Archived How can I make the time go by faster?

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mickey

mickey

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I feel as if I'm the Backroom Team Member that is Scheduled to close (typically till 9:30) the most.

I can't express how much I hate it.

The sad thing is, due to the cut of hours, the typical closing shift is usually only around 5 hours.

But it drags by mind-numbingly slow.

It doesn't help that I lack motivation because I'm the only TM back there working at my own pace, with no time restraints like the hourly calfs, which just adds to the boringness.

Besides the easy answer "just get more motivated," what can I do to make the time go by at least a bit faster?
 
I only do occasion backroom shifts but if you're allowed to have music playing, do it. Also, don't constantly look at the time.
 
There's so much back stock to be done time should fly by. Time does slow down if your caught up though
 
That's the thing, morning side usually gets most of the backstock done, then during the hourly calfs dayside completes the rest of the backstock and any other backstock that comes in from the calfs.
 
Every now and then I find that time drags by...usually its like the last 30 minutes of my shift ( if it happens at all) However, I have found that usually there is so much to do ( and with hours being cut such little time to do it ) that time flies by.
 
I close a couple nights a week, and I agree. Those are the shifts that leave me most exhausted. I can work a 9 hour shift with no complaints if I can leave around 7:00, but a 5 hour shift where I'm staying until 10:30 wears me out.

Empty Location Reports. They're boring, but they are a productive way to spend that last 30-45 minutes. Aside from that, I usually take that time to do things that often don't get done around the store. Organize our pull/backstock clips, give the back room one final sweep, all that jazz. If all else fails, I help the overnight team start pulling their autofills.

Basically, keep moving. Time flies during those early shifts because we're constantly pulling CAFs, backstocking, pulling guest requests, pulling FFs, etc...
 
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5 hour shifts do drag on a bit. I like 8 hour shifts. The breaks make it go by quickly.
 
^Don't even get me started. Everyone in the BR at my store is under the impression that they only have to deal with the regular CAF backstock, and never touch the truck line, pfresh backstock, furniture/bulk backstock, or electronics backstock. All of that falls on the closer. Hence nobody wants to close. I'm trying to lead by example and get everyone to pitch in on all of those tasks. It's a lot for one person to handle, especially in a 5 hour shift.
 
Wow. BR my store we handle the line, bulk and electronics right away before the morning BR team leaves. Pfresh depends on a bit on the truck time and size.
 
semantics said:
Pfresh depends on a bit on the truck time and size.
Click to expand...

can you handle a 1200 piece pfresh truck 4 times a week.
backstock about 400 piece, about 6 metros of dairy and 5 metros for freezer to backstock which never gets done until a week later.

please someone try to get done on pfresh truck day now that 4quarter is over, thanks so much.
 
At my store the closer usually deals with setting the line, backstock, price changes, POGs, salesfloor item requests, general cleaning and getting rid of the carboard mountains by the balers.

It sounds like a bunch of time consuming tasks, but it just gets so overwhelming for one person to where you mentally tire yourself out! :p
 
Sing songs in your head or out loud. Play movies or TV shows in your head. Make a bale. Sweep the floor. Those are all time consuming.
 
Used to love closing up the backroom. Always so much to do in the BR. After BS and price change pulls, there's aisle audits, lowering profiles, sweeping.
  • A favorite of mine was to go out to the tidy cats, paper towel/tp and bulk water locations, make a list of what could be filled (since PIPO never seemed to get pushed/pulled correctly) , subt and push it, then condense pallet locations. Usually got rid of about 5-7 pallet spaces/night doing this.
  • Check your bulk locations to see if any pallets can be condensed/killed.
  • LOCU and relocate your bulk locations. Gets rid of a TON of ghosts/baffles and will make a big impact on your location accuracy scores.
  • You can always team up with your TL/ETL/Recv TM to see how to make a salvage pallet. It's pretty easy, and the Recv guys will love you for it.
  • If you're an O/N store, you can set the line (talk with the TL, since it seems each one has their own different line set-up).
  • Also if you're O/N, there are certain batches that if you do a manual CAF before the O/N CAFs, it will make a significant difference in O/N's workload. Partner with the TL for which batches, or if they even want you to do that (some don't).
 
dabeastfromtheeast said:
Used to love closing up the backroom. Always so much to do in the BR. After BS and price change pulls, there's aisle audits, lowering profiles, sweeping.
  • A favorite of mine was to go out to the tidy cats, paper towel/tp and bulk water locations, make a list of what could be filled (since PIPO never seemed to get pushed/pulled correctly) , subt and push it, then condense pallet locations. Usually got rid of about 5-7 pallet spaces/night doing this.
  • Check your bulk locations to see if any pallets can be condensed/killed.
  • LOCU and relocate your bulk locations. Gets rid of a TON of ghosts/baffles and will make a big impact on your location accuracy scores.
  • You can always team up with your TL/ETL/Recv TM to see how to make a salvage pallet. It's pretty easy, and the Recv guys will love you for it.
  • If you're an O/N store, you can set the line (talk with the TL, since it seems each one has their own different line set-up).
  • Also if you're O/N, there are certain batches that if you do a manual CAF before the O/N CAFs, it will make a significant difference in O/N's workload. Partner with the TL for which batches, or if they even want you to do that (some don't).
Click to expand...

As the 4AM BR TM that manages bulk, I would kill to have a single person on my dayside BR team that would take initiative like this. The last few years of my backroom sentence might have gone by a lot faster. Excellent advice right here!!
 
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Simple. Work your ass off hard & time will go by before you know it. I do it all the time.
 
Zone the Backroom if you ran out of things to do.

Next thing you know, they're looking for you because you're already working past your schedule
 
Jackswastedlife99 said:
Sing songs in your head or out loud. Play movies or TV shows in your head. Make a bale. Sweep the floor. Those are all time consuming.
Click to expand...
That is exactly what I do! I have to listen to iPod before shifts so I won't get a bad one stuck in there by accident. Last week I had a song stuck in my head that was so bad, I am going to do you all a favor and not tell you what it is
Jill of All Trades said:
When you have time to lean....

YOU HAVE TIME TO CLEAN! ;)
Click to expand...
Hah! N
Boss at my first job ( DUNKIn donuts) used to say that all the time !!!
 
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