Archived To My Fellow Electronics TMs... (And Anyone Else too) How do you do it?

[Sadie]

So I've been in Electronics for almost 2 years now. This has been my first retail job, and when I first started, my store was in pretty good condition, good morale, etc. Over the past few months, however... The store has gone to absolute shit. Our store is pretty heavy volume and yet our hours keep diminishing and diminishing. There will be times when I'm closing and I will have to zone all of Electronics, Luggage, Mini and Rear Seasonal, all of Toys, Sporting Goods, Automotive, and the baby aisle. On a weekday close, there might only be 4 or 5 TMs in hardlines total to handle the whole store (this is including me and PA). There will be days with 30 carts of reshop at the front. We had to have an LOD from another store come in for a few weeks to help us get our act together 'cause we suck so much. Most people hate their job here now, managers are dropping like flies, turnover rate is insane... I really used to like Electronics, but I'm kinda starting to hate it. I can't handle all the work that is being given to me on a daily basis. TLs and even ETLs will give me random tasks off of their workload because they know I'll do it. We never have any overlap - there will be one opener from 8 - 4 and a closer 4 - 11:30. On Saturdays and Sundays there are mid shifts scheduled, but of course, whenever the mid comes in the LOD will pull them to push out CAFs in HBA or whatever. And calling for backup is a lost cause. Last week I confronted a manager about this, (something I normally don't usually do) and she wouldn't give me the time of day. I'm sick of hearing about "vibe scores" and "staying green" and "service loops", because when I do spend more time doing this, you yell at me because I didn't do enough reshop or CAFs in areas that aren't even close to electronics. I constantly feel like I'm drowning in the tsunamis of guests, all with their beady little eyes boring holes into my skull, silently cursing me for not getting them their copy of Madden 16 within 10 seconds. I don't feel supported by ANYONE, not even my own TL. I don't feel there's anyone I can go to with concerns or anything. They all just blow me off whenever I try. Maybe my problem is I'm not aggressive enough, I don't know. I'm a very laid back, chill person, I like to do a good job, and I'm not gonna kick and scream to get my way - but I see other employees who are like that, and guess what, they get their way. I've had the best attachment rate my whole time being here, ESP rate, and one of the highest Red Card rates on my team, I've had dozens of guests fill out comments about me online and all the time they'll come up to a manger and tell them they were amazed at my service. Yet recently a VERY mentally-ill man (our store gets tons of them) went up to a manager and complained about me, and I got taken aside and they had a little "chat" with me about how I'm not vibing enough and treating guests right. One experience out of so many good ones, AND THE GUY WAS OBVIOUSLY MENTALLY ILL, one day out of two years of working with you... And you think I'm at fault?

But anywho, how is electronics at your guys's store? For those of you that work in sucky stores, how do you manage it/handle it and get through the day, day in and day out? Any advice or tips? I understand that there's only so much I can do, especially being at the bottom. But still.

Sorry for the rant, feel free to share your own rant. thanks in advance for any replies!

 

[RedShirt1]

As a Hardlines/Elec TL from a high volume store, I understand what you are going through and I feel for you completely. I've been trying to be supportive of our Electronics Team by hosting AAR competitions and empowering the team by teaching them about sales planners, in stocks and my performance scores but it has gotten much harder to keep Electronics well staffed and stocked. Keep on keeping on, try not to stress over it. That's for the TL's and ETL's

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Hang in there. We don't coverage in electronics every day, due to staff shortages & my time. Do the best you can do with the time allowed. Stay positive. Welcome, btw.

 

[Streetdate]

Honestly, you need to stand up and tell leadership you can't do X for them sometimes. Or when they ask you to do this tell them it means Y* won't get done until later/at all. Bring it to their attention that pulling you from electronics tasks means that somebody else will have to do it later. I'm not saying do this every single time but if the task is important to the area as a whole.

Make sure they understand that taking the electronics mid for other areas of the store hurts sales, as some guests aren't willing to wait, and vibe scores.

As far as closing goes, that's the breaks unfortunately. There really isn't a whole lot to be done.

Really the best thing to do is every time this kind of thing comes up, hammer home how it affects the scores they care about. In my experience, the leadership worries more about putting out fire and doesn't think through how it hurts other parts of the stores.

 

[Sadie]

Thanks guys, you're right, I shouldn't stress so much over something I'm only making a little over min wage for I just hope it will get better somehow... And thank you to the leaders who DO care about your team, I genuinely appreciate those who do

 

[BlueSide]

These ETLs and STLs can't get their act together. They get a broken process or some other issue and fall into a slippery slope. Lets say they get a mess of a logistics process. Then they start extending hours and pulling from other workcenters to attempt to catch up and clean up the process. But they forget the sales floor becomes a mess in 1 to 2 days, so then very soon you have another broken workcenter. They'd like to attempt to clean that up as well but they've already gone overboard on hours so much so, that they are now cutting hours. The spiral then continues onward and onward. All while they keep pushing everyone harder to work CAFs faster, zone everything, and help guests Vibeyer. It's crazy. Btw best practice is to keep at least 1 TM in electronics during all open store hours. Sounds like some really bad leadership.

Can't say we have these problems but I did work on rebuilding a store (specifically the electronics dept.) for a couple weeks that sounds a lot like yours.

 

[ElectronicsTM]

At my store, electronics has someone scheduled 95% of the time. Whether or not we are actually in electronics is another story.

I spend at least 20 of my 40 hours every week doing 4x4s in departments either halfway or completely on the other side of the store.

Even on Tuesdays, where people are coming in and heading straight back to electronics for new releases, the electronics opener is on the other side of the store spending hours zoning canned cat food or the cough/cold medicine. When I point out our consistent 0% vibe on Tuesdays and guests literally surveying that they could not find what they are looking for and there was no one to help them, I am told the electronics TMs need to work harder and make their presence more known.

 

[BlueSide]

At my store, electronics has someone scheduled 95% of the time. Whether or not we are actually in electronics is another story.

I spend at least 20 of my 40 hours every week doing 4x4s in departments either halfway or completely on the other side of the store.

Even on Tuesdays, where people are coming in and heading straight back to electronics for new releases, the electronics opener is on the other side of the store spending hours zoning canned cat food or the cough/cold medicine. When I point out our consistent 0% vibe on Tuesdays and guests literally surveying that they could not find what they are looking for and there was no one to help them, I am told the electronics TMs need to work harder and make their presence more known.

Terrible. Just terrible. That's so wrong it's unthinkable. Electronics and entertainment make up nearly 10% of sales in my store, and there's no way we're letting anybody step away for more than 5 minutes. We make them call it out over walkie if they need to leave the department for even a minute. Most of the things in that department won't get sold without a TM to sell it.

 

[Backroomkeycarrier]

In out store electronics is staffed 100% of the time. However if they are working on pushing or projects it is nearby. Typically though just an opener and closer on weekdays and some mids added on weekends.

 

[Sadie]

Ah, how naive was I to think that when I applied for a job titled "Electronics", I'd actually be working in Electronics...

 

[SASSYJJ]

I've been in Electronics for a few months. I just started November 1. Well I was in Electronics for a few months. I'm now a Hardlines/electronics Team Leader. I found that managing my time I could do it all. Maybe as soon as you get there, do all of your reshop. Start your zone. Zone your heavily shopped areas first. Here mine is E1 - E18. So once it slows down, you can be away from the boat to Zone everything else.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

I've been in Electronics for a few months. I just started November 1. Well I was in Electronics for a few months. I'm now a Hardlines/electronics Team Leader. I found that managing my time I could do it all. Maybe as soon as you get there, do all of your reshop. Start your zone. Zone your heavily shopped areas first. Here mine is E1 - E18. So once it slows down, you can be away from the boat to Zone everything else.

Now, zone toys, sporting goods, luggage, seasonal, too.

 

[Sadie]

Now, zone toys, sporting goods, luggage, seasonal, too.

don't forget baby world

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

don't forget baby world

I forgot to add that one, too.

 

[ElectronicsTM]

Fill end caps in all of those departments and don't forget your 4x4 too!

 

[BlueSide]

Is this really how it is at most stores? Electronics TM is never in the department?

 

[SASSYJJ]

Now, zone toys, sporting goods, luggage, seasonal, too.

It's not hard. I used to do it every day. I guess that's why I'm TL now

 

[SASSYJJ]

And we don't do "baby world" our infant soft lines TM takes care of it.

 

[Sadie]

I think its tough to judge how easy it is because every store is so different.

It's not hard. I used to do it every day. I guess that's why I'm TL now

I think it's tough to judge how easy it is because every store is so different.

 

[Bosch]

Is this really how it is at most stores? Electronics TM is never in the department?

No, I am at a high volume store and electronics staffed in dept. open to close. Yes they take toys calls but electronics comes first.

Stores run like shit pull the electronics TM for other departments. The sales are to big and the threat of theft is to high to not have anyone there.

 

[RedSpot]

This sounds much like our store. Depressingly so. Core roles in electronics have eroded so much that our department's needs are considered an afterthought.

Why do the 2-3 carts of electronics reshop that's been in the electronics backroom for the past three days when there's toys/seasonal reshop to be done? Electronics, why aren't you answering the sales floor calls when no one else is responding? God, all you guys do is stand around and talk about electronics. Must be nice making more than the sales floor and having all that free time. Why don't you PTM a department that's on the other side of the store if all you're going to do is talk with Target Mobile.

What? Why's everybody quitting or calling in. I don't understand.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

I would be having seek to understand with those folks, with the undone reshop in hand.
Then, I give the evil look at the mobile guy. Be lucky, I didn't call your boss.