Is this Real Life? (A Market vent thread)

[consume]

Cider came in finally! Anybody else get a metric ton of the stuff? We're going to end up QMOSing most of it, unless there is some insane markdown coming up.

Tpc, baby! Same thing I do with the giant card board box of pumpkins that are destined to end up unsold and rotten, without

Not orderable, so we can't TPC it. I mean....I probably could, the system would let me. But, supposedly, when the system sees that the item is on a markdown, it'll trigger replenishment more quickly.

You can TPC all sorts of shit you can't order.. Pfresh mainly, and trigger all it likes, if it's selling, it's better than sitting

 

[Produce Queen]

Cider came in finally! Anybody else get a metric ton of the stuff? We're going to end up QMOSing most of it, unless there is some insane markdown coming up.

Tpc, baby! Same thing I do with the giant card board box of pumpkins that are destined to end up unsold and rotten, without

Not orderable, so we can't TPC it. I mean....I probably could, the system would let me. But, supposedly, when the system sees that the item is on a markdown, it'll trigger replenishment more quickly.

You can TPC all sorts of shit you can't order.. Pfresh mainly, and trigger all it likes, if it's selling, it's better than sitting

Completely agree! I TPC stuff that's not order-able all the time. The FDC short-date pushes so much product that's about to expire. Yesterday they sent 10 cases of Chiobani flips that outdate in 2 weeks. Better to TPC and get something for them than Qmos and get nothing.

 

[qmosqueen]

90 cents for my flips

 

[qmosqueen]

we got salads today, I'll have to tpc them tomorrow. We got 10 boxes of baby spinach, heart of romaine, 50/50, and they all expire 10/2, 5 days out.

still no pumpkins, got the mini pumkins.

 

[signingminion]

We've been told tpc only after a mysupport or dtl email. Cause it does cause artificial replenishment. I have a three tier of cider left after the set plus filling two shelves in the simply balanced endcap where eggs belong.

 

[Market]

I think I will take the opportunity to vent!
We went pfresh and it has been a rollercoaster.
Our CTL left. We don't get another. The HL-TL wants nothing to do with pfresh. He isn't even trained. Our ETL was trained but wont touch it. If we need help with anything we call the CTL at another store. There's only two of us. We would need one more person to be able to have open-to-close coverage, but the ETL doesn't want another TM with us. He doesnt even seem to want to crosstrain someone from another workcenter. Actually I tried going around talking to team members. Not a single TM wanted it because they know the BS we go through.
My partner pretty much gets the schedule he wants. I get tossed around and beat up. Every week I get a back-to-back close at 11p/open at 6-7a. I came up with a 2-week rotation that would make both of us happy, one of our HR-TMs came up with one in about 5 minutes that was great, but the two who make the schedule want to do it their own way. My partner has gotten 2 days off these past 7 days. Ive worked every day the past 7 days.
Most of our ETLs won't let us focus on food. They continually pull us to do morning/mid-day projects, then hit us on the freshness walks for stuff we didn't get done because of it. We have an LOD who tries to throw his/her weight around and get us to coupon/TPC stuff that doesn't need it just so he/she can buy it all up for cheap on his/her lunch break.
I've got so many stories already I could write a book. I love my job, but it's stuff like this that makes it so rough.
This thread is kind of bittersweet. I'm glad I'm not the only one getting ran ragged and having to put up with incredibly silly stuff. But I feel for all of you.

 

[Gulfcoast]

...

Let me be honest with you here.

I love working pfresh. I loved being a CTL. The last four months have been bad enough, with all the filling in for other work centers, lack of help or attention on my department, constant wars of priority between various LODs and their pet projects that I agreed to become a GSTL.

A position at my store that noone can seem to stay in for more than four months.

I'm frankly done dealing with all the associated mess out of HQ, Group leads, DTLs and STLs. I'll take dealing with redcards over not getting the support my team needs, and being told to my face that my department isn't a priority.

I loved my department and I loved my team. I want only the best for them, but they aren't going to get any attention until the whole thing falls apart on a steritech visit or the DTL has a shitfit, which won't happen with me being there because I actually did my job, as opposed to the other departments that just did the minimum required and played politics.

I'm going to miss pfresh. Assuming they don't make me some kind of hybrid GSTL/CTL when they realize there's noone stupid enough to take on the CTL role.

 

[qmosqueen]

my store is great with pfresh a few hicups, but for the most part we manage truck to truck it somehow all gets pushed and done. Saturday we had a 14 pallet truck that is huge and a norm on a saturday delivery, 3 flow tms scheduled. Push all from 8:15 AM to 12 noon !! that means we get 3 soflines tms, 3 hardlines tms, 1 etl, 1 tl to push dairy and freezer pallets. Saturday they pushed 5 dairy and 1 freezer pallet. LEAVING 3 freezer pallets, which I was told would be worked out by flow tms on Sunday, today. I myself did almost 5 pallets, I did 1 banana pallet (20 cases) 1 meat/ ambient pallet, 3 produce pallets. I LEFT 3 carts of produce, for the closing PA to push, oh did i mention I also pushed regular milk from the milk truck (2 pallets) and specialty milk (about 40 boxes) from the FDC truck.
It was a busy busy day but we got done 12 out of 15 pallets in less than 4 hours, you just have to do one box at a time and 1 pallet at a time, concentrate and work hard and things will get done.

Let your store know that other stores are a push all for pfresh, the more tms you get the faster you will get done. On Tuesdays truck it is usually 9 pallets, 3 daiy and 2 freezer that is push all and we get all the presentation people to push these 5 pallets and it is done in 1 hour. Then the PA does the other 4 pallets ( 1 banana, 1 meat/ambient, 2 produce), plus push milk.
It can be done if you have strong PAs that know how to push produce, instead of just opening the cooler doors and looking at the pallet in awe and then shutting the door and pushing CAFs.
On truck days CAFs do not need pushed, cuase what comes on the truck will fill the shelves, just push truck and leave CAFs for the closer.

 

[mrknownothing]

On truck days CAFs do not need pushed, cuase what comes on the truck will fill the shelves, just push truck and leave CAFs for the closer.

Wouldn't it be better to push out the older product from the CAFs before the truck comes with new product? See: FIFO.

 

[qmosqueen]

On truck days CAFs do not need pushed, cuase what comes on the truck will fill the shelves, just push truck and leave CAFs for the closer.

Wouldn't it be better to push out the older product from the CAFs before the truck comes with new product? See: FIFO.

yes that is true, i glance over the caf as i am pushing produce and grab what i need. But sometimes, the celery from the new truck gets pushed before the old celery. But salads always push the old ones first.
Meat was done caf first then meat pallet and the remaing cafs sit for the closer same with amibent room it sits for the closer, once the ambient stuff from the truck is done.
As for dairy and freezer we push the morning auto cafs first then truck, the 11am to 3pm cafs just sit on the metros for the closer yo push.

 

[mrknownothing]

On truck days CAFs do not need pushed, cuase what comes on the truck will fill the shelves, just push truck and leave CAFs for the closer.

Wouldn't it be better to push out the older product from the CAFs before the truck comes with new product? See: FIFO.

yes that is true, i glance over the caf as i am pushing produce and grab what i need. But sometimes, the celery from the new truck gets pushed before the old celery. But salads always push the old ones first.
Meat was done caf first then meat pallet and the remaing cafs sit for the closer same with amibent room it sits for the closer, once the ambient stuff from the truck is done.
As for dairy and freezer we push the morning auto cafs first then truck, the 11am to 3pm cafs just sit on the metros for the closer yo push.

Ok, I was confused because I didn't realize you were talking about the CAFs that drop after the truck is received. Don't mind me, I work in an overnight store.

 

[signingminion]

It's a never ending battle as a tm. The tls switch so often and each one thinks they can "fix" it if we can all just try it their way...

...which seldom actual fixes anything. But it does change what's most broken at any given time.

It's a game of fix the biggest problem at a time. Which may mean the racks from Sat truck are still there Monday, because you had to do the produce pog Sat abd grab ice, push milk, backup, cover during room, order, cover electronics, pull furniture, help pull cafs, and take your own breaks.

 

[Market Boy]

90 cents for my flips

$0.49 for my Lunchables!

 

[qmosqueen]

so I TPC'd the Chobani "Watermelon" Yogurt to 50 cents !! since we have about 300 of them and they all expire on October 7th.

Now, the Chobani "Pumpkin" Yogurt keeps coming out on pulls, they both have the same DCPI, they are marked as "Seasonal" thanks headquarters.
So, I just put the pumpkin yougurt on a backstock cart and do not push it. I'm sure my other PAs don't have a clue and will push it and some pumpkin yogurt will sell for 50 cents.

 

[Bosch]

so I TPC'd the Chobani "Watermelon" Yogurt to 50 cents !! since we have about 300 of them and they all expire on October 7th.

Now, the Chobani "Pumpkin" Yogurt keeps coming out on pulls, they both have the same DCPI, they are marked as "Seasonal" thanks headquarters.
So, I just put the pumpkin yougurt on a backstock cart and do not push it. I'm sure my other PAs don't have a clue and will push it and some pumpkin yogurt will sell for 50 cents.

Could you plaster a big note on the pumpkin cases - do not pull. Pull the watermelon flavor? If your dayside backroom guys are good, like mine they can do that or try at least.

 

[BigEyedPhish]

So... We have had a problem with our out of dates in the backroom, mostly because there isn't a soul in the world in my store who has time to cull it...

I have asked about switching out research to closing time, as it would make sense to have everything filled as much as it can BEFORE C&S arrives... this was before I was told that there was a time limit...

So I came up with this idea and I am hoping someone can poke holes in it so I can perfect it...

The Night before C&S arrives the Market Closer shoots a EXF for anything that is orderable in market to fill it to capacity...,.

EXFs are pulled(and pushed)

C&S arrives and ALL Produce and Meat is backstocked

Openning Market Team Member shoots research to fill Produce and Meat, from the C&S arrival.

 

[RetailWorld]

So... We have had a problem with our out of dates in the backroom, mostly because there isn't a soul in the world in my store who has time to cull it...

I have asked about switching out research to closing time, as it would make sense to have everything filled as much as it can BEFORE C&S arrives... this was before I was told that there was a time limit...

So I came up with this idea and I am hoping someone can poke holes in it so I can perfect it...

The Night before C&S arrives the Market Closer shoots a EXF for anything that is orderable in market to fill it to capacity...,.

EXFs are pulled(and pushed)

C&S arrives and ALL Produce and Meat is backstocked

Openning Market Team Member shoots research to fill Produce and Meat, from the C&S arrival.

This is actually best practice. Before every delivery, you should be purging out pretty much everything from the meat/produce coolers. Typically before a delivery I'll look through the coolers and purge out what I know what will fit on the floor.

But what really works is dropping in a manual CAF for every perishable fill group the night before a delivery. That, combined with Consumable TM's/PA's who know their shit/CTLs walking the coolers, should accurately purge out old product.

So...ideally....

Consumables TM drops EXF(They should be doing this anyways for F&F by 4)
Backroom TM drops manual CAF
CTL/PA walks backroom and purges as needed.

Though the CTL/PA should be walking backroom on a daily basis anyways for TPC'ing or couponing.

 

[BigEyedPhish]

So... We have had a problem with our out of dates in the backroom, mostly because there isn't a soul in the world in my store who has time to cull it...

I have asked about switching out research to closing time, as it would make sense to have everything filled as much as it can BEFORE C&S arrives... this was before I was told that there was a time limit...

So I came up with this idea and I am hoping someone can poke holes in it so I can perfect it...

The Night before C&S arrives the Market Closer shoots a EXF for anything that is orderable in market to fill it to capacity...,.

EXFs are pulled(and pushed)

C&S arrives and ALL Produce and Meat is backstocked

Openning Market Team Member shoots research to fill Produce and Meat, from the C&S arrival.

This is actually best practice. Before every delivery, you should be purging out pretty much everything from the meat/produce coolers. Typically before a delivery I'll look through the coolers and purge out what I know what will fit on the floor.

But what really works is dropping in a manual CAF for every perishable fill group the night before a delivery. That, combined with Consumable TM's/PA's who know their shit/CTLs walking the coolers, should accurately purge out old product.

So...ideally....

Consumables TM drops EXF(They should be doing this anyways for F&F by 4)
Backroom TM drops manual CAF
CTL/PA walks backroom and purges as needed.

Though the CTL/PA should be walking backroom on a daily basis anyways for TPC'ing or couponing.

I am 1 of two PAs at my store and I think I am the only one who ever walks the backroom for TPCs/Coupons and even before I shoot every order. The problem we have is that we never have time to purge the backroom, ever...

 

[Produce Queen]

BigEyedPhish here are the routines we've developed to help with dated product in the backroom:

I walk the produce and meat coolers every morning for TPC opportunities and before I order to do a mini inventory.

Every morning after the autos are pulled, backroom drops and pulls a manual for the following: PRO1, PRO2 and MTCL. On truck days, they add in Dairy, Meat and Deli. Does this completely fill those groups? No, but it helps.

Our truck team then scans for backroom locations while pushing everything except freezer. This alleviates farther out dates getting pushed to the floor. Yes, it's time consuming, but I have a very seasoned food truck team that gets through it quickly. This has really really helped since we started it a couple months ago. Occasionally when the truck comes late we have to choose not to scan some things.

I work a truck one day a week, pushing it with them, then I backstock everything myself. This really helps keep me aware of what's in the coolers.

Everyone who backstocks is trained how to properly do this by dates i.e. if you have a case of Strawberry Yoplait in sec D01 and you're backstocking another one, put it to the right of that case.

I get really vocal when there is backstock left in the cooler/freezer from the daily autos and cafs. Got to get it located! Occasionally on Saturdays, they won't be able to finish backstocking the truck, usually just the freezer. One of the food truck people gets added in to come in on Sunday and do it.

We are a C volume PFresh with trucks anywhere from 350-700 so how this would work for busier stores I don't know. I am lucky to have a really great food truck team. Most of them have been doing it since we remodeled 2 1/2 years ago and they work their butts off. They keep me informed when they see large quantities of short dated product. I also have a great back-up PA.

Whew, this was long. Hope this gives you some ideas though.

 

[looseseal]

So this was the SDA the other day. I always thought the list was never supposed to be more than 50 items combined between the floor and backroom?

 

[consume]

So this was the SDA the other day. I always thought the list was never supposed to be more than 50 items combined between the floor and backroom?

I had 160, 270, 60, 80, today, usually 0, 40. All checklane candy. I've hit not found for every one. (Mentioned to GE/gstl they should look though)

 

[consume]

I took over a block, along with g. I smash every complaint in this thread. (High volume)

 

[looseseal]

That's what this one was, TONS of checklane candy, and then all of it's backroom locs. What a waste of time.

 

[Produce Queen]

I had 4 days in a row in the 70's and 80's. Lots of expired candy. Tuesday it took me 1 & a half hours to do the SF. Always bad at the 1st of the month

 

[consume]

I had 4 days in a row in the 70's and 80's. Lots of expired candy. Tuesday it took me 1 & a half hours to do the SF. Always bad at the 1st of the month

I never had one above 32 in 4 years unless it had short dates that my pa or I put in.


Has everyone's been checklane candy? That's the only thing I've had, in massive numbers, since this started happening