Archived Store getting downgraded an Org. Chart

[LogisticsPeon]

I'm in an A-Volume Super T. It used to be at A+ Volume store back in 2009 before I got hired and was at even higher volumes before the economy went into the tank.

In any case...

When Fiscal Year 2010 ended (in January of '11), we were able to make sales just enough to hold onto our "A". But it was close, like, less than $1 million from the cut-off.

This year...well, we did just as well, BUT! If you'll recall, a few months ago, I started a thread about my store losing power on and off for two days (over a weekend!) and as a result losing all the coolers and freezers (and dairy, deli, bakery, meat, etc),....IN ANY CASE, the KILLED our business for, like, a week. We lost somewhere around $500K-$900K in sales.

Fast forward to now, a few days before the end of the fiscal year and it looks like we're going to be about $800K below the cut-off mark for yearly sales to maintain our A-status.

And if we go down to B-Volume...its not going to be good. We lose a few TL's, etc, etc. But the worst part is, overnight BR goes to 4AM which means they're going to overlap with dayside! AHHH!!!

And the thing is, we'll be just as busy as we are now, have just as much merchandise going through the store, but with fewer man-hours.

Can anyone in-the-know inform me a little better on the whole process of how they completely determine store volumes? I've heard our STL is going to try and convince corporate not to lower us to B-volume, but, is that actually possible?

Anyone know what a B-volume org. chart for a Super T looks like?

I'm a bit concerned...

 

[Rock Lobster]

Wow that is similar to our case, around that volume we were trending up and just missed sales... so we had to go a whole year doing A (almost A+) volume sales at a B Org Chart and 4AM process (it sucked...)

If you guys go to a 4AM process you lose a lot of TL headcounts for logistics and maybe a few floor ones (I think 1 less HL if I remember right?).... For the sake of your store (not to sound negative) I really hope your STL has a good relationship with your DTL and can convince him to allow you guys to retain your volume! I honestly think it could happen, it just depends on your DTL (and maybe GTL)... I doubt many here have had experience with this kind of decision making...

 

[LogisticsPeon]

For the sake of your store (not to sound negative) I really hope your STL has a good relationship with your DTL and can convince him to allow you guys to retain your volume! I honestly think it could happen, it just depends on your DTL (and maybe GTL)... I doubt many here have had experience with this kind of decision making...

Thing about that is... And I'm going to be WAYYYY too specific when I say this, but...

Our STL is leaving soon. He's going to Canada to help convert a Zellers to a Target. In any case, he's got a good enough relationship with corporate that he's able to transfer in tandem with...another family member...

So...yeah, They like him. I hope he's successful, if that kind of thing happens.

 

[Rock Lobster]

I barely have any idea what my STL is planning, let alone some other district's DTL and GTL 🙂 I hope you don't have to downgrade that volume, because making the 4AM transition is one of the toughest moves to make!

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

It can be done. What are your store sales?

 

[tellmeaboutatime]

We did it too. 4 am is awfully hard if you are not given the payroll to get the job done. Our RWT goal is usually around 1:30 simply because we do not have the payroll to unload and stock. The team is scheduled until 10 am. The team is working their collective behinds off to beat the actual goal , and we do by an hour on average. But we still get called out because we didn't make payroll. Our trucks are still averaging 2500. I feel like i am fighting a fixed game. You really need a supportive leadership team to make it work. Some are more so than others.you lose so much in actual productivity, moving pallets off the floor at store open, trying to find enough flats so you can get the product on the floor. You will become the cleanup team too. Product from end caps an mini will become yours to back stock. And if you are not completely unloaded by 6 when vendors come in, it is a cluster f&&k.

 

[invictustaylor]

We did it too. 4 am is awfully hard if you are not given the payroll to get the job done. Our RWT goal is usually around 1:30 simply because we do not have the payroll to unload and stock. The team is scheduled until 10 am. The team is working their collective behinds off to beat the actual goal , and we do by an hour on average. But we still get called out because we didn't make payroll. Our trucks are still averaging 2500. I feel like i am fighting a fixed game. You really need a supportive leadership team to make it work. Some are more so than others.you lose so much in actual productivity, moving pallets off the floor at store open, trying to find enough flats so you can get the product on the floor. You will become the cleanup team too. Product from end caps an mini will become yours to back stock. And if you are not completely unloaded by 6 when vendors come in, it is a cluster f&&k.

I love it when they are hurting to save payroll, so the 4am flowteam shows up to a 2200 + piece truck. The team is already tired and shorthanded, but at huddle they tell you that payroll is not being made, and it's important that we have the whole truck pushed and we are done by 8:00am. It's such a joke, it takes about 2 hours to unload the truck, and it's no secret that it's going to be a 2:30 day, if they are lucky. That's why I no longer pay attention to goal times or payroll.

 

[LogisticsPeon]

It can be done. What are your store sales?

I really have no idea. All I know is that we're going to be roughly $500-$800K below the cut-off for whatever A/B-volumes is.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

All the stuff that was lost in the freezer will be paid by insurance.
Ck the huddle form posted on wall in tsc. It should listed sales on the top left side.

 

[LogisticsPeon]

Huddle sheet was outdated by about 4 days, but sales are ~$53 million, -0.2% from projections.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

I am org chart 3, non super t, roughly similar sales too, since 2009.
Does your super t have a full service grocery? Org charts will be f1 to f4.
Store reports on workbench can tell you too.

 

[LogisticsPeon]

It says we're volume A-plus, org chart 4, 2010 sales of 53.3 million. I think we ended this year with 53.1 million. Full grocery.

 

[LogisticsPeon]

So I was wrong, we wouldn't be going down to B, just down to A.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

It's a good thing to know your org chart size & sales.

 

[LogisticsPeon]

Ok, got a bit more info...

I did some research on workbench and found last year's list of stores approved for overnight logistics. According to that list a store's "E-sales" must be $43.6 million+ in order to have an overnight logistics process. UNLESS those stores are exempt because of...something....it was a long list of 3-syllible abbreviations. SVP, JVP, etc, etc. Something like that. I can't remember what they were.

Anyways, as it turns out (and unbeknownst to me), General Merchandise and Grocery are two seperate amounts when it comes to determining store volume and org charts.

Even though we nearly matched last year's total sales, our GM sales went down while our Grocery sales gained, like, 7%.
And apparently, our GM sales number is closer to $43 million, but close enough to the $43.6 million mark where we might be able to talk our way out of a 4AM logistics process while still going down an Org. Chart.

Its all very complicated. But apparently exemptions for overnight logistics processes exist, I'm just not sure of those circumstances as I'm not down with corporate abreviations.

Like I was told, corporate hasn't made a decision yet, but we're being prepared just in case.