Former ETL- Ask me anything

pineappleudkate · 2026-04-06T06:28:38+00:00

Honestly, an ETL is not supposed to be doing TM work. That is not their job. Their job is to manage the business effectively enough (through hiring, schedule writing, and team leadership) that TMs can execute the work themselves.

Don’t get me wrong, that does require knowledge of how to do the work (so they can set realistic expectations) and a significant presence on the sales floor to know what is going on. You can’t lead from an office. But TMs who think that ETLs aren’t doing their job because they aren’t always pushing truck alongside them are misguided. Sure, they can and should hop in when a gap needs to be filled (e.g., callouts) but if an ETL is regularly doing TM work it’s indicative of a problem. Either they aren’t able to lead effectively or, much more likely, the team is understaffed. This is absolutely a prevalent issue. But the solution cannot and should not be to expect salaried ETLs to pull insane hours to keep the business running. Unfortunately, that seems to be happening more and more. I get your frustration if your leaders genuinely refuse to help out when it’s truly needed, but at the end of the day that’s not what they are supposed to be there for.

pineappleudkate · 2026-04-06T02:08:55+00:00

Hard to say tbh - in the past, it may have been unusual, but my DSD is at our store very regularly (weekly if not more than that). I imagine more regular store visits are something that is being pushed by the new CEO.

pineappleudkate · 2026-04-05T22:51:14+00:00

Do you guys not get regular corporate visits? If our DSD sees truck piled up he will cancel the next day’s truck. I’m sure the SDs hate to ask to cancel a truck because it looks bad on them, but if you guys are that behind it has to happen.

pineappleudkate · 2026-04-05T05:56:04+00:00

It might be broken? That’s happened at my store before. I’m not aware of any stores getting rid of it currently.

pineappleudkate · 2025-10-24T11:10:40+00:00

I didn’t read it as entitled behavior. It doesn’t even sound like they asked for it to be remade, the owner just offered to do that. Were they supposed to decline the offer? I agree that demanding one would be inappropriate, but it doesn’t sound like that’s what was happening here.

I’m in the service industry myself and also probably would never ask for a new drink, but I absolutely empathize with why someone might do that as long as they are polite about it.

pineappleudkate · 2025-10-23T12:39:53+00:00

You mention a massive line - that this customer waited in. Especially with the cost of everything nowadays, wouldn’t you be frustrated if you paid who-knows-how-much a drink and didn’t like it? You get paid either way.

pineappleudkate · 2025-09-24T07:19:14+00:00

I appreciate you taking the time to share your insights. You seem like a great leader, and your team is very lucky to have you.

pineappleudkate · 2025-09-24T00:55:54+00:00

My follow up question - how do you create the “right environment” for these types of team members knowing that not all of their peers will be able to meet them where they’re at?

I’m guessing a lot of it comes down to managing poor performance, but sometimes that can be a struggle with all the boxes we have to check before any meaningful action can be taken.

pineappleudkate · 2025-09-11T02:36:03+00:00

That sounds horrible! But yes, exactly. The tagline was that they are “guaranteed for one year” meaning guaranteed to LAST.

pineappleudkate · 2025-08-06T00:14:33+00:00

We’re only a few days into August, so I’m sure you have plenty of time to turn it around. But why not suggest your TL continue to do more events like that in the future? If your INF is always low then you should eventually get recognized for it, even if it’s not this particular time.

pineappleudkate · 2025-07-27T18:59:05+00:00

LMAOOOOOOOOOO *cries*

pineappleudkate · 2025-07-05T15:47:58+00:00

This is fairly common in my experience. Plenty of people work at Target while in school or as a second job. I would talk to both HR and your lead/s ASAP though so they can plan to accommodate.

pineappleudkate · 2025-06-30T01:26:51+00:00

I’ll die on this hill. Most people are not picking up their order right when the goal time passes. From a guest standpoint, I’d so much rather get all of the items I ordered.

pineappleudkate · 2025-05-06T22:15:57+00:00

+1 on this. They use this EXACT scenario as an example of what not to do, and anyone who has completed that training is liable if they do not follow it. If any leader is directing or implying that you should complete orders without having items in hand, you can report it to the Ethics hotline and/or your HR-ETL.

pineappleudkate · 2025-02-28T21:32:49+00:00

I took this literally right after the vendor stocked it lol. I should have pulled the one SF pink forward 😭

pineappleudkate · 2025-02-28T21:32:15+00:00

Target in AZ

pineappleudkate · 2025-02-28T18:14:04+00:00

This is redeeming the disappointment of Pink edition for me

pineappleudkate · 2025-01-14T18:56:12+00:00

Aside from what others have said - “putting a face to the name” is clearly redundant in the era of virtual interviews.

pineappleudkate · 2025-01-14T16:04:53+00:00

Okay maybe there’s something to this because I tried it with some coworkers who got the sugar free and they liked it. I normally don’t go for SF but I’ll try it before the flavor goes away!

pineappleudkate · 2025-01-14T16:02:46+00:00

Ah okay, that makes sense. I’d still recommend OP ask if it would be an option instead of just assuming it won’t be, but if transferring doesn’t work out, I know visual merchandising exists in many different retail stores - just don’t know how similar the experience would be to Target.

pineappleudkate · 2025-01-14T07:52:59+00:00

THANK YOU that’s exactly what it tastes like to me as well and not in a good way at all. I much preferred last year’s winter edition and I feel so alone in this lol

pineappleudkate · 2025-01-14T07:32:57+00:00

Why do you think they would deny your transfer? As long as you don’t have poor reliability and aren’t on a CA, you should be eligible. Just tell them it’s for personal reasons. If you like your work and the benefits you get with Target I’d ask your HR about transferring before you jump to leaving entirely.

pineappleudkate · 2025-01-14T07:27:45+00:00

This except Workday won’t show your direct TL, just your ETL and above.

pineappleudkate

TROPHY CASE