MEGATHREAD Flexible Fulfillment

[JohnSith373]

Do you have a part number or what the side of the box looks like? Ours still have not been delivered.

It’s listed under MyComm and the box was actually blank excluding the shipping label. I go back in Saturday so I’ll edit with the SAP, then unless someone else adds it.

If I remember correctly, it said select stores will be allowed black shirts uniform for FF workcenter.

 

[spotlife]

When putting an OPU into the hold location, it asks for a printer to print a label to. Is this function back?? What paper should be in the printer?? If anyone knows.

I love how the company roles things out without communication

 

[JohnSith373]

When putting an OPU into the hold location, it asks for a printer to print a label to. Is this function back?? What paper should be in the printer?? If anyone knows.

I love how the company roles things out without communication

The company does communication but it’s store leadership that doesn’t do communication. They’ll sit on emails for days when it’s important communication.

You’ll grab any of the Zebra printers and use the Flexible Fulfillment sticker rolls (longer version of UPC sticker), the same stickers used for Hold/Cart locations and receiving STS orders.
Make sure the Zebra printer mode is ZPL* (On the Printer display, Settings and change to ZPL*) and just scan the printer label whenever you’re in the Put into Hold screen. Note, you will have to scan the printer label everytime you’re on the Put into Hold screen and it might take some tinkering to make it work (sending 2 request to print, adjusting X/Y axis, etc). It wouldn’t be the Target experience if it worked perfectly every single time.

A Zebra Printer and Printer Charger should be designated for OPU.

 

[hufflepuff]

Can someone here please tell me what the current goal times are for non rush and rush/restock? If it helps our late FedEx pickup is 10:30. We keep getting different answers from ETL, STL, DTL, etc. Nobody is giving us straight communication but we're still getting ripped apart for missing goals, INF with five stores worth of merchandise unlocated in the back and SL everywhere, not being able to walk through the back, etc. Its driving me nuts and I cant get through Q4 this way.

 

[Irdasur]

so I'm on my first week after training with Flex Fulfillment and I just have a few questions...

Welcome!

1. How long should you take for a pick batch? say you have 28 tasks in your pick batch? I know sometimes a pick batch can take longer because in our store every fulfillment team member has to do OPU's so having to exit out of a batch constantly for OPU's really slows a pick batch down but I'm just curious on what people think is a reasonable time limit.

I'd say the average of a batch is 25 tasks, but thats a random number I've thought up. Our batteries are all over the store, and it could be 50-60 tasks. So, lets say you pick about 20-25 items per batch (We have NO control over how many items are in a batch). You could take up to 30-45 mins in a batch. ASANTS = All Stores Are Not The Same, if you don't know. Someone on this site mentioned ABANTS (All BATCHES Are Not The Same). If your batch is Softline heavy, you could take more time. If your batch is Hardline heavy, you could take less time, even less than the range of time that I've mentioned. I've done 10 minute batches, but those are rare. Wear good walking shoes w/ Insoles, get enough daily nutrients, and you could probably shave off some time. Improper shoes will slow you down. Take good care of yourself.

2. Does anyone else pick two carts and then pack? or should we just be picking one cart at a time then packing right after?

I only pick and pick, before the store opens (No guests to get in the way, so beat them to the items before opening time). It really depends on how many orders your store will have, and what may needs to happen to get it all done. We're not eSFS, so we pick and pack as intended.

3. Final question... how many carts do y'all typically do a day?

Hard for me to say, tbh. All batches are not the same, so it varies. If we have dedicated pickers and packers, I could knock out 2-3 batches an hour.
Since we currently pack our own batches, 1 batch is packed per hour. I just setup our modernized SFS with my ETL, so it may improve.

I'm just curious on what you guys think!!! when they hired me the only "time limit" they stressed about was OPU's and finishing our picking and packing before 4:30 pm but with holidays coming up I want to make sure I'm up to par.

I'm curious to see whats going to happen this Q4. The new modernization process puts my store in a somewhat worrying spot, as we have no room for backstock.

 

[spotlife]

The company does communication but it’s store leadership that doesn’t do communication. They’ll sit on emails for days when it’s important communication.

You’ll grab any of the Zebra printers and use the Flexible Fulfillment sticker rolls (longer version of UPC sticker), the same stickers used for Hold/Cart locations and receiving STS orders.
Make sure the Zebra printer mode is ZPL* (On the Printer display, Settings and change to ZPL*) and just scan the printer label whenever you’re in the Put into Hold screen. Note, you will have to scan the printer label everytime you’re on the Put into Hold screen and it might take some tinkering to make it work (sending 2 request to print, adjusting X/Y axis, etc). It wouldn’t be the Target experience if it worked perfectly every single time.

A Zebra Printer and Printer Charger should be designated for OPU.

I’m actually a hardliners team leader and didn’t see anything. Maybe they sent it out to Logistic leaders only. Do you have a part number for those FF sticker rolls? Or a picture? I don’t think I’ve seen those I’ll have to jump on SAP. Thanks!

 

[Antennae]

For all you new people, guard your carts like a hawk these upcoming months. Guests will pick through your carts and make your life harder.

 

[allnew2]

When putting an OPU into the hold location, it asks for a printer to print a label to. Is this function back?? What paper should be in the printer?? If anyone knows.

I love how the company roles things out without communication

The same old white labels that we used with the the old printers. Also your printer needs to be on zpl*

 

[BobSmith]

I have been working at Target doing SFS/OPU for a few months now, part time, only on weekends. My store was going through a remodel when I first started and I thought the complete mess of a storeroom was due to that. Well, the remodel has been done for a while and the storeroom is still a complete disaster. We have three floors of storeroom and the third floor is by far the worst. There are pallets of backstock blocking the rows of wacos and then more pallets/carts in the actual rows. You can't move one pallet without moving a bunch of other ones. This makes picking things extremely slow going. Also, the few people doing pick batches for SFS also often have to stop what they are doing to fill the OPU, which often has to be picked someplace other than the storeroom you are in. Then the managers ask why things are not getting picked on time. Also, so many things are not located but not on the floor, but in repack boxes in one of the storerooms. We use the RFID to find the softlines stuff, but when there are 10 pallets of repack boxes, it is hard to zero in on which box is making it beep. I generally can find stuff, but it takes a REALLY long time.

My question is: Is this normal? I mean, it is not even November yet, and I can't even imagine how much worse it can get, although I bet it will.

 

[bfresh512]

So the 10:30 deadline for ship from store. When do those stop dropping into the system? What’s the latest I can expect something in that batch

 

[Bosch]

I have been working at Target doing SFS/OPU for a few months now, part time, only on weekends. My store was going through a remodel when I first started and I thought the complete mess of a storeroom was due to that. Well, the remodel has been done for a while and the storeroom is still a complete disaster. We have three floors of storeroom and the third floor is by far the worst. There are pallets of backstock blocking the rows of wacos and then more pallets/carts in the actual rows. You can't move one pallet without moving a bunch of other ones. This makes picking things extremely slow going. Also, the few people doing pick batches for SFS also often have to stop what they are doing to fill the OPU, which often has to be picked someplace other than the storeroom you are in. Then the managers ask why things are not getting picked on time. Also, so many things are not located but not on the floor, but in repack boxes in one of the storerooms. We use the RFID to find the softlines stuff, but when there are 10 pallets of repack boxes, it is hard to zero in on which box is making it beep. I generally can find stuff, but it takes a REALLY long time.

My question is: Is this normal? I mean, it is not even November yet, and I can't even imagine how much worse it can get, although I bet it will.

It's the new normal and it will only get worse as the 4th quarter freight and stupidity takes hold.. Overwhelming is the best way to put it.

They can have it picked fast with lots of INF's or they can blow deadlines but find the items.. Until they clean up the backrooms and have freight pushed and backstocked on time this is what it is. Cause they give almost no fucks about having stuff in its place anymore.

 

[Lazy]

I’m actually a hardliners team leader and didn’t see anything. Maybe they sent it out to Logistic leaders only. Do you have a part number for those FF sticker rolls? Or a picture? I don’t think I’ve seen those I’ll have to jump on SAP. Thanks!

T.3002 or T.3022 I think. It the long sticker they use to label carts.

 

[JohnSith373]

So the 10:30 deadline for ship from store. When do those stop dropping into the system? What’s the latest I can expect something in that batch

The latest would be 8pm but I’m a 930pm deadline store so yours might be 9pm. I would check ePick between 8:05pm and 9:05pm to see if there is a change. If there’s no change between those times, deadline is 8pm while if there is change, deadline is 9pm.

I would say do this on multiple days if you want to be certain

 

[slowhands]

Anyone else lose the ability in mpm to flip to landscape to view the extra details on inf and pack speed? I saw it like one day after someone mentioned it here, but now flipping the zebra does nothing.

 

[hufflepuff]

Anyone else lose the ability in mpm to flip to landscape to view the extra details on inf and pack speed? I saw it like one day after someone mentioned it here, but now flipping the zebra does nothing.

Go into the Accessibility app, turn on Auto-Rotate Screen, and then you'll be able to flip MPM.

 

[slowhands]

Go into the Accessibility app, turn on Auto-Rotate Screen, and then you'll be able to flip MPM.

Thanks that fixed it

 

[JohnSith373]

Remember how the system had random outages the last few days? All those OPUs that were suppose to drop during the outages dropped at the same time today. About 80 or so DPCIs to pick in 30 minutes.

 

[Bosch]

Remember how the system had random outages the last few days? All those OPUs that were suppose to drop during the outages dropped at the same time today. About 80 or so DPCIs to pick in 30 minutes.

Ok I thought I had gone even more bat shit crazy than I normally am.. I went to take my first break, 20 OPUs when I left, come back 130 to pick.. WTF! At least I got to keep my break coverage.. But yeah goal times went in the toilet. And the newbie ETL screaming on the radio about goal times getting missed.. "Not my fault in 15min we had 110 OPU's drop, its going to take a while to pick."

 

[Alexbegt]

Anyone else hate the new seasonal hires that your store hired for SFS? We have had some not scan orders out and ship them, scanning the shelf labels instead of the items, grabbing the wrong amount/wrong items, leaving CASEPACKS on the carts instead of taking the amount they need, and grabbing stuff that looks destroyed and expect us to still pack it. .. Today I force printed the carts to find an order that was delivered yesterday.

 

[Antennae]

To be fair I take whole casepacks if I know I'm packing.

In other news, SFSTL and ETL-Log forgot to order supplies! Half a roll of pillows left and enough bale wire for two bales. 10 days until new shit gets here.

 

[Black Sheep 214]

n other news, SFSTL and ETL-Log forgot to order supplies! Half a roll of pillows left and enough bale wire for two bales. 10 days until new shit gets here.

Not the brightest lights in the string, are they? 😂😂😂😂😂😂

 

[spotlife]

Anyone else hate the new seasonal hires that your store hired for SFS? We have had some not scan orders out and ship them, scanning the shelf labels instead of the items, grabbing the wrong amount/wrong items, leaving CASEPACKS on the carts instead of taking the amount they need, and grabbing stuff that looks destroyed and expect us to still pack it. .. Today I force printed the carts to find an order that was delivered yesterday.

Sounds like an issue with their training

 

[hufflepuff]

Sounds like an issue with their training

Or it's like my store where leadership throws random TMs into SFS with no backroom or fulfillment training because they think it's the easiest job. Plus they hire some terrible seasonals for us who can be retrained multiple times and still wont follow direction.

 

[Flex Xpert]

We just got The new SFS carts.do they have to be labeled a certain way or using particular letters ?

 

[Bosch]

To be fair I take whole casepacks if I know I'm packing.

In other news, SFSTL and ETL-Log forgot to order supplies! Half a roll of pillows left and enough bale wire for two bales. 10 days until new shit gets here.

They can do an emergency order and you get it in two/three days and they can get on the phone and trade supplies with sister stores.

Flex Xpert - they want you too, check workbench for the SFS remodel guide, it will list it in there. They want the carts to have like 16-18 locations on them so as they break up who picks, preps and packs stuff is easier to locate, but if you are small SFS store you really won't need to bother. But read the guide.