Archived When to use EXF

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Hay Team,

Can someone tell me what we should use it for. I have always been thought to use it on End caps, side caps, Promo, and to never use in in main aisles.
 
As of the new process, never. EXFs are for people who don't have a clue how to do the IS process as far as I'm concerned, or the checklanes.
 
I average at least 4 to 5 exf's a day......... Backroom got mad at me when I shot an EXF for Mini Seasonal that was pretty much empty.....
 
Does EXF impact the scans with locations score? I always use it when I set the new release revisions because using the revision fill option pulls way more than I need (for example product from DVD NR 1 moves to DVD NR3 therefor is new on the POG and will pull even though I stocked it from NR1) and I dont want to use RSCH or OUTS because I know they impact the scans with locations score
 
For specific replenishment EXF will always be the best.

If you just want a bunch of ****, you can drop a Standalone PTM and check off Active Merchandise. You'll literally get a ton of **** and most likely have some backstock. Useful for PTM areas though (duh!).
 
EXF has always been and still is intended for checklanes and non planogrammed endcaps. These are the only area that you should ever shoot an EXF for. Overuse and incorrect use of EXF leads to a wonky sales accumulator. Try dropping a pog fill. If the accumulator is right, or somewhat close to being right, you should get some stuff. Fill from the home. Make a list and use subt. Outs and research are the way to go if you still get nothing. When you do use EXF for an approved reason, make sure you only request what you need.

A lot of stores and ETLs see EXFs as the answer to all their problems when it reality it creates many more problems. EXF can fill an aisle or an endcap for the short term, but it screws up the accumulator in the long run. Using EXF to fill an actual planogram is just treating the symptoms, not the actual cause of the replenishment problem (and adding to the replenishment problem)!
 
Sigma7, when you say checklanes, are you referring to checklane endcaps? The gum/mints, candy, etc. are all planogrammed.
 
Our store stopped using EXFs. Throws off the accumulator. Our Logistic's ETL liked to EXF everything that was missing. Then they wondered why there was so much backstock from the truck.
 
Sorry, checklane endcaps. The replenishment system should get the essentials, candy, gum, etc taken care of. But all the ends always set as mpg. And I guess target wants to make sure that those ends are always full. Even so though my gstl usually drops pog fills or has a cashier go on a scavenger hunt to get stuff from the homes.
 
Without trying to get into too much detail, EXF basically creates a one time temporary capacity. Once that capacity is met, that additional need from the original EXF is gone.

Store tie on the other hand creates an additional capacity that will automatically replenish through the cafs and autofills until the tie is broken.

Things would run much more smoothly if we just allowed the replenishment systems to work for you instead of ultimately creating extra work for all your teams. I could go on and on about replenishment.
 
EXF has always been and still is intended for checklanes and non planogrammed endcaps. These are the only area that you should ever shoot an EXF for. Overuse and incorrect use of EXF leads to a wonky sales accumulator. Try dropping a pog fill. If the accumulator is right, or somewhat close to being right, you should get some stuff. Fill from the home. Make a list and use subt. Outs and research are the way to go if you still get nothing. When you do use EXF for an approved reason, make sure you only request what you need.

A lot of stores and ETLs see EXFs as the answer to all their problems when it reality it creates many more problems. EXF can fill an aisle or an endcap for the short term, but it screws up the accumulator in the long run. Using EXF to fill an actual planogram is just treating the symptoms, not the actual cause of the replenishment problem (and adding to the replenishment problem)!

hmmm, they make it a thing that plano has to exf after every pog fill. back in the day it used to be Outs, but we are no longer on the Out process. if pog doesn't do the EXF, the IS score blows up.
 
Per best practice pog should be scanning stand alone research after they're done setting, filling, and backstocking. If something has multiple salesfloor locations they need to spread out what is on the floor, or key what they see if it is less than enough to fill all facings for both locations. If your scans with location score is blowing up after new sets, something is wrong with either your PTM process or capacities are off for another reason. Using EXFs will help keep your score green after pog sets an aisle, but that EXF will usually create replenishment problems down the road. Basically either take the hit now and work on the issue, but have an accurate accumulator, or run with an off accumulator and take the hit later while experiencing replenishment issues until it is fixed.
 
Per best practice pog should be scanning stand alone research after they're done setting, filling, and backstocking. If something has multiple salesfloor locations they need to spread out what is on the floor, or key what they see if it is less than enough to fill all facings for both locations. If your scans with location score is blowing up after new sets, something is wrong with either your PTM process or capacities are off for another reason. Using EXFs will help keep your score green after pog sets an aisle, but that EXF will usually create replenishment problems down the road. Basically either take the hit now and work on the issue, but have an accurate accumulator, or run with an off accumulator and take the hit later while experiencing replenishment issues until it is fixed.


from what i know about IS i would think that this is the best course of action. however, when the stores tie the outs with location score to the IS team itself it makes a conflict of interest to let the scanning fix the store - and do what it takes to make that score green (which i know my STL has said, and is probably not alone). It would make much more sense that instead of tying that score to that particular team (in that a red IS score reflects badly on the IS team) it should be treated as more of a temperature reading for the store. i know for a fact that our IS team gets in trouble if they have too many hits, it just seems like the wrong approach. since continual scanning in research is supposed to fix the score anyway - but is blocked by these other measures used to bring up the score vs correct the issues in the store.
 
from what i know about IS i would think that this is the best course of action. however, when the stores tie the outs with location score to the IS team itself it makes a conflict of interest to let the scanning fix the store - and do what it takes to make that score green (which i know my STL has said, and is probably not alone). It would make much more sense that instead of tying that score to that particular team (in that a red IS score reflects badly on the IS team) it should be treated as more of a temperature reading for the store. i know for a fact that our IS team gets in trouble if they have too many hits, it just seems like the wrong approach. since continual scanning in research is supposed to fix the score anyway - but is blocked by these other measures used to bring up the score vs correct the issues in the store.

Yeah, your management totally has the wrong idea as as far as instocks scores go. When we have high scans with locations, we figure out what is going wrong. We don't tell instocks not to do their job. The instocks team really is the custodian of the the replenishment process. The metrics that the instocks process impacts are really useful in seeing where you're having trouble. For sure the goal is to have no hits, but faking that score to keep it green only keeps you in the habit of having to fake it to stay green instead of getting back on process and letting the replenishment system work for you.

I think management tends to lose sight of the goal for scans with locations to be 0 (really it's like less than 5% or something to be green, but you obviously don't want any scans with locations) and instead focus on manipulating the process to maintain a green metric. A sustained score of 0% scans with locations means that your teams are only working the product once. Any scans with locations and EXFing to avoid a hit still causes you to rework product which is operationally inefficient. The difference is that EXFing fixes the score where as being on process fixes the accumulator. And if your other teams on on process, a fixed accumulator means an accurate replenishment system, less rework, a better score in the long run, and it's just much more efficient.
 
I have a serious issue for being blamed for having too many RSCH with locations. I am scanning what I am supposed to scan. How is it my fault that it is not on the floor? I'm not the one who incorrectly pushed it, didn't check for multiple locs, backstocked it when it shouldn't have been, or burnt it. Just let me do my job and get off my back about the damn score. You can hold me accountable for not scanning something I should have or scanning something I shouldn't have but that's it!
 
So question about this? I am a GSA at the front lanes and I use EXF to get essentials or to order stuff for endcaps at the front lanes. I know I am using this correctly for ordering essentials but what should I be using to order the stuff for endcaps? For example, we had cereal on an endcap this week and I needed more so I ordered it through EXF, but what should I have used?
 
EXF should be used on the checklanes. Just request what you actually need, not some crazy high amount. If you drop new pog fills when you set the endcap, ideally the replenishment system should be taking care of it.
 
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