Archived Instock Team Going Away in March

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spotbadit

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It's True. March 2012 instocks team work will transition to logistics process. This will save the company payroll $.
Our store has stopped instocks process(STL/DTL approved). Not sure how exactly how flow team will pick up this workload
but I've heard trucks will be push alls and anything left over will be back stocked. We are purging all aisles in back to compensate the lack of scanning but our salesfloor is already showing a lot of empty depts. AE12 will have the specifics. Announcents in Jan/Feb - instocks team goes away in March.
Honestly when you think about it the instocks team (aside from PTM) is just a bridge between human and system error.
 
Interesting. When we stop instocks for even a week our floor looks bare. Can't say this is a surprise though the writing has been on the wall for a while. I feel bad for the instocks team.
 
If true, I think this is one of the dumbest moves Target is making. Flow does not push everything out because sometimes they don't check for other locations or stock merchandise into the wrong locations. CAF's most of the time just add to what is on the shelf. Many times CAF's do not fill empty spots on the shelves. Guests are going to complain the shelves look empty (those are not MPG nor recently set) and may not even shop there anymore. Not all guests will go up to team members to see if an item is in stock. What about research (which I call the real inventory process not that phoney once-a-year one)? That process corrects errors made by team members (via mispicks, cashiers or whatever). I see more things come out in outs batches than research ones. One thing they should eliminate is RIGS (maybe except those that ask for rainchecks).
 
Instocks tm here, it went to evenings in march of last year. I celebrated for twenty days and twenty nights. However, if this is true, and I gots me a spot on flow...I will celebrate for forty days and forty nights!!!
 
Whaaaat? I don't know if I'm pleased with this. I think instocks is very valuable and I don't think it should be discontinued. Do you know what will happen to current instocks TMs?
 
Sounds like something they might be experimenting with in certain stores.
I don't know that it would make sense to roll it out all at once but then again, when has Spot been known for common sense?
 
really all they need is a tm to do stand alone research of endcaps and sidecaps. I have never understood why autofills don't take care of everything that guests buy.
 
invictustaylor said:
really all they need is a tm to do stand alone research of endcaps and sidecaps. I have never understood why autofills don't take care of everything that guests buy.
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Haha I don't know much about Sales Floor Logistics, but this sounds about right 😉

I do one Standalone EXF in the morning and the checklanes are chock full for the rest of the day.....
 
a good part of my day is spent on "rigs." I go to a location to count the number of items. Most of the time it's completely full except for one or two items, so I scan it, it says capacity of 10, 15 on hand, backroom location yes, how many do you see here? So I count and there are 9. It then makes a pull to pull exactly one of the items, which I eventually have to go to the line and get, walk back to the location and stock the one item. Sound incredibly stupid, incredibly, IT IS!!!!!!!!
 
Oh great. I hope they have a backup plan in mind when stores look empty, besides "trucks will be push alls and anything left over will be backstocked".

Who's going to do rainchecks and subs? TLs of each area?
 
I think that this could potentially be a good rollout if handled the right way! In my opinion a few things need to happen... Most importantly, Target needs to focus on simplifying its processes... I always say K-I-S-S (Keep it simple stupid)... Lately Target has made its processes too bulky and complicated, which on paper makes it look high tech and efficient, in practice gives you more and more things that can potentially go wrong!

Remember, a disband of the Instocks process itself doesn't mean no research, outs, or RIGs ever again... Research was around LONG before the Instocks team was even a concept Target started messing with... I'm just curious who they think will be doing it in the future if that team isn't around?
 
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I agree with the TLs of each area...but that will fail. There are TLs who can't even make sure their endcaps are full and their ad rots are set on time.
 
I'm hearing that order pulls are for sure going away and the Pfresh order process is changing with the next software rollout, BUT I have also heard that the EXF function is disappearing. That actually makes sense, if the instocks process is changing. EXF's totally screw the accumulator. If they could figure out a way to keep truck backstock and killed SPLR's from repulling we would be in business!
 
insiteful1 said:
I'm hearing that order pulls are for sure going away and the Pfresh order process is changing with the next software rollout, BUT I have also heard that the EXF function is disappearing. That actually makes sense, if the instocks process is changing. EXF's totally screw the accumulator. If they could figure out a way to keep truck backstock and killed SPLR's from repulling we would be in business!
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Ok I figure I would say how I think they should do it... obviously it won't happen but I can dream can't I?

1) Have you ever actually pushed an entire truck? It actually goes pretty fast! If the system was set up for that, it would actually be pretty efficient! Make it so that the whole trucks adds into the accumulator, and push the whole thing! This means your backroom team could be smaller (the autofills would be smaller and no truck backstock!) and your flow team larger! The line would only need a few throwers, and then no scanner and a ton of line people! Both sides of your line could then become push, the whole thing going faster, and the unload not taking as long (or if its heavy transition, the backside could be sorting transition as you went!)
2) Make STO challenge like it does currently, but once you scan the location it should automatically subt9999 (as in reset the accumulator value to 0 itself)... If you are backstocking it, it should be full! This would take care of the old SPL issue as well! Not having it do this only hurts, because it just continues to have lingering values without us noticing!
3) Disband Instocks, and allocate the hours into salesfloor hours! Make all these hours go to closing (this way you have Plano/Pricing in the morning and the old instocks hours at night for GE)... This would add at least 2-3 extra closers a night, but the closing team would be responsible for the Instocks Task List (to be worked from 6PM to 11PM)... Have this list function the same as it always has, but make the wave zone actually zone the aisle the get as a task and then scan it! Get rid of priority pulls and have the correct SA values go into the autofills and truck push...
4) This opens up your entire morning process until 11AM... No longer would your truck have to work around a research schedule and can just focus on its wave, the backroom could just backstock in an order that made sense, and all the BR could focus on backstock untill 11PM instead of having to watch for priority pulls to drop (this should help the 6AM and 4AM truck processes the most!) Your salesfloor can also just focus on PTM and SPs in the morning instead of working pulls right away when they come in!
 
This one is also a bit out there, but I think we need to ditch OUTs, Grey Dots, and DALY RIGs (for those who don't know what that means, they are the RIG batches that drop specifically for the ad outs... there are also those RIGs that are just checking counts which I think are fine)... What I propose the Task List consist of instead is to only include the RSCH tasks (the ones that normally generate based off of the company wide research schedule), the RIGs that drop for random counting, AND (*NEW*) RSCH tasks that will drop for any section that has AD product! This way every week you will hit the entire store by Friday, and everyday you will hit all the ad product (making it your new biggest focus!)
 
Ok, had a bit of a panic attack at first. Hopefully they are only altering the tasks, methods, schedules, TMs, etc... I thought when I was first reading that they were planning on doing away with the instocks process all together!!!

At my store having a truck of all push would be a nightmare... a small backstock truck is about 800 caespacks of bs and I have seen bs numbers break 2,000!!! Also when flow is behind and inStocks hasn't scanned for say three or more days the floor really shows it! Personally I think that the instocks process as far as research goes is very important, it is a check and balance thing that helps account for many mistakes whether they are made by TMs or computers! It ensures that the floor is full and helps fill those 'tricky' multiple loc items that some TMs just won't fill!
 
Thank god! This will save backroom time from having to pull batches for the entire store, now everyone can focus on backstocking and gearing up for the 11's,12's. Give those hours to other teams. I knew this day would finally come! 😀
 
That's cool. Nice way to cut hours. And for anyone saying "Well at least tht will give us some extra hours to work with!"


Really? Do you REALLY think you'll see those extra hours?
 
FrontEndKnowItAll said:
Ok, had a bit of a panic attack at first. Hopefully they are only altering the tasks, methods, schedules, TMs, etc... I thought when I was first reading that they were planning on doing away with the instocks process all together!!!

At my store having a truck of all push would be a nightmare... a small backstock truck is about 800 caespacks of bs and I have seen bs numbers break 2,000!!! Also when flow is behind and inStocks hasn't scanned for say three or more days the floor really shows it! Personally I think that the instocks process as far as research goes is very important, it is a check and balance thing that helps account for many mistakes whether they are made by TMs or computers! It ensures that the floor is full and helps fill those 'tricky' multiple loc items that some TMs just won't fill!
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For real? What's your store volume? Our trucks are usually 22-2500 and I've never seen backstock go above 1100 or so
 
Rock Lobster said:
Ok I figure I would say how I think they should do it... obviously it won't happen but I can dream can't I?

1) Have you ever actually pushed an entire truck? It actually goes pretty fast! If the system was set up for that, it would actually be pretty efficient! Make it so that the whole trucks adds into the accumulator, and push the whole thing! This means your backroom team could be smaller (the autofills would be smaller and no truck backstock!) and your flow team larger! The line would only need a few throwers, and then no scanner and a ton of line people! Both sides of your line could then become push, the whole thing going faster, and the unload not taking as long (or if its heavy transition, the backside could be sorting transition as you went!)
2) Make STO challenge like it does currently, but once you scan the location it should automatically subt9999 (as in reset the accumulator value to 0 itself)... If you are backstocking it, it should be full! This would take care of the old SPL issue as well! Not having it do this only hurts, because it just continues to have lingering values without us noticing!
3) Disband Instocks, and allocate the hours into salesfloor hours! Make all these hours go to closing (this way you have Plano/Pricing in the morning and the old instocks hours at night for GE)... This would add at least 2-3 extra closers a night, but the closing team would be responsible for the Instocks Task List (to be worked from 6PM to 11PM)... Have this list function the same as it always has, but make the wave zone actually zone the aisle the get as a task and then scan it! Get rid of priority pulls and have the correct SA values go into the autofills and truck push...
4) This opens up your entire morning process until 11AM... No longer would your truck have to work around a research schedule and can just focus on its wave, the backroom could just backstock in an order that made sense, and all the BR could focus on backstock untill 11PM instead of having to watch for priority pulls to drop (this should help the 6AM and 4AM truck processes the most!) Your salesfloor can also just focus on PTM and SPs in the morning instead of working pulls right away when they come in!
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This is visionary, revolutionary, and needs to be brought to HQ's attention. ESPECIALLY number 2. I can't even get over how fantastic that would be.
 
Yep I had a feeling this was coming. Looks Like I'm gonna be headed back to full time Flow..I'd be happier going to the backroom though 🙁.

I'm just interested to see how this plays out, because over the last few days, outs weren't done due to heavy autofill batches (backroom and flow both bogged down). The SF was looking bare until we got to scanning outs again. Clearly CAFs aren't cutting it, and as others have mentioned.. whos supposed to pick up rainchecks/subs? And how are counts going to get corrected if no one is scanning research?
 
Formina Sage said:
This is visionary, revolutionary, and needs to be brought to HQ's attention. ESPECIALLY number 2. I can't even get over how fantastic that would be.
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I have suggested number 2 in the past both through mysupport and visits and the reponse has been they will look into to it.

As for the Instocks going away. I have heard OUTs was going away but RIGs and Research will remain. And as far as I know that will still be done by the instocks team. Also if the point was to save hours then they would not have the flow team push the entire truck. They would be spending more then they are now with the same results.
 
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