Is this Real Life? (A Market vent thread)

[Marcellow]

I think one of the overnight TLs likes me or something, I have no freaking clue if it's just me and I'm imagining stuff but when I am pushing Market...she asks if I'm okay and seems to want my help alot. She even asked if I was okay yesterday because I seemed quiet when that's just me being me. I tend to be on the quiet side.

 

[Bethy]

My store is now timing team members with a stop watch that is tied to the u-boat in dry grocery to see how fast they are at completing their aisles on truck days. Since I am a PA and push P-Fresh this doesn't apply to me yet, but my team lead said he would see about finding a way to do it. Anyone else doing this? With the cut hours it is a bad idea in my opinion.

This is kind of awesome actually!
Never heard of it and can obviously see many issues, but in theory this could be a cool idea and a step in the right direction. We have so many lazy/slow TMs that this could be a way to differentiate between them and the efficient ones (so there would be data to support the better TMs being promoted and then maybe motivate the lazy ones too). Sorry I’m a total data nerd!

However, this definitely needs some refinement unless someone is going to watch video or check over what the really fast TM is doing...if they are busy guestservicing or FIFO-ing, then does it really matter what their speed score is? Isn’t that why the front end got rid of speed stats?

Think I just argued with myself there. I see both sides obviously, so am interested to see how this turns out. Keep us posted please!!

 

[qmosqueen]

Fdc stops sending an extra 75 cases that I did NOT order. I don’t neeed 8 cases of limes , 3 cases of green peppers , 4 cases of broccoli, 8 cases of head lettuce. My store gets a fdc truck every day so this is over kill.

The food director who has been at my store twice in the past month wants it fresh. So this extra stuff either gets donated or tossed into the compactor. No sense to put all this extra crap in the produce cooler for 2 days and bring out to the floor and not be fresh.

Yesterday I literally had a whole tub of produce to donate and still tossed 20 cases into the compactor.

Oh I forgot to mention no need to send salads when they expire in 3 days. I won’t put them out straight to qmos.

 

[groceryteamlead]

Fdc stops sending an extra 75 cases that I did NOT order. I don’t neeed 8 cases of limes , 3 cases of green peppers , 4 cases of broccoli, 8 cases of head lettuce. My store gets a fdc truck every day so this is over kill.

The food director who has been at my store twice in the past moth wants it fresh. So this extra stuff either gets donated or tossed into the compactor. No sense to put all this extra crap in the produce cooler for 2 days and bring out to the floor and not be fresh.

Yesterday I literally had a whole tub of produce to donate and still tossed 20 cases into the compactor.

Oh I forgot to mention no need to send salads when they expire in 3 days. I won’t put them out straight to qmos.

So we were having the same problem, after a while we stopped getting alot of produce but then we got wayyyy to much dairy and freezer. I kept telling my STL and after a month she listened and then we kept telling our DTL and he wouldnt listen instead would say just to keep pushing it. After a month of this he finally listened and today when he reached out he said that it was a glitch in the system and it should be fixed now. Legit getting so much push but no one wants to listen to us Team Leads lol.

 

[Noiinteam]

Our p fresh team puts the salads in the fridge for team members. They and the salads are very good!

 

[TTGOz]

Fdc stops sending an extra 75 cases that I did NOT order. I don’t neeed 8 cases of limes , 3 cases of green peppers , 4 cases of broccoli, 8 cases of head lettuce. My store gets a fdc truck every day so this is over kill.

The food director who has been at my store twice in the past moth wants it fresh. So this extra stuff either gets donated or tossed into the compactor. No sense to put all this extra crap in the produce cooler for 2 days and bring out to the floor and not be fresh.

Yesterday I literally had a whole tub of produce to donate and still tossed 20 cases into the compactor.

Oh I forgot to mention no need to send salads when they expire in 3 days. I won’t put them out straight to qmos.

jesus christ, I can't even begin to imagine how annoying that is. One of my very first times in Produce FDC sent an over bearing amount of carrots and cabbages, I had no room anywhere for them... the spots on the shelves in our produce cooler were already filled with carrots and cabbages.

 

[qmosqueen]

jesus christ, I can't even begin to imagine how annoying that is. One of my very first times in Produce FDC sent an over bearing amount of carrots and cabbages, I had no room anywhere for them... the spots on the shelves in our produce cooler were already filled with carrots and cabbages.

i can always find room in the compactor, shh - i have my own key.

 

[pinktea]

Your own key? Ha. Ours is almost ALWAYS unlocked (Isn't that some sort of OSHA violation or something?). The bailer always has keys in it too.

 

[qmosqueen]

Your own key? Ha. Ours is almost ALWAYS unlocked (Isn't that some sort of OSHA violation or something?). The bailer always has keys in it too.

jealous that the bailer always has keys and your compactor is unlocked while.
Sometimes they put cardboard in between the door and the lock, so the door to the compactor doesn't lock, lol.

 

[pinktea]

I love how they don't care a whit about leaving the compactor and bailer unlocked, but lock up the storage room and electronics stock room. We don't care if you get hurt, but we do care if you steal!

 

[IWishIKnew]

Ours is almost ALWAYS unlocked (Isn't that some sort of OSHA violation or something?).

Yes.

Our balers don't usually have keys in them, but the newer one will often be unlocked so it can be used. The compactor is usually locked, though, these days.

 

[pfreshdude]

My old CTL requisitioned small magnet back timers and we found majority of vehicles could be done via 1min per box in dry. Unfortunately that is just pushing. Doesn’t include zoning, rotating, tossing cardboard, helping guests.

THIS THIS THIS....... Leadership is like oh its only X ammount of pieces shouldnt take long to push....completely missing the point that AFTER its pushed the aisle needs to be zoned, research needs to be shot, backstock needs to be done, and the cardboard/uboat put away

 

[signingminion]

i can always find room in the compactor, shh - i have my own key.

Meh, my food pantry can be at the store in twenty minutes with an empty box truck. Best fight I've ever won was getting them back in the donation list.

 

[GoodyNN]

Good for you, Minion

 

[No I in Team]

THIS THIS THIS....... Leadership is like oh its only X ammount of pieces shouldnt take long to push....completely missing the point that AFTER its pushed the aisle needs to be zoned, research needs to be shot, backstock needs to be done, and the cardboard/uboat put away

That's the problem with Spot. No legitimate time studies have been done in decades. However, job creep and new team members roles are an answer to fixing a broken system.

 

[Malkiacera]

Well my store has finally decided to rollback on Market E2E. We’ve located everything except bakery and produce, no longer hiring for market. Flow team will take back dry and what little remains of the market team will focus on FDC. It was fun while it lasted.

 

[Thunderbird1956]

They should find a better way to do that. Honestly I cant think of anything but I dont doubt some of the bright people in HR could. Once they do that then Target can get food right.

It's actually fairly easy to get the time to help guests based on time of day and volume of the store. At my store Peak times on the weekend assume 0.25 of every hour is guest interaction. 8am-11am weekdays you can cut that down to 0.083 of every hour. Research is heavily dependent on how good the zone is and how accurate you want the research count to be. We have some really crappy people who zone, haven't even heard the term deep zone, and have been seen talking more than zoning. I have no clue how they got hired as when we let much better seasonal people go.

 

[No I in Team]

It's actually fairly easy to get the time to help guests based on time of day and volume of the store. At my store Peak times on the weekend assume 0.25 of every hour is guest interaction. 8am-11am weekdays you can cut that down to 0.083 of every hour. Research is heavily dependent on how good the zone is and how accurate you want the research count to be. We have some really crappy people who zone, haven't even heard the term deep zone, and have been seen talking more than zoning. I have no clue how they got hired as when we let much better seasonal people go.

This is where a legitimate time study is needed.

You would first need a time study of how things are currently done. Then two other controlled studies to see the differences.

In other words a well stocked and zoned market along with a "legitimately" trained team member vs. an ill stocked, unzoned market area with a typical and/or new team member. Then you could conduct a series of time studies within the normal operational day to day activities with the two scenarios.

Then you could compare them to see what, if any differences exists. At that point, you would see the dollar cost benefits to implement change or not.

 

[groceryteamlead]

Its funny how Target rolled out this E2E and said it was gonna do great and other stores really benefited off this and a year later they're like it didnt work so do what feels best for your store. I always wonder what kinda stores they test these things in.

 

[redcounts]

I'm so frustrated. My TL told me not to take out my produce pallets onto the sales floor, instead i have to go back and fourth and load up a flat with the produce. I find that when I have the pallet on the sales floor I get everything done more efficiently rather than going ack and fourth loading up a flat.

Not only that our food truck arrives at unpredictable times Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays.

I am usually scheduled till 1:30 somedays till 2. BUT if the truck arrives around 12 noon I'm fucked, and usually I'll have a pallet or 2 left for the next morning.

Any advice anyone?

My review is gonna be terrible this year. ;(

 

[redcounts]

Also anyone have any advice getting to cleaning routines ? I find it increasingly hard especially with the hour cuts! I usually need the constant time to constantly stock the pfresh area.

 

[Greenandred]

Good question. In addition to cleaning, the hour cuts have made it difficult to find time to do short dating.

 

[IWishIKnew]

My TL told me not to take out my produce pallets onto the sales floor,

Just a guess, but this is probably a result of guest surveys or complaints. If my town's FB page is any indication, people HAAAATE to see pallets and TMs pushing freight. Flats may be less efficient, but they take up less space and guests don't seem to have the same reaction to them.

Tradeoffs.

 

[Thunderbird1956]

This is where a legitimate time study is needed.

You would first need a time study of how things are currently done. Then two other controlled studies to see the differences.

In other words a well stocked and zoned market along with a "legitimately" trained team member vs. an ill stocked, unzoned market area with a typical and/or new team member. Then you could conduct a series of time studies within the normal operational day to day activities with the two scenarios.

Then you could compare them to see what, if any differences exists. At that point, you would see the dollar cost benefits to implement change or not.

Timing it, following up, and comparing team members is what I do. It's easy for a team member to hide poor performance in 4th quarter. It's much harder in February. The ASANTS is where any time study falls apart and why I'm sure they use averages. Where they really need to do a time study is in POG. The average times kills at least the cosmetic sets and hosery sets.

 

[groceryteamlead]

I'm so frustrated. My TL told me not to take out my produce pallets onto the sales floor, instead i have to go back and fourth and load up a flat with the produce. I find that when I have the pallet on the sales floor I get everything done more efficiently rather than going ack and fourth loading up a flat.

Not only that our food truck arrives at unpredictable times Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays.

I am usually scheduled till 1:30 somedays till 2. BUT if the truck arrives around 12 noon I'm fucked, and usually I'll have a pallet or 2 left for the next morning.

Any advice anyone?

My review is gonna be terrible this year. ;(

I would say first use a Uboat instead of Flats, when using the Uboat only grab what you need. I get the pallet issue and they can get in the way but Uboats are so much better and easier. I can break down one pallet onto two Uboats basically.

Also if you go onto workbench and look to the left side there is a link called FDC schedules or something like that. Its right where it says Mytime and MyTime Self Services etc. From there you can see closer to what time your truck will arrive and the size of it.