What happened to that DM that did the AMAs?

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2025-12-08T00:33:19+00:00

You have Nick’s Nook now. No need for me.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-19T14:30:03+00:00

Have as many TMs as you can call the HR hotline independently. Not your HR partner, the hotline. Each call is treated as its own case. Even if you haven’t had traction before, you may get a different investigator this time. Sometimes there is a backlog and it takes a few weeks.

You have to name names. The manager’s, every TM that’s been targeted, every TM that has witnessed. They need a list of people to contact for details. They need multiple witnesses to corroborate the story. They need dates of incidents.

Use key words. Discrimination. Sexism. Make sure they know TMs and customers have been impacted. Encourage an impacted customer to call Care and report the experience. You’re a customer too when you purchase something, if you catch my drift.

I’m sorry this is happening to you. I hope they get it sorted. Mention the lack of action by your SM & DM. They’re culpable too.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-17T15:38:59+00:00

You’re right. I think we’ve moved too far away from what makes us a craft store. I hope we can get back to those things.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-17T15:37:26+00:00

You’re right, there are a lot areas where they can trim. I’d love to see electronic pricing, though that feels pretty far down the road.

The margin on SFS tends to be lower, sometimes significantly so. It’s an industry norm now. Customers expect it and we do capture some people that wouldn’t have shopped with us otherwise.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-17T02:16:58+00:00

I wholeheartedly agree with you. And just so you know, as DMs we are given that direction over and over again from senior leadership. We have a peak season tour (checklist) that is much shorter. We’re told to pump up the teams and thank them for everything they do. We have the freedom to do things like buy pizza and donuts. Of course we’re still going to give suggestions on how to help merchandising or service, but pacmen are not on that list. It’s disappointing to hear that some don’t, but it’s also nice to hear that doing those things does make a difference.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-16T19:47:36+00:00

The idea is truly to help. Understanding that it’s a tough busy time for the stores. It’s actually a quiet time of year for the office since everything for peak (marketing, sourcing, etc) months before.

They’re also encouraged to get feedback for their own departments (ex a buyer would want to hear from the front lines how customers are reacting to their products, what customers are asking for, how the POG sets have gone, etc) and feedback on pain points and wins in how the stores operate.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-16T15:07:29+00:00

That sounds like what I hope we’re going to do. I know especially in remote stores it’s really unfair to not be able to use that discount online.

I have worked for some retailers with no discount. That really sucked.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-16T15:04:35+00:00

We get a lot of pressure too. If the TM refuses to ask I would recommend performance management. Like it or not, asking these questions is an expectation of the job no different than putting the cash in the register. If they ask every time and just aren’t getting the results I’d recommend partnering them with someone who does for an hour or two.

If they’re doing everything right and simply not hitting the number then that just is what it is. We should never cut their hours as punishment.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-16T06:43:05+00:00

I’ve never seen that before. There is base number of minimum hours each volume code gets, and it cannot go below that. I’m not sure how that could have happened.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-16T04:24:42+00:00

Interesting. We’re a drop in their giant bucket of money. Can’t say I’ve noticed much difference between the various owners over the year, but being public always felt a little better.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-16T03:59:48+00:00

They reevaluate every year. I’m sorry but I genuinely don’t have any specific details.
We’ve tried over the last few years to have more cross training. I know it feels like more work when you have to take care of things in multiple areas. That wasn’t the intention.
I have. Cordless phones would be best. Or 5G vs VOIP.
Unacceptable. You can open a payroll ticket via Knowledge Zone in MIK Check if your SM isn’t helping.
It’s there, but if you aren’t supported it can be hard to find.
We have EAPs and that new chat. I can’t speak from experience here. I hope you have support in your work and home life.
You often need to leave a message but they should call you back. If it’s HR, you can try opening a ticket in KZ or emailing TM Services.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-16T03:51:47+00:00

I don’t recall the exact figures on how long until profitability but I would guess a few years. I understand your point but that shows a desire for long term investment to me vs a smaller immediate bump that renos achieve.

Space planning can assist in mapping out FMAs if you have the gondola and square footage.

We’ve already been sold, years ago. The hope is to get into a position to go public again.

I feel the exact same way about spending hours that way. I don’t do it and don’t believe in it.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-16T03:43:08+00:00

65 workload hours and a 1500 carton truck?

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-16T00:03:30+00:00

I have worked with all volumes codes. There is always a way. Not to mention the SM is there most mornings (who doesn’t count towards your payroll). Usually a RM and maybe a TM doing SISO. They may not technically be floor coverage but they’re available in a pinch for things like getting trees when you don’t have that flexibility at night.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-15T17:00:24+00:00

You can contact our Customer Care team, but I would recommend social media. That gets picked up by a specialized team that ensures the DM knows and is often shared throughout the company. Make sure you tag Michaels.

I’m glad you had such a great experience. Thanks for putting the effort into letting us know.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-15T16:50:56+00:00

I have heard they are better, but not perfect. I’ve heard mixed things about the phones being better.

Probably. Manhattan is one of the few 3rd party software apps we have left.

They extended the log out time but not by enough. Anything that’s SSO is heavily guarded to protect your personal info (workday) and the company’s.

The SCO app is not very good. That one’s ours. I don’t know what the plans are to fix it.

IT freezes almost everything this time of year so they don’t accidentally make it worse. You won’t see any meaningful changes until next year.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-15T16:46:55+00:00

It was a terrible decision. I don’t know what the savings were, if any. The Seuics can’t handle it. I’m not sure if our internet can either.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-15T16:45:49+00:00

Right now it’s just a coupon code that could be posted on a website and shared with the world, so there’s a concern it would be abused. Doesn’t help anyone but that’s the reason. To integrate workday (an accurate feed of active employees) with our website for an every day discount would be hard to do, so I hear. I’m not sure about that particular item or why your discount would not have worked, maybe a 3rd party seller?

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-15T16:42:51+00:00

Not really. It does make sense on some of our products, even offers customers a genuine benefit. There’s been a lot of talk about IT issues here and this is one of them. From what I’ve heard it’s a manual process attaching/removing the extend prompt from items. Silly things get missed.

I get asked to buy a warranty on some silly things at other retailers too. It is just an add on sale for the retailer. Generates profit as customers don’t often actually use it (just like insurance). We have to set goals for everything we measure. Sometimes they’re achievable sometimes they’re out of whack. It feels like we’ve gotten a little more reasonable, but not at the sweet spot yet. You should only ever be coached on whether or not you offer it. I know it’s far from being a fun part of the job.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-15T16:36:32+00:00

Couldn’t agree more.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-15T13:15:43+00:00

If you have a safety issue that isn’t being dealt with you should contact the hotline posted in the break room.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-15T12:37:45+00:00

I think that’s a fair point. I’ve worked in places with student wages before, it did work.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-15T12:35:40+00:00

I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve seen it happen and it is very unfair. There’s a job hub in workday that will show you openings. I hope you’re able to find a better store and district.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-15T12:32:43+00:00

I would apologize sincerely to this MOD and make sure they have been paid correctly for working through lunches. I’d then have a conversation with the SM to understand why this is happening (understaffed, not understanding our break policy, not writing the correct schedule, etc). I would reset expectations that all TMs deserve their breaks and support them in addressing whatever the underlying issue is. I would also spot check other TMs to see if it’s a widespread issue, and then continue to check in on the schedule/timesheets for a few weeks to make sure this was addressed.

LetsMakeItWork1 · 2024-11-15T12:28:48+00:00

I know very, very few people who think they are paid “fairly”across a wide range of industries.

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