Archived Softlines Flow: How often do you come clean?

[2Spooky4U]

How often do you guys have everything out on the floor before you head out? Any tips, tricks, ideas for a quicker and more efficient means of getting done in a timely manner?

The reason I ask is my team often has trouble coming clean, even just on carts. We get quite a bit in each morning, but even with just maybe four team members with 4 or 5 hours a head, we hardly ever finish and often have to have team members from other departments come in to help out.

 

[missionimpossible]

We get clean other than shoes almost every day. Can't really help with the specifics though. We generally have 3 or 4 people over there.

 

[Him]

When I helped over in soft lines, I had a person break out basics, a person breakdown hanging, a runner, (person who placed the broken down hanging on the z bars separated by brand and gender). Afterward everything was broken down, we'd wave through all the basics as per dept (mens, intimates )etc. during the wave, one of us broke off to push shoes. To finish the shift, we worked the hanging softlines as a wave until our shifts were completed. If not clean, I'd partner with an opening TL as to anything we couldn't get to.

 

[BackroomAlpha]

Line them carts up and organize organization! Its all about how fast and efficient breakout goes. Thats literally about all you can do to guide them. The rest is on how fast they wanna work.

 

[IHeartCarts]

Seems like they do an awful lot of chatting over there...

 

[Yetive]

Our SL team comes clean most of the time. 5 people. They all breakout pallets, then head to their separate areas. There is no way anyone from HL would come help. The SL team are always willing to stay if needed as well. One of the SL ladies is scheduled FR after truck (3 per week) so if they are behind, she can finish up while answering phones.

 

[calimero]

One tm breakout and backstock
And 3 tms running ( each have specific departments) , we come clean every truck !
We use 28 hrs per truck day !

 

[graffiti]

My store recently moved SL breakout/push to a dayside, "salesfloor" process (along with market), so it's down to two TMs (one breaking out, one pushing) and ???? backstocking (usually no one until backroom gets tired of seeing it). We probably get done 3 out of 5 days a week now, with our small/average freight days getting done as long as someone from HL flow gets put in Infant HL so we don't have to do that too. Big trucks and doubles are a nightmare, but they've at least helped my hours to skyrocket...

I've gone through all sorts of ways of doing breakout, though, and I think the most efficient method is a full team (4-5) breakout split into two areas, one for hanging and one for carts. One TM (usually from the less heavy side) sorts through pallets as they come out and moves repacks and boxes to the appropriate side for those TMs to sort out. Then the TMs split up into their own dedicated areas to push, and help the others when finished in their own area. I've never experienced a HL team willing (or permitted) to help out SL, so having a softlines-trained TM pushing Infant HL is nice as they can help out SL afterwards, and vice versa if SL finishes first.

I've yet to see my grand vision in practice all at once, but those are the best elements of each process I've been a part of!

 

[Midoninger]

NEVER. but if flow isnt off the truck within an hour, how can they start off right? it takes flow an hours and half 2 hours to be off the truck at times.

 

[Noiinteam]

I'm a softlines flow tm. I disagree with sorting down repacks between tables and hanging. We have never done it that way. We have 20 carts and 7 racks. I get a pallet, drop it and we just grab boxes and open them. Why waste time sorting them. We are a 6am process with 5 people. At 8 2 more come in (merchandiser tm) and push the z's. Lately softlines is getting slammed so they de trash with us till we get it done. We are not getting extra hrs. Everything gets done except shoes.

 

[graffiti]

I hadn't seen the split approach until arriving at my current store but it made a lot of sense to do it, because with those unmovable tables they use on the floor now plus mannequins and those heavy wheeled tables, we really only had the main racetracks to break out in, and with 16ish carts and 8-10 racks, the breakout spanned almost the whole width of softlines with nowhere to really line up 5-8 pallets waiting to be worked (especially when they only were only giving us 2-3 TMs to do it by the end there). Plus it really helped eliminate the footsteps of a single TM walking from one end of the racks to the other end of the carts. My previous store had the space (and lower volume) to encircle the whole breakout area with vehicles, so we did a central breakout station there.