Archived The Big & Dandy Backroom thread!

[Devsfan76]

Hi I don't know if any other BRTM or TL is having to do this or is having trouble completing this but ETL is stressing me out with it, he wants me to locu the bottom 3 brla and any valleys with transition by the end of each week. So for example this week I have to do the dairy cooler, plastics, Chem, and hbo1 locu and restowed by Saturday. Along with being 100% backstocked on 2000-2500(3-500 blackline) trucks 4 days a week, the 5-9 hours of autos in the a.m., and pulling all research and spu. I usually have 3 other tm on truck days ( 2 6-2:30, 1 7:30-4:30, 1 2:30-9) and on non truck days 2 others (2 6-2:30, 1 12:30-8). I was finally told today that I can maybe train 1 tm to help but they better do it right, this was right after getting a final because I can't finish this audit. Any ideas on how to complete this? Did I mention that I'm a Srtl so one day a week I'm lod, and every other Sunday I'm in charge of flow.

 

[SFSFun]

That's not possible. You are being setup to fail.

 

[mrknownothing]

Weird. On the plus side, it means you don't have to squeeze Price Change + setting the line + myFA + backstock in at the end of your shift, but on the downside you can't really pull any research/pog fills in the morning until the PC is pulled...

Apparently, we're going back to pulling price changes at night when we switch from overnight to 4AM. Once that happens, every aspect of life will become infinitely more difficult.

 

[signingminion]

Apparently, we're going back to pulling price changes at night when we switch from overnight to 4AM. Once that happens, every aspect of life will become infinitely more difficult.

We pull pc at night, but if there's lots of backstock and cafs have been big all day they often pull it morning side. 4am or 6am process. As per etl-log.

 

[Firefox]

Okay I have a question about the CAFs.

Say we have Item A. We have 6 eaches in the store, with a capacity of 4 on the sales floor and two located in the back. Say that the 4 on the sales floor all sell out by 10am. Then, a TM/ETL/Instocks drops a research batch that contains item A. If this research batch doesn't get pulled before the 3:00 CAFs drop, will the item pull in the 3's or will it not pull the item since it is already being requested in the Research batch?

 

[NitroKing2110]

Okay I have a question about the CAFs.

Say we have Item A. We have 6 eaches in the store, with a capacity of 4 on the sales floor and two located in the back. Say that the 4 on the sales floor all sell out by 10am. Then, a TM/ETL/Instocks drops a research batch that contains item A. If this research batch doesn't get pulled before the 3:00 CAFs drop, will the item pull in the 3's or will it not pull the item since it is already being requested in the Research batch?

From what I have heard, the item will drop in the CAFs but if it's pulled in one batch before the other, the item just drops out of the other batch. For example, if something drops into the 3's but is pulled in the RSCH batch before the 3's batch, when the CAF puller goes to pull, the item will have been removed. This is how you will get a batch that you open and it immediately says "batch complete, no items left" because they've all been pulled in other batches or through SUBT.

 

[ElectronicsTM]

Okay I have a question about the CAFs.

Say we have Item A. We have 6 eaches in the store, with a capacity of 4 on the sales floor and two located in the back. Say that the 4 on the sales floor all sell out by 10am. Then, a TM/ETL/Instocks drops a research batch that contains item A. If this research batch doesn't get pulled before the 3:00 CAFs drop, will the item pull in the 3's or will it not pull the item since it is already being requested in the Research batch?

It will pull in the 3 PM CAFs or the next round of Autofills. If the RSCH batch (consisting of just the one DPCI) is entered within 72 hours of being created, the batch will show the batch completed message immediately.

 

[Firefox]

Thanks, that clears things up!

 

[DennisTNedry]

I have a question:

Today our ETL had a huddle and basically said that the store itself was underperforming in the district and that, "the backroom needs to come clean." What does that mean for the backroom, say early morning shift (4am)?

 

[Firefox]

I have a question:

Today our ETL had a huddle and basically said that the store itself was underperforming in the district and that, "the backroom needs to come clean." What does that mean for the backroom, say early morning shift (4am)?

Coming clean kinda varies store by store, but at my store "coming clean" basically just means that all essential tasks are done. All pulls are done, no backstock left over in the main stockroom, bale made, etc. However, to come completely clean would mean that all pulls are done, backstock finished in all stockrooms and coolers, bale made, floor swept, Empty Location, and everything else under the sun.

I don't know much about 4am process stores so I can't give you much more than that, but I imagine they just mean that your early morning team is leaving too much backstock for dayside and that they need to come clean on that.

 

[CrimsonRaven712]

I have a question:

Today our ETL had a huddle and basically said that the store itself was underperforming in the district and that, "the backroom needs to come clean." What does that mean for the backroom, say early morning shift (4am)?

My store is a 4am store and for us coming clean is getting everything in the main stockroom clean. Having all the backstock done and all the trash/cardboard taken care of.

If that gets done we move onto the coolers/optical/electronics to work on those, but we are mostly concerned with soft duty and bulk side backstock. Ideally everything would be done, but sometimes those other areas are such a disaster that we can make a dent into it, but not much more.

 

[backspeed]

In terms of coming clean how does your backroom TM (early morning) deal with POG stuff? Does the backroom pull their batches for them? Our POG team currently pulls their own, but they have trouble completing on time sometimes due to going up for backup, all days, or not enough time etc. As a result of this, their backstock from whatever they're working on comes back at the end of our shifts where we have no more time to backstock it and it builds up sometimes. I'm curious if any other stores just have their backroom pull the batches to save them time so maybe either the backroom or POG team member can have time to backstock the stuff.

 

[CrimsonRaven712]

In my store we hardly ever pull POG batches unless it is something that is that is asked by a TL (usually one who is setting an endcap right that second) We have a few Plano TMs who are lazy and just don't want to pull their own batches so they want us to drop everything to pull them.

On average we have 10-20 POG batches that sit in the gun. For early morning team, we don't have time to pull those batches with all of the stuff we need to get done (autos, truck backstock, flexibles, audits, etc) If the opener (8am) person has time, they might do smaller POG batches but they are usually busy doing EXFS, and Research batches because those are timed.

 

[Guest]

We've been getting lectures on POGs being left in the PDA because the crybaby morning backroom minions say they have had to pull more since the new CAF schedule started. Boo hoo big babies.

What about payroll? What about back stock? I mean if I have to pull every POG I'm going to need more hours and back stock will be a thing of the past.

 

[mrknownothing]

At my store (currently overnight but switching to 4AM soon), POG pulls are usually split between the plano team and the backroom team. We pull POG fills if we have time (after flexes, price change, research, etc.), but we're generally responsible for all POG backstock, which we pick at throughout the day as time allows.

If overnight has any extra time, they sometimes start the price changes and POGs, but some days they don't even have time to do the audit. It'll be interesting to see how everything goes once we switch to 4AM.

 

[DennisTNedry]

Coming clean kinda varies store by store, but at my store "coming clean" basically just means that all essential tasks are done. All pulls are done, no backstock left over in the main stockroom, bale made, etc. However, to come completely clean would mean that all pulls are done, backstock finished in all stockrooms and coolers, bale made, floor swept, Empty Location, and everything else under the sun.

I don't know much about 4am process stores so I can't give you much more than that, but I imagine they just mean that your early morning team is leaving too much backstock for dayside and that they need to come clean on that.

My store is a 4am store and for us coming clean is getting everything in the main stockroom clean. Having all the backstock done and all the trash/cardboard taken care of.

If that gets done we move onto the coolers/optical/electronics to work on those, but we are mostly concerned with soft duty and bulk side backstock. Ideally everything would be done, but sometimes those other areas are such a disaster that we can make a dent into it, but not much more.

Thank you Firefox and jadetiger712.

 

[Guest]

Mrknownothing, good luck with the 4am switch. When I started at Target a million years ago, my turd store was overnight and the backroom was a million times better that way. They eventually switched to 4am and the backroom went to shit and has never been the same.

The 4am start sucks ass. Backroom and flow should be completely overnight.

 

[Firefox]

We don't pull POG batches unless asked. Main reason being that some of them are tied but not set, so they get pulled and immediately come back as backstock. Plus, since we're an overnight store, we don't interact with our POG team at all. I imagine that they themselves pull them or Overnight backroom handles it.

 

[SFSFun]

Our backroom doesn't pull POGs unless specifically asked to AND they have time and tubs/flats to put it on. POG team usually pulls their own stuff and we leave the rest of the POG batches alone. There are usually 30-40 in the gun at any given time.

Backroom does the POG "backstock" which usually involves pushing it to home locations if applicable and checking to make sure the tie is broken 1/4 times it isn't. THEN the BR backstocks it.

 

[Mysterious]

Just remember that there is a risk of POGs falling into the "pushed back" Pulls if in PDA after 3 days. Want to make sure those are pulled accordingly. It's caused some issues at my store.

Last week, we had Inventory which was a rough one. Due to the increased BRDay workload and the Inventory process at 6pm, everything was delayed. BRDay is also responsible for pulling Autofills which were 18 hours. We also had a busy day, making sales but couldn't keep up with Guest first. Autofills and Price Change wasn't finished. We forgot to make sure that the next day, we had enough people to maintain the ship.

Moral of the story folks, is don't put all your good eggs in the basket, try to save some for later.

 

[NitroKing2110]

How do you guys set the line without injuring yourself? Every time I pull a pallet off the stack I feel like I'm really screwing up my back and shoulders. I can't figure out a way to do it safely.

For a while, my store stacked the black pallets upside down. This made it much easier to get one off the top. Then we got a new BRTL and he didn't like that, so we had to stop. I usually get one off the stack by tilting one end up, and pulling it, raising each corner as needed to get the feet out of the recesses.

 

[Firefox]

How do you guys set the line without injuring yourself? Every time I pull a pallet off the stack I feel like I'm really screwing up my back and shoulders. I can't figure out a way to do it safely.

Honestly I don't know for sure. Try not to pull pallets off of a tall stack so that you're not using exclusively your shoulders and back. If the stack is too tall, you can always use the stacker to split it in half.

 

[BlueSide]

What's a BRTL do normally throughout a week?

 

[MasterofLOG]

The 4am start sucks ass. Backroom and flow should be completely overnight.

Dude you think that sucks ass... try 0600!

We were at 0400 for years, then bam they change the bar with their AE crap, and we are a 0600, and we've almost clawed our way back to 0400..... You want to talk about open festering sore in my store... but if they keep "innovating" grocery etc. they will kill all the hard work we've put into getting things back to what they keep just messing up!

I and my team will GLADLY take 0400 v. 0600... and would jump for joy, do cartwheels down valleys for 0200 or overnight!

I tell the team, to act like they don't care, as they probably won't give it to us simply because we want it too much!

 

[Firefox]

What's a BRTL do normally throughout a week?

I'm neither a Backroom TL nor have I even worked in the backroom for very long, but this is just what I've noticed from my BRTL. He doesn't usually directly help the backroom (Pulling CAFs, working backstock, etc) unless the pull times are insane, and instead spends his time working on projects, identifying problem areas, and working on ways to combat that with Leadership. My BRTL spends a lot of time with our STL and new ETL-Ops to try and work on how we can get all of our scores Green, and so far we've been pretty successful. However since our FFTL quit, he's had to take the reigns on that so I'm sure that's been distracting him somewhat. He typically works 6:30am-2:30pm, but occasionally he will go overnight when there is a double scheduled or the Flow TL is on vacay.

Since fourth quarter ended, he's also been working on projects to make our backroom more efficient. Things like replacing WACOs in problem aisles, replacing parts of the steel for better access, clearing out the Flexible Fulfillment Stockroom, etc.