Logistics Inbound Madness

Joined
Mar 18, 2019
Messages
17
This is kind of a questionnaire / rant for inbound team.

I personally believe that unloading the truck should be the simplest process. But since modernization has fully blossomed, it's been the most convoluted mess ever!

Back when we had a dedicated overnight team, we would unload a truck that was around 2500 pieces unloaded and all most fully stocked in 2 hours! Now, forget about it!

I'll give you guys a basic rundown how our inbound team starts their day. We come in and all of yesterday's freight that INBOUND TEAM that WE didn't STOCK is still there! So we have to stock EVERY area, so we have vehicles to use for the unload. We usually start the unload hour or 2 late because of this.

The whole time we told to "run like our lives depend on it, if we aren't running we're dying" that's a quote from our STL. Also we only have 4 people scheduled for inbound everyday.

Now with Christmas in full swing the problem has only gotten worse. I do not understand why we don't have any DBO's in early to handle their freight!? That's been one of the big issues from the start, no DBO's so we have to stop unload stock vehicle so we have something to work on!

I just also get a list of conflicting orders that we're always given from the start of modernization.

1. When modernization fully started we were told that we would have a slower more detail oriented unload.

Reality. They want the unload done even faster than when we used to do it overnight! With 1 person in the truck, and one person on each side of the line.

2. Super sort! This is part of the more detailed unload. All of our leadership preaches this as gospel to sort repacks out to the aisle.

Reality. They have gone back and forth on this so many times I can't even keep it straight. One week there cram it down your throat to sort to the aisle, then they act like that they've never said it!

3. When a vehicle is full, call a DBO to take the full vehicle and replace it with an empty.
Or if there is no DBO's in, have a inbound member take the vehicle and stock it.
There will come a point when all vehicles are full and you'll have to stop the unload to stock.

Reality. There's is NO DBO's in early to do anything! So we're forced to continue the unload until there's absolutely no vehicles and they're all stacked 8 miles high, and stuff all over the floor!

4. Bulk items/ transition
There's really no doctrine on this anymore, they can't seem to really figure out what they want!? Back in the day if we had bulk items or transition, we would just palletize it. But for some unknown reason if you bring up putting something on a pallet it's like you said a dirty word. So we just end up putting bulk items and transition on vehicles that instantly fill up, and gee I want you to guess what happens after that.

So basically inbound team is the whipping horse at our store.

We stock 70% of the freight everyday.

We set planograms and price change inbetween stocking vehicles, when we should be doing the unload.

E-pick
Go backs
Zone before the unload, which doesn't help our unload goal time
Pull 1 for 1's
And of course help guests

And the whole time basically getting our hours cut to almost non-existents, told that they need the hours for the DBO's. Told were never doing enough, or fast enough! Seriously no joke, the only reason why anything gets done in our stores because of inbound team. I'm fully aware that the DBO's get pulled in 10000 different directions, and they can't get to their work. But it would be nice to have a little recognition for inbound team.

So, does this sound like your guys's store?
 
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This is kind of a questionnaire / rant for inbound team.

I personally believe that unloading the truck should be the simplest process. But since modernization has fully blossomed, it's been the most convoluted mess ever!

Back when we had a dedicated overnight team, we would unload a truck that was around 2500 pieces unloaded and all most fully stocked in 2 hours! Now, forget about it!

I'll give you guys a basic rundown how our inbound team starts their day. We come in and all of yesterday's freight that INBOUND TEAM that WE didn't STOCK is still there! So we have to stock EVERY area, so we have vehicles to use for the unload. We usually start the unload hour or 2 late because of this.

The whole time we told to "run like our lives depend on it, if we aren't running we're dying" that's a quote from our STL. Also we only have 4 people scheduled for inbound everyday.

Now with Christmas in full swing the problem has only gotten worse. I do not understand why we don't have any DBO's in early to handle their freight!? That's been one of the big issues from the start, no DBO's so we have to stop unload stock vehicle so we have something to work on!

I just also get a list of conflicting orders that we're always given from the start of modernization.

1. When modernization fully started we were told that we would have a slower more detail oriented unload.

Reality. They want the unload done even faster than when we used to do it overnight! With 1 person in the truck, and one person on each side of the line.

2. Super sort! This is part of the more detailed unload. All of our leadership preaches this as gospel to sort repacks out to the aisle.

Reality. They have gone back and forth on this so many times I can't even keep it straight. One week there cram it down your throat to sort to the aisle, then they act like that they've never said it!

3. When a vehicle is full, call a DBO to take the full vehicle and replace it with an empty.
Or if there is no DBO's in, have a inbound member take the vehicle and stock it.
There will come a point when all vehicles are full and you'll have to stop the unload to stock.

Reality. There's is NO DBO's in early to do anything! So we're forced to continue the unload until there's absolutely no vehicles and they're all stacked 8 miles high, and stuff all over the floor!

4. Bulk items/ transition
There's really no doctrine on this anymore, they can't seem to really figure out what they want!? Back in the day if we had bulk items or transition, we would just palletize it. But for some unknown reason if you bring up putting something on a pallet it's like you said a dirty word. So we just end up putting bulk items and transition on vehicles that instantly fill up, and gee I want you to guess what happens after that.

So basically inbound team is the whipping horse at our store.

We stock 70% of the freight everyday.

We set planograms and price change inbetween stocking vehicles, when we should be doing the unload.

E-pick
Go backs
Zone before the unload, which doesn't help our unload goal time
Pull 1 for 1's
And of course help guests

And the whole time basically getting our hours cut to almost non-existents, told that they need the hours for the DBO's. Told were never doing enough, or fast enough! Seriously no joke, the only reason why anything gets done in our stores because of inbound team. I'm fully aware that the DBO's get pulled in 10000 different directions, and they can't get to their work. But it would be nice to have a little recognition for inbound team.

So, does this sound like your guys's store?
As the person above your leaders have failed you and your team .
Unload should start at your unload time . Company wide is that during q4 your dbos for , toy , sports, sea and kitchen should be coming in at the same time with pp1 which is right at the unload time. While you guys do the unload they pull their one for ones , by the time a vehicle is ready they should have their man caf done and start working freight . All my team knows that they need to zone as they go ( I agreed with the Sd that since the closing lead has 4 closers my team will only zone as they go) , returns they do it right after break and lunches ( I stagger their lunches) . I print all reports for repack and hand it to my repack sorter , bulk for my unloader and any transition and back of the line freight to my back of the line person so they are prepared. Once truck is done I move inbound team in toys , sport and sea that’s the priority that’s what you gonna sell for the next few weeks. Looks to me that your leadership has no balls and definitely no strategy or management skills. Sucks .
It had happened once or twice when I walked into 2-3 vehicles of freight however I have pp1 blitz it quick while other pp1 pulls one for one for those that push the leftover freight. It doesn’t happen to roll freight because the way I schedule for example I have the toy dbo come in at 1:30 am then the second toy dbo comes at 6 am , same for seasonal and sports.
 
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Your leaders suck. It's as simple as that. Every single person at my store knows that if a truck vehicle isn't cleared for an unload the day before, there will be absolutely hell to pay from our Inbounds/PP1 GMTL. It doesn't matter how. They just better get clear and put on the line in the right place. DBOs do their own 1 for 1's and freight. Inbounds just provides support after the unload is complete for areas that got hit hard that day (seasonal and toys nowadays).

Everything else in the store depends on how inbounds goes on any given day. Leads need to support that team.
 
The whole time we told to "run like our lives depend on it, if we aren't running we're dying" that's a quote from our STL. Also we only have 4 people scheduled for inbound everyday.

We haven't been told this but I get the idea they'd like us to do it. I refuse to. I'm not wrecking myself unless I actually am dying
 
DBO's finishing their 1 for 1's by the time the unload is done? Get real, the other day my 1 for 1's were 150. To pull, push, and backstock all that took my entire 8 hr shift...wait....I did toy 1 and 2, and never even got to pull toy3 because my backroom is bursting at the seems I'm starting to use my overflow aisles for backstock. How the heck would I even touch freight? I had 18 vehicles of toys the other day....lol. I heard my one for ones were 200+ on one of my days off....
 
I must add, before toys started being so heavy...1 for 1's in the 30s to 50s...plus maybe 3-5 vehicles of freight....I would normally be able to zone/reshop, and do all my pulls and most freight...but now that the pulls are consistently over 140+, over 200....plus 10-18 vehicles of freight? No way anybody could do that many....plus make a bale....lol.
 
DBO's finishing their 1 for 1's by the time the unload is done? Get real, the other day my 1 for 1's were 150. To pull, push, and backstock all that took my entire 8 hr shift...wait....I did toy 1 and 2, and never even got to pull toy3 because my backroom is bursting at the seems I'm starting to use my overflow aisles for backstock. How the heck would I even touch freight? I had 18 vehicles of toys the other day....lol. I heard my one for ones were 200+ on one of my days off....
It is possible from what Isee you are a toy dbo correct? That means you should have an other person with you plus inbound is mandatory to push toys , sport and sea freight to support.
 
I must add, before toys started being so heavy...1 for 1's in the 30s to 50s...plus maybe 3-5 vehicles of freight....I would normally be able to zone/reshop, and do all my pulls and most freight...but now that the pulls are consistently over 140+, over 200....plus 10-18 vehicles of freight? No way anybody could do that many....plus make a bale....lol.
Why are you making a bale? Market doesn’t back up cashier they should be in charge of bales
 
Most people don't know how to make bale or refuse to learn. Hell, most people don't even know the right way to lay the cardboard in the baler! They lay it in all sideways so you can sit there and jab at it so you can get the wire through. That leaves the handful of people that consistently make the bale, eating away at their precious goal times.
 
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One of my main issues with modernization is that, the one team aspect is completely gone, if it was even there to begin with. Before there was well defined roles and tasks, when one team's job was done they would support another area. Now basically each area has a ghost crew staff and under tremendous pressure to achieve their goal times. This creates a very cutthroat environment, no one's going to help each other out in any way!
 
One of my main issues with modernization is that, the one team aspect is completely gone, if it was even there to begin with. Before there was well defined roles and tasks, when one team's job was done they would support another area. Now basically each area has a ghost crew staff and under tremendous pressure to achieve their goal times. This creates a very cutthroat environment, no one's going to help each other out in any way!

Tell me about it. I rarely get any help and my department always feels like it's snowed in.

Nevermind answering fast service calls. I got written up for not going fast enough, not answering any more.
 
Your store's leadership needs to really examine your inbound process and staffing. I didn't see where you said how large your store is, but even at my low-volume store, we start unload on time, there's a thrower in the truck, 2 TMs on the back of the line, 3 on the front, plus often our TL or ETL will be helping out with getting full vehicles out of the way, getting an empty one in place, etc. A couple TMs come in just a little later to start soft lines breakout and a TM is sorting electronics and domestics (not sure if one TM does both all the time, or just today). Certain DBOs start pretty early, and some seasonal TMs start early (before store opening). Very rarely do we have any vehicles still full of new stock from the day before. (There often are vehicles with back stock still on them, but not usually a lot of them.) So, mostly I'm sorry your store's leadership is failing you and your store. There are a lot of things I don't like about modernization, but your leadership team is making it way harder than it needs to be.
 
Meh. Modernization really highlights the team members that just don't give a damn about doing their job.

One team one dream is gone. I am not interested in helping those who won't even help themselves.
 
So, does this sound like your guys's store?
My store doesn't have the exact same issues but the overall chaos you're describing? Yes, unfortunately. Unfinished freight, several hours of stocking before unload? Yes and yes.

An unload should NEVER happen with only 3 TMs, especially with these larger trucks. It has happened at my store several times within the past two weeks.
DBOs do their own 1 for 1's and freight. Inbounds just provides support after the unload is complete for areas that got hit hard that day (seasonal and toys nowadays).
Many of our inbound team are slotted in for DBOs post-truck so a lot of 1 for 1's aren't pulled until after the truck is finished. It's completely untenable. My store is horrible lmao.
.
 
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