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Ty project

August 06, 2025 01:55PM
Has everybody been receiving communications reference to the Ty project. Now we have to place a scan code on locations which is great now they can order product as per needed. I've been merchandising for 45 years and I get the complete indication with fee cuts, visit cuts and route cuts someone's contract is about to get expired by the end of the year with ty. I just received a communication reference to display presentation which I provide pictures of and the follow instructions on product placement. But the managers have their way of presenting the product in the display and have indicated they don't want to change so I've stated that on my report for affected locations. My clear choice has been to eliminate Ty from my merchandising work, as we all know there's plenty of work out there for professional and seasoned merchandisers
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August 06, 2025 03:10PM
Trial. Switching or diversifying merchandising support. Locations seem to be for certain stores or remote store locations, whatever TY is doing.
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August 06, 2025 03:22PM
I get the scan code but what I have run into is the stores don't know their TY account number and the MSC can't give it to me so then I have to tell them to call TY anyhow. Kind of defeats the purpose. They should have had their info printed on the sheet or given us the info.

This has def been a messy project. I just do the best I can. I have been lucky to have decent stores.
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August 06, 2025 04:30PM
@Datagirl wrote:

I get the scan code but what I have run into is the stores don't know their TY account number and the MSC can't give it to me so then I have to tell them to call TY anyhow. Kind of defeats the purpose. They should have had their info printed on the sheet or given us the info.

This has def been a messy project. I just do the best I can. I have been lucky to have decent stores.

The QC sticker is just a url that link to the ordering webpage. The store, or the store manager is supposed to know their TY account#, or they would have never been able to placed order themselves. They should be able to find that information from their PO or invoice easily.

Also it make perfect sense not to provide us, the 3rd party, client info tbh....as account number are more or less on the "need to know" basis. We are not involved in the ordering process for the stores, and we have no reason to gain access to such info.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/2025 04:31PM by kisekinecro.
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August 06, 2025 05:14PM
@kisekinecro wrote:

@Datagirl wrote:

I get the scan code but what I have run into is the stores don't know their TY account number and the MSC can't give it to me so then I have to tell them to call TY anyhow. Kind of defeats the purpose. They should have had their info printed on the sheet or given us the info.

This has def been a messy project. I just do the best I can. I have been lucky to have decent stores.

The QC sticker is just a url that link to the ordering webpage. The store, or the store manager is supposed to know their TY account#, or they would have never been able to placed order themselves. They should be able to find that information from their PO or invoice easily.

Also it make perfect sense not to provide us, the 3rd party, client info tbh....as account number are more or less on the "need to know" basis. We are not involved in the ordering process for the stores, and we have no reason to gain access to such info.

You would think this would be the case but these are 7-11 stores and they are not the best at organization. 3 stores in a row told me they don't know their account number. Oh well, guess I can't help you then.
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August 06, 2025 07:06PM
For those who do the ty project, I just had a candid conversation with one of my key contacts at CI. In point blank asked them about the future assignments to route cuts, fee cuts, and communications reference to project requirements. It was identified to me that is a month to month contract they have with Ty, and they're hopeful that they'll be able to continue the contract after October. Sounds a little bit of wishy-washy to me in retrospect of all the project changes as mentioned above that I've experienced in the last year. I foresee somebody picking up this contract. Does anybody know who previously did the service on the account.
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August 06, 2025 07:21PM
I don't think anyone did it before them, I believe they had sales reps who went out and did all of the ordering and merchandising. I think this was an effort to save money. Just from speaking with the stores, they all wanted to know what happened to their "rep".
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August 06, 2025 07:28PM
I just started with CI for the TY items so I'm not sure who had the contract before them. Honestly I wouldn't mind if someone else gets the contract. Once I saw the emails about doing projects monthly along with a lot of shops I normally visit being excluded (not to mention from the same stores that already said they were doing away with TY plushes), I knew it was only a matter of time
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August 06, 2025 08:48PM
I never could get an explanation why we were not to identify that we were working for CI. Only that we were an independent contractor for Ty does anybody have any insight to this. Possibly them trying to protect their identity by any competing company that may be trying to scoop up the business.
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August 06, 2025 08:58PM
I've had this conversation also with store managers and all of my existing Ty accounts when I first entered the store back in last fall. I'm thinking somebody is trying to undercut the contract trying to get it back. Cuz I
had early on the project situations where another individual was in servicing the stores. In one incident the rounder was double stacked on all levels impossible to shop, product falling on the floor. I showed the manager the guidelines
I was responsible that I had to follow reference to eye appealing and not overloaded over stuffed display racks. In addition I explained that I was the one that was doing the work in the store. I even went to the point of putting a communication in back stock box of to it may concern with my phone number identifying that I was the new merchandiser for the product in this particular location .. never had any problems since the other person was not seen in the store servicing that account. But I understand he's servicing other product in the store makes me think that the contract is getting undercut. In this situation I had to put a heavy amount of items in back stock to make it up to the standards that I was to require to follow. No time will tell won't it....
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August 06, 2025 11:34PM
There was no other contract. The reps were from TY directly.
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August 06, 2025 11:38PM
The large stores like Michaels, CVS, Walgreens and CK do NOT do the ordering on a store level. Their corporate offices do the ordering based on the inventory levels. If these stores were removed from your route that is why. There is NO point for TY to send us to these stores when the stores dont decide the inventory. Also only franchised 7-11s do store level ordering.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/2025 11:38PM by Katierlou.
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August 08, 2025 11:03PM
We've got to be selling the heck out of babies much more than the stores did without us. When I took over my stores, the displays were about to fall over (or there wasn't a display at all), there were boxes and boxes of babies in the back rooms because they never put them out. Then, the babies on the displays were horribly maintained and were all upside down, backwards, etc. Every time I go now, I am filling the racks again, so I know they are selling well. They have to be making a lot more money now with us. I hope they consider that. We got the stores under control and selling now.

Shopping Arkansas, Louisiana, & Mississippi.
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August 09, 2025 01:02PM
At one point before CI, another merchandiser in the field stated that Crossmark had many of these locations. Not sure if TY is looking back at them or what.
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August 10, 2025 01:16AM
I indicate in the app, on each job, if the stores want or need product, in the comments. It is up to somebody higher on the food chain to take action on those comments.
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August 11, 2025 02:16AM
I stumbled across something today. A dedicated merchandising company name, not MSP. Maybe message me? If the company is straight merchandising, still reluctant to name it here. And I guess TY always had outside support, but maybe they were attempting to eliminate more people in the process if some comments I have seen about customer disastisfaction increased over time with that customer service number resource.
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August 11, 2025 02:19AM
OK. Since someone mentioned Crossmark, I came across something earlier today where RSS was mentioned. I just do not know how long ago that might have been.
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August 11, 2025 02:21AM
I had that too, but given our instructions and considering other information, it might be likely that there were ongoing merchandisers, maybe W2 employees of some company, that represented themselves as from TY as we were told to and nsntructed in the app.
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August 12, 2025 11:43AM
Before the current setup, they had sales rep going to different stores, and Crossmark placing out merchandise in other locations, as there are different contracts and wholesale prices, depending on store. An issue with reps was that they were paying too much attention with big selling accounts, completely ignoring other locations, as well as finding sales reps to do the job. TY is still experimenting what is the best timing and set up to merchandise the shops. A lot has to do it is a private company, the sole owner does not have children and he is very old so it looks they will either do an IPO, sell, or change the governance for a family member to take over, or a foundation.
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August 12, 2025 11:47AM
The places with the code sticker it seems to be a compromise with the retailer after the merger. The district managers had given permission to stores to toss the round displays as they were not selling well. It seems TY provided them with more unique to them merchandise, and with smaller displays.
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August 12, 2025 01:39PM
The stores can use their store number instead of their account number.

________________________________________
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
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