# Red card and Check card conversion



## FastFunFriendly (Jul 29, 2011)

Hey guys this is my first post on the new board.

I am looking to see if anyone has any fun ideas/ways to drive conversion as they are shortly going to be raising the goal.

I am looking for ideas that may have worked for your store in the past or even something you havent tried but may think would be worth a shot.

Ie. Events, games, reward systems, motivation tips, ways to engage the team etc.


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## Hardlinesmaster (Jul 29, 2011)

Hey red! Are your ears on? She is an expert on redcards & frontend guru!


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## frontendwizard (Jul 30, 2011)

You could always offer like a free Target Cafe meal for so many cards per shift, or set a goal of so many and offer a cook out or something to that affect.


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## mrknownothing (Jul 30, 2011)

Red should come to my store. I don't know what our conversion scores are, but they've got to be horrendous. No one that shops in my store ever wants to apply for a Red Card. I'll be amazed if I've even gotten 5 guests to apply in the 8 months I've been working at Target.


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## FastFunFriendly (Jul 30, 2011)

Well target credit and debit cards are the companies new focus for driving guest frequency and increasing basket size/ticket amount at checkout.

What I think will work is for every app, the tm will get a dollar towards a target cafe or Starbucks purchase. In addition there will be weekly and monthly winners for getting the most. This will be tracked on a board in the break room.

But still please keep the ideas coming.


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## tellmeaboutatime (Jul 30, 2011)

Start at the begining! Who is your cashier trainer? Is red card conversion a priority for the person training your cashiers? If the person training your new cashiers has a dismal conversion rate, you may want to rethink.

A few simple games I used -
2 for Tuesdays- 2 conversions got them a 2 litre of soda. 
Add it up - 1 conversion, 1 regular size candy bar, 2 conversion, a six pack of those candy bars, 3 conversions,a bag of candy bars
Bingo!- [/U][/U][/B][/B]you can make online Bingo cards for free. Every way you can get a Bingo includes at least 1 red card space. The other spaces are filled with Dyson vacuum, video game, box of diapers etc. The team really likes this one. They are aware of what they are ringing up and stay engaged with the game. If any one is able to completely black out their card they get their choice of Target Dog or $5 GC. For each single bingo, we used items from the red card prize vault.
Roll the Dice- Have prizes assigned to each number. Whatever they roll they get that prize.
Execs VS TLS- These can be beneficial in 2 ways. There are no prizes involved, just bragging rights. You will get some support from the execs and tls with backups AND you will drive conversion. Run it from Sun-Sat, the only rules are whichever team (execs or TLs) get the most conversions is declared the winner. These 2 groups can be highly competitive with each other. No STL wants to see the TLs beat their execs. Announce the totals daily in the huddle for example you can say Tls are in the lead with 10 and the execs have 2. The team really gets behind this too.
When and if your team announces when a cashier gets a red card, be sure to be standing by that cashier so they can hear the congratulations. Too many people forget that the cashiers do not have walkies and they can't hear everyone giving them credit. Also please wait until the guest has left the building.


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## Hardlinesmaster (Jul 30, 2011)

Gtc to tellme! Good ideas for driving redcards for your team!


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## redeye58 (Jul 30, 2011)

Hardlinesmaster said:


> Hey red! Are your ears on? She is an expert on redcards & frontend guru!



Just got on...
With newbies, get them talking to each other so it comes naturally instead of sounding like a script. The folks who are naturally chatty are the ones who really score. 
Points to your cashiers: DON'T wait until the end of the trans when the prompt pops up. As soon as you see high-dollar items or a heaping cart-load, start chatting 'em up about saving 5% EVERY SINGLE TIME. By trans end, they're ready to go & you've lost an opportunity.
If they're 'regulars' in your store, let 'em know how much they'd be knocking off each time. Back to School? Mention the savings & how 1% goes to the school of your choice. It's also been expanded to private schools, religious/parochial schools & certain charter schools (as long as they've registered w/TCOE).
Check Cards work with they're OWN checking acct & don't require a credit check but DO need a blank check (a trial is in the works for an app process that would work w/a guest's debit card). Same bennies as the credit card except that it comes out of their checking acct - it's the UN-CREDIT CARD!
RX rewards: pick up 5 scripts with your redcard & get an extra 5% for a day's shopping.
Get your TMs to sign up & have them process their own app so they can see it from both sides so they'll understand the process better for their guests.
Favorite game is hot potato: it starts with a $5 giftcard with the 1st redcard. Whoever gets a redcard holds onto the GC & a $1 is added each time until the next redcard. Whoever gets the last red gets the giftcard with a $1 for ea red added on (ie: 6 reds by night's end equals $10 on the GC).


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## dutifulTM (Jul 30, 2011)

I will love corp forever if they implement a way for people to sign up using an existing debit card. :C

SO MANY opps missed because most people never carry checks around anymore. 

@redeyes: the 1% towards school of their choice is 1% EVERY transaction, right?


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## Hardlinesmaster (Jul 30, 2011)

Yes on red stuff! Gtc to red!


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## redeye58 (Jul 30, 2011)

dutifulTM said:


> @redeyes: the 1% towards school of their choice is 1% EVERY transaction, right?



Yep, every transaction. 
1% of the card's total use goes toward the school selected. The guest goes to target.com, scrolls to the bottom & selects "Take Charge of Education". From there, they enter the school name & zip. If the school is enrolled, it'll pop up & they can link their card use to it. They can also change it as the kids move up. 
Several private academies in our area had been on TCOE since it started. Now, parochial/religious school & charter schools are enrolling as well. The money is awarded annually by check & isn't earmarked so the school can use it as they see fit - a good selling tool, considering the cuts education has taken recently.


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## RedCashier (Jul 30, 2011)

redeye58 said:


> a trial is in the works for an app process that would work w/a guest's debit card



Woah, we need this! It would make things so much easier.


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## tellmeaboutatime (Jul 31, 2011)

You can also go online and see how much different schools in your area have gotten. If your cashiers can put an actual amount out their it can really peak a guests interest. Saying that Kennedy Middle School had gotten $5k last intead of 1%  sounds very impressive. Find out which schools are dear to your cashiers and let them know the totals, it really makes a difference.
Train the cashiers to use the signs....If a guest has a ton of coupons, use the 5% off angle, if they have school age children let them know about TCOE. When you have guests that do all of their grocery shopping in your store let them know you can help them slash 5% off their grocery bill every week. If you see someone with a pharmacy bag we have the pharmacy rewards. Even the service desk can get in on the fun,especially when they have someone looking through tos of reciepts for a return. They can put a bug in the guests ear about receipt lookup.The cashiers need to know their audience! The more the cashiers know about the cards the easier it is to promote them. They have to change it up a bit because all stores are offering credit cards and guests are simply saying no because they think it is just another speel. As a GSTL you can help facilitate a conversation about the card when you are speedweaving. If the cashier doesn't speak up and join in, that would be a sure sign they are not comfortable for whatever reason promoting the cards. At that point it is time for some retraining.
I also so agree with being able to use a debit card to sign up for the debit card. I haven't personally carried checks with me for over 2 years! I cannot even begin to count how many people were interested but didn't have the check to begin the process. I also think that when you get a prompt screen and the guest says yes, the next screen should  give the option of which card they want.


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## 3LetterDevil (Jul 31, 2011)

I have a question...I actually "got" my one and only one the other day, but it said it had to be reviewed and the guest would find out in 7-10 days???  Does that still count?

For the record, I think I've seen the "would you like to apply" screen come up when I'm signed on to the register in pharm MAYBE 5 times the entire time I've worked there and the one I got was COMPLETELY "cold" (no prompt). We didn't announce it over the walkie because we weren't sure??? (we were CRAZY busy as well...)


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## redeye58 (Jul 31, 2011)

Even a "further review" counts. And it doesn't automatically mean "declined". There's just something that requires further review. If someone has moved, changed their name (married or divorced), any other change of status...that would prompt a "further review". 
When that happens, I tell guests to watch for the card in the mail or a letter of explanation. If it's a letter, make sure they're basing it on correct info...that they have the right to challenge anything that's incorrect. 

GTC to Tellmeaboutatime for great tips!


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## Hardlinesmaster (Jul 31, 2011)

mamak1 said:


> I have a question...I actually "got" my one and only one the other day, but it said it had to be reviewed and the guest would find out in 7-10 days???  Does that still count?
> 
> For the record, I think I've seen the "would you like to apply" screen come up when I'm signed on to the register in pharm MAYBE 5 times the entire time I've worked there and the one I got was COMPLETELY "cold" (no prompt). We didn't announce it over the walkie because we weren't sure??? (we were CRAZY busy as well...)



 A possible rejection due to no ro bad credit. I think a cold red card is a good thing. You are team player & trying to help out the store. Plus it looks good on your score too. Gtc to you!
I got 1 redcard in pharmacy before the changeover.


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## 3LetterDevil (Aug 2, 2011)

It's poppin up more in pharmacy now...

I got another one "cold" yesterday (the debit), signed the guest up for Pharmacy Rewards, and she earned her 5%, all in one fell swoop!  Our STL even came over and congratulated me 

Question (which I think I know the answer)...if a guest already HAS a Target card of any kind, will the prompt still pop up?  My gut instinct says "no", but most of them decline by saying "I already have one..."


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## talan123 (Aug 2, 2011)

I found out today that one of our cashier's rate is 17%  

I didn't even know that was possible.


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## Parker51 (Aug 2, 2011)

mamak1 said:


> It's poppin up more in pharmacy now...
> 
> I got another one "cold" yesterday (the debit), signed the guest up for Pharmacy Rewards, and she earned her 5%, all in one fell swoop!  Our STL even came over and congratulated me
> 
> Question (which I think I know the answer)...if a guest already HAS a Target card of any kind, will the prompt still pop up?  My gut instinct says "no", but most of them decline by saying "I already have one..."




Try following up with, "Maybe you haven't used it in 6 months?  If so, we could put you in for a new one, and if approved, you'll start saving 5% again right away."

That way you don't make the guest feel that you are calling them on a possible white-lie, and it might motivate them to reactivate their dormant account, getting you a conversion in the bargain.


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## Parker51 (Aug 2, 2011)

talan123 said:


> I found out today that one of our cashier's rate is 17%
> 
> I didn't even know that was possible.




Statistics 101:  Small sample sizes can give outlier results.  Also, long-term averages can hide significant short-term variations from the average.

I've gotten ridiculously high weekly conversion rates (25+%) in the past because I just happened to luck out on one or a few conversions during a relatively small number of prompts when backing up.  Also, the percentage denominator is total prompts, not total transactions.  If that cashier's percentage is sustained over a long period of time (weeks or months), and large number of prompts, then that would be very unusual.


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## MrMrIce (Aug 2, 2011)

redeye58 said:


> Even a "further review" counts. And it doesn't automatically mean "declined". There's just something that requires further review. If someone has moved, changed their name (married or divorced), any other change of status...that would prompt a "further review".
> When that happens, I tell guests to watch for the card in the mail or a letter of explanation. If it's a letter, make sure they're basing it on correct info...that they have the right to challenge anything that's incorrect.
> 
> GTC to Tellmeaboutatime for great tips!



So if a guests applies and gets the, this app needs further review, does it count as getting a red card? Like should I tell the gstl that I got one if that happens.


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## MrGSTLman (Aug 2, 2011)

Yes, regardless of an approval or "further review" it still counts towards conversion.  As stated before, further review may not necessarily mean not approved, but just that it needs more review in order to proceed.  It DOES count toward a TM conversion, though.  So, yes, you can tell your GSTL/GSA you got one.  Great job!!


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## insiteful1 (Aug 2, 2011)

My store is one of the bottom 5 in our group week after week after week.  Just so I have a frame of reference, how many red cards do ya'lls stores get daily?  Disregard store volume.  I just want red card #'s.  We get 10-15 a week.


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## bulldoggirl1 (Aug 2, 2011)

We tend to get 10-20 a day during the week, and anywhere from 20-30 on weekends. Most I've seen on a non holiday type day was 41 one Saturday a few months ago. It does help that we have one cashier who is pushy to the point of obnoxiousness about it, but it general the majority of our cashiers stay solidly green on conversion, so it's not just one cashier getting all the cards.


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## flyingsquirrel (Aug 2, 2011)

The most we usually get is 6-10 a day, but the number is usually closer to 0-4. Our cashiers try hard, but the majority of people who shop at our store arent interested.


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## redeye58 (Aug 2, 2011)

We get about 3-4 a day during the week, 8-9 on weekends.


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## MrGSTLman (Aug 2, 2011)

bulldoggirl1 said:


> We tend to get 10-20 a day during the week, and anywhere from 20-30 on weekends. Most I've seen on a non holiday type day was 41 one Saturday a few months ago. It does help that we have one cashier who is pushy to the point of obnoxiousness about it, but it general the majority of our cashiers stay solidly green on conversion, so it's not just one cashier getting all the cards.



We get roughly 5-8 on a given day, a few more on weekends.

I have to ask, what's your secret?  10-20 a day is pretty awesome - I think most stores would give anything to have that!  Do you guys have any incentives that your store does?


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## Formina Sage (Aug 2, 2011)

MrGSTLman said:


> We get roughly 5-8 on a given day, a few more on weekends.



Same here. B volume


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## bulldoggirl1 (Aug 2, 2011)

We're an A volume store, I believe. Truthfully, I don't think we do anything too over the top to help us get a lot of cards-we usually just do walkie recognition, Great Team Cards, etc. Occasionally, we'll do Hot Potato with the winner getting a gift card, or $5 gift cards when someone gets five cards a shift or something like that. I think one of the main things is that our cashiers don't wait for the prompts to start pitching the Red Card-instead they talk it up throughout the transaction. We also tend to get at least 1-2 walk up applications at Guest Service throughout the day. I wouldn't say we have any secret, we're just lucky to have a lot of cashiers who are really good. We had I think 17 last night, and were at 10 when I left after opening today.


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## mrknownothing (Aug 2, 2011)

mamak1 said:


> Question (which I think I know the answer)...if a guest already HAS a Target card of any kind, will the prompt still pop up?  My gut instinct says "no", but most of them decline by saying "I already have one..."



I think the only way the register knows to skip the prompt is if the guest is actually using a Red Card.


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## MrMrIce (Aug 3, 2011)

How does one find out what their personal conversion score is?


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## Formina Sage (Aug 3, 2011)

It should be posted on your GE Dashboard, with the rest of the service scores. Ask your ETL-GE or GSTL and they should be able to point it out for you.


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## voidethix (Aug 3, 2011)

MrMrIce said:


> How does one find out what their personal conversion score is?



It's been a while since I've done this, but log in to Workbench, go to Performance, DTK, should be under Guest Experience score.

Last time I did this (let alone work a shift at Target) was about 3 months ago, so I might not be remembering the steps completely...


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## GSChaos (Aug 13, 2013)

I tired that *hot potato* game over the weekend and on Monday. Freakin' genius! 

My cashiers loved it and got really competitive. We had a little Bullseye trophy that we would set on the current giftcard holders register. They were stealing each others guest so they could have more chances to get a RC but it helped keep traffic flowing at the front and the trash talk was secretly my favorite part. haha
We did it in rounds to give everyone a fair shot. (8am -12pm, 12pm-4pm,4-8, 8-cl) Ended my morning shift with 10RC which for our store is fantastic. 

Seriously though, it really helped. Our store hasn't been doing all that great with conversion so anything that we can do to make it work helps. I think that it's something that we might play on the weekends.


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## The Dude Abides (Aug 13, 2013)

insiteful1 said:


> My store is one of the bottom 5 in our group week after week after week.  Just so I have a frame of reference, how many red cards do ya'lls stores get daily?  Disregard store volume.  I just want red card #'s.  We get 10-15 a week.



That is dreadfully low. I work at a ULV store and a bad week for us is about 30 red cards. Generally we strive for 45-50 per week. Goal is to get ~5 on the week days and ~10 on the weekends.


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## GSChaos (Aug 13, 2013)

To make conversion our store needs to get about 70-75, the past few weeks we've been getting around 50-60. It's sad times for conversion.  
Though I think the goal is somewhat unrealistic. Our store was struggle to keep above the old conversion goal and now we've gone a couple months not making it at all.


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## Rock Lobster (Aug 14, 2013)

MrGSTLman said:


> bulldoggirl1 said:
> 
> 
> > We tend to get 10-20 a day during the week, and anywhere from 20-30 on weekends. Most I've seen on a non holiday type day was 41 one Saturday a few months ago. It does help that we have one cashier who is pushy to the point of obnoxiousness about it, but it general the majority of our cashiers stay solidly green on conversion, so it's not just one cashier getting all the cards.
> ...



The thing is that the mark of a good leader is not how well the area runs while they are there, but how well it runs when they leave!  Incentives such as games and rewards only last as long as they are being offered!  A true leader makes changes and develops the team through coachings to facilitate strong results within the store!  These results, when done correctly, should be relatively permanent because of those actions!


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## redandkhaki (Aug 14, 2013)

Rock Lobster said:


> MrGSTLman said:
> 
> 
> > bulldoggirl1 said:
> ...


 
agree 100% with this. We're going through growing pains right now but our conversion is on a slow but steady climb back into green. I love the consistency vs random great weeks here and there.


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## OyeShopgirl (Aug 14, 2013)

MrMrIce said:


> redeye58 said:
> 
> 
> > Even a "further review" counts. And it doesn't automatically mean "declined". There's just something that requires further review. If someone has moved, changed their name (married or divorced), any other change of status...that would prompt a "further review".
> ...



Yes. Just so long as everything about the application-their ID, their check or credit card, etc., was on ( pardon the the pun ) the up and up ( I couldn't help myself ), it counts, regardless of whether or not it is instantly approved or deemed in need of further review.


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## GSTLzone (Jun 11, 2015)

So, anyone have games that their teams live to play?  We need some for just day to day and week to week?  I read the earlier posts, but am looking for some different options! Thanks in advance


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## Retail Girl (Jun 11, 2015)

This thread is 4 years old.

That said, the only game that is super popular anymore is the "if you get a redcard the ETL-GE/GSTL will stay off your back."


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## GSTLzone (Jun 11, 2015)

Well, thank you i agree!!  I'm  just made to come up with corky games on the spot and if I dont have one thats just how I  feel.  Hope some others have so games they play like maybe days of the week etc.


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## Hardlinesmaster (Jun 12, 2015)

@GSTLzone, this thread may help you:
http://www.thebreakroom.org/index.php?threads/the-redcard-thread.9218/


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## Retail Girl (Jun 12, 2015)

And with that, we'll lock this.


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