Hey there. I work in softlines and the guests who shop in my store are rough with the merchandise. I mean, really rough. Yesterday I left shoes to answer guest first and when I came back there were close to 30 pairs of shoes on the floor. I couldn't have been gone more than 15 minutes. I had a woman and her daughter try on half a dozen pair of shoes while I was zoning not 2 feet away and they left them all on the floor when they left and had destroyed the area that I'd just finished with. Clothes are on the floor being run over by guests. Like a lot of you, we don't have a lot of hours so we'll have maybe 2 TMs in the morning, 1 mid and 3 close - and usually 2 of those are TLs, who are inevitably pulled to do other tasks. (Or, like last night 1 TM was pulled to cover electronics, the TL had to cover for the GSTL leaving just the operator in softlines.) So I'm looking for tips, suggestions, ideas… anything that has worked in your store. We're probably not going to be able to add more people to the schedule, but even scheduling ideas would be helpful. I'm just just a TM but I'd like to be able to maybe give my TL's some suggestions on how to make it easier for all of us. We're losing a lot of people due to burnout. It's disheartening to end your shift and look around and it looks just as awful as it did when you came in. Anyway, thanks in advance for your help!
Archived Soliciting Suggestions for Softlines
- Thread starter raspberry
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Keep on helping the guests in shoes & zoning like a bandit.
FlowChick
Expect The Unexpected
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I swear to god...Mom's are the WORST shoppers. They're usually so busy trying to manage their brats, they can't clean up after themselves. I bet their houses look just as shitty.
Of course, there are those delightful exceptions who have manners and their children follow suit.
Of course, there are those delightful exceptions who have manners and their children follow suit.
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Teenyboppers are worse shoppers. Because everything from sporting goods wines up in other areas of spot.
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That's pretty much the platitude that the STL told my TL yesterday when he brought her into his office and berated her for how bad softlines looked. Then he told her she had to do "more with less" because he was taking 20 hours out of the schedule she'd just written and given them to electronics. She confided in me that she was going to reach out to other stores with similar customer bases to see what tips they could give her, which is why I was reaching out here. I like her and would like to help if I can but I can only do so much on the floor.
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Do the best you can. Helping guests is the key to keeping zones tight.
But the question is with 14 areas (maternity, plus size, ready to wear, accessories, jewelry, shoes, intimate apparel, sleep, hosiery, performance, mens, infants, boys, girls) and 2 team members on the floor, how can we stay on top of the zone? We've been in the red since Christmas and our hours for workload are cut so they've been only 3/4 completed I'm at a loss what to actually do.
sigma7
Former ETL-All the Things
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- Jun 15, 2011
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Sounds like an issue that is out of your hands. It comes down to hours at that point.
I'd say put away returns right, pick stuff up off the floor and focus on your fold. I wouldn't worry too much about anything else. You don't have the time. Guests rip apart shoes. That's just how it goes.
I'd say put away returns right, pick stuff up off the floor and focus on your fold. I wouldn't worry too much about anything else. You don't have the time. Guests rip apart shoes. That's just how it goes.
S
sher
Guest
I just give those people with the shoes a passive aggressive "are these yours?" "Are you buying these?" Or whatever. They take the hint often, but some people are just too inconsiderate to take it.
The better the zone, the easier for people to see where to put things back. I also think people are messier when someone else has already paved the way for a mess. You know when people are like "well there's already stuff on the floor, so I'm not gonna pick up this thing I dropped."
But there are no perfect zones with no hours, so do the best you can. When I'm the only person on the floor, I try to periodically clean the floors of the worst areas (girls and shoes for my store). i try to get it done before they do their stupid walk thing because they're gonna be all "softlines the floor looks rough in girls/shoes. Can someone clean that up??!"
The better the zone, the easier for people to see where to put things back. I also think people are messier when someone else has already paved the way for a mess. You know when people are like "well there's already stuff on the floor, so I'm not gonna pick up this thing I dropped."
But there are no perfect zones with no hours, so do the best you can. When I'm the only person on the floor, I try to periodically clean the floors of the worst areas (girls and shoes for my store). i try to get it done before they do their stupid walk thing because they're gonna be all "softlines the floor looks rough in girls/shoes. Can someone clean that up??!"
Bullselle
Softy
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- Nov 17, 2014
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- 249
Ugh, I dread doing zoning in shoes now. Most of the time, we close with no one assigned to that area, so it looks like a mess for the whole day. So everyone in softlines (including the operator) has to take time out of their shift and zone shoes before they leave.
I always see the LODs fixing up areas in hardlines. When we have the midday zone, it's in hardlines. Sometimes, the LOD will even ask us to stay late to zone a hardlines area after we finish softlines. And you know what? The aisles never look that bad compared to shoes. If they cared about making the whole store look decent, they would ask for help in softlines at least once in a while. So I just do what I can. Why should we stress about it if even our bosses don't care?
I always see the LODs fixing up areas in hardlines. When we have the midday zone, it's in hardlines. Sometimes, the LOD will even ask us to stay late to zone a hardlines area after we finish softlines. And you know what? The aisles never look that bad compared to shoes. If they cared about making the whole store look decent, they would ask for help in softlines at least once in a while. So I just do what I can. Why should we stress about it if even our bosses don't care?
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2014
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- 532
A big problem I've noticed stores are having with softlines is that they are still dishing out zone assignments just like they were 5 years ago when they had 3x the payroll. What the leadership team is expecting out of the zoners is literally impossible. I mean, can your 1 zoner really do all of RTW in 4 hours when it hasn't been touched in 3 days? All this does is cause frustration...and it's not the TM's fault, it's the leaders fault for having insane expectations without setting clear cut goals. What I've tried doing is creating a weekly zone schedule with ACHIEVABLE(this is the key word here) zone assignments with the overall goal of getting softlines reset once a week. Hot spots getting done(hopefully) once a day...such as RTW sale tables or kids basics or tables along the race track. Sure this means that some areas might not get touched up for awhile...but you get actual zones done instead of just quickly making the area look like it's zoned.
Utilize your morning and closing operator and dish out zone assignments to them. Assign rewrap/organizing reshop to just the mid. Otherwise all 3 are going to be twiddling their thumbs and only working reshop.
Pick ups in all softlines done at the beginning of every shift so there isn't much on the floor.
Work with your PPTL and know what is resetting. If it resets, it needs a little bit less attention.
Salesfloor capacities. A lot of times shit falls on the floor because there is literally too much stuff on the floor. Don't stuff your tables or racks. You have backstock for a reason. CAF's exist for a reason.
Take into account reshop and ensure that whomever is organizing it is aware of who is working what departments and make sure that reshop gets out to that TM to improve efficiency.
Leaders need to own CLR. Sure it sucks. But it's an area that if it isn't organized, it won't move. And if it doesn't move, it sits around and causes more problems. Hang CLR if you can.
Some zone assignments might not seem like much to your ETL's(Half of RTW hanging, first half of INF, etc), but explain to them that this is the only way to get a REAL zone in, not just a half assed one. This will improve team moral(BTS anybody?) and allow you to properly performance somebody. I mean, you can't coach somebody for not zoning half of softlines in 4 hours.
Hope this helps!
Utilize your morning and closing operator and dish out zone assignments to them. Assign rewrap/organizing reshop to just the mid. Otherwise all 3 are going to be twiddling their thumbs and only working reshop.
Pick ups in all softlines done at the beginning of every shift so there isn't much on the floor.
Work with your PPTL and know what is resetting. If it resets, it needs a little bit less attention.
Salesfloor capacities. A lot of times shit falls on the floor because there is literally too much stuff on the floor. Don't stuff your tables or racks. You have backstock for a reason. CAF's exist for a reason.
Take into account reshop and ensure that whomever is organizing it is aware of who is working what departments and make sure that reshop gets out to that TM to improve efficiency.
Leaders need to own CLR. Sure it sucks. But it's an area that if it isn't organized, it won't move. And if it doesn't move, it sits around and causes more problems. Hang CLR if you can.
Some zone assignments might not seem like much to your ETL's(Half of RTW hanging, first half of INF, etc), but explain to them that this is the only way to get a REAL zone in, not just a half assed one. This will improve team moral(BTS anybody?) and allow you to properly performance somebody. I mean, you can't coach somebody for not zoning half of softlines in 4 hours.
Hope this helps!
Do what you can to keep it zoned & don't let it aggravate you.
If TARGET cared about the stores being a mess, they would schedule people to actually keep it from being a disaster.
Target will NOT change until the guests themselves let them know they find the stores unacceptable. Why should they spend money on paying for upkeep as long as customers aren't complaining yet?
If TARGET cared about the stores being a mess, they would schedule people to actually keep it from being a disaster.
Target will NOT change until the guests themselves let them know they find the stores unacceptable. Why should they spend money on paying for upkeep as long as customers aren't complaining yet?
S
sher
Guest
What on earth is a mid shift fitting room operator/attendant? We don't have that lol. Occasionally someone has to cover for two hours between the morning and closer, but for the most part we only have two lol. Our opener always does rtw. Sometimes more. She's usually able to leave with nothing to sort and no z racks of rtw.
We rarely even ask the TLs for assignment lately, though. We go in and the goal is basically to do enough reshop that there isn't a need to use the backroom, and zone/fold stuff visible from the racetrack first. If there's time in the end, we go deeper.
When I work a day shift, I detail zone a chunk. I'm always in the same few areas, so then I only have to maintain the previous chunk and do another chunk.
We rarely even ask the TLs for assignment lately, though. We go in and the goal is basically to do enough reshop that there isn't a need to use the backroom, and zone/fold stuff visible from the racetrack first. If there's time in the end, we go deeper.
When I work a day shift, I detail zone a chunk. I'm always in the same few areas, so then I only have to maintain the previous chunk and do another chunk.
We are always understaffed in softlines. If we have 2 people on the floor closing, we're lucky. Whenever I'm fitting room operator, I have to start zoning before 9. Guests are horrible and mess makers but you have to learn to just accept it. By taking it personal, you're only gonna stress yourself out.
Start with zones that hold up better. If you are swarmed with guests in your area, move to another part after you ask them if you can help them.
I explain to all the uppers, that I do what I can, I'll continue to work hard but it's been shopped hard. They do understand but will still encourage us to get it done by close. Our list of importance is guest, pulls, zone then abandons.
Start with zones that hold up better. If you are swarmed with guests in your area, move to another part after you ask them if you can help them.
I explain to all the uppers, that I do what I can, I'll continue to work hard but it's been shopped hard. They do understand but will still encourage us to get it done by close. Our list of importance is guest, pulls, zone then abandons.
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2014
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- 652
I am FROM/ OP and I am determined to figure out a system to this starship nightmare.
Here is my fitting room checklist so far
1. Get hardship carts
2. Get and sort hangers
3 Check rooms
4 Sort each cart into fold, hang and put everything else in a misc cart
5 put away already hung and folded for 1/2 hour to make room
6. Start hanging and folding
7 guests first, answer phones and check for tickets
8 repeat
Here is my fitting room checklist so far
1. Get hardship carts
2. Get and sort hangers
3 Check rooms
4 Sort each cart into fold, hang and put everything else in a misc cart
5 put away already hung and folded for 1/2 hour to make room
6. Start hanging and folding
7 guests first, answer phones and check for tickets
8 repeat
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BullseyeBabe
SETL
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2013
- Messages
- 1,607
There are some minor changes that could make a huge difference in our store. First, stop using the tiny little hangers. It is nearly impossible to get the items from the reshop cart to the rack without them falling off. If you manage to get them to the rack the fall off as soon as anyone touches anything on the rack. We spend half our tome picking stuff up off the floor and rehanging it. It's not shoppable. Watch the guests in infant softlines. Every time they touch anything half a dozen things fall on the floor. Some try to hang things up but most shake their head and give up. I see it every day. The other thing is over stocking. We aren't allowed to backstock any clothes. There are so many tables and racks that are unshoppable, unzoneable and just plain junky looking. If we stopped overstocking we would move product faster and it would be much easier to maintain our zone.
I back stock like nobodies business. In infants, it's more than two folded. In RTW, it's 4. I've learned to back stock and pull myself. It makes more work for us having too much around. The little hangers are for anything under 12 months. I'll see guests hit things done wi the their cart and not give it a second look.
Softlines is rough.
Softlines is rough.
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BullseyeBabe
SETL
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- Jun 6, 2013
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- 1,607
Different stores use different terms. Is backstop the same as backstock? Does everyone else have trouble with clothes being hung on hangers that are too small? Do you guys all get to backstock?
S
sher
Guest
We back stock sometimes. I think some stuff they just send way too much for it to be feasible to put it out. Speaking of tiny hangers, I hate the love + art brand in toddler clothes. All the collars are just wide enough to fall off the hanger if it's not properly balanced but they're small enough that they look ridiculous if we put them on the boys/girls sized hanger.
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