Target doing away with its red phones for customers.

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Dec 30, 2015
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139
It is a step in the death of the landline phone. Businesses have been slower to do away with landlines than residences.
 
They got rid of the phone call box, and replaced them with some Android tablet. And the guest assistance goes thru the zebras in my alerts, instead over the walkies. And the guests can see our hand count, floor count, and what's back stocked. And guests can also request items to be brought up to guest services on hold, doesn't say how many they want tho.
 
I don't like the idea of letting the guest see onhand counts. How do you explain that while, yes, it does show we have 12 of a new item, it is currently located on one of twenty unsorted transition pallets in the back? So, no, you can't have it.
 
I don't like the idea of letting the guest see onhand counts. How do you explain that while, yes, it does show we have 12 of a new item, it is currently located on one of twenty unsorted transition pallets in the back? So, no, you can't have it.

I've just started telling guests that. "We have a new shitty unload process and the thing you want is probably on a pallet in a stack of other things."

If the on hand amount is <5 I tell them we've sold a lot of that item today, sorry. I'm not going to dig through a bunch of pallets and repacks for a widget
 
I don't like the idea of letting the guest see onhand counts. How do you explain that while, yes, it does show we have 12 of a new item, it is currently located on one of twenty unsorted transition pallets in the back? So, no, you can't have it.
You mean either in a storage unit in the parking lot or the not so empty trailer in bay 4.
 
I don't like the idea of letting the guest see onhand counts. How do you explain that while, yes, it does show we have 12 of a new item, it is currently located on one of twenty unsorted transition pallets in the back? So, no, you can't have it.

And of course there will be the guests who don't want to hear it when you tell them the tablet was wrong about it being located in the backroom. Mispick, ghost, etc.
 
Another thing I wish it showed was the location in the aisle. With some of the newer team members would be helpful since equipment is few and far between

These new ones don't show the item location? The current/old/whatever ones we still have at my store do.
 
The tablets are trash! I’d rather hear on the walkie the guest assistance go off so people actually respond to the guest. I liked the red phones better but the tablets are cool to show guests where stuff is but maybe the guest assistance should have just stayed on the walkie. My store barely responds to alerts so then someone has to call it out hey team whose going to cleaning supplies guest alert.
 
They got rid of the phone call box, and replaced them with some Android tablet. And the guest assistance goes thru the zebras in my alerts, instead over the walkies. And the guests can see our hand count, floor count, and what's back stocked. And guests can also request items to be brought up to guest services on hold, doesn't say how many they want tho.

It goes through the alerts?

Yeah, no one in GM knows about this @ our store. We have guests complaining that no one shows up after ~3 attempts for a TM.

The possibilities for anyone actually helping guests is very minimum now, great job corporate. If stores had a working logistics process, we'd be fine.
 
I understand that there are a lot of people who are not computer or cell phone savvy, but it really irks me when a seemingly smart and able-bodied guest asks me for something and sees me whip out my own phone to look it up - like, you could literally be doing this yourself dude. Even more annoying when they have the item already pulled up on their phone.

Also annoying when a fellow TM calls for assistance on the walkie for an item: "Hey Style, do you have gray gloves for women?" "The gloves are over by the purses and belts in accessories." "We are looking here and there are no gray gloves." "Well then..." :rolleyes:
 
I don't like the idea of letting the guest see onhand counts. How do you explain that while, yes, it does show we have 12 of a new item, it is currently located on one of twenty unsorted transition pallets in the back? So, no, you can't have it.

Collectors/resellers will use this to demand that we go get something for them for their collection/stock. They knew how to use the red scanners to find out how many we had on hand.
 
I understand that there are a lot of people who are not computer or cell phone savvy, but it really irks me when a seemingly smart and able-bodied guest asks me for something and sees me whip out my own phone to look it up - like, you could literally be doing this yourself dude. Even more annoying when they have the item already pulled up on their phone...... :rolleyes:
Not all guests want to use their smartphone while shopping. Not all guests want to use the Target app. While these guests tend to be mature adults age 45 and better, not all of them are "tech neanderthals". They may be very privacy-conscious particularly if they have ever experienced identity theft or fraud. They might simply prefer enjoy the shopping experience without constant interruptions from this technology, which for many of us as addictive as crack cocaine.

Those who refuse to be chained to their smartphones while shopping often end up spending more-per-visit than you think, particularly since they aren't as distracted by phone calls and text messages which can pull them away from putting more items in their cart. Mature adults over 45 often more disposable income than younger people. IMHO Target should not throw the needs of these guests under the bus. Getting rid of those redphone kiosks is naieve.
 
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Not all guests want to use their smartphone while shopping. Not all guests want to use the Target app. While these guests tend to be mature adults age 45 and better, not all of them are "tech neanderthals". They may be very privacy-conscious particularly if they have ever experienced identity theft or fraud. They might simply prefer enjoy the shopping experience without constant interruptions from this technology, which for many of us as addictive as crack cocaine.

Those who refuse to be chained to their smartphones while shopping often end up spending more-per-visit than you think, particularly since they aren't as distracted by phone calls and text messages which can pull them away from putting more items in their cart. Mature adults over 45 often more disposable income than younger people. IMHO Target should not throw the needs of these guests under the bus. Getting rid of those redphone kiosks is naieve.
At my store, the phones/callboxes are outdated and a nuisance. Most of the time it's kids messing around anyway. Good riddance, I say.
 
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