Introduction

Most Target customers have probably had experience with the slow self-checkout mess and the chronically long lines. They seem to have planned for much better throughput than they actually get and cashier staffing is not sufficient for demand in reality. This is a labor model problem and in this post we'll look at labor models in contact centers and retail stores, and where things might've broken down at Target.

So what is a labor model? Labor models are a tool to estimate labor requirements give a body of work to be performed. They're used for budgeting, staffing planning, and scheduling. Specific implementations vary based on the work being done and the quality of data available about that work. This post will cover labor model basics, the major types, and labor model examples from contact centers and retail stores.

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