Here we go again. Today 2 of the leads 1 hardlines another softlines was told that they have even more work to do. They were both told now they will have all the responsibilities of a 300 (ASM). Softlines lead was told that all of softlines now also needs to know how to run layaway.
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The leads at our store know how to do layaway, register , service desk. etc. BUT THEY SELDOM do it ! Now Part timers get like ten hours and are quitting left and right , doesnt pay for minium wage to move the car out of the drive way for that. Our hardlines is usually one part timer and they are stuck getting calls and doing the heavy lifting, loading etc. Layaway and this other garbage would be too much for them one top of that. they are kept stepping . And again here many are leaving.
Our softline leads are hate to say it old timers and think they are too good to do layaway and some of the other stuff, even their own freight. Its sad when the part timers with less exprience can out do the leads. But like I said most dont stay long once they realize how one sided it all has become.
Hours part time 10 to 15 if your lucky , shifts generally 4 hours .. a joke! full timers are pulling 32 to 36+ at 6 to 8 hour , more on truck day. And a part timer always is scheduled with a lead cause our 3 leads throw fits if they are scheduled alone.
It is really a messed up affair!
Our Sears store is like that as well. I am cross trained, but only because I've been with the company 11yrs.
I'd rather deal with a member and keep them happy, then have to look for someone to do a simple task.
I agree with cross training everyone in the store. You never know when someone will quit or call out. The problem in our store is just having time to train new people. Most of us only get 20 hours or less a week and part of that time is spent in a morning or evening meeting, which usually last 1/2 hour. Then we have to do our computer training which can be another 2-4 hours a month depending on your job code. Then you have the truck unloading; another 2 or more hours per week. Then a stocking the shelves, another three hours a day. This leaves very little time to train new people on how to do their job, work an RMU, understand how retail works, run a cash register etc. And this doesn't include the time you spend on helping customers, being called to layaway, filling on line orders, resets, pricing, signing, fixing things that break, dealing with old computers, printers, RMU's, computer failures and on and on and on. Too few people with too few hours with no store up keep is what is killing this company.
I m trained in most positions in the store but at mine that doesnt matter. They have 1 person doing layouts most of the time even thought a few of us knows how. Those of us able to do more still dont get hours
Staffing depends on your store sales volume and, to a lesser degree, store size. If you are working in a low volume store, your floor staffing and supervisors will be less than a medium volume store.
Training seems to be a larger part of the issue with any staffing changes introduced to any store. HR assumes everyone working a set period of time in the store knows how to do everything under their job descriptions. Not always the case. And there are a lot of associates who don't even bother to ask about things they don't know how to do that are part of their job responsibilities.
Some DMs and SMs are pushing for everyone who works the store to know how to do everything (register, layouts, POGs, signage, layaway, gopher, returns, etc.) Obviously there are exceptions, like those who work in maintenance.
The mantra given is that everyone in the store works as a team. So being crosstrained makes the store operate more efficiently, while also giving more hours to the most productive crosstrained associates.
At my store only a few softlines employees even know how to run a register. The reason i posted was because at my store they just hired 2 new people for layaway that are getting over 20 hours a week when the rest are being cut. Softlines is a mess because like every where else they dont have enough people. Layaway hours are now being extended they also do layaways in jewelry
I think I figured out a way around all of that.......no matter what you are coded as or what you have done up till now just play stupid. Like an opossum. Look dead, the eyes and all...dead. It does go so against our work ethics as we have lived with but it is better to beat them at their own game.
Same at our store. If we are lucky we might have 2 softlines associates on a shift. Softlines runs the store short of CS and cashiers, but actually backup that, too.
With 1 softlines associate on a shift in a store the size of a football field running back and forth between layaway and CS overrides, jewelry, or you name it makes our store run most efficiently! Not.
Also it's mostly been that way (that softlines runs the store) for years just had more associates on a shift to share the load.
Forget freight, resets, and even recovery in softlines if there is only 1 softlines associate on a shift.
A crappy thing is hardlines associates are mostly not required to do these tasks.
Another crappy thing is that not all leads at our store have to be able to do the above operational tasks (cashier, layaway, etc) and not all leads at our store work on weekends... that also works out great for store operations. Again...not.
Your floor supervisors are a joke/waste of payroll and space, much like your front end supervisors.
Its all working out fantastic for customer service, store operations and sales... numbers prove it lol!
You mean all of your softlines dont already know how to run layaway??? We run it all except for Christmas time. At our store, One associate per shift handles all of softlines, including jewelry and Layaway. Been like that for the past three years...