Archived How busy is your OPU?

[HLN13]

I’ve seen varying posts about OPUs, it sounds like some stores have backroom do them, some have a ‘Drive Up’ person do them, and at my store we have a position called Omni.

I’m really curious what percent of your sales are OPU? What is the biggest/average order size that you get? How many drop per hour?

I’m curious if my DTL is just insane and don’t realize how busy OPU is or if it’s just my store that is this bad.. because our district has like no hours for it.

My stores OPU/DriveUp accounts for 2.5% of our sales, we routinely have orders up to 50, and get a new flex roughly every 2-3 minutes, although they drop together quite frequently. It’s not uncommon for us to have 40+ items to pick even with someone picking and someone helping. What is your store like?

 

[RunForACallBox]

I’ve seen varying posts about OPUs, it sounds like some stores have backroom do them, some have a ‘Drive Up’ person do them, and at my store we have a position called Omni.

I’m really curious what percent of your sales are OPU? What is the biggest/average order size that you get? How many drop per hour?

I’m curious if my DTL is just insane and don’t realize how busy OPU is or if it’s just my store that is this bad.. because our district has like no hours for it.

My stores OPU/DriveUp accounts for 2.5% of our sales, we routinely have orders up to 50, and get a new flex roughly every 2-3 minutes, although they drop together quite frequently. It’s not uncommon for us to have 40+ items to pick even with someone picking and someone helping. What is your store like?

My store sounds similar to yours. Highest I’ve seen was 49 and it was a Drive Up. The numbers I’d have to get back to you with.

 

[gsa4lyfe]

My old store was about 2-300 orders a day.
My new store is only about 50 a day

 

[seasonaldude]

I only know our numbers in detail from store open to mid afternoon shift change because that's when I do it. A typical OPU shift then is 120-130 items on a weekday. It goes up to 150-200 items on weekends. It normally accounts for 2-3% of sales during that time. Most orders are fewer than 5 eaches. The total volume comes from the few larger orders that come in daily that are 15+ eaches. Generally, those few larger orders are easy. They're my metric saving numbers as it's just people buying groceries, chem, paper and baby supplies. It's the people who order a couple of things for pickup because the website said we only have one of each item left that give me nightmares. The largest order I've seen was 47 eaches. It dropped right at shift change so wasn't mine to deal with. I'm told it wasn't bad and was mostly pulling groceries out of the back. Orders typically come in bunches. It's not unusual for me to go 45 minutes to an hour with no work available mid-morning and then have new orders drop every few minutes for a couple hours in a row. It just depends.

We always have hours for OPU. It's the top district priority. Someone must always be scheduled to do it exclusively. Getting leaders below STL to understand what exclusively means is where we sometimes have difficulty.

 

[Planosss]

Very busy

 

[PackAndCry]

We have about 300-400 per day now.

 

[Dapper]

My store is in a richer area and it’s not uncommon to get high double digits in orders - most i’ve has to pick back when i was doing OPUs was a 119 unique dpci batch, total order value like $1k or something.

My question is, do you guys who have busy OPUs have the same morning people pick SFS too? We have one full time picker and he has to do both and a lot of the time it’s a crap ton for both, but he magically gets it done (he’s very good). On his off days our sfs tl does it. However, when anybody else has to cover him, it’s almost impossible to get close to keep OPU down while having to pick SFS by 4:30pm.

Is it common to have that one person do both and finish in time, or do y’all have two people during the morning times?

 

[HLN13]

SFS is completely separate from OPU at my store. SFS does their thing and Omni does the OPU’s, DriveUps, and the phones. It gets a bit hectic at times and SFS helps out to make sure we get most of the 30 minute time goals. I’m working right now and just had 5 30-item batches drop within three minutes of each other.. and that happens all the time.

 

[Ringwraith917]

I only know our numbers in detail from store open to mid afternoon shift change because that's when I do it. A typical OPU shift then is 120-130 items on a weekday. It goes up to 150-200 items on weekends. It normally accounts for 2-3% of sales during that time. Most orders are fewer than 5 eaches. The total volume comes from the few larger orders that come in daily that are 15+ eaches. Generally, those few larger orders are easy. They're my metric saving numbers as it's just people buying groceries, chem, paper and baby supplies. It's the people who order a couple of things for pickup because the website said we only have one of each item left that give me nightmares. The largest order I've seen was 47 eaches. It dropped right at shift change so wasn't mine to deal with. I'm told it wasn't bad and was mostly pulling groceries out of the back. Orders typically come in bunches. It's not unusual for me to go 45 minutes to an hour with no work available mid-morning and then have new orders drop every few minutes for a couple hours in a row. It just depends.

We always have hours for OPU. It's the top district priority. Someone must always be scheduled to do it exclusively. Getting leaders below STL to understand what exclusively means is where we sometimes have difficulty.

This is the same for my store. I routinely ask for tasks to work on between orders. I can usually get at least 1 uboat pushed over the course my shift

 

[seasonaldude]

This is the same for my store. I routinely ask for tasks to work on between orders. I can usually get at least 1 uboat pushed over the course my shift

I refuse to push during OPU shifts. It takes too long to return the uboat to the back as required and then start picking. (Also, since the other OPU people don't come from hardlines they aren't asked to push, so why should I do it?) If I'm not picking, I keep myself somewhat busy with reshop, STS, or just finding something else to do that needs doing.

 

[Bullseyerc]

Pretty much constant. I’d estimate about 200-300 eaches on weekdays and for sure closer to 300 on weekends.

I, as a GSTL, say on the walkie “we have a new épick -insert OPU tm name- or team” for every single new order that drops.

If it goal approaches or multiple picks drop at once you will hear me very loudly on the walkie telling the order pick up team member to make sure the pick gets located now and I will drop what I am doing and get to them within 60 seconds if they need help and help them complete the batch and locate the items. They know how to remotely locate Merch from the backroom as well since I trained all my team on how to do that.

I have also trained about 60% of my team on getting picks so anytime it gets really busy and i can afford it at the front, I tell my OPU team member “so and so is hopping on picks to support you.” Any missed goals, which I make sure never occur on my shifts at least, and my STL + LOD will flip, as would I.

Before this I would be the one who would have to hop on picks and I got tired of coming back and finding a chaotic front end so I did something about it and further developed my front end

 

[can't touch this]

OPU - not sure about our numbers but's hectic af on weekends, because our STL and ETL-log are always picking alongside the OPU TM(s). Our STL seems to like picking and has been known to send the OPU TM to help inbound finish truck on days when the OPU orders are slow and dropping in for 2-3 eaches.

DriveUp - I saw our numbers once in the mpm app and I remember it seeming oddly low relative to the number of goddamn honks we hear every day. Huh.

SFS - what is that? We don't even have a real packing station lol

 

[band_rules16]

SFS has taken over OPU at my store. Kind of. Sometimes hardlines will cover a break for them, but for a few weeks now, the TMs scheduled OPU end up at the service desk. I think it's an hours thing, but it's stressing out SFS. No idea what numbers are like.

Rumor has it drive up is coming this summer.

 

[PackAndCry]

Pretty much constant. I’d estimate about 200-300 eaches on weekdays and for sure closer to 300 on weekends.

I, as a GSTL, say on the walkie “we have a new épick -insert OPU tm name- or team” for every single new order that drops.

Do their myAlerts not work?

 

[seasonaldude]

I, as a GSTL, say on the walkie “we have a new épick -insert OPU tm name

Why? Your TM assigned to OPU should have flex fill notifications turned on. Mine always are. MyDevice volume is always turned up max. And, just in case I get logged out I check ePick every couple of minutes. There's no need to micromanage. If I need help, I'll let you know. Maybe. More likely, I'll just ask a trusted TM for help clearing the queue. But, that rarely happens. Just let me do my thing and your picked on time rate is going to be in the green.

 

[Bullseyerc]

Do their myAlerts not work?

It’s a combination of the zebras not displaying alerts properly, tm forgetting to turn on alerts, being distracted.

I do the same for drive ups.

Most of my team appreciates it, as they can become distracted, as does the LOD, because our LODs don’t call them out because it is on me mostly to ensure my team and everyone is on it.

Heck, when a drive up comes in, and my OPU tm can’t get to it, they communicate to me if I could or someone can get that drive up and I happily assist.

I AM A BIG BELIEVER IN COMMUNICATION. Micromanaging, to an extent, is also something I believe makes a leader and their team stronger.

 

[INFThatShiz]

Lately, about 200+ eaches for SFS and 120+ OPU during my 6-2:30 shift. I do both, getting coverage for my lunch from the BRTL & CO, and yeah, it’s a struggle. Especially on the weekends. I’m sure some people appreciate the OPU reminder, but I personally hateeeeeee it. I know there’s an OPU, so and so, shut it. And when there’s a goal time approaching? I’m equally annoyed getting asked if I need help/ am doing okay. Why? Because the same person asking never jumps in TO help. They’re all word but no action.

 

[OrderSickUp]

Lately, about 200+ eaches for SFS and 120+ OPU during my 6-2:30 shift. I do both, getting coverage for my lunch from the BRTL & CO, and yeah, it’s a struggle. Especially on the weekends. I’m sure some people appreciate the OPU reminder, but I personally hateeeeeee it. I know there’s an OPU, so and so, shut it. And when there’s a goal time approaching? I’m equally annoyed getting asked if I need help/ am doing okay. Why? Because the same person asking never jumps in TO help. They’re all word but no action.

Agree. One of the LODs has no idea how to use ePick so they can't check and see that we're in the OPU. They assume we don't have our alerts on and yell at us as if we're not in the batch. And then they use MPM to check the numbers, but MPM is slow to update, if not outright inaccurate. I love getting a "YOU STILL HAVE 100 TO PICK, YOU'RE AT RISK, WORK FASTER" callout when we actually only have one more batch and aren't at risk.

Granted, sometimes the Zebra notifications are behind; I regularly carry two Zebras and sometimes the lag is so bad on one, I'll finish processing the order before the notification on Zebra 2 comes through. So I think it's OK as an LOD/GSA/whomever to question if someone is getting that OPU if you open ePick a couple minutes after the order drops and it hasn't been started. But immediately hounding the TM and/or not judging the right metrics is just a bit much and makes us think you don't trust us, so it's a little insulting.

 

[Maeby]

We are a SFS store. And that's my team.
We are in charge of OPU/Drive Up picks. We started Drive Up last year around late August. Our schedule for SFS varies.
It usually goes:
1 to 3 people - 6am to 10am.
1 person for OPU/Drive Up 7am to 3/3:30pm
1 to 2 people - 8am to 12pm
SFS TL 9 to 5pm
1 to 2 persons 10am to 2pm
1 person 1pm to 5pm
1 person for OPU/Drive Up 3/3:30pm to 11/11:30

We have 3 TM's who can manage picking regular SFS batches while being OPU/Drive Up pickers. The rest will help pack during their downtime. If we have STS to process they process it on their downtime instead.

The closing OPU/Drive up team member will help with the last of the packing, if theres any, does the rest of STS or will push an autofill. We are not modernized yet so we have a lot that gets pulled but not pushed because of the lack of hours. Or they will begin picking for the next days orders.

On average we do about 150 -200 items on weekdays and 200-300+ on weekends. That's on regular weeks where there are no big sales or cartwheel offers exclusive to online orders.
Like this week we have the 14 days of sales online so our order numbers have been higher.

Everybody working SFS is required to be logged into myAlerts for fulfillment so that they can back up OPU/Drive Up picks when a lot drop in at once. And they do especially on weekends and even more if its a holiday weekend. But not everybody fast enough to pick big orders in the 30 minutes.

Average orders are about 3 dpcis and 5 to 6 eaches. Biggest order i have seen was last year during BTS a 30 dpci order with 100 eaches 30(100). And a 49 dpci order with 52 eaches 49(52). We constantly get 15- 30 DPCI orders. And that is when the OPU person asks for back up as well as when they go to break and lunch.

I'm currently working on training salesfloor team members to pick orders so that they can back up the closing OPU tm. Because that is when we miss the most goals. We can go the whole day at 100% picked on time and then the afternoon tm gets bombarded with orders and we end up at 87%. We have our closing backroom tm trained to help but he's only doing half shifts now becuase of hour cuts so he can only help out so much. Our ETLs are horrible at picking so when they backup, if ever, they miss the goal or INF most of the order. Sometimes both.

 

[HLN13]

Any missed goals, which I make sure never occur on my shifts at least, and my STL + LOD will flip, as would I.

Do you have robots picking? I really don’t know how it’s possible to pick some of these massive orders (and bag them) in 30 minutes. Before we had to backstock, I was able to get 60-70 items in 30 minutes. But now that we have to backstock whenever we open a case it takes so much longer. I just don’t even see how it’s humanly possible to pick 50 items in 30 minutes, backstock multiple open cases, and bag everything in 30 minutes... any advice?

 

[can't touch this]

any advice?

learn the Weirding Way

 

[Maeby]

Do you have robots picking? I really don’t know how it’s possible to pick some of these massive orders (and bag them) in 30 minutes. Before we had to backstock, I was able to get 60-70 items in 30 minutes. But now that we have to backstock whenever we open a case it takes so much longer. I just don’t even see how it’s humanly possible to pick 50 items in 30 minutes, backstock multiple open cases, and bag everything in 30 minutes... any advice?

If i have a big order I'll skip backstocking and take the cases with me and backstock once the order is finished.

 

[can't touch this]

reeeeeee why can't they just fucking approve me for OT so I can stay as long as it takes to get 1000% done

it's not even about the money (well, kinda) but jesus the freedom to jump on and take care of whatever I come across...truck push, autos, OPU until my feet give out....how lit would that be

 

[INFThatShiz]

reeeeeee why can't they just fucking approve me for OT so I can stay as long as it takes to get 1000% done

it's not even about the money (well, kinda) but jesus the freedom to jump on and take care of whatever I come across...truck push, autos, OPU until my feet give out....how lit would that be

for the longest time i offered to get my hands dirty with flow, backroom, and even salesfloor because getting them all current and clean would eventually help me back in SFS. you want low INFs? me too, so let me do everyone else’s job so i can eventually better MY area.

 

[seasonaldude]

Heck, when a drive up comes in, and my OPU tm can’t get to it, they communicate to me if I could or someone can get that drive up and I happily assist.

That's a bit different. That's your OPU telling you that they need help, not you telling them what they already know (a new batch dropped.) It's also proof that your TMs are paying attention and don't need you to micromanage them.

I'm not really sure what I'd do if my GSTL started calling me over the walkie everytime a batch dropped. He'd never do it as even though OPU hours are done through guest services for scheduling purposes, I don't report to guest services. It'd likely turn our friendly working relationship into a not so friendly one quickly.