Archived The Big & Dandy Backroom thread!

[asidius]

Did an empty location audit for the freezer today. 28 errors (!).

 

[crumbdumb]

They scheduled 2 daysiders on super busy Sunday, backstock was a dumpter fire.

They scheduled 3 daysiders on super slow Monday, we came clean with incredible ease.

Come the fuck on, Target...

 

[Kompa]

All the wire shelves are fucked up at my store

 

[mrknownothing]

When you pull price change, is it necessary to put in the number of items you see?

Yes but you technically have more leeway since if you type in a number, it will delete the item from the location. If there are 100 items in the location and you only press 1, the item is deleted. You should type in the correct quantity just to save your own butt.

I figured typing a number different from the actual quantity would cause an error. But then again, if you go into MyProgress and look at the batches, it'll say each batch has thousands and thousands of eaches. Apparently that makes sense according to Spot logic.

Did an empty location audit for the freezer today. 28 errors (!).

I've never done an ELA before. How does one go about it?

They scheduled 2 daysiders on super busy Sunday, backstock was a dumpter fire.

They scheduled 3 daysiders on super slow Monday, we came clean with incredible ease.

Come the fuck on, Target...

But proper scheduling would make too much sense. We can't have that happening now, can we?

 

[Guest]

I want to get some proof to "you got serve" my team lead on the backroom location accuracy. How do I look up the history of a specific location in the backroom? Can you also look up the location history of items? I need to know because I'm on trial. My team lead is accusing the backroom day team members of destroying the accuracy.


I don't back stock HOME items in PETS or GRC3 in SEA3. Seriously, why would a backroom team do that? You're either fucking lazy and not looking at your PDA screen or you're an idiot.

 

[SFSFun]

I've never done an ELA before. How does one go about it?

I want to get some proof to "you got serve" my team lead on the backroom location accuracy. How do I look up the history of a specific location in the backroom? Can you also look up the location history of items?

Go into the backroom menu in Store Applications on the signing PC and just mess around with it when you have a few minutes. That's how I learned to pull up empty location reports and backstock detail reports.

 

[pseudojon]

Looks like someone beat me to it but I'll put this up anyway.

Looking up empty locations is part of the backroom detail report. I don't have it in front of me but this should be right. Using the Store Apps on a PC (It should be the desktop link with the dog) will pull up a DOS-like interface. Different stores use different usernames and passwords for this. I know three for my store, but I don't know if those are the only ones. The password people use to print signs and labels should work. If you know how to print backroom location labels use that login info. This window can't use a mouse, use arrow keys to navigate. You need the backroom location entry. That should give you a couple options, one of which will be the backroom detail report. Select that and a regular window will pop up. You need to put in locations you want. You can specify an aisle, range of aisles, or a specific section within an aisle.

To print the empty location report you need to select the empty location radio button. You can either view or print the report. Viewing the report will pull up another window which infuriatingly cannot be resized. This will have a list of all the empty locations in the range you input. I usually find four or five unlocated pallets in receiving when I do this.

If you don't select the empty location radio button you will be given a list of everything in the range of locations. This can get excessively long, last week I pulled up the report for the PHAR locations and had 75 pages. This report is the one that shows who backstocked what last, so you can see who put a COSM item in with HIPA and the like. It'll tell you if an item is active, discontinued, clearance, or NOP too. I believe it will not tell you the team member who originally backstocked an item in a location, just who put one there last. For example if I backstock a case of La Croix in a location it can already be found in my name should overwrite the previous team member's name.

 

[mrknownothing]

when you have a few minutes.

If only that would ever happen at my store. With the way hours have been, we're lucky to finish pushing all the CAFs, let alone backstock and set the line.

 

[Guest]

So I need to look in store applications? I was completely lost. I thought it would be in workbench but I'll check store applications. I use store applications all the time to print backroom location labels.


The system is flawed when it comes to the backroom location accuracy right?
For example, if a morning backroom team member creates an error in a location but a dayside backroom team member is the last person on a given day to scan the location and the mistake isn't fixed, the dayside backroom team member is on the hook right? Since he/she was the last one to scan the location that day?

Is this normal for other stores for the backroom team lead to harshly accuse the backroom day team instead of actually being objective and thinking of all possibilities?

I just hate getting always blamed.


I'm not a perfect backroom team member but I'm not purposely back stocking items the wrong way. I always check the barcodes and actually look at the damn screen on my PDA.

I don't back stock HOME in PETS. I don't back stock 1 jar of fat free peanut butter and 3 jars of regular peanut butter as 4 under ONE dpci. I just don't. I have a brain.

 

[SFSFun]

The system is flawed when it comes to the backroom location accuracy right?
For example, if a morning backroom team member creates an error in a location but a dayside backroom team member is the last person on a given day to scan the location and the mistake isn't fixed, the dayside backroom team member is on the hook right? Since he/she was the last one to scan the location that day?

I've been wondering this myself.

Say the system thinks there are 2 of an item in a location, but really there are 3 (due to a TM not entering the correct amount when backstocking or a TM not pulling out the amount that was keyed in when pulling). So if I'm pulling a batch and it asks for 2, I'll pull 2 and leave that last one in there, which is now completely unlocated. If someone else scans that item later during another batch, do I get hit with an error even though I did everything correctly?

Is this normal for other stores for the backroom team lead to harshly accuse the backroom day team instead of actually being objective and thinking of all possibilities?

That doesn't happen at our store, although our accuracy is the best in the district and our "dayside team" is literally one person.

 

[Guest]

For the last two weeks I've been super paranoid about accuracy so I've been locuing a lot of locations when I find a mistake while I'm pulling caf batches. I usually put the quantity in of whatever item it wants then I back out of the batch and LOCU the location and put everything in that location in my pull tub.


GRC1, 2, 3, and SNCK are infested with mistakes.

When it comes to back stocking the mistake of when 2 different items are back stocked under one DPCI goes like this, the DPCI that is located in the location is the usually the item at the very back. I have a bad habit of scanning the first item that I see. This causes the mistake.

If there are 4 jars of peanut butter, 3 are regular and one is fat free. This is how they get back stocked, the 3 regular jars are back stocked at the back and the fat free one is at the front. It was originally never scanned into the location so technically it's a baffle before you scan. If you scan it, it creates an error and makes the jar of fat free peanut butter located like market pantry water is located. It's located but with no quantity.

This is straight up laziness. You're paying attention and taking shortcuts.

 

[sigma7]

Any big difference between that and straight up "backroom team member"? Was looking forwards to just doing backroom not having to deal much with customers and any front room stuff.

Just keep in mind that no matter what you're doing you will be working retail, so guest service is part of everyone's core roles. As logistics you won't always be on the front lines, but everything we do should have a guest service perspective to it. After all, they're the reason any of us has a job to begin with.

 

[Shadowski]

Greetings fellow backroomers. And SFS peoples. 2 year vet here, been working BR and SFS the whole time. Well, SFS for nearly a year. I was the one that set it up at our store and I still do all the ordering.

Anyways, just saying hey. It's nice to read that people deal with the same shit our team sees all the time. It's all about just doing what's right and being logical about it. That and the accuracy. It's all about the accuracy! So yeah, hi. I have been the team trainer back there for a while now, and at this point have been there the longest, so... I'll be hanging out here to just chat a bit. Good to meet ya all!

 

[IHeartCarts]

When you guys have multiple people backstocking in the morning (hahahha) do you work together from pallet to pallet or split off on your own? Which way do you think is better?

 

[Lazy]

When you guys have multiple people backstocking in the morning (hahahha) do you work together from pallet to pallet or split off on your own? Which way do you think is better?

We have everyone doing it together. That way if anything is left its all together versus all over the stockroom.

 

[asidius]

Pulled up the detail report for beverage/snack today. Filled up 3 shopping carts of expired stuff, some going back to 2013.

 

[Firefox]

Pulled up the detail report for beverage/snack today. Filled up 3 shopping carts of expired stuff, some going back to 2013.

Gross.

 

[Guest]

Apparently every store in District B13 or District 9(which fictional setting was worse) is having problems with way too much product in the dairy cooler. Overstock galore. And the DC is sending too much dairy product to stores. Never get caught up.


Honestly the only way this problem is solved is if corporate fixes RF apps. Until that happens, it's going to be a never ending nightmare of bacstock and overstock.


I also had my ray of sunshine TL admit that sometimes she doesn't look at her PDA screen. Hahaha.

 

[DennisTNedry]

I am sure the answer to this question is simple, but I want to ask it anyway because I don't want to make a mistake. If I am pulling cafs and the quantity being asked for is let's say 12 and there are only 10 of the product on the shelf, do you just enter the quantity that you pulled? Or would an error be made if the system thought that 2 were still in that location? (ghost)

 

[signingminion]

You only have 2?!?! We have around 20!!

Two with the shelf that wad being discussed. We probably have a dozen usable tubs. B volume.

 

[pseudojon]

If I am pulling cafs and the quantity being asked for is let's say 12 and there are only 10 of the product on the shelf, do you just enter the quantity that you pulled? Or would an error be made if the system thought that 2 were still in that location? (ghost)

You should input the quantity you pulled. That way the system can pull from another location. If it asks you to pull 12 and there's only 10 in the location when you tell it you pulled 10 the system will automatically delete the other two from the location and there won't be an error created. In any case I haven't seen a report that links team members to ghosts. Baffles are tracked but I don't think ghosts are.

Apparently every store in District B13 or District 9(which fictional setting was worse) is having problems with way too much product in the dairy cooler. Overstock galore. And the DC is sending too much dairy product to stores. Never get caught up.

This is the case in my store. I think there's only 4 FDCs so it's probably a regionwide problem. I know we don't have the space for a lot of it frequently but I think part of the issue is payroll. I'll frequently get in and find the overnight FDC team barely managed to finish working the delivery, pulls, and old pallets in the cooler/freezer. They won't have touched backstock despite there being enough space to clear up at least half a pallet. There's work that can and should be done but nope we can't pay someone to finish the job.

 

[DennisTNedry]

Thank you pseudojon!

 

[Firefox]

Our dairy cooler hasn't been absurdly awful. Just the usual kind. Last I checked we have 1-2 pallets of unlocated dairy product that needs to be STO'd, but that's pretty much par for the course. Our freezer, on the other hand...

 

[SFSFun]

Greetings fellow backroomers. And SFS peoples. 2 year vet here, been working BR and SFS the whole time. Well, SFS for nearly a year. I was the one that set it up at our store and I still do all the ordering.

Anyways, just saying hey. It's nice to read that people deal with the same shit our team sees all the time. It's all about just doing what's right and being logical about it. That and the accuracy. It's all about the accuracy! So yeah, hi. I have been the team trainer back there for a while now, and at this point have been there the longest, so... I'll be hanging out here to just chat a bit. Good to meet ya all!

Welcome! Check out the Flexible Fulfillment thread if you need to vent or talk about SFS. Flexible Fulfillment

When you guys have multiple people backstocking in the morning (hahahha) do you work together from pallet to pallet or split off on your own? Which way do you think is better?

Our bulk backroom TM pulls the pallets down to the main and then everyone else hits up one pallet at a time to put the labels on and bowl everything out as a team. Once everything in that section of the stockroom is bowled, we each take an aisle to backstock (packed aisles may have a TM throwing up to another TM on the ladder).

Everyone takes one of the satellite stockrooms once the main is done.

I think it works pretty well as long as we are staffed properly.

 

[signingminion]

Just keep in mind that no matter what you're doing you will be working retail, so guest service is part of everyone's core roles. As logistics you won't always be on the front lines, but everything we do should have a guest service perspective to it. After all, they're the reason any of us has a job to begin with.

You have to walk on the floor to get from backroom to TSC. You are wearing red and khaki (and hopefully a name tag). Guests know you work there and will stop you. They don't realize you are the bike builder and work 4hrs in the backroom and never shop at the store. Or are a cashier and got lost four times trying to find the backroom to take the hanger bin to dump in recycle...

...so yeah, even on flow or backroom or receiving you will have to stop and help guests. Even if its just to walkie a salesfloor TM or direct the guest to pickup a red phone to get help.