# Just got promoted to be closing team lead at a small format store! Any tips? (:



## nihilo (Sep 19, 2021)

Hi everyone! I've been with the company for several years now at my high volume store, so I have a pretty good grasp of the daily operations at my current store, but now I'm moving to a small format! Does anyone have any insight as to what I can expect? Or if any of you are closing tls at a small format, what does your daily routine look like? Any advice for me? Thanks in advance!


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## Hardlinesmaster (Sep 19, 2021)

Welcome!


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## Yetive (Sep 19, 2021)

Congratulations


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## Rarejem (Sep 19, 2021)

My advice to create good will between closing and dayside teams is to have team members just do a simple quick reshop pickup sweep throughout their departments before leaving for the day.  The first impression of what got done on the shift before you come in can set the tone for the day and the "appearance" of a clean department seems to help. Nobody likes to come in to find sweaters hanging out in market or dog food in toys.


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## Dream Baby (Sep 19, 2021)

Make sure management schedules TMs to close in every department unless you like going to get carts and running back to electronics.


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## bloodyred (Sep 19, 2021)

Dream Baby said:


> Make sure management schedules TMs to close in every department unless you like going to get carts and running back to electronics.


agree with this!  also set tone early on with expectations with guest interactions, specifically the phone.  Closing can affect NPS, just as much of the dayside!  Our GM team is beyond bad at logging in and we don't have GM leads or Etl's that care about this! It is so frustrating for Guest service/Specialty teams.  When I close now I literally ask for TM's device as I come by and check to see if they are signed in the phone, if not I sign them in and make note to email out those names to receive workday performance conversation, especially if those TM's should know better; eg not new to the store, if they don't know, show them!  C.C. HR/Etl's in your e-mail to those leads so it gets done, if you have to take things further with TM's, partner with the department lead and if come down to it set a time when you, the dept. lead and issued TM is there to have a conversation together and sit down with the lead after to make sure it gets documented.


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## happygoth (Sep 19, 2021)

bloodyred said:


> agree with this!  also set tone early on with expectations with guest interactions, specifically the phone.  Closing can affect NPS, just as much of the dayside!  Our GM team is beyond bad at logging in and we don't have GM leads or Etl's that care about this! It is so frustrating for Guest service/Specialty teams.  When I close now I literally ask for TM's device as I come by and check to see if they are signed in the phone, if not I sign them in and make note to email out those names to receive workday performance conversation, especially if those TM's should know better; eg not new to the store, if they don't know, show them!  C.C. HR/Etl's in your e-mail to those leads so it gets done, if you have to take things further with TM's, partner with the department lead and if come down to it set a time when you, the dept. lead and issued TM is there to have a conversation together and sit down with the lead after to make sure it gets documented.


OP might want to check store culture on this. Our leaders aren't doing that and AFAIK only our HR manager signs in. GS answers the phone otherwise.


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## bloodyred (Sep 19, 2021)

happygoth said:


> OP might want to check store culture on this. Our leaders aren't doing that and AFAIK only our HR manager signs in. GS answers the phone otherwise.


GS/specialty answer calls all the time! placed on hold, a call for GM will go on hold 3x's before someone picks up, last one I took guest said they waited 5 minutes, I took care of them!  Tm's just aren't doing it because the other leads don't check and don't care!  It isn't just our store, when we call the closest 3 stores sometimes for guest, no one will answer.  2yrs ago they were having ETL's/DSD doing calls to check which stores weren't answering calls, I think we need another round of that.  When leads don't really care about pleasing the guest, just metrics things may seem all together for awhile, but come to a head eventually.


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## Planosss enraged (Sep 19, 2021)

No tips, just your hourly pay. Target frowns on tips regardless of your position.


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## MrT (Sep 19, 2021)

Routines are everything.  Its an incredible amount of work.  They say they want you to lead but 80% of the time you are busting your ass to get everything done and im in a store thats doing well on process and coming clean most days.  We have the payroll just not the bodies.


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## CleanMyBackRoOm (Sep 26, 2021)

DONT EVER LET THAT POSITION GO. You hold onto it for dear life.


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## MrT (Sep 27, 2021)

As for an actual tip you will be seeing a lot of the same people every night.  A good closing team is going to make all the difference.  If you can get all the tms around the store to be more self sufficient and self motivated youll be good.  If they slack off every night you will have a bad time.  Have all the tls for their respective areas (can be difficult in small formats since you have less leadership) set expectations and plans if they have tms later in the day so you just have to follow up with them.  Tms are definitely going to try and slack off at night with less leadership around.  
To be more realistic Idk if your store or small formats in general have sfs or if your store has a heavy opu workload but in my store closing tl is more like second sfs tl so you might just be pretty much stuck watching that all night till you are forced to rush around the store and close the building


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## Voiceless (Nov 7, 2021)

First and foremost, don’t be a dick to your evening crew. If you communicate well and give achievable expectations of what want done for the night they will respect you. If you just give the same Target BS and stress them out nothing will get done and no one will work hard for you.


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## Unleashed Dog (Nov 8, 2021)

You got one of the most comfy roles you can have as a Target TL.

Closing a small format. No real bs or struggles. Just closing down a small little store and probably have weekends off.


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## Inboundbeast (Nov 9, 2021)

Some advice being 9 months in role:

Accountability is a huge part of this TL position. Yes you need to hold your team accountable, but you also need to hold your peers and even upper leadership accountable. In this job at one point or another you will get other departments shit dumped on you and it will be stressful. It is important you talk to that leader and constructively criticize the plans they left you with if they left plans at all.. 

This also means you should develop good relationships with your peers and all of the leadership team! I have came in and shown my peers I care about them and care about the success of their areas and this makes it easier to constructively criticize them when needed.

Also the first 3 hours of your shift are so crucial!
Partner with all leadership in the building and ask questions about their departments and get a solid formulated plan from them early in the day so when it comes time to go on lunch you aren’t being bombared by all the leaders trying to handoff and go home for the day. 

It’s not your job to do someone else’s job.. your job is to followup with the team not make plans for other TL’s workcenters.. Obviously if you are passionate about your role you willingly will formulate plans, but you better follow up with that TL via email with their boss CC’d right away! Your job is too difficult to put up with this anyways!

I know I already said develop good relationships with the leadership team but most importantly develop good ties with your store director.. I can give you operational advice but all stores are not the same and different SD’s have different priorities.. You just need to prioritize what they talk about and expect and you’ll be solid..


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