Sales Floor Apparel & Accessories Modernization E2E Process

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May 14, 2018
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I'm wondering if there's any softlines team leaders that have made the end to end process work? I work in a high volume, district store that has high expectations and expects us to model best practice. We have been in the process of making these changes work for us, but sometimes it's really tough...Any advice on what works great and what doesn't would be highly appreciated.

Our process includes: Go-Backs, Z-Racks push, Basics Push, Shoes Push, Auto fills push, Backstock, Price Change. The overnight team does our break-out, other than that we are fully in charge of our process.
 
What helped it start to work at our store was bumping up expectations considerably. If a TM doesn’t deliver adequate performance, they end up a cashier or a guest. If you don’t show up to work or are late more than rarely, you end up a cashier or a guest. We have a couple stubborn, long-time ‘stick-in-the-mud’ types, but they are good with reshop and pushing so we keep them on those tasks. You need support from ETL HR and STL because if you fall behind it snowballs, so sometimes payroll will need to be moved to stay caught up. Have high expectations when it comes to applicants and be picky; we are near a mall, but we are paying more than a lot of the mall stores are. Treat your top performers well and have them help guide the rest of the team to success.

When we don’t have any attendance or payroll problems, when we aren’t insanely busy, when the trucks are normal sized; it works. But it’s still fragile for us. Good luck!

PS: we had a rough weekend. So we had 9 people in softlines this morning. When I left today, they were caught up.
 
It's good to hear the similarities in what we are both going through, and I definitely agree on all your points. Our store manager and my ETL have expressed their full support on performing people out and holding everyone accountable. In terms of my team, I have no complaints, it's more of...How do I make my process the smoothest for my team on a daily basis.

We had 11 people this morning, so it sounds like we have around the same...I'm curious to know, if you don't mind sharing, more details of your daily process.

For example, we had shiftlabels on everyone everyday and individuals were experts in "Basics", experts in pushing "z-racks" and merchandising the floor...But this went against the "Guest-Centric" motto, due to no-one being the "Expert" of a specific department and staying in a department. Instead of everyone doing the various daily tasks through-out the day (as the end to end definition), a team member would spend their whole shift doing that ONE task. So now we started trying a different approach where we are ALL doing go backs for the first 2 hours, then moving on to Basics and Z racks of the departments we are individually in for the day. The only people not doing the End-to End process are my two price change ladies, but it's something that we will slowly adjust as well, I want everyone trained to know every aspect of the process.
 
We had to give up on softlines owning it’s own price change. So now, the previous price change team is given shifts under softlines sometimes, and on those days they do the softlines price change.

I’m a hardlines TL and have never worked in softlines beyond some VM training and learning how to sort reshop, but we share an ETL, and I try to have a good understanding of how things are working while I’m tlod. In terms of insight on our daily process, there’s a lot I don’t know. I do know that we are fine with people working on the same thing for a whole shift. “Expert” is just ‘softlines expert’, so one day that might mean just doing reshop, or just doing fitting room etc.

Wait... overnight team? Damn, you’re higher volume than I am. So, your team arrives to the product on Z-racks already? Ours gets repacks straight off the truck on pallets.

This week I’ll try to observe how things operate over there and I’ll let you know what I see :p
 
Alright, thanks! Yeah, any info. helps!

Yes, overnight does our breakout and puts our basics push in flats by department for our team to push in the morning.
 
We had to give up on softlines owning it’s own price change. So now, the previous price change team is given shifts under softlines sometimes, and on those days they do the softlines price change.

I’m a hardlines TL and have never worked in softlines beyond some VM training and learning how to sort reshop, but we share an ETL, and I try to have a good understanding of how things are working while I’m tlod. In terms of insight on our daily process, there’s a lot I don’t know. I do know that we are fine with people working on the same thing for a whole shift. “Expert” is just ‘softlines expert’, so one day that might mean just doing reshop, or just doing fitting room etc.

Wait... overnight team? Damn, you’re higher volume than I am. So, your team arrives to the product on Z-racks already? Ours gets repacks straight off the truck on pallets.

This week I’ll try to observe how things operate over there and I’ll let you know what I see :p
 
I’m a senior in a ULV. I’m the only salefloor team leader. There is no ther team leader for the sales floor. They give me only 16 hours to push SL. We pull our own autos and push those as well, do our own backstock and sort also is done under my hours. To give an idea of hours i was give 128 this week- what we spend in truck sort and push leaves me 56 hours for softlines. I’m drownding. Defeated is an jndeestatedment. My FACE workecenters also pull their own autos. The LOG leader didn’t want to miss her 1.5 pull time from auto as do t come from the floor to help meet the goal time. Everything is unrealistic. I for one am looking forward to the new changes. Being with the company for @20 years and smaller area to own my business would be amazing ! Anyone have any concerns with the new VMG’s?
 
Lmao our store just transitioned from truck breaking out softlines repacks with unload to softlines TMs doing it throughout the day. We have like 10 pallets of repacks in the back and an added truck tomorrow.

Don’t worry about them though but those 2 uboats of candy backstock are an issue.
 
Lmao our store just transitioned from truck breaking out softlines repacks with unload to softlines TMs doing it throughout the day. We have like 10 pallets of repacks in the back and an added truck tomorrow.

Don’t worry about them though but those 2 uboats of candy backstock are an issue.

:eek:

I don't even know where we would put 10 pallets of repacks. We have had 4 or so, in the past - just put up in the steel until they could be worked out.
 
:eek:

I don't even know where we would put 10 pallets of repacks. We have had 4 or so, in the past - just put up in the steel until they could be worked out.
I think now we’re at something like 14 plus reshop just doesn’t get worked. Our bulk aisle is packed with carts, z’s, and pallets of repacks every night. We have what is probably the biggest backroom in our district, and are still running out of room.

Our old VML, now VM, our softlines TLs and the ETL-SF (really just softlines and barely an ETL) spend their whole day in the back breaking out repacks making little to no progress. Lol
 
@glo - Is your sales floor empty or over flowing with soft lines product? How does Pricing or Ship From Store find anything??

All those Leads should be pushing out product. Should have team members doing breakout.

I’d probably do something drastic like go overnight to get caught up.

Do you get General Merchandise trucks daily?
 
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@glo - Is your sales floor empty or over flowing with soft lines product? How does Pricing or Ship From Store find anything??

All those Leads should be pushing out product. Should have team members doing breakout.

I’d probably do something drastic like go overnight to get caught up.

Do you get General Merchandise trucks daily?
We have plenty of product on the floor lol

They already did an overnight and we’re right back to where we were.

We’re getting 5/6 trucks a week depending on if they add one or not which they’ve done for the past 3. But we haven’t had payroll because my STL wants to maintain golden contribution which I think is bs but I won’t get into it.
 
While this has been an enormous change to the former routine.... we have bought into the E2E culture and we have established DEDICATED Team Members in A&A. Our Leadership is supportive and involved. Our STL prioritized Guest Service and Merchandising; everything else was secondary.

That being said......I can honestly say that we complete every truck, every day; with the exception of shoes ( that comes clean nearly every day). We do not have any reshop (carts or hanging) left-over..... no rewrap "building up". We are on schedule w/ POGs an VMGs/Adj. Our backstock is complete every day. Our Autos are completed a.m and p.m. The only thing we do not have under control is Price Change. But we make a routine effort at it every day.

We are very, very particular about "how" our payroll hours are spent. That was re-structured a few times until we found true efficiency. The TMs are working at their max efficiency. If they are not, coaching is imminent. We have dedicated TMs on the floor; and we have 2 dedicated TMs just for truck breakout. Consistency is key; develop a "routine".

*If the beginning of the process is broken, ie: truck breakout..... your WHOLE process is broken. Breakout is the foundation that everything else builds upon. Master that..... then build up the next layer... etc, etc.
 
My store is also a overnight store . And we also have the e2e process, however when untrained softlines team members started to affect my backroom location accuracy , we had to make changes . The way it is at my store is as fallows : overnight does the breakout only if they have empty z-bars they also pull the auto fill and backstocks babies hardlines. Day time we pull their caf and backstock any remaining carts from the push . They also don’t need to worry about any price change , because price change will continue to do so even if the name changes.
 
The easiest way it do any of it is time yourself doing something and then constantly challenge the team to beat your time. Recognize or hold them accountable from there. The best way to do pricing well is to start ahead. Kids drops Friday so do it then. That’s the best time, because by Monday your on hands are way off from Friday when it dropped. By Sunday all of kids should be done. Anyone can do the clearance block and have the DBO do the 1sts, because they know know the floor the best. RTW clearance block is scanned Monday. Rtw 1sts on Tuesday. The areas that have less can do the clearance block and 1sts the same day, but always start the day before to give yourself wiggle room. The key is making the schedule to have the right people on the right day.
 
You need to push your team to combine tasks. You can't have dedicated times for go backs, freight, zone, etc. They have to do it all at one time.
It's doable, depending on freight levels, if you get enough payroll to assign at least one person per "zone area" per day (we typically didn't...)
Have them grab their Zracks, put the go backs on there with the freight, and work it all together. Zone as they go. Grab their folded freight and folded RTS, and do the same.
Break down their price change workload into smaller chunks, so each "area" does a little bit each day, starting with further final on day 1, and doing different areas of their ownership the rest of the days. Have them zoning and working go backs as they go.
VMG sets are a big pain in the ass, and we always roll freight during them because they can be 200 hours, and we'd still get 20 for the entire area. Start 3 weeks out moving what you have and getting ready for the new stuff to come in. Fixture block as soon as you can see the VMG on Workbench.

Our zone always looked awful, but our team largely got their tasks done except on weeks that like hosiery or kids basics would reset.
 
If a TM doesn’t deliver adequate performance, they end up a cashier or a guest. If you don’t show up to work or are late more than rarely, you end up a cashier or a guest.

Semi-related, but my store pulling the move to cashier stunt is really fucking me in the modernization process. Not only are they unhappy with being moved without being told they were moving or why (which is how my store handled it), but they SUCK at S&E. Turn over is going to sky rocket in the next few months.
 
Semi-related, but my store pulling the move to cashier stunt is really fucking me in the modernization process. Not only are they unhappy with being moved without being told they were moving or why (which is how my store handled it), but they SUCK at S&E. Turn over is going to sky rocket in the next few months.
Our old GSTL (she was gone before the name change so I’m sticking with it) flat out refused to take underperformers at the Front. She would tell the other Leaders that it’s not a dumping ground and if the TM isn’t doing well performance them out the right way.
 
Our old GSTL (she was gone before the name change so I’m sticking with it) flat out refused to take underperformers at the Front. She would tell the other Leaders that it’s not a dumping ground and if the TM isn’t doing well performance them out the right way.

I wish I had that option. I took over SETL from being [undisclosed to keep from being discovered by a TM at my store] TL, I inherited all the shitty ones.
 
I work in soft lines in a small format, and i work the day shift 9-4, since we do not have an over nite team. My responsibilities, are first zone all of softlines, then spend an hour in my area, then do breakout and push all break out, im lucky if they schedule, another tm for a 12-5. Or 2-7.
 
While this has been an enormous change to the former routine.... we have bought into the E2E culture and we have established DEDICATED Team Members in A&A. Our Leadership is supportive and involved. Our STL prioritized Guest Service and Merchandising; everything else was secondary.

That being said......I can honestly say that we complete every truck, every day; with the exception of shoes ( that comes clean nearly every day). We do not have any reshop (carts or hanging) left-over..... no rewrap "building up". We are on schedule w/ POGs an VMGs/Adj. Our backstock is complete every day. Our Autos are completed a.m and p.m. The only thing we do not have under control is Price Change. But we make a routine effort at it every day.

We are very, very particular about "how" our payroll hours are spent. That was re-structured a few times until we found true efficiency. The TMs are working at their max efficiency. If they are not, coaching is imminent. We have dedicated TMs on the floor; and we have 2 dedicated TMs just for truck breakout. Consistency is key; develop a "routine".

*If the beginning of the process is broken, ie: truck breakout..... your WHOLE process is broken. Breakout is the foundation that everything else builds upon. Master that..... then build up the next layer... etc, etc.
 
I'm curious... what are your expectations for your breakout team? The processing and how it is organized on a Metro or Zrack. Are they keeping styles together, are they sizing, are they edging the hanging etc
 
I'm curious... what are your expectations for your breakout team? The processing and how it is organized on a Metro or Zrack. Are they keeping styles together, are they sizing, are they edging the hanging etc
 
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