Any advice on how to effectively (mainly from a time stand-point) research shoes since they are "making it look full". It's a nightmare to research to begin with, the flexing is out of hand within 1 hour of the first "overstock" coming out of the back room and I am now at a total loss on how to get out of there before the store closes - or lunch 🙂 How can we replenish when they refuse to allow the processes in place to work? Am I overthinking this??
Archived Non-MPG flexed pogs
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doggygirl10
Instocks TM
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I would put colored dots on the display shoes that are discontinued & let them flex only other dcode shoes there. If it is just a free for all lets make it look full situation there is no way you can scan at all there.
We have NO input at all. The TL and ETL have decided that the shoe aisles need to be filled. My ETL was informed after the fact by e-mail. I asked if they were planning to maintain the flex within the planogram or if they could share the plan with me and was told by the tm that was filling the aisle that she was told to make it look full and that there would be no backstock from the 2 tubs of shoes that were sitting there. I did not research it today and talked to my ETL to discuss how they intend to replenish an area that will probably not be researched again until they put it back to planogram. He asked me to give him a day. This is the kind of s$*t that makes me get very upset when they start talking about how effective or ineffective instocks is. Does ANYONE get how the processes are interdependent????? Smart people making lots of money have figured this stuff out and I want to know why some $14/hour yahoo thinks that they should just do whatever they feel like!!!! .....RANT OVER.....maybe.
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Try store tie & the backroom qty reports. It will help you pull all d-code & nop stuff from the backroom, is my suggestion.
Rock Lobster
Executive Team Leader
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That is how I feel about every single best practice! I see TLs so quick to throw out best practices out the window because their way works better (supposedly) when in reality if you took the time to implement the new practice CORRECTLY it would all be more efficient!
On topic, I would find a way to mark the shoes as dcoded (such as color dots on displays like doggygirl suggested) to give you a sign of what sections in a non MPG aisle you can flex versus ones that should stay open and be researched! More likely than not, the empty spots are the item replaces in those aisles and you need a way to fill those spaces up, but since shoes has no prices you can just flex it without covering those labels up to save time! Flexing the whole aisles sacrifices POG integrity like you said... I would add on to that and say you should check the PTM Fill Areas at a Glance report, which will tell you if those departments will be going MPG in the future and when (so you can make decisions to pull label strips and flex early or not)
How does this help to research a flexed area? I'm not sure I understand what you're saying.
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With the store tie app, it will get the dead weigh stuff out of the backroom to fill the shelves before it goes clearance. Sorry for the confusion.
We used to mark the d-codes, but our StL has told us that it is a waste of everyone's time. The empty spots are actually active items. Our sales have been outrageously high - almost 50k over forecast this week alone and it's only Thursday. I would say that my team is on top of all of the standard instock "tricks" to predict department activity. This area is NOT one that is changing soon. TL said she is not expecting replenishment for another week - hhahahaha - keep waiting, honey! My question is not how to maintain a breaking planogram but how to replenish one that is not maintained as an active one.
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AlsO, using the ptm option to max on the all apps, should help too. The key is, if everything is located. Just in case, do a visual in backroom for stupid stuff like winter boots under that dept number in the backroom.
Our StL told us that this is not the job of the instocks team. Neither is the backroom detail report (we should let the backroom take care of this - it's their job) and that anything that is NOP should stay backstocked. I am not asking about how to fill the aisle and I am all over what I call "clearance prevention". I guess I'm not stating my question correctly. I'll have to think about how to restate it.
A PTM fill on a non-mpg aisle will not bring any carry forward items out of the backroom.
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At least try it!
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Try the backroom qty report on workbench, it has multi options. Also, read up on store tie best practice, it help you too. It is great reading!
Our StL is kind of (cough, cough) a micromanager. He checks our reports daily and is all over instocks like white on rice with the priorities of task lists and MPG planogram report (every mpg planogram needs to have had at least one pull completed within a week or less). I don't really need advice on how to fill an aisle (if they'd zone the damn shoe department the night before research I'm pretty sure my tl would not tell me to skip it due to zone and move on to other areas- and maybe it would be FULL the week before Easter!!!! - sorry another temper tantrum!) so I'll look at those reports tomorrow to see how they will help me do research on a flexed non-mpg aisle that is rarely stocked or zoned correctly. Hopefully it will help.
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At least, try it. Say nothing. See what happens!
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We zone to plano, then fill the holes with D-coded items using a price cut shelf label holder with the dcoded label in it. Makes Dcoded easy to spot.
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I really like that idea!
We've been using this method for video games and they are now trying it in shoes - but not filling with d-code.
Rock Lobster
Executive Team Leader
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Its funny that this was mentioned... I usually suggest this all the time in tons of departments! I'm surprised I didn't think to mention it! For some reason its a fit all fix to keep something full without breaking the planogram! Now that I think about it I would do this...
1) Zone the shoes back to planogram (probably focus on an aisle at a time)...
2) Research all the shoes accurately and dot them like normal on Thursdays
3) For the first week no flexing (give it time to react), then begin the flip label process HOWEVER go off the LRD while researching... you don't want to overflex (this is a waste of payroll to fill a hole that will be filled in a few days)... If the LRD is from the Thursday before (hence a week old... this is a safe amount of time to wait for replenishment) then I would put a flip label over it and flex dcoded shoes into its spot (or even just same style different size)...
4) As item replaces come up, handle them like your ETL and TL have set up for you! If its marking the display in a special way do that, if its something else work with what you got!
5) As soon as aisle goes MPG (or you know its going MPG a week or so in advance) begin pulling label strips and following PTM best practice in shoes!
All of your suggestions are good and ones that I would do except you're sort of missing the point in that they do not want the aisles put to planogram, they want every spot filled at all times,they do not care whether an item is discontinued or waiting for the next set, they do not want to follow best practice for filling outs, they do not want to listen to any suggestions made by the instocks team or the instocks team lead. They DO want us to research according to schedule and IMO they are f**king nuts. "They" are the softlines leadership team. I know what SHOULD be done, but based on the FUBAR situation I am now dealing with I need a time effective way to accomplish their ridiculous demand with a smile on my face. My TL said to let them research it themselves next week and they can see what a mess they have created. The other option would be to not research it at all, forgo replenishment and let the **** hit the fan when the department is completely empty and there aren't any more quick fix solutions. Tough love? I could live with myself.
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On nop & dcode, backroom qty report may work for you.
Rock Lobster
Executive Team Leader
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Just go with what they want... you guys have given them the tools to improve the situation and used all the ideas at your disposal! If they want to continue on a non best practice solution then that is fine... As long as you can speak to why you don't research shoes and what they are doing to "keep it full" then its their area and their mistake to make!
walruses
Former Softlines TL
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They need a reality check. planogrammed areas cannot be flexed. I would say that if your store is having issues with *needing* to flex out shoes because it looks so empty you should reference the weekly instocks update report. If it is not showing a recovery date, perhaps you need a class adjustment through your DTL. My store is not having issues with shoe instocks.
Honestly I would not do shoe research unless its follow up after a reset. I do not know a store that can devote the resources to upkeep the zone to where any count adjustments you would make would only be driving shortage and clearance in the long run. Out scan the hell out of it to keep the flow piece in place and not fill your backroom up. I know how you feel about the not being on process part but softlines tables and infants are higher priorities for your Thursday scan time. You can't raincheck a shoe so take your cue from that, you have what you have.
We wouldn't be either if they actually zoned and let us research correctly. I guess it doesn't help that our sales are outrageously over forecast and shoes are flying out the door. I am not sure what a class adjustment is, but I will check it out tomorrow.
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