# What’s in a name



## theveeem (Dec 6, 2019)

Hi! General question- are there any Visual Merchandising Lead positions in any stores? Like, I get that if we do not have a team to coach that it is not officially called a team lead position, but are we not still Visual Merchandising Leads, like the Property Management Lead position, for example? I’m trying to figure this out, as I know that store politics caused the VM position at my current store to be severely limited in what it is even referred to, as their first official VM was a true train wreck of an experience.

As it is now, I pretty much manage soft lines as well as shouldering my visual merchandising load in softlines and hardlines. I absolutely love my position, but I feel as though it is not being properly represented in my store, if that makes sense. Any help, or direction would be greatly appreciated. Thank you kindly.


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## Sushi2Go (Dec 6, 2019)

theveeem said:


> Hi! General question- are there any Visual Merchandising Lead positions in any stores? Like, I get that if we do not have a team to coach that it is not officially called a team lead position, but are we not still Visual Merchandising Leads, like the Property Management Lead position, for example? I’m trying to figure this out, as I know that store politics caused the VM position at my current store to be severely limited in what it is even referred to, as their first official VM was a true train wreck of an experience.
> 
> As it is now, I pretty much manage soft lines as well as shouldering my visual merchandising load in softlines and hardlines. I absolutely love my position, but I feel as though it is not being properly represented in my store, if that makes sense. Any help, or direction would be greatly appreciated. Thank you kindly.



We don't have a VML, just a VM. However, she is treated like a TL at our store. Has her own desk, full 38 hours a week, manages the team, and does her own thing. Honestly she is better than our other 2 softline team lead and more knowledgeable. Not sure what they are paid but I hope it's the same or more than a softline TL cause she rocks!


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## Planosss enraged (Dec 6, 2019)

Ours was s ok, definitely not TL material


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## SpotDigsColdBrew (Dec 6, 2019)

Mine is a VML.


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## FriedTL (Dec 6, 2019)

Ours is treated like a TL in style, because we only have 1 specialty sales TL position at my store. She is fantastic and makes sure the brand stays great. I honestly prefer her to the actual TL. 
Also, she got a higher start pay than TLs did. She started at like $19.50 compared to the $17 fresh TLs get.


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## theveeem (Dec 6, 2019)

Sushi2Go said:


> We don't have a VML, just a VM. However, she is treated like a TL at our store. Has her own desk, full 38 hours a week, manages the team, and does her own thing. Honestly she is better than our other 2 softline team lead and more knowledgeable. Not sure what they are paid but I hope it's the same or more than a softline TL cause she rocks!



It’s *so* wonderful to hear that you love your VM- she sounds like a hard worker, and my situation is basically identical to the one you described above. I share my office with the Specialty Sales TL, and we both seem to work in tandem, and I am often managing softlines on my own, which I just adore as well. I feel as though the VM role could honestly role into a softlines/VM team lead position since I already work so closely with everyone over there about 85% of my time.

Ok, so another general question- does anyone know if their VM’s attend the weekly TL store meeting? You know, the one where, well, just a lot of relevant information is shared with the team all at once? I’m in a bit of a quandary, as I feel as though it would be of great benefit for me to attend the meetings, as I work in a multitude of different areas, help to manage the team, and am often expected to know a lot of info about different areas of the store. Which I love, by the way. All of this I just love, love, love. I just want to feel as though I am engaging in my role in *all* of its various aspects, despite not having literal team of visual merchandisers to coach. That’s the one that gets me! Ha! I can be a bit touchy about this, admittedly. But, I am not allowed participation in the weekly meeting as “_ do not have a team to coach”. Which just sounds like a ridiculous thing to me. I *do* know, however, that the first VM of my store was quite the train wreck, and apparently she had a nasty habit of gossiping about the store meetings, which has understandably left a bitter taste in some TL mouths._


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## StyleMaven1 (Dec 6, 2019)

Our VM is also treated like a lead, has her own desk etc. She doesn't conduct interviews or coaching but otherwise is like having another lead in style 75% of the time. Our store does seem to have difficulty defining where her role begins and ends in other departments though. We don't have an "all lead" meeting weekly, just within our areas, so she always attends any style meetings for sure. We make plans together and she's another set of eyes and ears for any team members who need more coaching.


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## FriedTL (Dec 6, 2019)

My store stopped having weekly meetings when they started BUS statuses, but she used to come to the meetings. She also now does her status with the specialty sales TL and SD. She also is a part of the closing email list.


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## Yetive (Dec 7, 2019)

Our VM is treated like any other leader. Goes to all meetings.


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## theveeem (Dec 9, 2019)

Yetive said:


> Our VM is treated like any other leader. Goes to all meetings.



Does she have a Supervisor code, to help out on the lanes, guest services and such? I’m all over that store every day, and team members on the lanes and at guest services have often asked for my help wherein I would need a code on the computer, and have been truly surprised when I told them that I am unable to help.

I don’t know... I just feel like my hands are tied behind my back when it comes to a lot of the managerial and supervisory aspects of this position, even though I am often reminded  just *how* helpfully I manage the team, especially softlines, by my store director. I have only been here a year and a half, but I am feeling as though my stores is one of the stores that is kind of having trouble defining the entirety of the VM position. As though the lack of a TL acronym is truly that defining. There *can* be “management” that doesn’t have a team, but more so interacts with and leads the *entire* store at different points in time.

That’s about as big a team that one can get, I do believe. 😉


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## StyleMaven1 (Dec 9, 2019)

No, our VM doesn't assist on the lanes or guest service but to be fair that's not a requirement at my store for any salesfloor team leads. The only time she ever ran a register was for anniversary collection launch because it was just one opening cashier that day, so those of us that came in early for the set had to be on register for any rush.


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## Fix It (Dec 22, 2019)

According to the communication we got VMs are I charge of hanging signage now so have fun with that.


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## Far from newbie (Dec 22, 2019)

Fix It said:


> According to the communication we got VMs are I charge of hanging signage now so have fun with that.


I will NEVER see THAT day in our store.  Most our VM will do is POINT to where the sign goes for someone else to hang.
and the fixture room ? No way, she’s too good to get her hands dirty.


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## theveeem (Dec 22, 2019)

Far from newbie said:


> I will NEVER see THAT day in our store.  Most our VM will do is POINT to where the sign goes for someone else to hang.
> and the fixture room ? No way, she’s too good to get her hands dirty.



Agh, it truly makes me sad that there are some visual merchandisers within our Target team that aren’t necessarily digging in as they should. To put it mildly.   😉  I’m so hands on it’s just nuts for me to imagine being any other way... 

When it comes to signing, I hang a lot of it up on my own, and then partner with our stores signing team member who has been here for 19 years, since store open. He and I partnered together quite a bit, but personally I love the all of the everything of this position: The hanging of the in-store merchandising, the studying of store reports in order to merchandise appropriately in the floor to maximize sales, the maintaining of the beast that is the softlines fixture room (with delight, actually), setting VMG’s, setting POGS, pushing, pulling, back stocking, zoning, and I am pretty much the softlines team lead, as our store does not have one, andeveryone knows that they can come to me with anything, at any point.
And everyone knows that they can come to me with anything, at any point, and I will help them.

Being the visual merchandiser at my Target store is truly a dream for me, and I am excited to see in which ways that this position can grow. I know that it was born in 2015, and has seen many changes, wasn’t received very well at first due to what I believe was just improper advertising/clashing expectations, and culling from the wrong sources imho.

*shrugs*

It truly blows my mind when I hear a visual merchandiser is that pretty much don’t do a darn thing. Blows. My. Mind.


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## Black Sheep 214 (Dec 22, 2019)

Ours is one of the hardest workers in the store, but not treated like a TL except for expectations and workload. Busts her butt. Every. Day. Hats off to her for doing her job and every dirty little (and not so little) job that ETL She Who Must Be Obeyed shoves off on her because her team can’t handle them. All this and she provides excellent guest service, too.😊


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## seasonaldude (Dec 22, 2019)

Our VM is one of my best friends of the store. But, damn, she hardly does anything. Love her. Talk tea with her everyday. But, yeah, she does nothing other than wandering around the store aimlessly.


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