Archived What to do when your cart attendant doesn't show up?

[buxboy]

Hey guys. Apologies if this doesn't belong here, but I ran into a problem tonight that I haven't experienced before as a GSA.

My closing cart attendant was a NCNS. I'm sure this happens all the time, but as I said it's a first for me and I've been a GSA since the beginning of the year.

What's a good way to handle a situation like this? By 5, we were running critically low on carts and I was already understaffed as it was. So I didn't really have the manpower to get them in and the LOD was busy so he couldn't help at the time. It kinda threw off the rest of the night because I was scrambling to make carts happen on top of everything else haha.

I dunno if there's much that could've been done, but hey. Any advice is good advice right?

 

[Kompa]

I love how these "One man roles" always get ignored until they call out lol. You get the carts yourself.

Same thing happens when the closing BRTM calls out. Everyone shit's their pants because everyone else is above making a bale or pulling cafs.

TM "Lod, go to 3"

Obese/Skinny Lod "On 3"

TM "A guess needs a pool from the top of the steel in the backroom and the BRTM called out, We have three up there"

Obese/Skinny Lod "Tell the guest it's an error in our counts" AKA Ain't nobody got time for that

 

[Kartman]

Really? Your CA calls out and you don't know how to handle that?

 

[see spot save]

You get the carts yourself.

Exactly. ETLs/LOD, backroom, hardlines, one or two cashiers during a lull can each go get a row or two of carts.

Ours called out tonight too, thats how we handled it. When I left there were carts everywhere. When the flow team gets there tomorrow morning they will spend 10 minutes to round them up before they unload the truck.

 

[dani346]

my store has cart scrambles when carts are low. anyone available runs outside and grabs a few carts.

 

[Catfish Rita]

Yeah when my CA calls out, I become the CA. Its pretty nice having the LOD watch for a good 30 minutes while I'm outside doing my own thing.

If it happens to you, just take a deep breath, remember to set your priorities right, and keep some good communication going on with the LOD since you've lost kind of a crucial person at the front end for that shift.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

I love how these "One man roles" always get ignored until they call out lol. You get the carts yourself.

Same thing happens when the closing BRTM calls out. Everyone shit's their pants because everyone else is above making a bale or pulling cafs.

TM "Lod, go to 3"

Obese/Skinny Lod "On 3"

TM "A guess needs a pool from the top of the steel in the backroom and the BRTM called out, We have three up there"

Obese/Skinny Lod "Tell the guest it's an error in our counts" AKA Ain't nobody got time for that

I have 3 folks who are backroom trained. They will do cafs & pogs, pull stuff for other Tm's. Why? Because we cover patio & do New releases.. Making sales are important to us. My team is & I am proud of them.

 

[Yetive]

I love how these "One man roles" always get ignored until they call out lol. You get the carts yourself.

Same thing happens when the closing BRTM calls out. Everyone shit's their pants because everyone else is above making a bale or pulling cafs.

Well, we get about 10 CA hours per week and our BR closer leaves at 5:30. LODs have to be willing and able to do everything. Also, our electronics TMs can all (except the brand new one) do guest pulls, CAFs, POG, and flex fuls if necessary (and if they aren't helping guests already).

For carts, all of the cashiers get trained on the pusher. Also, sometimes there will be calls for help from the rest of the store.

Obviously, there are fewer carts and pulls to worry about at my store though .

 

[squirrely]

I would call out on the radio that you need all available TM's to help get carts. When you have a few people doing them, it can get knocked out very quickly.

 

[HardlinesGuy]

All over my district, TPS's have become backup cart attendants, myself included from time to time.

If it gets low at my store, we'll send out three TM's to bring in as many carts as possible as fast as possible.

 

[defang]

Well, best practice is to sit in a corner and cry for the rest of your shift.

 

[sunshineyellow]

Are you trained on the cart pusher? If not, get trained.
Do you have several cashiers trained on it? If not, get them trained. That way you can use one as CA if it happens again, and pull backup from sales floor to the lanes if needed.

 

[SFSFun]

During the morning? Flow team can get carts before they leave.

During the day? GSA gets carts on their own, while someone else covers the lanes.

During the night? LOD and backroom closer clear the lot in 20 minutes.

 

[Kartman]

The bad thing about the cart pusher is that most people 'trained' on it really aren't and are kinda fearful of it. It takes some time mastering its operation, and that's no shit. It ain't rocket science, but it ain't as easy as falling off a stool, either.

 

[Dave1988]

Im just a lowly TPS but I remember my etl-ap saying ill go out and get carts, I jokingly gave her crap for volunteering me. In all honesty I help with carry outs and what ever if im not busy.

Edit: Id cashier if I could. I sell more electronics than most of the electronics TMs anyways. Since they have to zone toys and I stand near the boat guarding the wonderful electronics section.

 

[Kartman]

No one is immune from rounding up carts.

Don't like it? Move on...

No carts @ Mcdonalds!

 

[TallAPGuy]

Yep, I help our Cart Attendants when we get low on carts, as long as I'm not busy doing other stuff. I figure that I have to do parking lot checks anyway, I might as well kill two birds with one stone.

 

[Kartman]

Not a damn thing wrong with TM's helping other TM's.

That's the point of "Team"

 

[Kompa]

No one is immune from rounding up carts.

Except backroom. Too busy crushing sales floors trash or pulling random exfs

 

[StaticSun]

Before I became a GSA, I used to love doing carts. We had a brand attendant (special needs agency nearby) nearly every hour of the day so I never had to do restrooms/spills. Carryouts, backroom pulls, a little backup cashiering, and lots of time in the lot getting carts. I was at a Greatland prototype so we had both entrances to keep filled.

Loved it!

When I became a GSA at a split level store with an entrance on each level, getting carts up to the main corral was a nice change of pace. I had no trouble bringing in carts myself, I'd give a walkie to a trusted cashier and she would radio me if I was needed.

 

[qmosqueen]

If Jesus can do it so can you.

 

[TeamRed]

My store usually pulls a cashier and we lose a cashier but it is what it is.......

 

[Kartman]

I see our ETL's man a register all the time.

 

[buliSBI]

1. Call another CA or TM to come in
2. Have TMs rotate to go get carts.

 

[Pretty Kitty]

Hey guys. Apologies if this doesn't belong here, but I ran into a problem tonight that I haven't experienced before as a GSA.

My closing cart attendant was a NCNS. I'm sure this happens all the time, but as I said it's a first for me and I've been a GSA since the beginning of the year.

What's a good way to handle a situation like this? By 5, we were running critically low on carts and I was already understaffed as it was. So I didn't really have the manpower to get them in and the LOD was busy so he couldn't help at the time. It kinda threw off the rest of the night because I was scrambling to make carts happen on top of everything else haha.

I dunno if there's much that could've been done, but hey. Any advice is good advice right?

I call upon all TL's and ETL to do a cart run. Remember we are all a team no matter the job! Sometimes TM's enjoy going outside to round up carts as it gives them a 5 minute break

I see our ETL's man a register all the time.

Oh I actually love jumping on a register as well. At the same time you gain the team's respect.

Except backroom. Too busy crushing sales floors trash or pulling random exfs

My backroom TM's I have them working pulls (if all their task are complete). No matter the task I try and always have my team help others!