Archived "You aren't bowling out the correct way..."

[petersays1]

Bowling out is an essential part of how well the flow team gets through the push and whether the flow team will come clean in time during a shift. Bowling out becomes impossible and stressful when:

1. You are bowling out huge sections of the store by yourself.

2. When the head ETL is pressing you to move faster after you have just been in a truck, at the front of the assembly line and the middle of the assembly line earlier when the shift began.

Earlier this morning at the middle and beginning of the shift, two team members decided to get on me about how I bowled out. This is funny given that:

1. Neither one of them like to bowl out.

2. Neither one of them like to work that much.

The first team member who did this is notorious for being a slacker and creating drama as a means of making the time go by. He's come close to getting himself seriously hurt by getting people to fight him. Yesterday as he made his criticism, he proceeded to tell an ETL about my bowling out skills. I told this team member that if you feel you can do a better job, please:

1. Give me a hand.

or

2. Leave me alone.

The second team member that yelled at me is this very short girl who is a rather sweet person, but has the tendency to get seriously pissed if she's overwhelmed. She was stuck in the candy isle, which is very large, and I tried to bowl out the correct way. She proceeded after work to berate me on how I did it.

I explained the situation and the pressure I was under, she didn't care. I threw my hands in the air and was ready to throw out my badge and chuck the deuces.

I know I could have done better, but exactly how do you do things better when you bowl out if you are the only one bowling out with dozens of palettes coming up?

 

[Backtohardlines]

One thing I can say for my store... nobody really complains about bowling. As long as it's in the correct general place, you're fine. Yes, there is ribbing if something is in the wrong aisle and we all pick on each other but since everyone gets a chance bowling and no one is perfect (not even the ETL who has been with spot for 10 years) there's no major drama.
There's no perfect way to handle your situation. Usually if someone critiques me or how I've done something, depending on if they have done what I am doing, I'll ask them to either try doing it or show me a better way. Or I'll just tell them they are distracting me and I can't work well/safe if distracted. As for the second tm, if she berated you after work, I would have gone the snarky route and asked if she was done venting since she obviously had as rough a time as you did and if it was such a big deal, why not tell me on the clock?

No one is perfect, you can only do so much by yourself and still be safe. Don't be too hard on yourself.

 

[petersays1]

One thing I can say for my store... nobody really complains about bowling. As long as it's in the correct general place, you're fine. Yes, there is ribbing if something is in the wrong aisle and we all pick on each other but since everyone gets a chance bowling and no one is perfect (not even the ETL who has been with spot for 10 years) there's no major drama.
There's no perfect way to handle your situation. Usually if someone critiques me or how I've done something, depending on if they have done what I am doing, I'll ask them to either try doing it or show me a better way. Or I'll just tell them they are distracting me and I can't work well/safe if distracted. As for the second tm, if she berated you after work, I would have gone the snarky route and asked if she was done venting since she obviously had as rough a time as you did and if it was such a big deal, why not tell me on the clock?

No one is perfect, you can only do so much by yourself and still be safe. Don't be too hard on yourself.

In the case of the first tm, he barely does the work he's assigned. Yesterday he bailed on the work by going to the bathroom three different times. The ETL on duty had to literally call him on the PA three different times.

 

[Backtohardlines]

In the case of the first tm, he barely does the work he's assigned. Yesterday he bailed on the work by going to the bathroom three different times. The ETL on duty had to literally call him on the PA three different times.

That's not cool at all! People like that irritate me. I would have just ignored him, I'm guessing the ETL knows he doesn't work well and likes to create drama so when he whined about you, it went in one ear and out the other.

 

[commiecorvus]

Don't take this kind of drek personally.
You know where it's coming from, so just shrug and walk away.
The only time this kind of stuff can be a problem is when you get it from a TL or an ETL.

And I have to say that bowling was kind of fun.
Besides crushing things in the bailer it's not often you get to throw product down the aisle.

 

[invictustaylor]

Bowling out becomes impossible and stressful when:


the store opens before the truck unload is complete! A near daily occurence at my store

 

[LuckyinLV]

This happened to me today, not exactly for "bowling" but..

Usually I do breakout for Stationary. And today we got hit hard due to the small trucks this past week. (literally 31 break out boxes, and at least 2-3 carts per isle B7-22) Anyways we have some new TM's on the line unloading the truck. They have been here well over a week, but for what ever reason they both get stuck at the end of the line by themselves. So after setting up my carts I went to go help with truck until the 4:30's were in. I had no time to hop off the line to do my Stationary breakout because I was helping these new guys. I practically had to run the line like a kitchen, calling out box numbers, telling them where to dump back stock, transition etc. So with building pallets 28-36 was a bit rough this morning.

Anyways with that rant, I get to Stationary and didn't realize how big it was till after the truck was done. Not only do I do Stationary, but I also do HBA,Chemicals, and Pets before 8am...Whoever bowled this morning did a terrible job. I usually don't bicker if its in the right isle, but when multiple boxes of those Dove bars of soap are just left at the end cap needless to say its a ***** lifting them to their right destination.

Least today I got 3 Great TM cards, and Helping Hands so that made my day..

lol and I just realized none of this corresponds with your thread =)

 

[troubleattarget00]

On Not Bowling Out Properly

Largely, this has not been an issue for me. I have been bowling out the food/market area for most of the 4 years that I've been there, and it's expanded over time. Between bowling and pushing the carts, it often takes the whole shift. Most people on flow have been awesome to deal with, since I do make a habit of bowling out as close to the location as possible. With one notable exception. This guy has been here longer than I have, and is never shy about expressing his opinion on the quality of people's work ethic, including bowling out. Note that this man is neither a hard worker (IMO) nor have I ever seen him bowl out once in the 4 years that I have been working at Target. Yet that doesn't stop him from having an opinion. A few months ago, I got yelled at by him for balling something out. It was balled out properly, in the general location, but because it wasn't dead-center to where the item was, he made a stink. I then gave it right back to him (with attitude), and since he could only dish it out, and not take it, he threatened me.

I must ball out his aisle before he gets there, otherwise someone else has to pack out the boxes or they will be backstocked. I also cannot do the pulls if he is in the aisle. The other night, I was 5 minutes away from finishing a cart and backstocking it, and then he comes in the aisle where some of the cart had to be stocked, so I had to leave the cart near the endcap to rot for over an hour before he finished the aisle and I could finish the cart. It's frustrating to have to work around the guy, it needlessly complicates what I have to do. Other than that, I've never had a problem with anyone, and it's been a long time since anyone has raised concerns to me about the time I take to do all this.