Archived What is the one thing you most wish other TMs knew about your workcenter?

[Hardlinesmaster]

Making sure endcaps are properly filled is an uphill battle at my store. I have repeatedly bugged my TL and ETL about the poor jobs I find on endcaps, letting them know the shit I have to fix instead of moving along. Things have improved to where the LODs put some more effort into filling and I can almost relax. Then last week, I turn around and find out that some instocks TMs, if they can't find a printer will just shuffle things around to price points or just leave gaps.


I found the other day at the checklanes somebody put several copies of the $40 Hobbit movie where the $12 Hobbit movie goes. I am 80% sure it was somebody from the guest service group of TMs/TLs who of all people you'd think would not want to piss off guests with label confusion.

Cover the label.

 

[RedMan]

Huh. Myself and other cashiers never put stuff back that way. In fact, once the carts are sorted, the cart attendant pushes reshop carts to the back and sales floor worries about some of them, and so on. I carry my phone on me but only to show guests how to use cartwheel, if their phone can't connect to the wifi, or to calculate certain things. When it's slow, I go up to guest service to help sort reshop and settle returns. If I can't do any of those things, I zone the checklanes, green promo, or one spot. I'm very hardworking myself and am asked often to cover GSA/GSTL breaks when the ETL-GE is there because he likes my performance so much. I even cover electronics sometimes.

I'm sorry. All cashiers are not alike. I have some very good cashiers who do their level best to keep their work centers looking brand. Then there are others. I exaggerated to make a silly point. Please accept my apology for all the great TMs out there who try to make our store look amazing.

 

[iVibe]

Thanks. Not all cashiers are the same. Some of us bust our asses like a few of the higher ups because we want to earn our pay. I don't think your examples were over exaggerated by much because most management actually does think what you do about us. Our job description doesn't include a ton of responsibility unless we want it. Remember, in the end we are a team. Not a competition or a dictatorship.

Those that don't do their job or decide to space out don't usually stick around long. Management is different, they can be however they are, treat people however as long as they keep a good cover. It's harder to get a manager fired compared to a TM.

 

[FlowChick]

Flow team:

My impression is that you are under pressure to avoid backstocking as much as possible. But overstocking the shelves just causes all kinds of other problems - product falls onto the floor, packaging gets torn and has to be repackaged or at least given a do-it, all of that is a waste of time and makes zoning significantly harder.

Fortunately, there is an easy test to see whether you have obviously overstocked an item: if you touch the item and it falls off the shelf or peg, it's overstocked. (Obviously, this is not a definitive test, but it's at least a start!)

You should tell our sales floor the same.....lol

 

[YourPPTL]

Honestly, only ever flex the endcaps and if you flex something that doesn't belong on that endcap, store tie it. Entertainment never goes PTM so there is no reason for there to be any flex in the aisles, except to cover d-code outs.

Please don't use store tie on end caps it deletes the current tie. Only use store tie on a flex untied end cap all of us pptls like to keep our location accuracy score green.

 

[Mysterious]

Haven't posted here in awhile.

Working in the dayside backroom.

Hey salesfloor tm, this side of the br is for pulls, this designated area/side is for backstock
(Working alone/limited team) Hey BR, I put in a batch, can you pull it for me? (in middle of CAF/PoGs, Research, Guest Request/FA)
(ETL or TL) Why didn't you complete this so and so on time/when I asked/told you to do it? (see above - wasn't answering walkie call)
(My favorite from other TMs) Can you stop sending out so many pulls?

Working in Dairy/Frozen
(working 4-5 am truck freight) Hey, can you send you the team over to work strays? (Got total of 8-9 pallets to put out)

 

[PassinTime]

My guess is that it's the STL or ETL GE or the DTL, because my cashiers would never try to zone or flex. I'm pretty sure they think when they don't have guests, it's time to facebook/callMom/boyfriend/text the FRO. And the GSAs are too busy holding up the wall at Guest Service to notice that there's a hole anywhere.

Not at my store. Cashiers zone the check out lanes and stock the all of the candy at all of the check stands, and also flex all of those empty spaces on the end caps because our GSTL tells us to do that. When we were better staffed in the fall, we also zoned accessories since it's near the registers. Post XMas, we never seem to have enough cashiers on hand so it's not as tidy up front and lots of low and/or empty spaces on the candy racks.

 

[iVibe]

We do the best we can on a skeleton crew, but if I have a good partner (fellow cashier) we can tidy up post Christmas. It's not easy, but if we're quick we work perfectly.

 

[Kompa]

Flow team:

My impression is that you are under pressure to avoid backstocking as much as possible. But overstocking the shelves just causes all kinds of other problems - product falls onto the floor, packaging gets torn and has to be repackaged or at least given a do-it, all of that is a waste of time and makes zoning significantly harder.

Fortunately, there is an easy test to see whether you have obviously overstocked an item: if you touch the item and it falls off the shelf or peg, it's overstocked. (Obviously, this is not a definitive test, but it's at least a start!)

This falls on deaf ears at my store. SFTMs always zone empty spots with whatever is next to it. This cause flow to put items there since most of team pushes by sight. If SF zoned correctly maybe flow would push correctly

Tho the less backstock, the better for flow/br lol.

 

[SFSFun]

(My favorite from other TMs) Can you stop sending out so many pulls?

Keep putting batches onto one tub and don't start a new one until stuff starts falling off.

 

[Quattro]

Anyone who backstocks anything: if the item you are backstocking already has a location, put it in that same location. There is really no reason for the same DPCI to have 6 different locations in the back room. Here's why it's annoying:

SFTM: Can you pull this item?
BR: Sure, how many.
SFTM: 5.

Ok...here's one in this location (Aisle 22, section A). Now I'll go over here and get these two (Aisle 22, section F). Now I'll get this one over here (Aisle 22, section G). And there's one over there (Aisle 23, section Q).

Seriously, the SUBT function is painfully slow. I can pull these items at least twice as fast if they are all in one location.

 

[mrknownothing]

Seriously, the SUBT function is painfully slow. I can pull these items at least twice as fast if they are all in one location.

Right? I could probably TAKE 3 or 4 items from different locations with a MyDevice in the time it takes the SUBT app to process one item being pulled.

 

[findmeharry]

1. Don't untie POGs unless you've checked you know... the sales tie report maybe?
2. (Because two is better then one) Softlines is not your maid - we push out hardlines all the time. Most team members should be trained in softlines, so those shoes that you have lying around with your B block push? Push it.

 

[masterofalltrades]

1. just because it is a book does not mean its my problem
2. just because it is a movie does not mean its my problem.
3. not every electric gadget is in the store is in electronics.
4. before sending guests to other stores please check and be sure the item is in stock, and b if the counts are low , say 2 , then call them first. yes neighbor store STOP sending me your pissy guests.

 

[findmeharry]

1. just because it is a book does not mean its my problem
2. just because it is a movie does not mean its my problem.
3. not every electric gadget is in the store is in electronics.
4. before sending guests to other stores please check and be sure the item is in stock, and b if the counts are low , say 2 , then call them first. yes neighbor store STOP sending me your pissy guests.

"But I was told you had ONE."

 

[RS190]

From the AP team:

Yes, I spend a lot of time in the office. But I'm writing case reports, reviewing video, and altogether doing a lot of work. Don't think that it means I'm slacking off

 

[TallAPGuy]

From the AP team:
Yes, I spend a lot of time in the office. But I'm writing case reports, reviewing video, and altogether doing a lot of work. Don't think that it means I'm slacking off

Seriously! I had an ETL a couple weeks ago come up to me and say, "MY NAME, I don't think you're spending enough time helping guests on the floor. Why are you spending so much time in ETL-AP's office?"

I was actually dumbstruck as to how to respond for a good ten seconds.

 

[mrknownothing]

Seriously! I had an ETL a couple weeks ago come up to me and say, "MY NAME, I don't think you're spending enough time helping guests on the floor. Why are you spending so much time in ETL-AP's office?"

I was actually dumbstruck as to how to respond for a good ten seconds.

"For the same reason I don't wear red and khaki." while thinking "If you're so concerned about guests needing assistance, why aren't you assisting them instead of bothering me about it?"

 

[iVibe]

Someone from market who used to be a cashier for several years called me "just a cashier" and "I didnt know anything" when I joked that she acted like she was too cool for school because she literally acts like she's above everyone. Just a TM, but thinks she's really something because she's friends with a few ETL'S and TLs. I told her she must be a target lifer since she's been here for three years.

Talk about a hypocrite.

 

[Sickofspot]

Someone from market who used to be a cashier for several years called me "just a cashier" and "I didnt know anything" when I joked that she acted like she was too cool for school because she literally acts like she's above everyone. Just a TM, but thinks she's really something because she's friends with a few ETL'S and TLs. I told her she must be a target lifer since she's been here for three years.

Talk about a hypocrite.

This is the kind of crap I am talking about. People treating others shamefully, just to look better or make themselves feel better. Wtf! We all work at the same place, last time I looked...
How about treating others as we want to be treated? I find it easy to do-others, not so much...

 

[ClearanceMaster]

Please don't use store tie on end caps it deletes the current tie. Only use store tie on a flex untied end cap all of us pptls like to keep our location accuracy score green.

Or, instead of (0) Just use (90).

 

[Ohnoes]

Or, instead of (0) Just use (90).

Exactly! You have to manually break the tie before you can store tie it into (0) by typing in the POG on a mydevice or using SFLM.
If I flex out NOP in aisle I also use 11-19 as flex corresponding to what section the item is in (so 11 for section one, 12 for section 2, etc.) so if there is an MIR reverse logistics can find product much easier than just sticking flex out on an aisle.

 

[iVibe]

This is the kind of crap I am talking about. People treating others shamefully, just to look better or make themselves feel better. Wtf! We all work at the same place, last time I looked...
How about treating others as we want to be treated? I find it easy to do-others, not so much...

Exactly. Why is the cashier position so looked down upon?

 

[radiochu]

I would never call backup if I didn't have to. I would MUCH rather have an adequate number of cashiers scheduled to cover expected traffic. but we both know that's never going to happen. I will bust my ass to get you on and off a lane and back to your actual work as quickly as I can, but the longer you whine and moan about having to come up, the more guests pile up and the more unmanageable the situation gets.

and hey, I mean, I know you have a team lead drilling you at the end of the night as to why you didn't get your zone perfect or get all your reshop worked, but remember that at the end of the day I also have a team lead who's going to ask me why the front lanes got so out of control or why we had guests stacked up to softlines or why I didn't get all of my tasks done either. having to call and wait for a response and then actively monitor traffic takes time away from my work just as much as yours. I'm not saying you have to be happy about coming up. just be aware I'm not doing it to be a sadist.

oh, and I agree with the upthread plea to TURN YOUR DAMN LIGHT ON when you're on backup. if you're relying on me to direct guests to you (and the two other backup cashiers with no light), you'll just be here longer because they always whine that they can't go to someone with no light on and that makes speedweaving more like underwater basketweaving. if you're worried about getting too many guests, guess what, you won't! I will turn your light off and block your lane when I don't need you anymore, and until that point, just assume I actively need you. again, not a sadist.

I... might have feels about this.

 

[sher]

In defense of those backup cashiers, here's my side...

May not actually be relevant to your store, but sometimes the gsa or gstl is at guest services or somewhere with a guest or doing a task just far enough that she can't see the lanes. Then a cashier pushes the button and she'll say "team I need backup" (because we ignore the button. Button cried wolf too many times) and we get there and she's M.I.A... And the line is nonexistent. I usually go for backup, but sometimes I wait and hope someone volunteers first because I have an arm full of stuff or because I just dumped a bunch of shirts on the floor. I'm hoping someone more equipped to get there quickly will rise to the occasion.

I almost never forget to turn my lane light on and the front lane ladies should know this because I'm always up for frigging backup. If my light is off, I'm on my way out the door for some reason. I don't wanna look up from hitting sign off to see I have another guest.

As an aside, I sometimes whisper "if you build it, they will come" as I turn the light on. And I always think "may the odds be ever in your favor" when people buy pregnancy tests. I never say it aloud, of course.