Archived The Big & Dandy Backroom thread!

[Hardlinesmaster]

Apparently they removed manuals from the PDA now and expect everyone to do POG fills on the MyDevice instead (or so I've been told). My store is doing a new test process where there's no Logistics departments, everyone is on the same Logistics team. Different members of this new Logistics team essentially own different departments to bowl out, stock, shoot outs, etc.

What was going on was that Sales Floor/Backroom was dropping manuals near the end of the night so that us on "Logistics" had small autofills and had a lot more time for backstocking, thus finishing 100% or leaving on time instead of anyone staying later to finish up.

With the removal of this, pulls are large again, and lucky me, my department is seasonal, thus I'm pulling all the back to school stuff.

I'm hoping they see this process is a failure, it's a mess now that manuals have been removed.

Oh yeah, and we're also a push-all store now, which is making it worse with the insane multiples of DPCIs that go out to the floor and come back to me for backstock.

What on earth is the timeframe for the new MyDevices anyway? It's getting annoying having to borrow another TM's MyDevice on the floor and go back to a PDA for backstock (only because it still has the pull function on it). This is becoming incredibly tedious to get anything done.

Rumors are saying that instocks teams are no more.. I am salesfloor & drop my manuals at night mostly. I have a pda & mydevice without a fight

 

[semantics]

I actually feel kinda bad, because we have 4 waves that are in good condition at my store.

So jelly... our waves are okay, well 1 is good, 1 is good for an hour at a time. Our stackers one is good, one is complete crap. Half our pallet jacks need hydraulic fluid...

 

[brizzy93]

I actually feel kinda bad, because we have 4 waves that are in good condition at my store.

They were both working up until late. Dunno who did what to them lol

 

[Kompa]

Any closer ever have flow suck when they closed and they end up leaving 20 vehicles of backstock? I honestly give up what little care I have about finishing when they do that

 

[ClarkKent]

I'm lucky if I only have 20 vehicles a night. ☺️☺️☺️

 

[mrknownothing]

what apps are missing?

Create Autofill, SDA, QMOS, BCODE, all planogram functions, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something else. Somehow we still have pricing functions, though.

So, no flow team? aka old flow team members are now doing all the functions - BR, flow, instocks?

heh. you would have to have a strong team to make this work.... not to mention a large number of working devices

not.happening.at.my.store

Almost sounds like Project Viper, but just for logistics. And we all know how that would go, given most (most, not all) flow teams.

 

[AshTR]

So, no flow team? aka old flow team members are now doing all the functions - BR, flow, instocks?

heh. you would have to have a strong team to make this work.... not to mention a large number of working devices

not.happening.at.my.store

During early morning hours, yes. I believe there's still sales floor, in-stocks, and backroom during the day for now, though I hear that's expected to change.

My guess is that they're testing out Viper with us first, then they're going to phase it through to dayside too. Kinda surprised it took 2 years to do this. We don't have to backup cashier though, oddly enough. (As if anyone on Flow/Backroom is trained to anyway.)

We didn't have a large number of working devices (until one of our ETLs that is leaving had more come in), but veryone has just borrowed someone else's in their respective area to get the job done.

Biggest reason I can tell it's not working, our store keeps going over hours. I think in a single day we've gone 30 hours over before. I can tell a couple people are especially getting tired of it because they're getting starting to neglect duties, such as backstocking. Flow is wanting to stay Flow and nothing more (do MORE work for the small pay increase most got? Ha), while those of us in Backroom got called out to the floor often enough anyway that this isn't too big of a deal for us.

I kinda wish they'd go back to the old way just for a couple days to see if we actually get everything done at a reasonable time, but there's no way I expect that to happen.

I mean, this would make sense if our backstock was reasonable (like it's supposed to get to eventually), but if we get a truck that's 2,100+ DPCIs, the backstock just doesn't get done, and with this 6 truck week, almost NO backstock is getting done because of having to pull and get the floor done by 8AM, then most of the typical backstockers leave at 9:30AM with everyone else. It was so much easier when manuals were being used as a thing and we had maybe 200-300 DPCIs to pull across the store. At this point with back to school, I just repush all the backstock out to the floor for someone working the floor to rework it while I try to backstock what came in from the truck.

 

[asidius]

Friday was...interesting. Come in as the opener, backroom is terrible shape. Freight everywhere on the floor, flow and early morning backroom leave early. Check out the grid, and noticed there is no closer for the backroom. Scheduling error. They scheduled our closer for 4am instead of 4pm. Oops. 3PM cafs drop. They are a hair over 3 hours. I somehow just about complete them all in an hour and a half (I left 3 batches) when I got word another BR TM just came in. He checked the paper schedule, and saw he was actually off but the LOD clocked him in anyway.

I have to rant about hours.

I'm sorry corporate, but I don't know what you're thinking anymore. You added 2 more trucks per week (up to 7 + 3 food trucks now), implementing RFID, and we're approaching BTS peak and you're cutting backroom hours? We were allotted 185 hours to share between early morning and dayside backroom. Our backroom is a giant mess, you can barely walk in it without hitting a backstock vehicle, and we're out of 3 tier carts for the pulls. Is Target trying to phase out the backroom workcenter because it certainly feels that way.

 

[SFSFun]

I think corporate has rigged the sales goals against the stores. Our STL told me that we are just barely making the sales goal each week. Yet we're taking 7-8 trucks a week at our lowly B volume store! Huge lines at checkout all day with ~10 lanes open!

It was busy last year, but absolutely NOT this busy. By all accounts we should be destroying sales goals.

 

[Joejoe12]

I think corporate has rigged the sales goals against the stores. Our STL told me that we are just barely making the sales goal each week. Yet we're taking 7-8 trucks a week at our lowly B volume store! Huge lines at checkout all day with ~10 lanes open!

It was busy last year, but absolutely NOT this busy. By all accounts we should be destroying sales goals.

I felt the same way before I left. We taking 7 or 8 trucks a week had lines all over the front parking lot was packed but we still were missing sales by 30-40k daily.

 

[jenna]

I have to rant about hours.

I'm sorry corporate, but I don't know what you're thinking anymore. You added 2 more trucks per week (up to 7 + 3 food trucks now), implementing RFID, and we're approaching BTS peak and you're cutting backroom hours? We were allotted 185 hours to share between early morning and dayside backroom. Our backroom is a giant mess, you can barely walk in it without hitting a backstock vehicle, and we're out of 3 tier carts for the pulls. Is Target trying to phase out the backroom workcenter because it certainly feels that way.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but the store is given a pool of hours to spend as they see fit. aka your HR or STL is deciding where to put the hours. This is how flow can [often] eat up the Lion's share, and other teams struggle.

ETA: link

MEGATHREAD - VM TL

Ashfromoldsite is wise -- "
The store gets a lump sum of payroll. The Stl divies out the hours weekly and chooses how much she wants to bank for emergencies (blizzards, etc). The Stl can do with those hours however she pleases.
She can say our hours were cut so bad that the vmtl hours ARE in the lump sum of Hardlines hours even tho the Hardlines hours didn't change. It's her right as the Stl. I was an ETL for 10 years. I've been responsible for the monthly payroll."

 

[Firefox]

My store is in the same boat. We take at around 10 GM trucks a week and have insane amounts of foot traffic but we somehow aren't making sales goal, and our hours are still getting slashed. I'm fortunate to have 32 hours next week, but that's only because my TL schedules "based on performance", so some of our BRTM's have as little as 4 hours on this week's schedule.

 

[asidius]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but the store is given a pool of hours to spend as they see fit. aka your HR or STL is deciding where to put the hours. This is how flow can [often] eat up the Lion's share, and other teams struggle.

ETA: link

MEGATHREAD - VM TL

Ashfromoldsite is wise -- "
The store gets a lump sum of payroll. The Stl divies out the hours weekly and chooses how much she wants to bank for emergencies (blizzards, etc). The Stl can do with those hours however she pleases.
She can say our hours were cut so bad that the vmtl hours ARE in the lump sum of Hardlines hours even tho the Hardlines hours didn't change. It's her right as the Stl. I was an ETL for 10 years. I've been responsible for the monthly payroll."

I saw another thread that corporate gives the store a certain amount of hours and MyTime allocates them between workcenters, with the backroom getting whatever is left over.

I heard our STL had to ask our DTL for more backroom hours (which was granted, 200 more).

 

[Joejoe12]

I saw another thread that corporate gives the store a certain amount of hours and MyTime allocates them between workcenters, with the backroom getting whatever is left over.

I heard our STL had to ask our DTL for more backroom hours (which was granted, 200 more).

From my understanding your correct HQ decides and mytime allocates it now I've heard that the STL can re allocate as they see fit

 

[mrknownothing]

Has anyone else noticed that certain produce items are switching fillgroups? Because it's not enough of a pain in the ass that peaches, plums, and nectarines now have to be backstocked in the ambient room despite being PRO1, I had to pull a batch for PRO4 yesterday. My P-Fresh store doesn't use the PRO4 fillgroup (all our produce is either PRO1 or PRO2), and the one DPCI I pulled in the PRO4 batch is normally PRO2.

 

[Firefox]

On the topic of PFresh, how do you guys backstock and pull produce that doesn't have a barcode/DPCI such as individual Avacados and such? All that are on the fruits themselves are those wonky produce barcodes with a 5 digit code. That code doesn't work, there is no DPCI or barcode on the box that works, and doing an item search usually results in nothing. I even tried using the PLU code but that also got me nowhere.

 

[jenna]

On the topic of PFresh, how do you guys backstock and pull produce that doesn't have a barcode/DPCI such as individual Avacados and such? All that are on the fruits themselves are those wonky produce barcodes with a 5 digit code. That code doesn't work, there is no DPCI or barcode on the box that works, and doing an item search usually results in nothing. I even tried using the PLU code but that also got me nowhere.

Print a Bcode using a hip printer? Stick it on the outside of the box.

 

[Firefox]

Print a Bcode using a hip printer? Stick it on the outside of the box.

What would I need to enter for it print the correct BCode? Is it just the PLU Barcode?

 

[Produce Queen]

What would I need to enter for it print the correct BCode? Is it just the PLU Barcode?

At most stores the food truck team bcodes those cases during the push process. You scan the shelf label with a mydevice after you've scanned a hip printer loaded with monarch labels. Then hit signs & labels, then other options. At the bottom chose bcode with date. That prints it with the case quantity and date rec'd as well as the barcode you'll need to scan to BS it.

If that team isnt taking care of it for you, ask the PA or TL to print a sheet of labels that need bcodes for you to keep in the ambient room. Then you can bcode using the sheet when you backstock.
Hope that made sense

 

[mrknownothing]

On the topic of PFresh, how do you guys backstock and pull produce that doesn't have a barcode/DPCI such as individual Avacados and such? All that are on the fruits themselves are those wonky produce barcodes with a 5 digit code. That code doesn't work, there is no DPCI or barcode on the box that works, and doing an item search usually results in nothing. I even tried using the PLU code but that also got me nowhere.

We always keep openstock PLU produce in boxes and STO the partial casepacks. We usually use the sales floor shelf labels to BCODE, but we also have labels in the PRO1 and PRO2 stockrooms that we can scan.

My store is serviced by the FDC in Ohio that puts pick labels on the casepacks for most items. Most produce and MTCL items don't get labeled, though.

 

[smashandthrash]

Fruits and vegetables are unlocated at my store.

Yep. All of them.

 

[SFSFun]

What would I need to enter for it print the correct BCode? Is it just the PLU Barcode?

Type in the PLU code listed on the sticker on the item. Works for me.

 

[Kompa]

Is pulling manuals a pain in the ass for anyone else? Our Etl wants closing br to pull paper, grc2 and Chems everynight to make the autofills. I don't see how it's fair for the closer to pull over ten tubs shit so flow who has 5 tms pulling can do less. It's bs imo.

 

[SFSFun]

Is pulling manuals a pain in the ass for anyone else? Our Etl wants closing br to pull paper, grc2 and Chems everynight to make the autofills. I don't see how it's fair for the closer to pull over ten tubs shit so flow who has 5 tms pulling can do less. It's bs imo.

What is the closer skipping to make time to pull manuals?

Out closer pulls and pushes manuals for heavy fillgroups if everything else is done.

 

[Kompa]

What is the closer skipping to make time to pull manuals?

Out closer pulls and pushes manuals for heavy fillgroups if everything else is done.

Pulling dcode, updating locations, leftover pogs and efxs and a few other things