Archived Some miscellaneous questions

[Targetdude]

I'm only a HL team member (and a back up cashier), so I don't NEED to know the answers to these questions, but I'm still curious.


What's the difference between pre-transition merchandise, "price change" cafs and "challenge...to be reworked" cafs?

Also, when you scan a suspend slip to go back into it, multiple options appear on the screen. I've only used a few of them so far (i.e. "forgot coupon" ). Does anyone know off the top of their head what the rest of the f2 -f6 options are (the ones that appear immediately after you scan a suspend slip) and what they're used for?



My last question: When I was playing around with the signing feature on my PDA I noticed there were multiple options. 7X11 signs are usually used for endcaps, I'd guess. Where abouts would the 3x5 signs and the 3x3 signs normally be placed?

 

[StaticSun]

Usually:

7x11 endcaps
3x5 in the aisle
3x3 for cosmetics, or small peg hooks.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Challenge happens when product is not worked out to all sf locations. Signing feature should be covered in your learning plan. You should of done that already.

 

[Ajax11]

...
What's the difference between pre-transition merchandise, "price change" cafs and "challenge...to be reworked" cafs?
...

Pre-transition merchandise - generally discontinued product that is used to fill space in aisles to keep them full and to hopefully get sold before the item goes clearance. Transitions are when the aisles reset completely to get new items onto the aisles and discontinued items are removed.

Price change cafs - computer generated pulls of backroom items that are going to be marked as clearance the following day.

 

[Retail Girl]

I'm only a HL team member (and a back up cashier), so I don't NEED to know the answers to these questions, but I'm still curious.


Also, when you scan a suspend slip to go back into it, multiple options appear on the screen. I've only used a few of them so far (i.e. "forgot coupon" ). Does anyone know off the top of their head what the rest of the f2 -f6 options are (the ones that appear immediately after you scan a suspend slip) and what they're used for?

When you scan a suspend slip, it should just bring up the order to where it was left off when it was suspended. The functions you are thinking of only show up when you scan a receipt of a completed order.

 

[mrknownothing]

Pre-transition merchandise - generally discontinued product that is used to fill space in aisles to keep them full and to hopefully get sold before the item goes clearance. Transitions are when the aisles reset completely to get new items onto the aisles and discontinued items are removed.

Price change cafs - computer generated pulls of backroom items that are going to be marked as clearance the following day.

GTC to you for your great answer!

When you scan a suspend slip, it should just bring up the order to where it was left off when it was suspended. The functions you are thinking of only show up when you scan a receipt of a completed order.

This.

 

[salesfloor10]

I'm only a HL team member (and a back up cashier), so I don't NEED to know the answers to these questions, but I'm still curious.


What's the difference between pre-transition merchandise, "price change" cafs and "challenge...to be reworked" cafs?

Price change is items that are to be marked down for clearance. CAFS are Computer Automated Fills (pulled hourly 11am-5pm) to replenish items that have sold down throughout the day. Challenge is items that should fit on the floor from the truck push (I could be wrong). Pre-transition merchandise is to be worked to the floor to improve the look of the aisle before it is reset by the planogram (POG) team. It is also helpful to set PTM merchandise before it goes clearance to improve profit made.

My last question: When I was playing around with the signing feature on my PDA I noticed there were multiple options. 7X11 signs are usually used for endcaps, I'd guess. Where abouts would the 3x5 signs and the 3x3 signs normally be placed?

7x11 is used for endcaps, yes, and in softlines. 3x5 signs are the small signs for individual items and can be used on endcaps, in aisles, etc. 3x3 signs are smaller signs for smaller areas or for peg hooks.

 

[ptl]

Regarding Challenge:

There is a program running on your store's server called the Sales Accumulator System, or SAS. This program keeps track of how many of each DPCI can fit out on your floor at once (the capacity) as well as how many of that item have been sold/received off a truck/pulled from the stockroom. This is how the CAFs are generated--the SAS notices that an item has sold down to its trigger point (say it has a capacity of 10 and now 6 have been sold without any being pulled from the back, so it has a "need" of 60% of its capacity), so it puts that item into the next CAF batch.

When the Flow team is unloading a truck, they scan each item and the SAS determines if they should backstock it or push it to the floor. It also checks the DCI (the truck's packing list, basically), so it knows exactly how many of that item were on the truck. If it thinks that ALL of the item should fit out to the floor (say only 8 came on the truck and the SAS thinks the sales floor currently has room for 12), the item is flagged in the system as "Challenge." If someone tries to backstock that item within 24 hours of it coming off the truck, their PDA will challenge them, by asking: "This item should be pushed to the floor, are you sure you want to backstock it? Y/N" The TM can override the challenge by hitting Y and backstocking it, but they aren't supposed to. They're supposed to send all the Challenge merchandise back to the floor for someone to double check on it. Then, if it really is backstock, they can override the challenge prompt and backstock it after all.

(In fact, the system tries to keep track of whether or not we're following that best practice. There's a DTK score that is hurt by overriding a challenge prompt the FIRST time it comes up for a given item on a given day, but is not affected by overriding a challenge prompt the second time--or later--for that same item. So if you're backstocking and get a challenge prompt--and are sure it's really backstock--it's always a good idea to go ahead and hit N, then scan it again and hit Y, just in case.)

 

[Formina Sage]

Which DTK score, Backstock %? Interesting, I've never checked the i-button for that score so I never knew that!

 

[ptl]

Which DTK score, Backstock %? Interesting, I've never checked the i-button for that score so I never knew that!

Think so. I'd have to check. I haven't been a BRTL for about five years now (Heck, for that matter I guess they could have even taken that out of the metric since then. I don't know why they would, but it's possible.)

 

[Targetdude]

Thank you all for the answers, especially the lengthy ones :excited:

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

It happens mostly bts now. Keep it in a case pack, the backroom will love you. You can only push so much to bts & other locations.