Archived Why does salesfloor Zone items in empty spots?

[Kompa]

It's kind of messing up our Flow process and the ETL's are getting pissed.

Like, most of the Flow TM push items by sight. If an item like a box of corn flakes has one facing, and the next facing is empty, sales floor zones another box there. Then Flow pushes two facings of Corn Flakes the next day. Sometimes it's obvious where an item doesn't go where, but when you're getting timed and yelled at to push that box per minute, and combined that with the constant backstock audits that the TL and ETL-Log has been doing, tons of merch is ending up in wrong the spot.

I don't understand why leaving the spot empty isn't an option. It's not like anyone is going to buy it because it's sitting in a spot next to where it's supposed to go.

 

[IhaveaDream]

Some aisles would look bare if they did not zone the empty locations. It takes 2 secs to look at shelf label and see the facings amount. accuracy>speed.

 

[Ringwraith917]

I know it happens right before a visit, at some leader's request, so the shelves look more full & neat. Otherwise they shouldn't. Some other retail stores do that, so if the TM was previously employed there it may be that they think they're doing it right.

 

[awbuckit]

I have always hated this. I believe it's called flexing. Fill the holes, cover the diamonds with another item even if it doesn't go there. Then we get guests who say "But the sign said 4.99, not 9.99." Then we end up giving it to them for 4.99. Guess Target doesn't care as long as it looks good. Dumb.
One thing this has taught me is to read, read, read labels!!

 

[IhaveaDream]

I know it happens right before a visit, at some leader's request, so the shelves look more full & neat. Otherwise they shouldn't. Some other retail stores do that, so if the TM was previously employed there it may be that they think they're doing it right.

Actually, they are suppose to flex the items. Its suppose to keep the shelves looking full.

I have always hated this. I believe it's called flexing. Fill the holes, cover the diamonds with another item even if it doesn't go there. Then we get guests who say "But the sign said 4.99, not 9.99." Then we end up giving it to them for 4.99. Guess Target doesn't care as long as it looks good. Dumb.
One thing this has taught me is to read, read, read labels!!

When flexing items, they are suppose to flex to something that has the same price, OR to cover the label if the price is lower then item going into the spot.

 

[TaxiCab]

at our store they do this too but they put up flip labels to ensure fliw realizes that the item is flexed. this ultimaley screws up the accumilator and cause extra work for multiple areas. personally i like to leave the hole but i research the item and grey dot itand speak to it during a visit.

 

[konk]

I am definitely anti-flexing. But at the same time, the location is on every case.

 

[Bosch]

at our store they do this too but they put up flip labels to ensure fliw realizes that the item is flexed. this ultimaley screws up the accumilator and cause extra work for multiple areas. personally i like to leave the hole but i research the item and grey dot itand speak to it during a visit.

I can live with that as an In-Stock person. Now if that is the story for entire store, it would be ok.. But we have some who follow a rule like that, then others who don't care they just flex and leave it in the wrong price point. Or flex clearance over active product - my personal favorite to kill them with fire!

Konk, you think flow actually reads the locs on the case packs? In my store we have some that I know can not read the boxes. Its open the case pack and pull out the first item and wonder until they find a picture that is close enough. Its a language barrier, that solution for is complicated to put it nicely.

Flexing = dumb. If they don't want empty spots send us product!

 

[Kompa]

Even the most experienced flow members dont read the pick labels. After you get in the gist of things, stocking is done by sight and maybe the 1st number on the schismatic. If you're stocking Gatorade, are you really going to look the location, or match it with the color? Most likely the later.

I only the locaton when it's a section with a lot of peg hooks, and that's only if i can't see the same product already there. That's honestly messing up our store though. There's no way our team can afford to slow down and take flexed product off the shelf and stock something else. That then creates a problem because there's a ton of flexed bs that going to the back because we don't have time to look for it's correct location

 

[Bosch]

Even the most experienced flow members dont read the pick labels. After you get in the gist of things, stocking is done by sight and maybe the 1st number on the schismatic. If you're stocking Gatorade, are you really going to look the location, or match it with the color? Most likely the later.

Where I disagree with you is when we find the G2 stocked in the regular Gatorade. In-Stocks hates that and we find things like that all day long.. You should be matching three pieces of info. Color, size and flavor.. G2, Fruit Punch(red) and 8-pk..

And peg hooks, we find all to often, one is packed the other three - empty.

 

[Kompa]

I agree. Multiple Peg locations usually show up as a second location. I'd be nice if the second location was actually on the box, it'd cut down on that

 

[Bosch]

I agree. Multiple Peg locations usually show up as a second location. I'd be nice if the second location was actually on the box, it'd cut down on that

* is the symbol that sometimes tells you multiple locs, but it lies sometimes too. But from the amount I can pull in my research batches, most of the time they are not even looked for.

 

[konk]

The "open first" method also causes open full cases to come to the back. A pet peeve of mine.

 

[Softlines Owns My Soul]

sometimes it's laziness - if they're pushing a CAF and they don't want to backstock they'll do that

 

[Ringwraith917]

And where's the follow-up? I know they do push audits, but I think that only checks the backstock to see if it'll go out. I was pretty sure I was gonna get my tires slashed one day, cuz I called out everyone I saw stocking wrong. The worst is when I zoned & backstocked the pillow aisle in Dom (leaving it nearly empty). The next day it was full, with everything in the wrong spot. I did this every day for 2 weeks straight (and had some heated conversations with our flow TL & ETLs) Then I got other direction and nobody fixes it anymore.

 

[Backroom81]

Spot goes back and forth between "FLEX EVERYTHING SO IT LOOKS FULL" and "ONLY FLEX WHEN IT'S MPG, ACCURACY IS THE FOCUS NOW!!!" every few months. On top of that, STLs all have varying opinions on which one they want done regardless of current company focus. Ours would have the sales floor flex all week and then zone it back to planogram the night before it's due to be researched.

Who needs efficiency?

 

[oath2order]

I'll focus on accuracy no matter what Spot decides to do. If it looks empty, too bad, it's their fault. I'm not bloody flexing anything unless the aisle is PTM.

 

[Noiinteam]

I detest flexing. As a flow member I am constantly moving stuff out of my spot. When training newbies I always stress look at the facing not what is on the shelf

 

[Bosch]

sometimes it's laziness - if they're pushing a CAF and they don't want to backstock they'll do that

Its actually just stupidity, what CAF pusher does their own backstocking? In my store -Never!

And RingWraith, there is no follow up, flow is allowed to skate no matter how crappy and its all good.. It took us a year to get one of the idiots from Infant Hard lines tossed out from near constant documentation of her screwing up.

 

[konk]

And it's the same pay grade as someone who has to be just as fast, but perfectly accurate when pulling/backstocking.

 

[sher]

I never flex. Hate it. Why put labels there if we're just gonna place things all willy nilly? I didn't know what facings were until a few months ago, so it's possible that I'd been unintentionally flexing baby gondolas for over a year.

 

[mrknownothing]

I despise flexing, especially when the aisle is not MPG. I also despise fake ties (POGs that are tied but aren't set and just get flexed over), but that's another story for another thread.

I didn't know what facings were until a few months ago, so it's possible that I'd been unintentionally flexing baby gondolas for over a year.

They probably didn't mention it in your training. It's more of a hardlines thing.

 

[salesfloor10]

Even the most experienced flow members dont read the pick labels. After you get in the gist of things, stocking is done by sight and maybe the 1st number on the schismatic. If you're stocking Gatorade, are you really going to look the location, or match it with the color? Most likely the later.

And peg hooks, we find all to often, one is packed the other three - empty.

I don't get why that's so hard for people to do right! The DPCI is on the labels!
I hate the laundry detergent/bleach/paper product areas where it's the same product on the shelf above and below and people still send stuff to backstock! Just look for two seconds, people!

 

[sher]

I honestly don't think anyone else in sl in my store knows what facings are. AP told me when he was backstocking baby formulas one day.

 

[Softlines Owns My Soul]

sometimes it's laziness - if they're pushing a CAF and they don't want to backstock they'll do that

Its actually just stupidity, what CAF pusher does their own backstocking? In my store -Never!

And RingWraith, there is no follow up, flow is allowed to skate no matter how crappy and its all good.. It took us a year to get one of the idiots from Infant Hard lines tossed out from near constant documentation of her screwing up.

I would backstock my own stuff because it wasn't much, I knew the backroom had a lot to do, and I knew how. Most don't, but still may be too lazy to even take it back to the backroom and put a clip on it.