I am not exagerating. They over think things. They bring several cases out on these little cart things and debate over how to move stuff in order to merchandise them. Considering there's a planogram it should be really fast. It could also be that it takes them longer to figure out things now that they don't have risers anymore so stuff actually has to go on shelves or pegs. What really pi$$es me off is the fact that they don't understand that new cases cof SW figs, for instance, will have new assortments.....which become old assts. by the time they show up on the pegs.

I would come into work at 6:30 AM... the night crew would have left a whole main aisle of pallets and it would "Have at it! You have till 11:30 AM!" And that's also dealing with customers and other crap.

I have to laugh reading these posts....I just picked up seasonal work at Target and TRU and a lot of what has been said here is so true. What is sad is that a lot of the veteran employees don't know much about the product they put on the floor. No idea when it comes to action figures, DC, Marvel, Star Wars, Hot Wheels, etc;....

The employees look at me like I'm crazy when a customer comes in and I can actually talk to them intelligently about a product. The overnight stock crews have no clue at all about product. I have seen stashed cases in the back and I actually will take them out onto the floor and put them on shelves or pegs. I totally agree that product should hit the shelves and not go out the back. And not to offend the Hot Wheel collectors but I cannot stand when they come in and trash the isle looking for certain items, it's just not necessary. I even go out of my way to get cases down from overstock or out of the backroom if a customer is looking for a certain figure. Now don't get me wrong if I know that they are scalpers, and yes we do know who they are most of the time I won't go out of my way, but if it's a mother or father just trying to get a specific figure I try to help as much as possible. As a parent I know what it is like to see that look on a child's face when they open a gift and see that special toy they really wanted. Just the other day I pulled 3 cases of Transformers Rescue Bots out of the back for a mom looking for two different figures for her son. Found the two she was looking for, as well as two that I needed for my son in the process (went on my break and purchased them). I just think that instead of saying "sorry all we have is what is on the floor." and actually taking the time to help a guest might actually put toy sales where they really belong and send a message to the manufactures about what we really want. I hate to even mention the amount of DC Figures are scattered in miscellaneous bins in the backroom at the TRU I work at.

I guess the only thing we can do is keep fighting the good fight against the big box retailers no matter how we have to infiltrate their ranks.

Man, I wish I was hunting for stuff at your store. Keep up the good work!

In a perfect world maybe but sometimes you have so much to do that you just can't be bothered. And they don't want to hear "I was busy with a customer". Now when I had a regular come to me and ask that was always different I would bust my ass if it was someone I saw on a regular basis. But when it's just one lone Department Manager working during the Christmas break and the general manager expects him to get everything done on his own, don't take a singular blow off personally. Between PLCS, recalls, blue dots, stock inventory, morning floor freight and that's just in my department don't get me started on being 'whored' out to the departments who had inept people therefore I had to pick up their slack. Also I knew my own hand stock by heart, I'm sure I wasn't the only one so I'm sure 50% of the time if not more when they say that it very well could be true.