Fellow Smms, markdowns are nonstop, trucks are rapidly building and floor moves are in full swing. Am I resonsible for everything? The CXMs are too busy running the store. Who does what? I feel overwhelmed!
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Merch team, Start team, all the same!
When I said 'Merch Team', I meant this is the team that does the signing, merchandising, and most of the markdowns. I'm old! LOL!
STM kicks back in the office and let the Directors handle the CXM’s
Does the store manager train the SMM on service, loyalty, and recovery, and hold the accountable?
Train the Manager of Sales & Customer Service on merchandising execution standards and techniques. Hold the Manager accountable. Documentation is key.
VM can take on more and should have direct reports. If you have no one that reports directly to you than you should be a captain not a manager.
Tony Spring.....
PLEASE eliminate ISM!
MASSIVE FAILURE!
Visual captains only went to Visual Manager in stores over 20mil. Otherwise, they are still captains with that level of hourly rate and benefits.
Visual captains went from hourly to salary and a $20k boost+ exec benefits doing the same thing and have no direct reports.
Tell me why the VM can’t have direct reports??? Can they take on the signing team at least ?
Poster below must be in a closing store.
Do what our store does - ignore the ever expanding mess and hide when a customer is waiting at the register. No one gives a sh1t about anything at our store.
YES, yes you do EVERYTHING!! If you had a huge staff that knew what they were doing it would be possible. But let's face it, this is Macy's and that's never gonna exist! They expect you to work 12 hours a day 6 days a week to get it done. Mean while in our store the cxms and store manager are all coming in after you and all leaving before you. You can't find half of them cause they're usually hiding in an office somewhere, while their staff just stands behind the register on their phone and doesn't even come out to recover a table. The cxms are put in charge of so many stupid extra things (events, credit boards, recognition, diversity, give back, charity..) none of which bring extra sales to our store, this takes them off the floor where they should be coaching, cleaning, helping customers, filling in floors. You know things that actually help our business and sales!
Our dock is understaffed and we have to give some of our 2130 to help process the truck. They can't pay us back cause they have to help the back log of fulfillment.
We have to fake out our markdown numbers most of the time cause we can't get them completed, trying to search through 200 rolling racks of fitting room (but we only report 10) with all the extra flash sales thrown in, rtvs, suit consolidation, floor moves and visits. It's impossible!
I could continue with more but I'm getting so pi---d thinking about all this I gotta go calm down now!
I as a SMM my store doesn't have an OOM so I run everything and I also have a backstage which is a joke bc the backstage manager is no where ti be found so instead of my team just processing it we have to help out it out. 2130 is constantly pulled to cover the floor/register bc not enough help and oh yea im in charge of fulfillment too. So my small team does 2 buildings trucks, markdowns, signing, unloading truck , Merchandise, floor moves, visual etc. Crazy
After reading these posts vs. reality, I am confused. I am a CXM who recovers the floor, helps customers, and does put backs. The SMM gives me a rolling rack with the VMD attatched and tells me they will be back in an hour if I have any questions. WTF! What is the right thng to do?
Welp. It's not like it was the VMs idea to comeback without a team.
Also i will NOT manage colleagues whose tasks are anything other than visual. At my store I do have my hands with helping colleagues merchandising truck but those same colleagues do markdowns & signing so why should I manage them?
LOL! BTW It feels like a manage the SMMs on how to properly set floors, fixtures,basic standards, he-l read a VMD.
It's like they went amuck when they took VM positions away.
Now I'm undoing the damage that was done elevating the store but that's okay I'm enjoying the challenge.
Visual has a loads of responsibilities, if Macys didn't think that they would've never brought the position back & would've just kept the captian position.
Unmotivated colleagues who are there to collect a pay check is the big problem. You can’t be doing the minimum, constantly call out, and still have a job after all these years?
Wait tell me what do the CXMs do ??? Gobacks ??? Putaway ??? What …I’m still unclear at my location all they do is announcements regarding credit. We got go backs backed up … racks up piling up racks for putaway.
Here is the definition of a manager . U tell me as a Visual manager do u have direct reports ? Do you meet this criteria? However you get the same rate of pay that others that have 20 + more direct reports with less responsibility.
Management position means an employed position whereby an individual is responsible for directing, supervising, or administering the activities of a group of two or more people with fiscal responsibility and authority over that group.
The 2130 team in our store is responsible for merchandising, signing, and the never ending markdowns. CSMs and selling teams are responsible for recovery, fitting rooms, and taking care of the customer experience. In regards to the earlier poster, the CXMs work a 10 hour day every day, and yes we often work 6 days to catch up. The CXMs cant do it all with such limited staffing. The VMDs are a joke for the untrained, revolving group of colleagues that have reliability issues.
"Visual managers and MBA have no or only 2-5 direct reports . How is it that they don’t help with the workload that is out there ? Workload doesn’t seam fair "
Are you kidding?! How can VM/MBA help with the workload if they don't have a team to work to complete their task?
You're right it isn't fair!
SMM has a whole team doing markdowns, placing truck, signing.
OPS has their very own recieving team unloading truck, processing Penny stock, damages ect....
VM have no team. it's like pulling teeth trying to get extra help on heavy visual workload weeks.
SMM needs more Starbux
Salaried folks need to work 6 days a week / 10 hr days to complete the workload
What do the Visual Managers do these days? The one at my store just seems like a Visual Captain but on salary, not like the VMs from years ago.
Honestly, I feel that the 2130 zone is totally unfair. They never know what to expect when they come in for work, unlike, for example, an 8825 or a 2110. The permanent 2130s at my location are held to this impossible standard of having to manage ALL FOH and BOH functions, even on truck and sale set days. The majority of the colleagues who aren’t permanent 2130s but are randomly assigned shifts in the area will swap it, show up and refuse to do any BOH work, or will simply call out. IF another colleague is called in last minute to fill the shift, it’s almost a guarantee that they too will not complete any BOH with few exception.
IMO this is the worst invention of ISM.
our store the 2130 shifts do it all and it never seams to end . They get pulled for break and lunches and total coverage if someone calls out . Yet no one steps up to help out . CXM’S and captains to recover and do go backs ??? Mmmm NOT in the store I work at. It’s all on the 2130 shifts .
Visual managers and MBA have no or only 2-5 direct reports . How is it that they don’t help with the workload that is out there ? Workload doesn’t seam fair . And when did the merchandise teams come back ??? Oh wait this must be a top 50 door . While us others have nothing .
CXM need to step up and help with Merchandise placement. The 2130 shifts cover all breaks and all lunches on the selling floor taking them away of doing putaway and markdowns. It’s an ALL team effort to get the job done .
The SMM and their team are responsible for setting the floor. The CXM and their team are responsible for recovering the floor, sell loyalty, drive sales and provde exceptional service. The CXM cannot be apart of receipt placement. The FOH team needs a 100 percent focus on the customer experience.
"Merch team"
Didn't know those made a comeback!
Your dock captain should be able to handle the trucks. The Merch team, the markdowns...at least it works that way in my store, along with sales colleagues getting put in 2130 to do MD's. What's fulfillment like in your store? On non-sale days ( like today 8/21) the Fulfillment and Visual captain worked the truck. Maybe not your Visual captain if you have a bunch of floor moves.
Teach people how to fish, delegate, and let the stupid stuff go and don't do it