Archived Time management for closing shifts?

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JustJoe

"Can you go to 3, please?" *Turns off walkie*
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Our typical closing zone shift is 7:30-11:30 (we close at 11). Over on my side of the store we usually have 4-5 closers plus the operator/fitting room who works 3:30-11:30 who helps zone within earshot of the phone. And now we enter the rant zone.....

On a typical closing shift we have 2-3 TMs who do not speak English well enough to cover operator for their lunch or breaks (typically 8:00 and 10:00) which results in me covering both the lunch (45min in my state) and last break. Here is my typical shift and how I work it:

7:30-7:40 Huddle and pass out equipment
7:40-7:50 Hunt down a 3-tier cart/Z-Rack and pull items that need re-folded or fell on floor to re-hang.
7:55-9:00 Cover operator lunch. They never come back on time because they grab softlines reshops on their way back. While covering operator I do my table folding and re-hanging and stage my cart to reshop.
9:00-9:30 Go-backs from the stuff I worked on during operator lunch. Prayer for no backup cashier calls.
9:30-9:45 Break
9:45-10:10 Operator Break. I zone areas closest to the fitting room. Again, operator never makes it back right away.
10:10-11:20 Zone my area (typically menswear)
11:20-11:30 Blitz whatever areas were not staffed, sort strays at guest service.

So let's speak hypothetically that there were no backup cashier calls and every other softlines closer had 3:25 to complete their zone and they do. I have figured out that I have just over an hour to dedicate to zoning my area. Almost 90 minutes are spent at the fitting room. 40 minutes are spent gathering and then redistributing items I pulled from the salesfloor. Sure, that's part of my zone but I could probably do it in less time if I didn't have to haul it all over to the fitting room. I figured that I have approximately just over two hours to devote to zoning my area. It makes me look bad when the LODs come by and ask me why I'm not further along.

Don't get me started about ad takedown on Saturdays. I get to stop zoning mens and go scan out infant hardlines and occasionally all of softlines (like I will tonight).
 
Same here. Last night was electronicsTM, HL-InStocks TM, Market TM

Do. Not. Ask. About. The. Zone. If. You. Aren't. Helping. With. It.
 
Our typical closing zone shift is 7:30-11:30 (we close at 11). Over on my side of the store we usually have 4-5 closers plus the operator/fitting room who works 3:30-11:30 who helps zone within earshot of the phone. And now we enter the rant zone.....

On a typical closing shift we have 2-3 TMs who do not speak English well enough to cover operator for their lunch or breaks (typically 8:00 and 10:00) which results in me covering both the lunch (45min in my state) and last break. Here is my typical shift and how I work it:

7:30-7:40 Huddle and pass out equipment
7:40-7:50 Hunt down a 3-tier cart/Z-Rack and pull items that need re-folded or fell on floor to re-hang.
7:55-9:00 Cover operator lunch. They never come back on time because they grab softlines reshops on their way back. While covering operator I do my table folding and re-hanging and stage my cart to reshop.
9:00-9:30 Go-backs from the stuff I worked on during operator lunch. Prayer for no backup cashier calls.
9:30-9:45 Break
9:45-10:10 Operator Break. I zone areas closest to the fitting room. Again, operator never makes it back right away.
10:10-11:20 Zone my area (typically menswear)
11:20-11:30 Blitz whatever areas were not staffed, sort strays at guest service.

So let's speak hypothetically that there were no backup cashier calls and every other softlines closer had 3:25 to complete their zone and they do. I have figured out that I have just over an hour to dedicate to zoning my area. Almost 90 minutes are spent at the fitting room. 40 minutes are spent gathering and then redistributing items I pulled from the salesfloor. Sure, that's part of my zone but I could probably do it in less time if I didn't have to haul it all over to the fitting room. I figured that I have approximately just over two hours to devote to zoning my area. It makes me look bad when the LODs come by and ask me why I'm not further along.

Don't get me started about ad takedown on Saturdays. I get to stop zoning mens and go scan out infant hardlines and occasionally all of softlines (like I will tonight).

There's something very familiar about this scheduling. I think I'm gonna go lay down and drink a bunch of whiskey to numb this agonizing headache setting in.
 
we sometimes have an electronics team member, an operator that does all of softlines, and a TL.

that's it.

and then a cashier calls in sick - and the groans begin
 
Insist on a 3 pm mid day zone. Do it before all of the support teams are gone for the day. If soft lines is trashed go there. On sat and sun hit grocery. We do this and it is mandatory for all team members, team leaders and execs. We zone for 15 minutes. If you don't show up you are coached. Cashiers zone the check lanes at the same time Of course guests are first. This really helped us to be able to get out onetime with a decent zone
 
at my store, doing a midday zone, is hard to do when you have only tl's who are task busy on the floor, with 1 tm in electronics. my sales are real bad & hours cut again.
 
I feel like when I first got hired we had people doing a mid-day zone, but that never happens any more. The zone only happens for the closing shift people (which royally sucks because I only close anymore). During the day they pull team members for projects,push and back up cashiers, so we're lucky if the projects and push get done anymore.
 
Insist on a 3 pm mid day zone. Do it before all of the support teams are gone for the day. If soft lines is trashed go there. On sat and sun hit grocery. We do this and it is mandatory for all team members, team leaders and execs. We zone for 15 minutes. If you don't show up you are coached. Cashiers zone the check lanes at the same time Of course guests are first. This really helped us to be able to get out onetime with a decent zone

Sounds like a wonderful idea. Wish our store would do that. I used to be a closer and I still have friends on that side of the clock and I know how bad it can be when there isn't a midday.

at my store, doing a midday zone, is hard to do when you have only tl's who are task busy on the floor, with 1 tm in electronics. my sales are real bad & hours cut again.

Yeh, this is my store too. We do have others besides the TL's on the clock most of the time during the day but because of all the hour cuts in between (those times when we don't have enough people) everyone is always behind and running to catch up with everything. And then there are those days when it seems there are not enough cashiers on the clock and you spend a good portion of your day just running to the front.

I feel like when I first got hired we had people doing a mid-day zone, but that never happens any more. The zone only happens for the closing shift people (which royally sucks because I only close anymore). During the day they pull team members for projects,push and back up cashiers, so we're lucky if the projects and push get done anymore.

You mean they pull the TMs from projects and push? MY SLTL gets quite a bit stressed when VAs don't get done on time because of either hour cuts OR being re-directed by the ETL's/STL. On a side note I feel for some of our ETL's... we have a few that easily put in a 60 to 80 hrs week trying to keep things caught up because they are "contract" employees and not on the time clock the way the TLs and TMs are.... meaning when hours get cut and we get cut... they either have to jump in and pick up the slack or let it all pile up. My former ETL of SL was very dedicated about this. Wasn't nothing for her to be on the floor lending her hands to the work or finishing things because we had to clock out due to hour cuts.
 
Fortunately, we have just enough unreliable closers that I'm always able to pick up extra hrs.
Lord help me if ever we had a dependable team.
Like THAT'S ever gonna happen....lol
 
Fortunately, we have just enough unreliable closers that I'm always able to pick up extra hrs.
Lord help me if ever we had a dependable team.
Like THAT'S ever gonna happen....lol

One person's trash is another person's treasure.
 
My team does a mid day zone starting around 2 - 230pm. All projects are stopped before then and everyone zones the tables in RTW since they are the worst.
Its REALLY hard to get a good zone when you only get 2 closers... they expect miracles to happen
 
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