Archived SFS Advice Wanted

[SpotSeesTarget]

I got a job last October with the red and khaki store and I worked last holiday season in SFS. Now, I plan to transfer from the front lanes to SFS, but if I'm working back there, I'm likely to be scheduled alone all day with no help and 100+ orders.

Does anyone have any helpful tips and tricks with efficiency so that I'm not always finishing SFS 5 minutes before the deadline? (I'm usually on a 8-4:30 shift when I do work SFS). I need all the help I can get; the backroom and fulfillment at my store are normally huge dumpster fires.

 

[ServerError404]

Use myAlerts and check the "Flexible Fulfillment" box for notifications on new orders & goal times

If you're having trouble finding an item

• Use myWork to view current on-hand counts, last received dates (if it's still working) and last sold dates to gain contextual information about the item.
• Check around the department aisles and clearance endcaps to see if a guest picked up the item and placed it somewhere else.
• In the backroom: check backstock carts, WACOs in the fillgroup aisle that the item belongs to, and casepacks
• Use any RFID readers you have to locate items that are RFID-enabled (softlines, some domestics)
• Check out the Flexible Fulfillment thread for more info

 

[Bosch]

You are going to have to have help, be that the backroom have your area clear, carts ready for you to use and help from the softlines people who can tell you where things are, of if they have even made it to the floor yet so you can bypass the floor for that item. My advice make friends, you gonna need them. But if your backroom is a shit show which mine is. This week looks like 4th quarter since they are just not even coming close to finishing a truck you may end up cutting losses on some items.

You will have to get your own way of picking a batch that is as quick as possible but you leave yourself time to double check areas for items you missed on the first pass. And knowing the store pathing ours is on crack so I have skip items to avoid backtracking a lot. I tend to pick some, pack some so I never feel so far behind that I feel buried. Sometimes this is so I have a cart to pick into.

And get your packing station if you are using it the most don't be shy about moving things so they are faster for you. I load boxes a certain way so I never have to flip them over to tape the bottom they all come out of the racks upside down. Or they face so the box number is facing me so if I need to read which one its easy to see. I also have the pallet spaces next to the packing desk the one on the ground has the pallets of the boxes we use most so we never need to get pallets down to restock. The higher the pallets the slower we use those boxes. We keep extra air speed boxes under the desk so we don't have to drop a pallet to change it out, same with extra tape for the guns and machine. The supply pallet all the boxes are labeled so you can just look and see what you need so you don't have to hunt on the pallet to find the right size prep bags and what not.

My store has multiple stock rooms one is horrid for being able to get your cart in the stockroom so it gets parked outside. I take a picture of the cart label you scan items to and just pick that entire stock room locations scanning my phone as if it were my cart. And just carry out the entire load in one trip.

Some of it is just doing it and finding what works and what you need, your list will be different from mine, and every other SFS person out there..

 

[JohnSith373]

If you're having trouble finding an item

• Use myWork to view current on-hand counts, last received dates (if it's still working) and last sold dates to gain contextual information about the item.
• In the backroom: check backstock carts, WACOs in the fillgroup aisle that the item belongs to, and casepacks

Be reseaonable with the receive and sold date. If it was received in the last few days, check backstock/push carts and on the line. If it was sold at in the last week, check at guest service and any reshop carts. If the receive and sold date extends beyond 40 days, it’s most likely unlocated in the back.

When checking the back, be in your batch looking for the item and scan the case pack labels if it seems like a case pack amount . Make sure volume is up to hear the confirmation beep.

 

[PackAndCry]

Fun fact: myWork doesn't show negative on-hands. Audit does.

 

[spotlife]

You'll have to partner with your ETL logistics and your LOD. Check in when you first clock in. Hey this is Jimmy. I have 130 to pick. Check in every two hours or so. Check in at 12 before lunch. Hey I'm going to lunch I still have around 65 to pick. I might need support as I can't finish everything alone. At least this way either you get support or cover your ass. If the store leadership cares about metrics they'll get you support and it shows you're being proactive.

 

[ServerError404]

Fun fact: myWork doesn't show negative on-hands. Audit does.

If it’s an RFID enabled item, the RFID app will also show negative on-hands.

 

[PackAndCry]

If it’s an RFID enabled item, the RFID app will also show negative on-hands.

Not always, from what I've noticed. Sometimes it shows "unavailable" and "unknown" and it seems to be unreliable in general.

 

[therealtd]

Not always, from what I've noticed. Sometimes it shows "unavailable" and "unknown" and it seems to be unreliable in general.

Maybe it's just me, but I've noticed over the past month or so that 90% of the items come up as unavailable for me on the on hand count...it's very annoying.

 

[MOVEbatch]

If you have to go to the backroom to try to locate a softlines item that's not on the floor, try to pay attention to what all is hanging back there so the next time you can't find something you might be able to recall if you've seen it.

Check the fitting room rack and reshop at guest services. Every now and then I get lucky and find what I'm looking for (one time it was actually IN the fitting room with someone...I waited about ten minutes and came back, and the shirt was hanging on the rack).

For girls and boys clothing, I'll check both departments if it's something like a basic folded t-shirt or sweatpants - sometimes they get put in the wrong place. Same with infant/toddler stuff.

Always check clearance racks and endcaps. Clearance items aren't supposed to be SFS eligible, but sometimes guests like to just throw shit wherever rather than put it back. I've also occasionally had it happen where an item goes on clearance THAT DAY, and the order was from the previous evening. I'm not sure if that's supposed to happen, but it has.

Really, one of the biggest things is to just know when to give up. If you're spending too much time looking for each thing that's not RFID enabled and says it was last received more than a month ago, you won't be able to finish by goal time. Make an effort, but be realistic. Just pay attention to how many things you INF and keep an eye on the INF percentage when it updates each hour.

If you're worried that you're running short on time but you think you might want to spend more time looking for an item, you can always pause the batch and see if you have time to look after you've picked everything else. If you don't, it's easy to open up that cart and just INF the item.

I'm usually by myself for eight hour shifts (usually 8 - 4:30 or 8:30 -5), and if it's under 150 DPCIs when I start I can usually get done on time and keep INF green. It usually depends on how hard it is to find things, how many new orders drop in, and how many OPUs pop up that I have to stop everything and pick. If you're fairly certain you won't be done on time, let the LOD know and they can get you some help (same thing with packing in the afternoon - let the LOD know at least an hour before goal time if you don't think you'll be done. It's their job to get you help). Some days you just get slammed and it's impossible for one person to keep up. It's my biggest frustration with the job, honestly. Every day is different but leadership doesn't always seem to understand that even if the order numbers start out the same two mornings in a row, it doesn't mean you can't be fine by yourself one day and struggling the next.

Good luck!

 

[LearningTree]

Definitely know when to give up and when to ask for help. If it's the last of the item and it hasn't been received/sold in over a month, don't spend more than a few minutes looking for it. Check the aisle it should be in, check the clearance endcaps in that area, and briefly check in with the TM working in that area. If you still can't find it go ahead and INF (ASANTS but you may need to check in with LOD before INF anything).

Know all of your resources. If Move is sending you to a certain aisle and it's not there, take the initiative to check elsewhere on that aisle and/or partner with the TMs working in that area. I've often found that it's just an issue of zoning and the item's just a few feet over. If you have a large softlines batch immediately make your LOD aware and partner with the softlines TMs. Those are notorious for being hard to find. At my store we'll call over the TL and the LOD and split the batch in half (no way to do this Move. Someone just writes down DPCIs and brings them to the Flex TM once they've found them). TL and Flex TM work together and the LOD works alone. We're usually able to find more and INF less this way.

Make sure your alerts are turned on. If you get an alert saying you're approaching goal, communicate with the LOD what's going on. Are you placing the items into hold/packing them now? Are you stuck on an item? Do you have a large batch? Depending on the STL's directives, LODs may check in every time that alert pops up so don't wait until they call you on the walkie. Be proactive and let them know what's going on. This is very much ASANTS as different DTLs may have different focuses. My DTL doesn't want any missed goals. He cares more about this than INF so the LODs in my store are very intense about meeting goal times.

Don't be afraid to talk to your LOD about making some changes to improve efficiency. I've let my team work out of uniform so that they're not stopped every few minutes by guests and are then able to get their batches done quicker. I've also printed off cart locations onto tags for them so that they can use the regular shopping carts to better blend in. During the weekends when the service desk is crazy busy, I've pulled out the rolling racks with hold locations and stash it in the softlines stockroom. In my store it's right next to the service desk so still easily accessible to my SDTMs.

 

[ServerError404]

Not always, from what I've noticed. Sometimes it shows "unavailable" and "unknown" and it seems to be unreliable in general.

“Not available” typically means the current on-hand count is zero.

 

[sprinklesontop]

. I take a picture of the cart label you scan items to and just pick that entire stock room locations scanning my phone as if it were my cart.

^This is a brilliant little trick !

 

[Bosch]

^This is a brilliant little trick !

You just need to use a flash I have found with the Zebra, they like a nice bright photo at least with my S7 active Samsung.. But the zebra will scan the screen without problems if I take the pic that way. And I stole that idea from someone here.

Only downside is that your camera roll becomes filled with pics of cart labels.. Remember to delete at the end of the day.

 

[ServerError404]

^This is a brilliant little trick !

A better route is just to create a “fake cart” and copy and paste the subcart location into the text entry field at the top of the page for each item. The way that I like to do it is just to use my initials as the cart ID.

So, if my initials were XY, I’d tap on “Scan/Enter Cart” type in “SHPXY01”, copy it, and then hit enter. Then for each item, tap on the magnifying glass, and paste the text into the field and hit Enter. Works like a charm every time and it’s a lot faster than constantly whipping out your phone.

 

[sprinklesontop]

A better route is just to create a “fake cart” and copy and paste the subcart location into the text entry field at the top of the page for each item. The way that I like to do it is just to use my initials as the cart ID.

So, if my initials were XY, I’d tap on “Scan/Enter Cart” type in “SHPXY01”, copy it, and then hit enter. Then for each item, tap on the magnifying glass, and paste the text into the field and hit Enter. Works like a charm every time and it’s a lot faster than constantly whipping out your phone.

Smart !!!! Love the idea ! Thanks !

 

[Thunderbird1956]

If you're working alone time yourself. Know how long it takes you to find a cart of softlines, how long it takes to pack chemicals. Be able to set realistic expectations. You can look up the forecast on workbench or MPM2.0 so you can give realistic expectations to the LOD well in advance. If the LODs expectation becomes literally running through the store to pick faster or skipping breaks those are not a realistic expectations. Your best efficiency gains will come from being quick, knowing how your store generally works, and having fewer movements.

If in your store you're also responsible for OPU then make sure to take that time into account. If your packing in the backroom and it takes you 2.5 min to walk to guest services your fastest pick will always be 5 min round trip.

Unless they have worked SFS for more than a week I've found all the way up to the district level may not actually understand SFS. For example we've had LODs pick carts to help that actually create INFs as they pick the whole casepack or forget to scan out a collate when it's the last item in a cart.

 

[ServerError404]

If you're working alone time yourself. Know how long it takes you to find a cart of softlines, how long it takes to pack chemicals. Be able to set realistic expectations. You can look up the forecast on workbench or MPM2.0 so you can give realistic expectations to the LOD well in advance. If the LODs expectation becomes literally running through the store to pick faster or skipping breaks those are not a realistic expectations. Your best efficiency gains will come from being quick, knowing how your store generally works, and having fewer movements.

This, along with using MPM 2.0 to track your INF rates. The “Store Fufillment” section will show order flow and forecasts, along with daily INF rates for both OPU and SFS. Keep in mind these are not the weekly INF rates that are found in Workbench reports, but are based on INF rates for that day. The report updates once every hour.

It’s also useful to examine the reports generated for fulfillment on Workbench, so you can see how your store and your team is doing. They’re available on the “Store Fulfillment” section on the “Store Reports” page.

 

[gsa4lyfe]

Smart !!!! Love the idea ! Thanks !

I laminated a cart label and put it on my keys as well as one on all five backroom keys

 

[Bosch]

I laminated a cart label and put it on my keys as well as one on all five backroom keys

You have five sets of backroom keys.. We are lucky to have two working sets.. and SFS are not allowed to have one..

 

[gsa4lyfe]

You have five sets of backroom keys.. We are lucky to have two working sets.. and SFS are not allowed to have one..

Yeah we have quite a a few sets and typically have 2-3 backroom people in the middle of the day plus one set for sfs then another extra for someone who might be helping with pulls or usually the electronics TL will have a set

 

[Yetive]

We have a set of Ship keys.

 

[Bosch]

Yeah we have quite a a few sets and typically have 2-3 backroom people in the middle of the day plus one set for sfs then another extra for someone who might be helping with pulls or usually the electronics TL will have a set

Might be larger volume vs smaller volume.. Luckily the BRTL is always cool about helping out or the BRTM if they are close. Same with electronics, if I am picking off the floor they will just hand me the keys and let me just bring them back when I pick all the locations I need.. Worst case is that the backroom lockup location goes from being one of first things picked to the last as I make the lap around the store.

During 4th quarter it would be handy to have our own but the rest of the year, it would be nice but not needed.