Archived Target Site to store

[lovecats]

We just had a remodel so we could get the clinic put in. They took out the electronics storeroom and moved it to the backroom. Where in the world they would put this I don't even want to know since we lost space for that.

 

[redeye58]

I wondered when they condensed our backroom last yr & added the rolling aisles but now it makes sense....sort of.
As much sense as anything spot does.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

I wondered when they condensed our backroom last yr & added the rolling aisles but now it makes sense....sort of.
As much sense as anything spot does.

I do like the rolling ladders, much safer.

 

[insiteful1]

This is the Flexible Fulfillment process, as I understand it:

1. Guest shops for items on Target.com
2. "Pick-up in store" option is displayed for eligible items (items stores carry)
3. Guest will choose location to pick up items, which then confirms availability at that store.
4. Not long after the guest completes the order (without paying), the BR TM is alerted on an LPDA that an FF batch is ready to be pulled.
5. BR TM pulls item(s), labels with portable printer, and places in Holding area. (not sure if it will be located/STO'd in the holding area)
6. Later, the guest comes in and goes to the service desk to pick up their order.
7. GS TM completes guest's transaction on an iPad Mini.
8. BR TM (or possibly SF TMs) are asked to bring up items from Holding area.
9. Guest is given the item(s) they ordered.

- Items are held in the holding area for 2-3 days. If after that time the items are not picked up, the order is cancelled and items are backstocked. I'm not sure about that process yet.


I'm interested to see how this works out, our store is pretty high for online sales in our area.

I doubt my store will have a FF Captain. MySupport will probably issue a message 2 days before it starts, reminding us about it, and my store will scramble to get things together.

If this really takes off, is Target going to allocate extra hours to accommodate for this additional process the BR team has to deal with?

Nailed it. My store is expecting 2-3 orders a day....at first. If this takes off it could be HUGE. Basically you're not shopping, you're picking up your refrigerator list. I'm a fan!!!

 

[konk]

I hadn't thought about those items. As of now you can't order those. Hopefully that doesn't change.

How does Walmart do it for consumables?

 

[daninnj]

Is this the end of online-only clearance? Say it ain't so!

 

[targetq]

This process seems to be more like Best Buy's store pickup rather than Walmart's site to store (for now). You are shopping your Target's backroom/salesfloor and only getting things carried within that store, not online only items. I'm just happy the pickup store gets credit for the sale and all billing and documentation is done through the iPad rather than the register!!

 

[sher]

This process seems to be more like Best Buy's store pickup rather than Walmart's site to store (for now). You are shopping your Target's backroom/salesfloor and only getting things carried within that store, not online only items. I'm just happy the pickup store gets credit for the sale and all billing and documentation is done through the iPad rather than the register!!

Walmart has a thing called Pick Up Today that is the same as this thing. Not sure how widespread it is, but I've seen the link on some items when browsing their site. Walmart does ship pantry/shelf-stable groceries, though. A bunch of grocery stores do the order from home, then pickup thing, too. I like the idea of it as a shopper who doesn't like shopping. I also like the idea of it as someone who has to fix everything the shoppers mess up. If I'm grabbing the stuff for them, I won't make a mess of everything.

If I was a corporate business-y person, I'd kill this thing. How many times have people said some variation of "zomg I came to target for 3 things and now I have a whole cart full!! ha ha ha?" Impulse shopping is tougher from home. I never strayed from my list when I was ordering my groceries. You type it in a search bar, sort by price and boom, you have the exact item from your list in your "cart." In-store, you have to walk by a million things you hadn't intended on buying in order to get the item. Then again, maybe people who hate shopping will feel more inclined to buy things.

 

[targetq]

This process seems to be more like Best Buy's store pickup rather than Walmart's site to store (for now). You are shopping your Target's backroom/salesfloor and only getting things carried within that store, not online only items. I'm just happy the pickup store gets credit for the sale and all billing and documentation is done through the iPad rather than the register!!

Walmart has a thing called Pick Up Today that is the same as this thing. Not sure how widespread it is, but I've seen the link on some items when browsing their site. Walmart does ship pantry/shelf-stable groceries, though. A bunch of grocery stores do the order from home, then pickup thing, too. I like the idea of it as a shopper who doesn't like shopping. I also like the idea of it as someone who has to fix everything the shoppers mess up. If I'm grabbing the stuff for them, I won't make a mess of everything.

If I was a corporate business-y person, I'd kill this thing. How many times have people said some variation of "zomg I came to target for 3 things and now I have a whole cart full!! ha ha ha?" Impulse shopping is tougher from home. I never strayed from my list when I was ordering my groceries. You type it in a search bar, sort by price and boom, you have the exact item from your list in your "cart." In-store, you have to walk by a million things you hadn't intended on buying in order to get the item. Then again, maybe people who hate shopping will feel more inclined to buy things.

That is an excellent point! I hear at least 10 guests say that everyday. Target must be so afraid of losing business to online competitors that they're willing to lose some of those in store purchases. This will also decrease guests that apply for Red Cards or want to take advantage of that free online shipping.

 

[Sarakiel]

I'll just also leave this here since it has been publicly posted by Google and no longer falls under NDA:

http://www.google.com/shopping/express/about/

4 stores are currently piloting this with huge success, POC phase for Flex Fulfillment possibly if all goes well.

 

[StackerMistress]

Talked to my STL about this last night. She got a 20 page email and hasn't had time to read it, apparently it's all rolling out next month. They're wiping out what's left of the photo stuff at guest service; that's where the "holding area" will be. Which sounds awful because we still won't have enough room up there anyway, especially if guests are getting big things like TVs or furniture. I guess the pilot store's biggest problem has been meeting their "promise time," i.e., the order supposedly comes in as a batch which must be pulled in an hour, but, surprise surprise, nobody has time to do anything, so it ends up taking four hours to have time to pull it.

She seemed very apprehensive about the whole process, which really doesn't make me feel good about this at all.

 

[murphyslaw]

I'm freaking out about this a bit do to the lack of payroll to cover the basic br process now. We better get more payroll. Also I fear that they'll be a lot of bad orders because of our OH being off in a bunch of places.

 

[targetq]

With the storage location, it needs to be as close to guest service as possible since you are timed on bringing the order to the guest. The order would be:

1. Shelves above reshop carts (newer prototype stores)
2. Photo stockroom (if you have a photo lab)
3. Candy room (older prototype stores since it's in the front)

If you can't use one of those areas, your store basically needs to be put on a list to corporate so they can try and figure out something special for you. Back room would be an absolute last resort because it would take forever to get there and back, and you'd be leaving guest service for an extended period of time.

In regard to on-hands and item availability, the items in guest pickup storage will show up in item search under the original home location. As of this time, there is no way to differentiate. If a guest orders something and it cannot be found in the back room or on the sales floor, they will receive an email with a list of the items that have been removed from their order.

 

[redandkhaki]

Did the actual training on this last week and I have to say that I am a fan. I think it's going to work well for our store.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

We are starting this in October.

 

[Rarejem]

We also start in October.

 

[konk]

Is this only gonna pull from the back? When I sell something from the backroom, it still triggers a pull. Is that gonna change?

 

[redandkhaki]

it pulls from the backroom first and then the salesfloor if you don't have the item in the backroom. If you go to the salesfloor to pull the item and you still can't find it there is an option to hit "item not found" and then it emails the guest to tell them we have 4 out of their 5 items or whatever it is.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

We are getting done in October.

 

[eka77]

Hahaha my poor store. Im looking forward to this backroom mess.

 

[lish35]

We get to go live on September 25th.

 

[missionimpossible]

feels like a disaster waiting to happen. So many on-hand counts are bad to begin with. Addin trucks rolling over, challenge not being pushed, back-stock sitting around for days, bad pushing on the floor, and new team members thrust into this. I can't see this being good. I can't imagine how bad it will be for stores that behind on trucks as it is before 4th quarter even arrives. I think this will hurt guest feedback more than it helps.

Hope I'm wrong though.

 

[konk]

I agree. I usually find at least one baffle per hour, but lately I've been finding multiple wrong quantities and mixed similar items.

 

[pellinore]

We go live on October 7.

All I can say is.....Oh Noooooooooooooooooooooo!

In theory and on paper it looks great...then you start to think of the process and you realize that this will be the final straw to Target hell.

Hey, we can't even get photo orders to arrive and then be done at the stated time on the guests receipt.
Are we supposed to pick up items on sale for the guest.....or will it happen in the BR? What if the only location of an item is on the sales floor....do we take that away for the guest?

I'm scared of the nightmare that we'll experience with all the ELECTRIC steps in this process.......what if a guest sends an order and we get the order and then we go to tell the guest that the items (that we do have) are ready here.....but when Spot goes to email back....what if the email address they sent ends up with an error so said guest never hears from the store. Will guest call headquarters, will the call the STL or will they yell like crazy to the person who gets to answer the store phone.

What if a guest orders dresses, shirts, pants and tops for their children. Well, will the guest provide the right size?
Will be able to print up gift receipts?

Can you imagine people ordering their xmas toys the days before Black Thursday and Friday.....and we'll have to get all their stuff.......we'll have to stage the stuff.....and then protect the stuff from the guests coming to pick the item up on Black Thursday or Friday!!

All of us TMs are going to get screwed right through the wall.......especially since many of our stores are already over labor hours.

What have the business leaders of Target been thinking of???

Please reassure me that we won't have a special DESIGNER set of products....or the "Stores at Target".

Maybe we'd all be better off if we go to another business and get paid better!

Hey, I'm moving along on this process......anyone else with me?

 

[sher]

I feel bad that it makes more work for some TMs, but I'm gonna use this thing so much when it goes live at my store! I hate shopping. I only ever shop at Target... while I'm working, stealthily. I also feel bad for the person who has to walk through softlines looking for items that are on the floor and not in the BR. I hope whoever has to do it gets pictures. A lot of the time, you can't tell what something is from the PDA description.

Sucks they don't do groceries. I used to get my groceries delivered when I lived in Philly. It's not a big thing here in the burbs since grocery stores are more easily accessible and more people drive. So much easier to stick to the list when someone else does the shopping for you. And the acme and genuardi's people always picked the perfect fruit for me.