I haven't read all the responses, but the guides provided above to have some useful information.
Flow is one of the many departments I'm trained in. Half our crew comes in at 4am for unload, rest arrive at 4:30. Some get started on bowling out the heavy areas yada yada. To help with speed (coming from an HBA standpoint but I'm sure can be use elsewhere) simply leave your boxes and back stock at the front of the aisles once complete. If its a big enough mess, then yes dump some if not all. Save the carts for last until every aisle full of boxes are complete. By doing this not only do you get to the carts faster, but it helps with the slow team members to speed up the process. Let them slack off on a cart as apposed to the boxes..
When in aisles doing carts keep one cart for trash and throw back stock on bottom of cart if a three tier is not close by.
My store we do it simlar to that but all carts in all areas are done majority last
The wave starts with:
4am
A&B 1 Bowler 1 carts (sorting) 15pushers
G 1 Bowler (BR does all G autofills)
C&D 1 Bowlers 1 carts (sorting) autofills are bowled out & or sorted with the cart person
E&F 1 Bowler 1 pusher after truck
Electronics 1 person til the truck is done then 2nd person
Softlines:
1-2 on hangwear
1 shoes & helps hangwear
1-2 on tablewear
1 pushing pallets & gondolas
The wave gets into G on avg bout 545
Then C&D by 7
By the time 7 rolls around everything isle wise in toys and in F not including stuff in carts or tubs or flats is all pushed
Then the team as a whole minus the cart person in a&b & until softlines is done goes from f & works backwords with all remaining autofills
1 of the biggest things I've noticed in my store and all teams are stressed this if pushing a box and 1 can only fit out don't open it
Also we have c d & g bowled to its location in my opnion it be a big time help if we could do it for a & b also but I doubt it will happen