Logistics Is your backroom more "well-organized" than ever before?

[PackAndCry]

Well, based on HQ saying that "our teams are telling us that their back rooms have never been so well-organized going into a holiday season" (yes, really), thought it'd be worth asking- are we really telling them that? Let's hear it!

I know at my store, the line itself is probably more clear, but that's because all the unworked freight is piled on vehicles instead of falling off pallets. However, that mess has been replaced by the total disaster on the light-duty side, where there's tons of unworked backstock and every nook and cranny is stuffed with toy and seasonal backstock. Since the post-modernization TMs aren't really experts on how pulls and such work, there's also many more errors and items backstocked into inappropriate locations (casepacks in wacos, open stock on the top shelf of the aisle, etc). I also would like to note that part of the backstock issue is because of all the casepacks that get pulled as part of the one-for-one stupidity.

 

[Ringwraith917]

It was pretty good. Then the seasonals plus the tons of additional freight beginning this month screwed it up.

 

[balthrop]

well organized pile of fetid fecal matter with a sprinkling of death and decay for added ambiance

 

[TargetSigningHo]

Ours has been better after modernization. Everyone does their own backstock. The line is cleared by 2-3pm. Before, we would have a bunch of pallets for blackline in the backroom blocking my way from pulling batches for plano. It's been nice honestly. Location accuracy has suffered a bit but that's about it.

 

[flow4areasonuno]

Ours has been better after modernization. Everyone does their own backstock. The line is cleared by 2-3pm. Before, we would have a bunch of pallets for blackline in the backroom blocking my way from pulling batches for plano. It's been nice honestly. Location accuracy has suffered a bit but that's about it.

Unicorns DO exist! Probably living in the land of Good Payroll though

 

[BoxCutter]

Ours is much better than last year at this time when modernization kicked in, but not as good as pre-modernization.

 

[Nauzhror]

Better organized than when we had an actual backroom team? Lol, of course not.

Ours is relatively "clean", but shit is not backstocked into the aisles it should be usually.

 

[oath2order]

Weirdly, yes.

 

[qmosqueen]

If you don’t count the 7 pallets in the 4 th trailer and the other 6 out in the storage units in the parking lot then yes it’s organized.

 

[flow4areasonuno]

If you don’t count the 7 pallets in the 4 th trailer and the other 6 out in the storage units in the parking lot then yes it’s organized.

Wow. How did that happen??

 

[Fluttervale]

It's worse now than it was a month ago but light years better than it was six months ago.

 

[Staffwoman]

It's worse now than it was a month ago but light years better than it was six months ago.

Ours fluctuates. Overall, worse than before modernization. Sometimes it's impossible to get through the third aisle.

 

[SigningLady]

Main aisles of our backroom are much cleaner than they used to be. Fillgroup aisles though....mostly chaos.

 

[rd123]

Some days Yes and sometimes No.. but most of the days by 2-3 pm it looks decent.

 

[IWishIKnew]

They've started trying to organize fill groups by product line or aisles, whichever makes sense. People don't always pay attention, or aren't always able to because sometimes product for that section overfills it, but there are efforts being made to make it a little more logical. Other than that, the backroom hasn't been any more or less messy or crowded since modernization, it depends on what's going on.

 

[Antennae]

We switched to the ladderless backroom but that's resulted in the "new top shelf" being stacked 3-4 boxes high, and people still using the ladders to put stuff on the very top of the aisles. So right now getting casepacks is not efficient at all.

When I'm looking for item(s) for OPU I'll spot check backstock in the aisles I'm in, and to no one's surprise, a lot of stuff is not located. Probably a mix of not scanning things back in and leaving it when pulling mancafs/autos to push less.

But by god are our aisles clean and nothing blocks pathways any more. Spot definitely cares about worker safety. Totally had nothing to do with that BI article a few months ago and seeing our DSD in the back more often than she used to be before that happened.

 

[Aredhel]

Been gone awhile. I visit the store every few months. It appears to have improved but is absolutely nothing like the receiving/ back room that preceded Modernization. Those areas were clear of freight, clean and organized. We were great by eight and clean and green.

 

[FlowTeamChick]

It isn't absolutely fabulous, but I have to say that for the most part, it's pretty darn good. There was a stretch when it was a complete disaster, post dedicated BR team and pre-DBO when everyone was responsible for (and actually doing) their own back stocking.
Some BR aisles are more ladder-less than others, especially at this time of year. Was up (way up to the top shelf) and down the ladder don't know how many times back stocking bedding that's probably extra for non-Black Friday holiday stock.
And I do have one shelf of wacos that I can't use because they don't register and items stowed there disappear from the system. My Supported it once but now I'm just waiting until after 4th quarter to try and iron out glitches that aren't major issues.

 

[Selfish]

Pre-modernization backrooms should always have looked better than post-modernization ones. Black line freight should have been getting pulled into light duty as it was filling up, and should have been completely backstocked not long after the unload finished. Backstock from the floor should have been pulled in after, starting at the tail end of the backroom and ending at the start, where the doors are. It should then have been backstocked working toward the back, so that the entrance was cleared first. Even with doubles, there was never a day that we rolled backstock.

The line looked even better pre-modernization. The second the unload finished, there was no freight left on or around the line. It was all taken to the floor. Now we have an entire truck's worth of freight sitting on vehicles for even hours after the unload, along with far too much traffic in receiving. In fact, traffic is the number one issue for us. There are too many people in the backroom, to the point where it becomes near impossible to navigate. When you had just 2-3 TMs in the backroom, you could work efficiently and with a plan. Now it's just chaotic. When there were just 2-3 TMs in the backroom, you could hold them accountable. If they weren't performing well enough, they went back to Flow. Now you're stuck with what you have unless you want a revolving door of New Team Members. Some people just aren't suited to the backroom, just as some aren't suited to the salesfloor.

 

[IWishIKnew]

I think having our store be an "enhanced" SFS location would prevent us from ever trying to go ladderless. I wouldn't mind a ladderless back room, to be sure, I just can't see it happening at my store.

Some people just aren't suited to the backroom, just as some aren't suited to the salesfloor.

Ain't that the truth. I don't mind most BR tasks, and definitely don't mind the break from guests, but I'm short and not very strong and not a fan of the Wave so dealing with anything bulky or heavy from on high is not fun, and not what I signed up for. C'est la vie.