It is funny to read the comments on the USA Today article. Almost every poster is claiming that the drop in sales of course is due to the boycott.
But ordering in store pickup sucks ass. Two items coming from same warehouse and one randomly took two days more to ship after the initial both are in transit? If it had been holiday presents I would have been screwed because it was Friday before and Sunday after Christmas for delivery to store...Also mentions how target.com is thriving.
Its funny bc at our store we are supposed to hype Target.com to our guest but are we speeding up our own demise?
Standard shipping is 3-5 business days (4-7 days for STS).But ordering in store pickup sucks ass. Two items coming from same warehouse and one randomly took two days more to ship after the initial both are in transit? If it had been holiday presents I would have been screwed because it was Friday before and Sunday after Christmas for delivery to store...
...I can't in good conscience push online ordering unless they aren't in a hurry.
Over the last decade, focus on short-term profits and gains, based on quarters versus multi-year projections, have finally caught up with the company. Think about it from your own experience, you'll only focus on MTD or maybe YTD, but then completely disregard anything past that. When was the last time you looked at the previous 5 years of performance? Combine the push out of TL's and ETL's that were competent in the understanding of the business, only to be replaced with new grads without previous knowledge, and you get to where you're at today. The standards all across the board have plummeted to reduce payroll costs, hiring costs, promotional opportunities, which has led to brain-drain and talented individuals from the last decade to go elsewhere. The company ruined itself, ate itself from WITHIN.
The problem with SFS is that it is now at the point where they likely can't add it anywhere else. The stores in my district that had it added in November didn't have enough space for it. They had to take down areas of the backroom that they actively used and needed to use just to make room for SFS.If the company will really push forward with the online movement, it's going to have to come with either store closures, increased DC workload, or even more (inefficient) SFS stores. It will likely require all three in the long term, only to get consistently shit on by Amazon.
With the shift more towards online sales my guess is they will start closing some of the lower performing stores that are also older and lack the space to expand for online operations.The problem with SFS is that it is now at the point where they likely can't add it anywhere else. The stores in my district that had it added in November didn't have enough space for it. They had to take down areas of the backroom that they actively used and needed to use just to make room for SFS.
And they can't really increase the capacity much more, either. We were forecasted for 1050 orders on some days, and while we didn't hit it, we came close and it was extremely hectic, unorganized, and inefficient. The quality of work suffered and the amount of stock left for guests physically in the store suffered.
They are going to need to either physically expand backrooms or add another fulfillment center this year.
They're already gone. Each tl has 3 areas each in my aa+ store, and 2 areas each at my neighbor aaa+ store.Now we can make up for this in two ways.
1. Get some quality staffing and product to help drive more sales
2. Cut hours
So goodbye VMLs! Goodbye AP! Goodbye multiple Sr TLs!
And you larger stores. Oh you sweet high volume stores. You know those TLs you have that specialize in certain areas?
GOOD BYEEEEEEEEEEEEE
The main issue here is the money involved. Until Target realizes they need to spend it now to make more later then they will continue to fail.
Anyone would be naive to believe Target's improvements and expansion would be well researched, thought out, tested, and implemented relatively problem free.You would be naive to think Target isn't currently working on improving and expanding any of the issues with Flexible Fullfillment
Target isn't exactly failing.
Every single brick and mortar retailer is adjusting to the relatively new landscape created by Amazon. If you think Cornell can just spend a bunch of money, wave a magic wand, and fix all the problems associated with competing with Amazon overnight, you're living in a dream world. Target is routinely developing and deploying new strategies while spending a LOT of money. Flexible Fullfillment, RFID, and UDCs are just some of the ideas incorporated into the strategy to remain competitive. You would be naive to think Target isn't currently working on improving and expanding any of the issues with Flexible Fullfillment.
Target should maybe be thinking of unique ways to encourage people to want to shop and spend in the stores. All the talk about "fun" & there's no fun for the shoppers.
They should also stop ignoring the fact that when many shoppers walk into a store & cannot find what they are looking for they will walk out rather than look for someone to help them. If you don't have salespeople on the floor, people eventually decide it's cheaper & easier to stay home & look for the best deals on the internet. And shoppers are creatures of habit, if you constantly move items to new locations, people come in & assume you don't sell the product anymore & they leave.