# Any tips on Service and Engagement?



## HuddleCaptain (Jan 17, 2021)

I'm honestly baffled at my store.  I'm supposed to stand up front and be available to the guests and team members.  Yet with hours cut, I only have 1 cashier (2 if I'm lucky).  Sometimes a self-checkout person.  And then 1 or 2 at guest services.  If you get a few full carts of groceries, that 1 cashier doesn't cut it.  No one responds to backup so I take it upon myself to jump on and help alleviate the line because everyone "wants a cashier, I don't get paid to do self-service."  Then management yells at me that I left my post and that I'm not supposed to jump on.  This doesn't even include what happens when Drive Ups and the Service Desk get backed up, let alone a call-out or two up front.  Everyone is so involved in SFS and OPU that no one comes up front anymore.  And with little help on the sales floor anymore, well all the guests come up front to me to complain and insist I go help them.  How do you guys deal with this in your store?  Is there a few tricks I could be doing?  Or, as I suspect, this is just the way it is.  Curious to hear about your experiences.


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## Hardlinesmaster (Jan 17, 2021)

No hours this month is the reason.


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## Anelmi (Jan 17, 2021)

I think the idea of the SETL to stand in front and monitor traffic is stupid. Much like I think a devoted cleaner from open to close is stupid. That is an absolute waste of 2 bodies that could actually be DOING something to get the guests out the door. Sure, maybe the SETL directs traffic during peak times but not for the bulk of the time. 

I had a line at GS at least 10 deep, working by myself and the SETL was directing traffic/standing there and someone else was cleaning/standing there and what does THAT look like to a guest?


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## DBZ (Jan 17, 2021)

I think the SETL should be allowed to be a little flexible, like to help at GS if GS is on fire, but I do not think an SETL should ever be on a lane. You can't walk away from that easily if you need to put yourself in a management position. I can see stepping in to watch SCO and having the SCO TM jump on a lane. Then if you need to walk away the cleaner can take over SCO till the SCO is off the lane. It is breaking the rules, but I am not an SETL, but when I am put in that role, I will do it that way, if needed. 

The guests really like the TM who cleans the carts. They really appreciate that they are clean and they especially like it when that TM is friendly, says hello, and assures them that the carts are clean. Target sees that as money well spent.


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## Rarejem (Jan 17, 2021)

Anelmi said:


> I think the idea of the SETL to stand in front and monitor traffic is stupid. Much like I think a devoted cleaner from open to close is stupid. That is an absolute waste of 2 bodies that could actually be DOING something to get the guests out the door. Sure, maybe the SETL directs traffic during peak times but not for the bulk of the time.


Devoted cleaner and/or devoted mask "patrol" come out of separate dedicated payroll buckets.


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## AutGotAlot (Jan 17, 2021)

You can only do the best you can. Don't let a long line or a couple of complaints bother you. It is what it is .. sorry for your stress


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## mizl (Jan 17, 2021)

That's essentially the way it is, yeah. Do you know how to linebust? It's a good alternative to jumping on a register, for when you really have no other bodies. I also recommend stressing to your SD or ETL if you have one that no one is supporting you with backup. Leverage NPS scores on store purchase/wait time if they reflect it.


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## HuddleCaptain (Jan 18, 2021)

All valid points.  In my store, the ETL's know no one comes up, in fact they will call over the walkie that "we have no one to send up, can't you send someone over from guest services?"  Of course, that's not always possible.  Many times I call and there's just dead silence.  Everything is geared to SFS as that is where the money is, I get that.  Yes, I will line bust when I can, but when the zebra goes down, then I have to take them to a register anyway.  either that, or then everyone comes to me to check out when I do and it's hard to break away to help people as well.  I'm not allowed to use the cleaner for anything, if we have one.  That was made clear to me too.  I have used the SCO many times and just kind of watched both areas, but at peak times its really not enough.  I can't leverage the scores because I usually get that thrown in my face.  "Why are the scores so low?  What can you do better to improve that score?"  Plus I have to answer all the comments from My Guest and most of them are complaints about the long lines and not enough help.  So I creatively answer them as best I can.  I get it, we're at the no hours part of the year (not that I had many hours to play with during fourth quarter).  It just seems like a vicious circle.  You have to engage with the guests, make them happy, keep the line moving, etc.  But you're not given the support or the tools to do that.  I'm a long time employee, so I guess I'm just nostalgic for the old ways at times.  I'm still here and not going anywhere.  I will just keep handling the best I can as always.  Thanks for listening.


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## Anelmi (Jan 18, 2021)

Hang in there. Maybe plan to use some vacation time. I think a lot of my struggles with the front end right now are because I'm a bit burned out. I've worked consistently since the beginning of the pandemic and it's been a long haul with no time to recharge.


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## happygoth (Jan 18, 2021)

I guess I just don't understand people. Why do guests need so much freaking hand-holding? Maybe because I've worked in retail my entire adult life, but the last thing I want when shopping is to engage with the salespeople, lol. Self-checkout is one of the greatest things ever created. I don't understand why people can't shop for themselves and need so much help and ask so many questions.


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## azure (Jan 18, 2021)

I am not a setl but whenever I break one if I ever need backup I normally get one response the first time I call. Then when I need more I don’t get any response. Normally a etl will start calling their TLs if ive called a few times and not gotten a response. Right now it is gonna be difficult just because of what week it. There are gonna be less hours which means more chaos. One thing my setl does is she calls the GM and Style TLs and says we need backup immediately to the lanes. The TLs are kind of forced to respond then and they send people up 90% of the time. If you get the TLs involved they always send one or two of their team members up.


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## NotCynicalYet (Jan 19, 2021)

There is no easy way. This is the position I'm in right now (so is every SETL), and the thing that keeps the front of store afloat is that our ETL is amazing (communicating, coming to help) - and importantly - pushes the SD for a big share of the precious flex payroll.

I have days when I cashier for 3 hours altogether. Those are rough and leave my service desk person in a tough spot. Not to mention the drive-up crew. It works okay when the the drive-up rush and in-store rush are a little staggered. I'm able to bounce between the lanes and the hold areas picking up slack. But when the rushes come together, we're simply going to have long lines and long drive-up times.

Situations like these are why I think Target is probably leaving some money on the table by understaffing. It leads to poor guest service and hurts our reputation. Fortunately, other places are much worse.


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## NotCynicalYet (Jan 19, 2021)

mizl said:


> That's essentially the way it is, yeah. Do you know how to linebust? It's a good alternative to jumping on a register, for when you really have no other bodies. I also recommend stressing to your SD or ETL if you have one that no one is supporting you with backup. Leverage NPS scores on store purchase/wait time if they reflect it.


Line busting seems like a good alternative activity for the SETL, so you can keep an eye on the lanes at the same time and step away more quickly. Nice suggestion.


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