people can see it right away so I make sure the front looks decent for tomorrow. So I make sure the racks are good and tables are good.

But yeah, me and the rest of the style closing team (usually there are 3 of us we will be lucky if we got 4) talk to our Closing TL first because everyday is different, but usually what I mentioned above is our routine. And we try not do push when closing (it’s rare unless people called out in the morning and we need to do push).

 

[workinghard]

As an opening TM in SL, I truly appreciate when I'd find a halfway decent zone coming in to work. And then there are those times when no one was in the department the night before and it was a disaster. You just do the best you can in the time allotted.

 

[TargetSigningHo]

As an opening TM in SL, I truly appreciate when I'd find a halfway decent zone coming in to work. And then there are those times when no one was in the department the night before and it was a disaster. You just do the best you can in the time allotted.

Why is finger spacing still a thing? Might as well grab an ironing board.

 

[happygoth]

Why is finger spacing still a thing? Might as well grab an ironing board.

I try to make sure nothing is sticking up on the hanging racks and that they are pulled forward and relatively evenly-spaced. I'm not actually sticking my fingers in between each hanger though, ain't no one got time for that.

 

[Noiinteam]

Finger spacing would cause half the stuff to slide off the hanger. I pick the same shit up everyday.

 

[Style2563]

Our new team members have no idea what finger spacing is. During the start of pandemic and the store closed at 9pm, Style had the additional 2 hours in closing to super zone. Style wasn’t super busy at the time so we had time to zone as well as “finger space”. The newer team members who have been with us less than a year or two gave me the confused looked because they never heard such phrase.

 

[Tessa120]

Our new team members have no idea what finger spacing is. During the start of pandemic and the store closed at 9pm, Style had the additional 2 hours in closing to super zone. Style wasn’t super busy at the time so we had time to zone as well as “finger space”. The newer team members who have been with us less than a year or two gave me the confused looked because they never heard such phrase.

How do you have so few clothes that you have space for finger spacing? Even now the local Target has racks just stuffed beyond all reason, where you remove a single item and four more fall down because they are too packed and the clothes themselves bulge outward far beyond the limits of the arms/bars.

 

[happygoth]

How do you have so few clothes that you have space for finger spacing? Even now the local Target has racks just stuffed beyond all reason, where you remove a single item and four more fall down because they are too packed and the clothes themselves bulge outward far beyond the limits of the arms/bars.

Just a short time ago we were so light on stock that we were pulling racks off the floor left and and right. Fall clothes are coming in fast and furious now, so the racks are being pulled back out again.

 

[Yetive]

Sounds like my store.

 

[Style2563]

How do you have so few clothes that you have space for finger spacing? Even now the local Target has racks just stuffed beyond all reason, where you remove a single item and four more fall down because they are too packed and the clothes themselves bulge outward far beyond the limits of the arms/bars.

Like I mentioned before this was around when the start of covid happened. When Style did not get much shipments and people were too busy shopping for groceries and cleaning supplies. It wasn’t busy in Style and we had the extra 2 hours after closing.

But of course now that we are gradually going back to our usual routine, we are getting tons of clothing for Style. The racks and tables look heavily full. I don’t think people are backstocking because there is so much stuff to push.

 

[bloodyred]

Backstock in Style has not been a worry since October last year for us. Now the trucks are heavy and we are struggling to come clean with truck, especially since hours in the department have not gone up much since June, and most Style team is still split between Cart Wiping and fulfillment shifts for hours. So yes some of the stacks are a little high right now, but we also have our SD focused on getting backroom unit #'s down, as is a focus in the district. So we are going outside the VMG and adjusting fixture blocks to allow for the bulk inventory. Bottom line for Style, it really takes your leader to put forth some effort and be involved to make the difference. We leads in Style split our shift in the morning to focus on truck completion and getting the openers in style a chance to set up the closers for a successful night.

We do what we can day to day, week to week to recover the brand. In the morning we focus on areas with new VMG as long as product is in, otherwise we move into other priorities, Guest Ready presentation, what will drive sales (creating stories with mannequins front presentation, etc..) Trying to balance not leaving truck for closers or if any just the minimal, so that the essentials at night can be accomplished. Off the floor, table folds with as much sizing (using each day to focus on on area more than another), and keeping the hanging sized and finger spaced. All in all, as long as every consultant is doing their part the Style department can maintain brand. Coming out of the 20% Circle deal has left most of Style rough, but our SD understands, as long as we come out by the end of the week solid for the weekend and are making a conscious effort to get brand back we are doing good!!