Assets Protection Driving Merch Protection

[checklane01]

So my store has a very big issue with GM DBOs, not merch protecting the products the push to the floor. It's an issue that our APBP is well aware of but nothing is getting done. For example, our Dysons are spider wrapped and on locking peg hooks, and there are TMs working vacuums who just put the product on the floor without any merch protection, even though there are other ones on the floor that are merch protected. My APL and I are struggling to find ways to get the TMs and TLs to protect the merch they push. I'm open to ideas. 🙂

 

[Noiinteam]

I don't know what they call it now but it use to be a "seek to understand" conversation. I would bet half the store tms don't know how or which size spider wrap to use. Unload tms have a group huddle every morning. Have ap come in and show them how to do it and where to get them.

 

[HardlinesGuy]

This is a problem facing every AP team.

Here is a generic formula/plan for success that I tried to implement at my stores before I left the company that proved to be decently effective at starting to see consistency. Your results may vary. Best of luck.

• Teach your team members. Most team members probably have minimal understanding of how merch protection equipment works, and how to implement it effectively/correctly. Start by educating team members on how the different tools can be used, and how to use them correctly. Pull a handful of sales floor team members for 15 minutes on a slow night and show them how the different sizes of spider wraps and other tools are used best. Encourage them to fix obvious merch protection gaps that they see while they zone/push as time allows. The formula I used for training (on all concepts, not just MP) was Tell, Show, Do x2, Review. Tell them about it, show them how to do it, do it with them, have them do it on their own as you watch, review any knowledge gaps or other issues as needed.
• Partner with logistics. Get with other leaders, and ensure they and their teams are up to date on price points and approved protection devices. Identify someone in the logistics process that can own merch protection during the unload/push process. You can do this in a few ways. Either have merchandise that needs to be protected separated and pushed by that specific person, or have a small group of team members dedicated to auditing push for merch protection needs.
• Be proactive and persistent. Get in early one day and work with the team to push the truck and protect merchandise together. Work with them. Show that you give a shit about their work, and they will be more inclined to give a shit about your work. Further, prove that this isn’t a topic that’s going to be forgotten about in a few days. Be a little thorn in their side about merch protection. There is a level of pestering that must be seen as acceptable if you want results.
• Make it a game. My old store used to give out Vibe/YOU Cards that we specifically marked as “Safety” or “AP” cards, and we awarded the team with our own little rewards system, be it a gift card, some snacks, etc. Try to recognize TM’s that are clearly making an effort to do the right thing in regards to merch protection. If they are not meeting standards now, show praise for meeting the standards, and more praise for exceeding it. We kept this as a different and independent element of recognition that other store teams didn’t have influence over. The rewards came directly from the AP team to encourage participation.
• Make it a group activity. If/when huddles return to your store, and if you can get the GM team on board, encourage the team to work together to zone a specific area, and look for merchandise protection opportunities. Show up to the group zone with a cart of spider wraps and a few S3 keys. What starts off as a good zone in kitchenware can end with the added bonus of getting those expensive knife sets, frying pan sets, and appliances protected properly.

 

[Rarejem]

There is literally NO training about this in our store. Unless you work in electronics, you are not trained to use spider wrap (and the time to do it is not included in the push time, which IS a thing). Unless you work in electronics, there is no guidance or guide as to which merchandise is required to be protected. Some items have dollar guidance and others, like personal care seem really random. Many times "Any warm-body-and-punched-in TM" is working freight, so not always a DBO and often a newbie who is still literally fumbling with the walkie and phone app. I know it should be a priority, but it isn't in any area of our store but electronics and alcohol and those have dedicated area tms.

 

[checklane01]

There is literally NO training about this in our store. Unless you work in electronics, you are not trained to use spider wrap (and the time to do it is not included in the push time, which IS a thing). Unless you work in electronics, there is no guidance or guide as to which merchandise is required to be protected. Some items have dollar guidance and others, like personal care seem really random. Many times "Any warm-body-and-punched-in TM" is working freight, so not always a DBO and often a newbie who is still literally fumbling with the walkie and phone app. I know it should be a priority, but it isn't in any area of our store but electronics and alcohol and those have dedicated area tms.

Understandable. I'm talking more about the consistency of merch protection, I understand one-off times, but the leaders of the areas don't even merch protect things when they push. There is a sheet provided to us that states the first 3 of the DPCI (department) and the price point at which those items should be merch protected. Our idea now is to get a metro rack with all the different types of merch protection (spider wraps, yellow tags, keepers, etc) in wacos then have a copy of said sheet to help TMs. I also had an idea to put something on the u-boats near the block number that says the department numbers and price points for that specific block so TMs can easily access it when pushing. Thoughts?

 

[SigningLady]

My AP has a list of items that should be merch protected for each area (and what type of merch protection needed) posted in the office. She also has the yellow merch protectors in a mesh laundry bag attached to the personal care uboat so the person working that freight does not have to go find any. This could work for the other areas as well. Having a bag with spider wrap already in it on the uboats eliminates the excuse of not attaching it to the product.

 

[Rarejem]

Understandable. I'm talking more about the consistency of merch protection, I understand one-off times, but the leaders of the areas don't even merch protect things when they push. There is a sheet provided to us that states the first 3 of the DPCI (department) and the price point at which those items should be merch protected. Our idea now is to get a metro rack with all the different types of merch protection (spider wraps, yellow tags, keepers, etc) in wacos then have a copy of said sheet to help TMs. I also had an idea to put something on the u-boats near the block number that says the department numbers and price points for that specific block so TMs can easily access it when pushing. Thoughts?

The metro rack will unfortunately become the junk drawer of the sales floor and back room... good intentions and all, but one day you notice it has become a catch-all for all the things that SF tms wish they had a place for. Also, only one vehicle is allowed on the floor for each tm, so it may be redundant/inefficient to reload a vehicle with security items and go to the backroom to secure them and then bring them back to the floor again. TM's are often reminded of their times and many tl's and etl's don't care why it takes longer, only that it does, so this is where shortcuts will happen. I like the idea of a laminated sheet on the u-boat, but realize that they will need to be replaced occasionally/frequently as the u-boats are often loaded with freight in the area that is meant for cardboard so they may get ruined or accidently torn off. Attaching the supplies to each uboat could work if it could be attached to the uboat (or flat in the case of vacuums?)in a way that doesn't interfere with the trash bags and freight. The closing team could possibly do a protection audit when they are doing their zone to make sure it's done, let the closing tl know what was missed during the day so they could put it in their closing email as an education opportunity for whoever worked the area during the day. If it's continually the same tm, it could lead to coaching. .

 

[allnew2]

Few seek to understand will lead to corrective action up to termination they don’t get ohh well

 

[Rarejem]

My AP has a list of items that should be merch protected for each area (and what type of merch protection needed) posted in the office. She also has the yellow merch protectors in a mesh laundry bag attached to the personal care uboat so the person working that freight does not have to go find any. This could work for the other areas as well. Having a bag with spider wrap already in it on the uboats eliminates the excuse of not attaching it to the product.

OTC gets the security items on their u-boats and in pulls at our store and is responsible for them. A list of items in the office does not seem productive to me as it is not immediate and if, as is often the case at our store, random tm's help with uboats they will not necessarily be aware that they need to check.

 

[SigningLady]

OTC gets the security items on their u-boats and in pulls at our store and is responsible for them. A list of items in the office does not seem productive to me as it is not immediate and if, as is often the case at our store, random tm's help with uboats they will not necessarily be aware that they need to check.

Oh, I agree a list in the office isn't the most efficient, but it's what we have. There are multiple copies so people can grab them if they want....not that they do, lol. The list is also incomplete as one of my areas isn't even listed and it has spider wrapped items. 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

[BurgerBob]

Our tech team will train anyone on use of spiderwraps and we have plenty. Though I can see a barrier to gm wrapping items in the fact they don't have the s3 key with them like tech does atleast in my store.

 

[checklane01]

TM's are often reminded of their times and many tl's and etl's don't care why it takes longer, only that it does, so this is where shortcuts will happen.

This is a major issue. No leadership cares about merch protection and I don't think anyone, except those in AP, realizes the sheer amount of theft we experience in the store and how important protecting our merchandise is to all over aspects of the business. I just don't know how to get that message across.

 

[HardlinesGuy]

Understandable. I'm talking more about the consistency of merch protection, I understand one-off times, but the leaders of the areas don't even merch protect things when they push. There is a sheet provided to us that states the first 3 of the DPCI (department) and the price point at which those items should be merch protected. Our idea now is to get a metro rack with all the different types of merch protection (spider wraps, yellow tags, keepers, etc) in wacos then have a copy of said sheet to help TMs. I also had an idea to put something on the u-boats near the block number that says the department numbers and price points for that specific block so TMs can easily access it when pushing. Thoughts?

My AP has a list of items that should be merch protected for each area (and what type of merch protection needed) posted in the office. She also has the yellow merch protectors in a mesh laundry bag attached to the personal care uboat so the person working that freight does not have to go find any. This could work for the other areas as well. Having a bag with spider wrap already in it on the uboats eliminates the excuse of not attaching it to the product.

Combine these two ideas, if you ask me. Use the official price point guide sheet as reference and have a few of them hanging around, but make your own simplified, easy to read, easy to understand guide that the team members might remember easier. Use pictures if you have to. I tried to get my team to understand the price point guide, but most of them either got bogged down with all the information on the form or just didn’t bother because it “looked too confusing” when it’s really simple. Make it as fool proof as possible. You’ll still end up getting disappointed, but the easier you make it now, the fewer headaches you will have in the long run.

One more thing I forgot to mention. If you aren’t doing it already, start getting AP involved with new team member orientation. Talk a little bit about what you do, and what you expect from the new hires. You can even demo simple spider wrapping at this time and get them involved and engaged by having them demonstrate it and try wrapping item then and there. One of my big selling points to encourage participation was “These little wraps help keep merchandise in the store. When the merchandise is walking out, those are your hours and paychecks walking out too.”

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

When in doubt, spider wrap it.

 

[Tessa120]

When in doubt, spider wrap it.

Until they tell you that since it's not on the list it's not supposed to be. Many things drove me nuts in my time there, but the $100 and $150 watches sitting in Men's with no protection was a particularly high ping on the insanity meter.

 

[flow4areasonuno]

So my store has a very big issue with GM DBOs, not merch protecting the products the push to the floor. It's an issue that our APBP is well aware of but nothing is getting done. For example, our Dysons are spider wrapped and on locking peg hooks, and there are TMs working vacuums who just put the product on the floor without any merch protection, even though there are other ones on the floor that are merch protected. My APL and I are struggling to find ways to get the TMs and TLs to protect the merch they push. I'm open to ideas. 🙂

Make it so they get more than a couple hours to do reshop, push product including repacks, dispose of trash, backstock, reshop again. I think it's the time crunch that's an issue here. They have too much to do in too short a time frame and the short term gain (getting done almost in time) is more of an immediate benefit. If I don't get things done in time I get hauled into the office and shown a paper that says how long I'm supposed to take

ETA: Messed up a word

 

[happygoth]

Make it so they get more than a couple hours to do reshop, push product including repacks, dispose of trash, backstock, reshop again. I think it's the time crunch that's an issue here. They have too much to do in too short a time frame and the short term gain (getting done almost in time) is more of an immediate risk. If I don't get things done in time I get hauled into the office and shown a paper that says how long I'm supposed to take

^ this ^

Ain't no DBOs who got time for spider wrapping. At my former job when I was in security we did audits and when we found stuff without security tags we took care of it ourselves. Sucks but it was the only way to ensure that it got done.

 

[IWishIKnew]

I do spider wrap stuff that should be, but new people don't really get trained on what stuff should be spider wrapped in their areas, so a lot of stuff doesn't get wrapped (AP goes around and wraps anything that needs it). I work home/domestics so have a good idea, but spider wrapping can easily double the time it takes to do the small app one-for-one, depending on how many expensive things are in the pull, how long it takes to hunt down spider wraps of the right size, get to electronics or the lanes to open up the ones that need to be opened in order to be extended, wrap the items and get them out. And that, of course, assumes you have enough wraps--for BF appliances we didn't have near enough to wrap all of the Instant Pots and Air Fryers and whatnot.

It would be helpful if security tags were in the back rooms somewhere accessible to TMs but they're not--they're either in electronics or the locked electronics stockroom or, if you're lucky, you can scavenge them from the lanes or guest service but if electronics is out it really just takes a long time to find the m'fers. At least at my store.

 

[wonkatonka]

On the inside of each aisle, like where the post the POG number labels behind the endcap, put up a small sign with "Blenders $99.99 and up" to signify what price point and items should get spider wrapped. That way it's in the aisle, right where they are pushing, and doesn't have to be referenced and remembered.

 

[BurgerBob]

We introduce ap to all the seasonals. "If you see them near by looking suspicious pay them no mind, they are hunting" ..