MEGATHREAD Flexible Fulfillment

[IHeartCarts]

Our store just started SFS this past week and had something that confused us today.

After all our orders were packed and ready to be shipped, we had multiple items still in our three their carts. They were pulled in one of the batches, but did not go to an order. When doing a location inquiry, the carts come up as empty. We called up another store who said if you go to fast it can mess up the system, but how does that make sense? In our case, we had multiple orders for video games (thanks to early BF deals). If I had three for Titanfall and the next item was three Battlefields, if I scan the next item too quickly, is it possible it doesn't register? Just wondering how something like that could happen as we were fairly confident that all the packages had the correct items in them.

One thought I had (and I don't know if this is possible). If an order that was packed (but not yet picked up by UPS) ends up cancelled from the guest's side, is there a way to look it up in the system? As far as we could tell, it wasn't an issue of the shipping labels not printing since the LODs were able to go on the computer and see that everything was good to go.

One other question. What's the easiest way to tape the box? Seems for the bigger boxes, the tape gets a little unwieldy at times and the sticky stuff ends up more on me than the box itself.

Yes a lot of times the order will be cancelled before the collates print out. You can call the CSC# to double check if you'd like to be extra sure. I think they can tell if an order was cancelled based on the DPCI.

Almost everyone except me tapes one half and folds it down to tape the other half. I fold both flaps over and tape them both at once. Don't think there's a better way just whatever you prefer.

 

[SoftlinesSquirrel]

Yes a lot of times the order will be cancelled before the collates print out. You can call the CSC# to double check if you'd like to be extra sure. I think they can tell if an order was cancelled based on the DPCI.

Almost everyone except me tapes one half and folds it down to tape the other half. I fold both flaps over and tape them both at once. Don't think there's a better way just whatever you prefer.

That makes a lot more sense than whatever I was trying to do with the tape. You'd think I never taped a box before.

As for orders being cancelled, is calling CSC the only way? When we checked Manhattan (I think that's the name), we didn't see anything there unless we overlooked it completely.

 

[SFSFun]

After all our orders were packed and ready to be shipped, we had multiple items still in our three their carts. They were pulled in one of the batches, but did not go to an order. When doing a location inquiry, the carts come up as empty. We called up another store who said if you go to fast it can mess up the system, but how does that make sense? In our case, we had multiple orders for video games (thanks to early BF deals). If I had three for Titanfall and the next item was three Battlefields, if I scan the next item too quickly, is it possible it doesn't register? Just wondering how something like that could happen as we were fairly confident that all the packages had the correct items in them.

What most likely happened is someone wasn't packing everything in the order. It's very easy to do if there is multiple of the same item in the order.

The 2nd most likely explanation is some items or orders were cancelled after they were picked.

You can scan the items in Order Inquiry (go to the main myFA menu where the SPU part is, and scroll down). It will list all of the possible orders and you can click through them to see how many of the item they were supposed to have.

Honestly I wouldn't worry about it as long as myFA says zero to pack. Toss anything extra on a pull and the guest will call Target.com if they are missing an item.

One other question. What's the easiest way to tape the box? Seems for the bigger boxes, the tape gets a little unwieldy at times and the sticky stuff ends up more on me than the box itself.

I do it like this:
- left hand holding the center of the two flaps down
- right hand pushes button on tape machine and grabs the tape
- bring right hand and edge of tape to the left side of the box (crossing over the left hand) so that the tape is hanging off the edge by a few inches
- remove left hand from the box and smooth the tape over the top and down the sides

Throw the tape out and make a new piece if something goes wrong or it takes more than 10 seconds.

 

[SnorlaxTM]

Any other 750s being told we're actually going to double that? My mind is boggled because there's no way in hell we're going to be able to do 1500.

 

[SFSFun]

Any other 750s being told we're actually going to double that? My mind is boggled because there's no way in hell we're going to be able to do 1500.

Last I checked it was up to 1050, but only on certain days. I haven't looked at the actual daily order forecast report in a while though.

Will have to check on Saturday...

 

[IHeartCarts]

That would be terrible. We're already going to be completely understaffed with most people having a single day experience.

 

[SFSFun]

Same here...

 

[Doglover89]

So I've got no SFS shifts until Thanksgiving and probably won't have time to talk to my SFS captain...how are orders going to work? Do they keep dropping in continuously or do we still have to have orders picked/packed by the usual times?

 

[Lazy]

So I've got no SFS shifts until Thanksgiving and probably won't have time to talk to my SFS captain...how are orders going to work? Do they keep dropping in continuously or do we still have to have orders picked/packed by the usual times?

As far as I know time limits are still in effect.

 

[Logo]

After reading all these post i can say thank goodness we are not a SFS store! (at least not yet!)

 

[IHeartCarts]

Same here...

Our SFS captain calls it STS all the time and it drives me mad.

 

[Bosch]

So I've got no SFS shifts until Thanksgiving and probably won't have time to talk to my SFS captain...how are orders going to work? Do they keep dropping in continuously or do we still have to have orders picked/packed by the usual times?

For black Friday week we have people picking at all hours, if an LOD(always being overnight process) is in the store a STS(we are ship to store only) someone will be picking orders.

 

[SFSFun]

So I've got no SFS shifts until Thanksgiving and probably won't have time to talk to my SFS captain...how are orders going to work? Do they keep dropping in continuously or do we still have to have orders picked/packed by the usual times?

I haven't seen specifics, but last year orders dropped all day (because people are ordering from Target.com all day) and they waived the usual pick/pack time limits. This year since teams are coming in at 4am, there's no reason why most of the due today orders shouldn't be picked by 2pm. I can't see them enforcing the 4:30 packed deadline since they expect most of that to happen after the store opens.

For black Friday week we have people picking at all hours, if an LOD(always being overnight process) is in the store a STS(we are ship to store only) someone will be picking orders.

So there's going to be one person dedicated to store pickups at all times? What are they going to do when it's slow at like 3am?

 

[Bosch]

I haven't seen specifics, but last year orders dropped all day (because people are ordering from Target.com all day) and they waived the usual pick/pack time limits. This year since teams are coming in at 4am, there's no reason why most of the due today orders shouldn't be picked by 2pm. I can't see them enforcing the 4:30 packed deadline since they expect most of that to happen after the store opens.


So there's going to be one person dedicated to store pickups at all times? What are they going to do when it's slow at like 3am?

Guest service will be staffed with a person on heavy times and there are several people who can do pick up with My Devices if they need help.

We are doing it this way since last year we walked into several hundred orders when the ETL-Ops came in last year. we are not repeating that cluster fuck from last year. It was hell for the guys picking cause even I picked orders for break coverage and the fighting to get products and then keep products in your cart was awful.

 

[Doglover89]

This year since teams are coming in at 4am...

LOL...I didn't realize this was what all stores are doing. The SrTL acted like it was his idea to have us all come in early so we can have Thanksgiving with our families.

 

[SFSFun]

I don't know if all stores are doing it, but earlier is better so we can try to get all of the picking done before the store opens.

 

[Kompa]

Now we got a huge problem of sfs newbies pulling large casepacks from the back for one item and leaving them there...

 

[ISMike]

Now we got a huge problem of sfs newbies pulling large casepacks from the back for one item and leaving them there...

Happens at my store too. Pull 1 of a case of 12. Say 1 was pulled instead of the 12 and just left on the shelf.

 

[SFSFun]

Now we got a huge problem of sfs newbies pulling large casepacks from the back for one item and leaving them there...

Yeah it's a pain in the ass to try and explain pulling casepacks. Especially since some of our aisles are just a random mix of case and open stock on the same shelves (sometimes grouped as open, sometimes grouped as case).

I don't even have time to explain backstocking at this point. They can put it on a tub at the end of the aisle and backroom is going to have to take care of it.

 

[Firefox]

Yep, been fighting that at my store as well. It's pretty bad because we are hiring so many new SFS seasonals, and at least one person who is training them isn't telling them to pull the whole casepack. BRLA is gonna tank over the next couple of days. If they aren't going to be able to backstock it, at least put it on the backstock line instead of letting it sit on the shelf and generating an error.

 

[brizzy93]

The earliest we are coming in for ship is 3pm at my store. If pick and pack times were in place, wouldn't they know to schedule us earlier?

 

[Lazy]

The earliest we are coming in for ship is 3pm at my store. If pick and pack times were in place, wouldn't they know to schedule us earlier?

My team will be there from 5am-10pm

 

[brizzy93]

My team will be there from 5am-10pm

And TMs at my store look at ME like I'm crazy for coming in at 3pm lmao. Shit I wouldn't volunteer for 5am

 

[tgtJose]

The earliest we are coming in for ship is 3pm at my store. If pick and pack times were in place, wouldn't they know to schedule us earlier?

Isn't your store going up to 750 orders that day? You guys are so completely screwed, because all 750 orders will need to be picked by 6pm. Any later and you have to deal with guests in the store and run the risk of them buying the remaining stock of items that you still needed to pick.

We had a team of around 10 come in at 3pm last year for 500 orders and it was a complete disaster that set us behind for weeks.

 

[brizzy93]

Isn't your store going up to 750 orders that day? You guys are so completely screwed, because all 750 orders will need to be picked by 6pm. Any later and you have to deal with guests in the store and run the risk of them buying the remaining stock of items that you still needed to pick.

We had a team of around 10 come in at 3pm last year for 500 orders and it was a complete disaster that set us behind for weeks.

Idk man. It's leaderships fault. I haven't heard anything about it. But I'm sure we'll be fucked. I don't know if the ETLs even know. I'll ask my ship captain tomorrow