MEGATHREAD Flexible Fulfillment

[7hourcafs]

In our store we have both FF and ship from store. We have two or three team members specifically from ship to store because our orders have jumped to 175 orders per day. Meanwhile we need two more team members specifically for Flex fill leaving only a couple of people for backroom. Normally during the off season backroom gets stuck with both Flexfills and CAFs. Not to mention we miss pulls every hour because of the 10-20 customer calls for guest requests. Our TL came over pissed off that we missed. Told him that maybe we should close FF and Ship from Store, he laughed.

 

[H2Owned]

So how is cyber Monday going for you guys? I have the day off luckily. I know yesterday everybody was ordering Christmas stuff. Especially Christmas lights.

 

[7hourcafs]

This ever happened to anyone?

LOD: Backroom new flexfill in the gun
Me: Roger. Picking now.
LOD: Thank you.
5 Minute later:
Me: LOD
LOD: Go for LOD
Me: We are out of corn, can't complete flexfill.
LOD: Finish what is in the order and I'll take a look.
Me: The only order in there is for one can of corn.
LOD: .......
Me: LOD do you copy?
LOD: I'll cancel the order

 

[Leonhart621]

Either I'm rusty because I haven't done FF for awhile but there's no way I could finish picking 180 orders in 5.5 hours by myself. Took me 3.5 hours knocking out 4.5 batches (single item orders) before the first FF guy came in (I was under Log Training so I helped with the pulls first then FF). At the end of my shift, another 180 orders showed up on the system. WTF?!

Oh, and our machine for the air bags is broke and we're down to one bubble wrap.

 

[H2Owned]

This ever happened to anyone?

LOD: Backroom new flexfill in the gun
Me: Roger. Picking now.
LOD: Thank you.
5 Minute later:
Me: LOD
LOD: Go for LOD
Me: We are out of corn, can't complete flexfill.
LOD: Finish what is in the order and I'll take a look.
Me: The only order in there is for one can of corn.
LOD: .......
Me: LOD do you copy?
LOD: I'll cancel the order

Yeah that happened to me once with a can of pineapples ... told the ETL Food(he was lod) we need to order more pineapples lol.

 

[Moosechives]

So how is cyber Monday going for you guys? I have the day off luckily. I know yesterday everybody was ordering Christmas stuff. Especially Christmas lights.

So last night we had 950 batch orders for cyber Monday and this morning another 830 dropped so...130 batches plus whatever we didn't pack yesterday because of yesterday's fiasco (300 packs) we're doing great~ sarcasm

 

[Tarjayyy]

Cyber Monday, how I loathe you.
At my store we are SFS is also responsible for SPU. If an order increase and a technical glitch that prevented collates from printing, wasn't enough to put us behind, you sure bet picking orders for people so they could get an additional 15% off. What a joke.
We caught up and made a dent when we didn't have to pick the SPU, they were just falling in so rapidly.
Our genius of an STL gave us the whole, "guests are now preferring to do their shopping online instead of the store, we need you to step it up" Does the man think that we live under rocks and have no access to the news? I wonder why the guests would prefer online shopping, maybe so they don't have to deal with clueless managers, having the redcard pushed down their throats, just to name a few.

 

[Nauzhror]

When I left today at 4:30 we had 34 SPU orders to pick and 30 batches of SFS to pick.

 

[PogDog]

Left at 5:30 today... 2 carts left to pack (about 60 orders, maybe) and one TM packing until 7pm. Upper management is visiting tomorrow to see how we're doing on SFS. Today, we packed over 250+ orders and whatever was left from the NO-COLLATES debacle of yesterday. LOD and STL both came back to pack (it was comical). We haven't received our resupply of packing materials yet (ordered almost 3 weeks ago). Down to half a pallet of 277s. Everything else is on the table/rack. We've been recycling boxes from truck to pack in. Covering holes, tears and logos with WAT tape, as needed. OR If it fits in a poly mailer... it's good to go.

I think our STL wants us to become an enhanced SFS facility (he's mentioned it several times). This, I take, means that we're bringing in some actual cash flow for the store, possibly even profit.

At this point, I just wonder what happens when we run out of materials all together? Do we just pick and let it sit until more arrives... whenever that is?

 

[Nauzhror]

Sounds like you're doing way better than we are. 30 batches of SFS left to pick is hopelessly far behind. I offered to stay late and work on it, but that'd be OT, and STL can't have that. But apparently being ways behind on something that equates to roughly $30,000 a day in sales is okay. Cuz y'know, priorities, can't lose that bonus you get for having no overtime all year.

 

[brizzy93]

Wow. I started at 7am, and when I got into the myFA app, there were only 16 batches. Nothing else dropped all day. My ETL GE dropped by the SFS pack station and said that the site crashed so no more orders would drop for us. HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF. It gave us time to play catch up. Pack the collates that didn't print until after my SFS captain left, because of the glitch yesterday. The pickups haven't been able to take it all though.

 

[PogDog]

Wow. I started at 7am, and when I got into the myFA app, there were only 16 batches. Nothing else dropped all day. My ETL GE dropped by the SFS pack station and said that the site crashed so no more orders would drop for us. HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF. It gave us time to play catch up. Pack the collates that didn't print until after my SFS captain left, because of the glitch yesterday. The pickups haven't been able to take it all though.

We partnered with our UPS facility and they got us a trailer for the past few days. Picked up and replaced with an empty trailer everyday/every other day. It's the silver lining, considering that when we went from 70 orders to 150 overnight, we also went from 2 pallets of boxed orders to 6+. Now we're nearly to 250 orders a day. Which is roughly 9+ carts of picks. So, I can't imagine how many pallets of boxed orders that would end up being or where we would have put them until UPS came to collect. Considering our steel is empty (no packing supplies), we probably would have been skying pallets all day long.

 

[brizzy93]

We partnered with our UPS facility and they got us a trailer for the past few days. Picked up and replaced with an empty trailer everyday/every other day. It's the silver lining, considering that when we went from 70 orders to 150 overnight, we also went from 2 pallets of boxed orders to 6+. Now we're nearly to 250 orders a day. Which is roughly 9+ carts of picks. So, I can't imagine how many pallets of boxed orders that would end up being or where we would have put them until UPS came to collect. Considering out steel is empty (no packing supplies), we probably would have been skying pallets all day long.

UPS actually made 2 pickups today. The first driver came in a Pensky truck. Second driver said they've had to rent Pensky trucks because they are overwhelmed too lmao. UPS fucked me over on Friday's pickup tho. Driver loaded one flat and left. I was stuck with 5 flats and a pallet into Saturday plus Saturdays orders. UPS driver was able to take all the Thurs/Fri boxes and a pallet of Saturdays.

 

[Nauzhror]

I heard we called in our new cart attendant to do SFS. As I was headig to the timeclock he stopped me and asked how to use a mydevice to do reshop, and didn't know his EHR password to log into it with.

Mind, no myDevice needed for MyFA, but that should give an idea as to how much he knows about the store as a whole, ad they have him doing SFS now apparently.

STL was just calling everyone and offering them shifts to try and catch up on SFS today.

 

[brizzy93]

Oh. We had a super great morning huddle today too. They even switched to channel 2 for once to include BR/SFS which they NEVER do. So much recognition for everyone working hard. I recognized 2 BR TM's that have helped sooooo much with SFS. The ETL's recognized SFS for all the shit we had to work on too.

 

[Ringwraith917]

Ugh. Started the day with 24 FFs, it was up to 95 when I left. Glad it wasn't me working on them. I heard that the GS people got an earful from guests about it too. I felt bad for them.

 

[Retail Girl]

Ugh. Started the day with 24 FFs, it was up to 95 when I left. Glad it wasn't me working on them. I heard that the GS people got an earful from guests about it too. I felt bad for them.

Oh, don't feel bad for us...we're the ones that screwed it up for the guests, don't you know...we had complete control over the situation.

Blergh.

 

[Mysterious]

Sunday, my numbers were in the low triple digits. I brought it down to 50 before I left. The team knocked out the rest. This morning, I walked into 17 batches, which was completed within 90 minutes. Knocked out about 40 batches before CAFs dropped. After first 2 CAFS and lunch, saw 50 orders. The next 2 hours saw that number jump to 70. The final number I saw before I left was 94.

The GS team have the opportunity to explain to the guests why their orders aren't being completely on time.fully. Toys in the Garden center, receiving and main stockroom. My GS storage area is overfilled. Uggh.

SFS had over 120 orders, but we had 4-5 people to stay on top of it. I had about 7 pallets at the end of the day.

NSFW image below

Spoiler

I hate these holidays. LOL.

 

[Tarjayyy]

Left at 5:30 today... 2 carts left to pack (about 60 orders, maybe) and one TM packing until 7pm. Upper management is visiting tomorrow to see how we're doing on SFS. Today, we packed over 250+ orders and whatever was left from the NO-COLLATES debacle of yesterday. LOD and STL both came back to pack (it was comical). We haven't received our resupply of packing materials yet (ordered almost 3 weeks ago). Down to half a pallet of 277s. Everything else is on the table/rack. We've been recycling boxes from truck to pack in. Covering holes, tears and logos with WAT tape, as needed. OR If it fits in a poly mailer... it's good to go.

I think our STL wants us to become an enhanced SFS facility (he's mentioned it several times). This, I take, means that we're bringing in some actual cash flow for the store, possibly even profit.

At this point, I just wonder what happens when we run out of materials all together? Do we just pick and let it sit until more arrives... whenever that is?

There was a Redwire about a delay and backorder of SFS supplies.
Is there any other SFS in the area that would be able to temporary loan you some supplies? I have other stores asking, if we have extra, which now we don't do to the increase. Also if you have the cart number you can mysupport to find out about your supply delivery date. A last resort, email the SFS support team at the spot, maybe they can get you guys supplies ASAP, they are pretty good about resolving issues.
My store was upped by the DTL and they didn't tell us until we figured it out, how classy leadership team, now you care about SFS because the DTL is "vibing" it.
I am getting a little nervous about our stores supplies, since I only ordered using 175 orders as a reference point. I think that I went a little overboard when I ordered yesterday, so hopefully there isn't a large delay

 

[PogDog]

There was a Redwire about a delay and backorder of SFS supplies.
Is there any other SFS in the area that would be able to temporary loan you some supplies? I have other stores asking, if we have extra, which now we don't do to the increase. Also if you have the cart number you can mysupport to find out about your supply delivery date. A last resort, email the SFS support team at the spot, maybe they can get you guys supplies ASAP, they are pretty good about resolving issues.
My store was upped by the DTL and they didn't tell us until we figured it out, how classy leadership team, now you care about SFS because the DTL is "vibing" it.
I am getting a little nervous about our stores supplies, since I only ordered using 175 orders as a reference point. I think that I went a little overboard when I ordered yesterday, so hopefully there isn't a large delay

When the DTL visits tomorrow, I'm sure things will quickly resolve (granted, out order has been in suspension for three weeks). I have a feeling this whole thing is some sorta breaking point test to see how well we would handle the work load with a hindrance to the setup. God, I really hope it wasn't a test.

 

[queencat]

Whining from the guest service side of things.

Basically my store moved to an integrated guest service model; where GS was is now fan central, and photo remains the same. There is a closet in photo that we keep flex orders in. It's a good 30ft away from guest service, also completely not visible as it's behind us, one spot, and a giant wall. Some time in July, management decided it would be way better to put a call button in photo and put our stationary iPad there, and use that as our 'flex station'. This is hell. Every five minutes one of the guest service team members has to run off to photo, to clear the call button, which 80% of the time ends up being CAN I RETURN THIS HERE or ARE MY PHOTOS READY because the email confirmation still says to go to guest service to pick up your order. I talked to the STL about possibly having a TM stay at photo on particularly high volume SPU days but I guess they didn't like the idea as we're all still at guest service with the call button going off every 5 minutes.

Anyways first MyGo was down yesterday, and I had to deal with that backlash ("WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT PAID FOR I PAID FOR THIS ALREADY GRAH GRAH GRAH) and then with today...look our hold space is TINY. Seriously like 4x6ft. And there's too many orders to put in that room. It is a safety hazard, I'm genuinely afraid every time I get an order one of the TV's backroom decided to hold back there will fall on me and I will bleed out on the dirty floor of the photo closet and no one will find me till the next batch of flexes drops. The only other option is to hold the items in the back room, though, which annoys guests because WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG gee sorry, I mean the backroom is pretty far and you did order a 55" tv and 15 boxes of lights.... it takes time to locate shit, put it on a flat, and make it across the store.

The STL told me the call button increased pickup time and guest satisfaction but I think it's bullshit. It's really hard to properly service a guest when I'm being basically torn between two places at once.

Also I had a guest get mad at me because he placed an order at 9pm, called at 10:45 asking why it wasn't ready yet. He insisted the email said two hours an that we were "lying" because it wasn't ready yet. The store closes at 11. Please chill man.

 

[H2Owned]

Omg my stl thinks the sfs team are robots I tell you. So I got called in for overnight and it was like 5 of us ... we came in @ 10pm and there were 42 pick batches left for yesterday. .. my stl wanted us to have all 42 done and half of tomorrow workload done by 5:00am because our orders go up to 1100 today... just no way lady.... we only got it down to 20 something. .. and then it jumped up to 92 after we batched the orders that are due today smh..... Also I have question... does anyone know why the printers stop printing collates @ 2:00am to 5:30am? Is it because the system goes down at that time or something?

 

[Nauzhror]

Never knew they stopped printing then, we've never had anyone do it overnight. When I left at 4:30 we had 30 batches to pick, I expect to come in today to 80 or so.

 

[Retail Girl]

I know the wifi turns off at some point at night. I suspect that is probably when and why you can't print.

 

[Bosch]

I know the wifi turns off at some point at night. I suspect that is probably when and why you can't print.

I know banks shut down or did for a few hours overnight to process the days transactions could be something similar I would guess.