Logistics How do I bring A&A INF even lower?

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Nov 7, 2018
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We have consistently had our style INF to be in the yellow if not red for the longest time. Our store is great when it comes to our SFS INF being ridiculously low but I really want to bring it lower. Any tips/recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
Do you guys have a reasonable amount of rfids for the team? If not, you definitely need to see if you can get more. Is your team partnering with style TL and TMs? This is really important imo, Also get with style TL and ensure the back room is correct. I have seen people not take rfids in back room isles for folded style items, because the assumed it would be located but we have had a couple style departments struggle with BRLA. That also comes to your team too when they are pulling from the back and leaving I located product. Aside from store issues a lot of times people find style items to be a hassle and are more trigger happy to INF before *actually* checking everywhere they should be checking
 
Do you guys have a reasonable amount of rfids for the team? If not, you definitely need to see if you can get more. Is your team partnering with style TL and TMs? This is really important imo, Also get with style TL and ensure the back room is correct. I have seen people not take rfids in back room isles for folded style items, because the assumed it would be located but we have had a couple style departments struggle with BRLA. That also comes to your team too when they are pulling from the back and leaving I located product. Aside from store issues a lot of times people find style items to be a hassle and are more trigger happy to INF before *actually* checking everywhere they should be checking
We have about 7 RFID guns and receiving about 900 - 1500 units right now. We have team members checking in with the captain or TL before INFing the item. Style breakout is not the issue as we finish every single day with this so everything is pushed and backstocked. As a store our BRLA is 98.5% so not a huge concern their. If it impacts it our RFID is about 95% so maybe?
 
We have about 7 RFID guns and receiving about 900 - 1500 units right now. We have team members checking in with the captain or TL before INFing the item. Style breakout is not the issue as we finish every single day with this so everything is pushed and backstocked. As a store our BRLA is 98.5% so not a huge concern their. If it impacts it our RFID is about 95% so maybe?
BRLA % can be misleading (at least at my store) bc we have been taught to only scan the item it’s asking to pull. If it’s not there, then we go to the audit app and audit the Waco, but if you don’t need to audit during pulls often times items sit unlocated for a long time. This is just my store though. From the way it sounds you guys are operating pretty smoothly, so I would definitely get with the team as a whole and ask them what they think would help them find style items better. They’re the ones picking so they have more insight for your store specific problems related to style INF. Make sure they are sharing RFIDs with each other while picking and actively looking everywhere with the RFIDs. You really have to get to the root of the problem before you can find a solution. Even with a bad zone you should be able to find the item with an rfid. Are the counts correct? (Hard to fix with style items...) you’re definitely lucky your breakout gets done everyday. We have roll over 5/10 times which means digging through 6 repacks just for one shirt lol :(
 
Our store faces the same problem, albeit I'm pretty sure our team is just lazy and doesn't use the rfid for anything they can't find but my experience varies wildly per day. We have vastly more opus than ship but for me most of the time in opu I can find every style item by either checking the floor, back room, fitting room, guest service, or style breakout depending on when it was delivered etc. For sfs I could have 0 style infs or 12 per batch since they are targeted based on returns and delivery. Unless everyone is checking all the aforementioned areas for every inf you'll still have a higher inf but it kills productivity. The issue that causes this is too much since it comes down to the dc sending every single repack, cashiers/guests scanning every item properly, guest service and style defecting out every single style item properly since it would take the rfid scan 3 weeks to take away inventory which by then it probably appeared in an order and inf'd. If the team is doing their due diligence and looking for every single style inf in all of the correct places then it is most likely just inaccurate inventory. To solve this problem what you can do is have the style team do the rfid like monday, wednesday, and friday and see if this solves the problem and if not then it comes down to the team most likely. If you guys have a fulfillment tl, they can randomly go themselves and double check with and rfid to see if certain tms are the problem and give them performance conversations.
 
To solve this problem what you can do is have the style team do the rfid like monday, wednesday, and friday and see if this solves the problem and if not then it comes down to the team most likely
That would mess with the score for the week .
Instead reject report should be audited every week to bring the counts to where needs to be .
 
Check with leadership to make sure system led audits are done. Beyond that I often check the fulfillment dashboard under infs and look for specific delta where the INF of hanging is high because that doesn't drop into the audit. Then I have my team superzone that area.
 
Style zone is key. Yes, we have RFID, but lots of TMs don't use the guns very well. (They're kind of tricky really.) Make sure things aren't piling up in the fitting room. Make sure that inbounds is sorting everything to the correct floorpad, because some style TMs will throw up whatever finds its way onto their vehicles whether it goes in their area or not. Make sure style is tying folding to the correct floorpads. (This is a big issue at my store.)

That will all help. But, really the biggest thing is developing a fulfillment team that cares. It takes experience to be really good at picking style. My store is also in the red for style. But, I'm personally green because I have the experience to know pretty much all of style's quirks. Stupid things like, boy sunglasses are probably in girls. Those licensed women's shirts that were delivered three days ago are probably on the bottom of our YC DBO's valet because that's what she does with odds and ends. The short men's AIM shorts are probably in WP, Etc. That knowledge takes in-store experience, so let your team delevop it.
 
Yes, for sure. Zone and super zoning is key. Keeping an eye on All in Motion and School Uniforms. I am constantly finding boys school pants in girls (even though they do not have the pink lining inside. And the other day I found Boys All in Motion shorts in Mens. Luckily the RFID was gold in this case, but most of the time we have more pickers than RFID guns and people are just winging it. Also, Women's graphic shirts being mixed in the Men's as well. I, like seasonaldude, know to look every-freakin-where before giving up hope and usually find stuff where it shouldn't be, but some team members will just gloss over (but that blame is on them).
That will all help. But, really the biggest thing is developing a fulfillment team that cares. It takes experience to be really good at picking style. My store is also in the red for style. But, I'm personally green because I have the experience to know pretty much all of style's quirks. Stupid things like, boy sunglasses are probably in girls. Those licensed women's shirts that were delivered three days ago are probably on the bottom of our YC DBO's valet because that's what she does with odds and ends. The short men's AIM shorts are probably in WP, Etc. That knowledge takes in-store experience, so let your team delevop it.
 
Yes, for sure. Zone and super zoning is key. Keeping an eye on All in Motion and School Uniforms. I am constantly finding boys school pants in girls (even though they do not have the pink lining inside. And the other day I found Boys All in Motion shorts in Mens. Luckily the RFID was gold in this case, but most of the time we have more pickers than RFID guns and people are just winging it. Also, Women's graphic shirts being mixed in the Men's as well. I, like seasonaldude, know to look every-freakin-where before giving up hope and usually find stuff where it shouldn't be, but some team members will just gloss over (but that blame is on them).
All in Motion gets mixed up between all three departments a lot. Lots of gender-neutral tops in kids and Infants get mixed up too. Check for that Cat & Jack short-sleeved black crewneck in Girls and Boys. Like you said, graphic tees and school uniforms too. Check Mens and Womens, Boys and Girls.
 
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