Archived Responding on walkie - what is your store's philosophy?

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There are two philosophies to radio communication. The first (and superior IMHO) way is to request something on the radio (like backup cashiers) and then leave silence on the air, so that someone can respond. The people on the sales floor should be listening and interpreting the silence as a lack of response.

The second (and most profoundly retarded) way of doing it is this: Ask for something on the radio, and insist that everyone respond. So if you CAN'T backup cashier, you need to get on the radio and say why. This means that whoever is responding positively gets talked over, because everyone else is doing this too. If no one gives an instantaneous positive response, just get on the radio and complain that no one is responsing yet. Repeat every five seconds. :sarcastic3:

I'm open to new ideas, though. How do you do it at your store?
 
I actually think the opposite of you. When I call for backup and I get nothing but silence I find it incredibly aggravating. If someone who would be expected to backup but can't for some reason--with a guest, dealing with a spill, etc.l--I want to hear that from them so that I (and the LOD) knows why they aren't coming and I can focus on getting someone else to respond, or make a judgement on another way to solve my problem such as redirect guests to check out at Food Ave. or Guest Services or get on a lane myself and tell the LOD to watch lanes for me. Main channel conversations should be short and to the point but more communication is best in my opinion. Sometimes people do get talked over but most of the time I'm able to catch enough of what one person said to understand them and then I just ask the other person to please repeat, but this doesn't happen enough (to me anyway) to negate the benefit of getting good walkie responses instead of silence.
 
I would like to add that I do think one should pause long enough to let someone have the chance to respond. The walkie behaviors I find most annoying are long conversations on the main channel and when one person (like me, for example) calls out a request and a split second later someone else calls out a different request leaving no space for a response to the first one. And then it seems like 80% of the time the second request gets answered first and they have a long conversation on channel 1 about it while the first person is hanging there waiting for them to shutup so they can get their own response.
 
Being ULV, there aren't a lot of people for back up. So I would prefer if people respond as they can. Thus, if TM A has been up there three times and would like to get something done, they can pause long enough to hear if TM B can come up or if they are with a guest. To me, it seems to leave a better chance for rotation or allowing people who are getting crunched for time to get things done.
 
It drives me absoulutely crazy when I'm trying to get backup responses and people are having long winded conversations on channel 1. Same thing if I'm at a register trying to get Dairy for a gallon of milk, etc.

If you can't complete your convo in one quick sentence, go to 3 or 4!!!

And yeah if all I get is silence I will badger the entire store on 1 until either the LOD starts calling people out, or people start responding.
 
I call for x number to the lanes for backup. I expect a response within 60 seconds - plain and simple. By response, I mean the expectation is someone will be at the checklanes within that time.

I call out like a callbox does. Initial request, second request, final request. If there's no response within 60 seconds, I start calling people by name. In the meantime, I jump on until someone comes up for backup to relieve me or the LOD comes up.

The quicker the SF responds to backup, the quicker they can go back to the floor.
 
we have been having an issue with no one responding so whenever i work I will make it a point to call out people until they get the hint. generally when I am there they respond because they don't want me on their case :) i take pride in that .. also if I am covering the front lanes or calling for backup I will make sure to make it pretty even like I will call one sl tm and one Hl team member and tell them exactly what lane to go to so there aren't any questions. sometimes we have a backup list but we find it is not very effective.
 
anyone have a problem with softlines never answering and hardlines always going up even though softlines is right freaking next to the checklanes. Hardlines also covers all electronics breaks.
 
we have been having that issue also! we do all carry outs, respond first to all back up calls and cover the electronic and gstl breaks. and softlines normally has 2-3 more team members typically on any day than HL
 
we have been having that issue also! we do all carry outs, respond first to all back up calls and cover the electronic and gstl breaks. and softlines normally has 2-3 more team members typically on any day than HL

I know, seriously! The SL team is at least 3 or 4 people and HL is usually 2.
 
I just love when...me...doing pfresh, is backing up or helping with a carryout and am in the backroom dairy cooler, basically the furthest possible spot from the front lanes, yet someone is in ready to wear, literally 50 yards from the checklanes and doesnt respond
 
anyone have a problem with softlines never answering and hardlines always going up even though softlines is right freaking next to the checklanes. Hardlines also covers all electronics breaks.

We actually have the exact opposite problem at my store. Normally all of the execs and other TLs will stay in hardlines while myself and the Fitting Room/Operator are the only ones in softlines all day until the two zoners come in at 6 pm. I still end up backing up almost every single time because no one else will respond. I have actually caught TMs lying about "helping guests" when back up is called and I coach them on it. Its very frustrating when none of the execs will set foot on a check lane (unless it is a dire circumstance) and I am the only one willing to back up.
 
anyone have a problem with softlines never answering and hardlines always going up even though softlines is right freaking next to the checklanes. Hardlines also covers all electronics breaks.

ours is pretty even. We have hardlines answer green and softlines answer blue. Obviously if we need more than that team can provide or a one of them has some call ins than we call for the other team to help out. Hardlines doesn't do carry outs unless we need a team lift or parcel is on break and we actually just ask for help and someone will respond. Usually it's hardlines or Market that answers those.
 
I wish walmart gave walkies to the associates. So much better then using the PA system thats pretty hard to hear when you are in the backroom before 7am. Thats one thing I do miss about Target. Plus if they respond they are held accountable if they don't follow though their responce.
 
or make a judgement on another way to solve my problem such as redirect guests to check out at Food Ave. or Guest Services or get on a lane myself and tell the LOD to watch lanes for me.

That is your problem right there. You need to utilize the tools you have right there in your own damn work center before you pull from others.

Here's an example of how inconsiderate or oblivious the front end is. The other day they had to push a pallet of one spot. The GSTL pulls off 2 cashiers and the guest service TM to push and calls for backup. The single HLTM and single SLTM responded and were on the lanes. I walked by about 10 minutes later and saw that ****...guess what changed.
 
I will say, sales floor didn't help themselves make their case tonight. I know they had been called for backup over and over again and were sick of it. But one TM was doing a particularly large order (light was off so she could finish up and leave). The other cashier and I had no one in our lanes, so I kept my light on and went back to collecting the strays. The TM still finishing up her last order, barked at me to get back on my lane because she wasn't a cashier tonight and she had things to do. I calmly pointed out the lack of guests and the fact that my lane light was on and I was looking out for guests. But I went back to looking pretty in front of my lane. She finally gets done with that order, and instead of going back to the things she needed to do, she went over to the other cashier and started talking instead.

Seriously? My light was on, I was watching for guests and wouldn't have had another guest step into her lane, but I can't do any extra work so she can get back to talking? Right. Meh...anytime I try talking to her, her nose just gets further up in the air...so I just ignore it. But it was still irritating.
 
My store its depending on the day & of whom the LOD is on how good the store is staffed ironically tonight we had more cashiers then sl & hl tm's combined til 9pm then after 9pm (we close at 11pm) we had 3 cashiers 1 gsa 1 gs 2 sl & 2 hl so for 1nce the fe had the most people but our store has gotten bad guest comments on the fe not being staffed so our dtl has told the etls & tls if all who can respond responded they must jump on

There has been some times to where our 1 gstl has been lazy even when the addtl $ button has been pushed and not called or refused backup needed even when there's 5 or more in a line to where us cashiers has silenty protested against her on it by slowing ourselves down to where the lines gotten longer and times she's been supposedly coached on it but she's all buddy buddy with the 1 etl
 
Yes...huge pet peeve of mine...so this goes to the other thread, too....we I hit the additional assistance button and either the GSA or worse, another cashier, will call out of the walkies we are fine. If we are fine, then you need to be directing traffic, because with a huge order on my lane and several people behind them, we are not fine.
 
anyone have a problem with softlines never answering and hardlines always going up even though softlines is right freaking next to the checklanes. Hardlines also covers all electronics breaks.

in our store it is the exact opposite...softlines is/was always going up and you can hear crickets most nights from the hardlines side. Now the ETL's have (mostly) noticed and will call out individuals. But as a whole there are only a few who go up on a first request without getting called out. I spent about 2 hours of my first 4 hours on the checklanes today for 2 reasons a) I was either the only one on the sales floor (about a half hour of that) b) I was the only one who responded at all to backup calls. The other 2 hours were split between my area and covering electronics for an hour because of a call out (officially I am softlines still). In our store softlines has to cover the fitting room breaks and hardlines has to cover the electronics breaks which works out to the same amount of time the tm's are "off" the floor.
 
I know, seriously! The SL team is at least 3 or 4 people and HL is usually 2.

again not at our store. SL has been woefully understaffed for about 6 months and hardlines has been staffed a little better. On a regular day there are 3+ HL to maybe 2 SL during the day and 5 or so HL and 4 if we are lucky SL to zone at night. Tonight was a bit rough because there was only 8 total on the floor including pfresh, electronics and myself (mid who was there until 930) and the majority of them came after 6 PM. One LOD and no TL's not even a proper GSA or GSTL. Our cart attendants are pretty useless on the register but they were put into action this afternoon.
 
From my initial training, it is very simple.
If you have a walkie and there is backup call, you respond over the walkie. "This is Jack, on my way", "This Mary, I am with a guest", "This is Bob, on my way"...

That is the response that SHOULD happen.

Conversely, the person running the front end, GSTL or GSA, needs to be actively monitoring the lines and calling out as needed. Call it off with no one needed, call it off when you have enough, beg for more, call for all-trained; communicate.

If all the teams work together it does work. The SF needs to know that when there is a call, they are needed and will be told if they are not needed. The FE needs to know that when they need help, they will get it.
 
everyone in my store is pretty good at answering backup calls, but it drives me nuts when the gsa/gstl asks for backup, then smacks the backup cashier button on the registerbefore anyone can answer. Or they request that backupsget on anything register except the express lane. I'll help get lines down if you'll help get me off the register in a timely manner.our gstls/gsas never block our lane our help try to get backups back to the floor.
 
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