FlowbieCanuck
1 of 17,600
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 56
Seeing as I'm Canadian, I don't think I need to go over what's happened.
I've been a part of my store since day one, only to escape my imminent trip to the unemployment line a month ago by being hired on with another retailer's DC. Granted, I was sad that I didn't go the distance at my store but I did what I had to do. Despite all the perils I heard from my American bretheren, (aside from the hours at least) I truly felt I worked with an amazing team, who remained on the upbeat until the end.
I remember walking into my store the first time, with about 100+ new team members, getting all of our planos set up as they were to be when we opened. Working in logistics, especially flow, showed me firsthand just where our perils were. I remember being concerned about our stock levels in the weeks before we opened, and was concerned even more when those levels hadn't improved by the end of the summer. Eventually our overnight process became a 4 AM, massive trailers just before inventory had us working a lot of overtime, guests continued to complain about our stock, our prices, and despite all that we did what we could with what we had. Our 4 AM process eventually became a 6 AM process, and again we found ourselves behind the 8-ball, trying to get things done in our short timeframe while trying to juggle everything else that happens while the store is open.
In the meantime, I established myself as a jack-of-all-trades, eventually becoming a go-to guy for planos, learning the ins and outs of the backroom, dabbling in electronics, going back to overnights for big transitions, spending a week overnight to hang up all the Christmas signs and even boldly stepping into an instocks crash course when I agreed to take an instocks shift, only to have the team member that would have trained me call in. When a TL position opened up in December I thought about going for it, but decided to hold off for the moment. Turned out I made a wise decision.
When Target Canada's president was fired last year there were mullings that changes would be coming within the next year, which could include a full pullout, so it was always in the back of my mind that this store might not be here a year for now, and that I would have to be on my toes. When the news broke; Many of us found out in the worst possible way; The media.
I don't mean over the radio or on TV either. I mean the media sitting right outside our front entrance waiting for us. A quick check to twitter once inside, safe from the cameras, confirmed everything.
My first two months of this year were pretty rough. Not only did I have to deal with my store closing, but a month later my family was forced out of our apartment by a major fire in our building. Still, it seemed that we were being looked out for because our suite took no damage, and a week and a half later not only did we find a new home, but I got my new job offer on the same day.
I'll also remember walking into my store for the last time, which happened to be yesterday. The store had already been closed for two weeks, but I was back in the neighborhood, (before the fire I lived in the same neighborhood as my store) walking past the store when I ran into the SFT, who waited at the door, like he would have back in the days when we were running up to it, and invited me in to have a look at what was left.
It was barren; Almost gut-wrenching to see. Say what you will about Target or retail in general, but I had put two years into that store, just to stand there are one corner and be able to see all the way to the opposite corner. That store was my baby, and now it was gone.
Two years ago I walked into this store, seeing excitement and potential. Yesterday, I walked out of its remains, an empty shell, for the last time.
And thus closes the chapter of my involvement with the greatest retail failure in Canadian history. A good part of me wishes it didn't fail, though.
I've been a part of my store since day one, only to escape my imminent trip to the unemployment line a month ago by being hired on with another retailer's DC. Granted, I was sad that I didn't go the distance at my store but I did what I had to do. Despite all the perils I heard from my American bretheren, (aside from the hours at least) I truly felt I worked with an amazing team, who remained on the upbeat until the end.
I remember walking into my store the first time, with about 100+ new team members, getting all of our planos set up as they were to be when we opened. Working in logistics, especially flow, showed me firsthand just where our perils were. I remember being concerned about our stock levels in the weeks before we opened, and was concerned even more when those levels hadn't improved by the end of the summer. Eventually our overnight process became a 4 AM, massive trailers just before inventory had us working a lot of overtime, guests continued to complain about our stock, our prices, and despite all that we did what we could with what we had. Our 4 AM process eventually became a 6 AM process, and again we found ourselves behind the 8-ball, trying to get things done in our short timeframe while trying to juggle everything else that happens while the store is open.
In the meantime, I established myself as a jack-of-all-trades, eventually becoming a go-to guy for planos, learning the ins and outs of the backroom, dabbling in electronics, going back to overnights for big transitions, spending a week overnight to hang up all the Christmas signs and even boldly stepping into an instocks crash course when I agreed to take an instocks shift, only to have the team member that would have trained me call in. When a TL position opened up in December I thought about going for it, but decided to hold off for the moment. Turned out I made a wise decision.
When Target Canada's president was fired last year there were mullings that changes would be coming within the next year, which could include a full pullout, so it was always in the back of my mind that this store might not be here a year for now, and that I would have to be on my toes. When the news broke; Many of us found out in the worst possible way; The media.
I don't mean over the radio or on TV either. I mean the media sitting right outside our front entrance waiting for us. A quick check to twitter once inside, safe from the cameras, confirmed everything.
My first two months of this year were pretty rough. Not only did I have to deal with my store closing, but a month later my family was forced out of our apartment by a major fire in our building. Still, it seemed that we were being looked out for because our suite took no damage, and a week and a half later not only did we find a new home, but I got my new job offer on the same day.
I'll also remember walking into my store for the last time, which happened to be yesterday. The store had already been closed for two weeks, but I was back in the neighborhood, (before the fire I lived in the same neighborhood as my store) walking past the store when I ran into the SFT, who waited at the door, like he would have back in the days when we were running up to it, and invited me in to have a look at what was left.
It was barren; Almost gut-wrenching to see. Say what you will about Target or retail in general, but I had put two years into that store, just to stand there are one corner and be able to see all the way to the opposite corner. That store was my baby, and now it was gone.
Two years ago I walked into this store, seeing excitement and potential. Yesterday, I walked out of its remains, an empty shell, for the last time.
And thus closes the chapter of my involvement with the greatest retail failure in Canadian history. A good part of me wishes it didn't fail, though.
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