Archived Ask any Instocks/Backroom Questions :)

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Dekaf

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Jan 25, 2014
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A little background:
Currently a Senior Logistics and Instocks Team Leader. I took over two departments consistently ranked in the bottom 5 of the group in any ranking report possible. My Logistics team is now ranked in the top 3, with a Backroom location accuracy just shy of a perfect 100% and a green flexible fulfillment process (all 3 rankings -fulfillment, pick time, RTS). As of today my Instocks team has reached the 6% OOS goal. This was done without cheating the Instocks system (cough not scanning soft lines ;) ). I am ranked in the top 3 for scan count (research and outs) in my district. My turnaround is extremely unique as my DTL has put it so I can't state exactly how green the scores are other then OOS without giving my store away.

I wanted to start a thread to help any of my peers that are struggling. No question is a dumb question and I am more then willing to help :) it may take me awhile to respond but I'll try my best to answer all the questions.
 
Yes, I would love an instocks guide that is updated since I started cross training in it today.

Also it sounds like your on the path towards being an ETL & STL.
 
I will definitely write a guide for Backroom and Instocks! I'll work on it over the next few days to make sure it is as complete as possible.

@BigEyedPhish are you part of the new PFresh pilot?
 
Dekaf said:
I will definitely write a guide for Backroom and Instocks! I'll work on it over the next few days to make sure it is as complete as possible.

@BigEyedPhish are you part of the new PFresh pilot?
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No, but over the past year they have taken about 1/3rd of our Ordering capabilities away, while giving us POGs, which have capacities that are crazy, for 80/20 hamburger, capacity is 8, but we can actually fit 24. Have put MySupports in to get them changed, but have gotten no response :eek:

I want to know tho, what is this new Pfresh pilot/nightmare?
 
Based upon the pilot:
a lot of product is going to become a corporate based replenishment.
Wider variety of product to compete with specialty stores
Daily FDC deliveries( alternating fresh and frozen)
Seasonal and local produce


Coming from someone who worked consumables for 6 months, I was extremely skeptical, but I can tell you that it is honestly working. I have never seen so few outs in PFresh, and most locations are 90% full with fresh product located in back. My understanding for corporate based ordering of roughly ~70% of product is to reduce waste. I can't count the amount of times I had to QMOS cartons of strawberries. With smaller but more frequent and diverse shipments our PFresh has done a complete 180 and I have to admit that our PA seems much happier.
 
I'll make sure to post each one individually here and in the dedicated sub-threads! I've always wanted to be on workbench ;)
 
Thank you for sharing. Sometimes our store is stingy (weird word) w info about other work centers. Knowing more about br helps us stock and back stock more efficiently.
 
Thanks for posting. What kind of volume are you? And while you're on the backroom side, how do you feel about your flow process and its effect with what you do? The guide you're thinking about would be awesome.
 
How do you handle the day when hours are cut and your backroom team gets windled down to 3 team members to handle a moring truck/pulls/backstock/pfresh truck. My theory is we can only put up the kind of numbers they allow us too. If we get buried from having no workers to do the work don't come ask us what the issue is.

Who do you designate to work Challenge product?
 
@Redze that is sad to hear that about your stores communication. At mine, each department TL/SR/ETL is supposed to attend at minimum 1 flow huddle and 3 store huddles. Obviously some leaders are not able to make the evening huddles due to their departments being primarily in the morning (Flow specifically, it varies for myself and the LOG ETL). I personally believe that communication is key and that the store itself should be operating as a single team, with the overall stores well-being as a priority. While I am close with all of my peers, we all have the silent understanding that their is a fine line and we all will call each other out over department issues in the TL/LOD meetings. It isn't out of disrespect, we all understand that yes it may hurt to have your departments issues thrown in front of you, but when managing large teams and areas, things do and will get overlooked. I personally view it as my peers demonstrating courage to challenge me and in the end it makes us both better leaders.
 
@incredulu my store is smaller then an A volume and not a Super Target (Only P-Fresh). I would love to give you the exact volume breakdown, but then it would become very obvious to my peers who visit this forum (Hi guys :p). From a backroom perspective, our flow process has improved from what it once was. I took over two departments which were falling apart, moral was non-existent, and no one had an answer as to why. I was given a straight forward responsibility, turn the departments around in 12 months. There were no if's and I was not given an ultimatum, but my store was suffering. It had been a multi-year downward spiral that finally led to what my STL and ETL LOG refer to as nuking the process, putting me in charge lol. Within a week, the challenge process was re-implemented. ELR's were done weekly, no excuses. Receiving ELR's done every truck day. I partnered with the Flow TL and the Flow team and I explained my expectations and why things needed to change and how their work center is essentially the life force of our store. Every decision they make, impacts a work center. In the end, it came down to training and positive reinforcement. I personally believe that positive reinforcement should be used 9/10 of the time, the end results are much better.

I apologize for the long history, as of now the Flow team is completed the truck in almost exactly 50% less time then 6 months ago. I have a weekly meeting with the Flow TL to go over audits and notes from truck days. The flow team is trained to respond to backup, help and acknowledge guests, and each area (HBA, Grocery, Hardlines, Etc) has a captain that checks in with myself and the Flow TL on their progress. In the end you have to realize that Flow is the first team blamed and the last recognized. As a leader, I highly recommend getting to know them, encourage them, and show them you care. If you teach them new skills and give them the tools and knowledge to succeed, you will see efficiency and a green work center.
 
@Targetron the answer to your question can vary quite a bit depending on the volume and process (push-all?). I can tell you how my team operates though. Allocate 34 hours to my backroom on a 2200 piece truck day with a pfresh truck and you will see no backstock, ELR's being worked, and a backroom that has been swept. Along with this, my team pulls all instocks batches and partners with the LOD to LOCU bottom departments to drive sales. Again, every store is different. If I read your post correctly, you are not a TL and it sounds like you are in the position many of my team members felt trapped in. Your TL needs to re-evaluate how they are using the backroom hours. If your TL is not a senior, they should be in the backroom doing everything a backroom team member does. On instocks days (assuming they are Backroom-Instocks) then their shift should be split 50-50. I have always lead by the belief that I will never ask someone to do something I will not. Therefore, you can bet I'll be right next to you back-stocking that towering paper pallet.

The Flow TL is responsible for all Challenge vehicles. My team considers filling a challenge tub a game and its been something that has drastically improved morale, and why shouldn't it? Challenge that is burned is an unnecessary step and extra work. It destroys efficiency. To them it is a way of challenging upwards and showing the Flow TL that audits and follow-ups need to be completed. If the challenge is not completely worked out by the time the Flow TL leaves, I take 2 backroom TM's (depending on the amount to be worked) and we race. First one done gets their name on the board, beat me three times I'll buy you a snack/drink on your break.
 
Do your TMs have to pull and push autos on non-truck days? How many do you schedule and for how long? Right now we have 2 @ 5.75 each and we can't finish. The only way it can work is if pull time is less than 5.5. It never is on Sunday morning.
 
@konk we do not have to push. The Flow team pushes autos on non truck days, they are scheduled to work 2 hours before the scheduled FDC truck. Also, the hours estimate on RWT tends to be fairly inaccurate in my experience. My team is very goal orientated and I ask them each time "How much time do you think we can cut off this?" It's typically close to 30% depending on the amount of product in receiving. How is your location accuracy? Are ELRs being completed every week? Accuracy issues can slow the Autofill process significantly. Also, my morning openers are on rotations. I partner them based on their strengths/weaknesses. It creates a strong team and they hold each other accountable for speed and progress. I haven't had an opening call off since I stepped into role, and I've had quite a few tell me the only thing that stopped them from calling in was because they didn't want to let there friend and peer down. To me, that's what I want in a team.
 
Dekaf said:
The Flow TL is responsible for all Challenge vehicles. My team considers filling a challenge tub a game and its been something that has drastically improved morale, and why shouldn't it? Challenge that is burned is an unnecessary step and extra work. It destroys efficiency. To them it is a way of challenging upwards and showing the Flow TL that audits and follow-ups need to be completed. If the challenge is not completely worked out by the time the Flow TL leaves, I take 2 backroom TM's (depending on the amount to be worked) and we race. First one done gets their name on the board, beat me three times I'll buy you a snack/drink on your break.
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My ETL told me today that they were changing best practice for challenge to just subt999 it. Have you heard anything about this? Personally, I think it's a bad move as my store has tons of multi-loc items.
 
LogisticsFox said:
My ETL told me today that they were changing best practice for challenge to just subt999 it. Have you heard anything about this? Personally, I think it's a bad move as my store has tons of multi-loc items.
Click to expand...

I agree. Unless every flow team member has a PDA or MyDevice, chances are someone's going to miss their 2nd locations. Challenge shouldn't be SUBT9999'd unless it has been re-worked.
 
@mrknownothing Hell, at my store, 95% of flow grabs equipment and still misses half the endcaps. I can't stand it when mini is full of seconds like it is now, that sucker will never look stocked. :<

Also, who ever came up with the idea of putting aisles of mdse in the old cart wells needs to go vibe themselves off a cliff.
 
If no one works the challenge the best case scenerio is to just backstock it with the truck backstock. That way it atleast gets pulled during the day and mixed in with the pulls. Subt9999 would ensure the space is never filled until research scans
 
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