MEGATHREAD Flexible Fulfillment

[seasonaldude]

So today I decided to let my seasonal OPU help just have it. Told my TL that I needed the kid to get much better before next week, so I was just going to leave it to him to learn the store better while I just spent the day helping GM catch up on freight.

The good news when I left: Receiving is clean. All vehicles on the line are empty and ready to go for tomorrow's unload.
The bad news: The seasonal had an INF% over 15%.

I don't think I'll be doing that again.

 

[OrderSickUp]

A couple of our seasonals have called out multiple times and NCNS but management doesn't give a shit...they need warm bodies with barely a pulse.

They sure act like that with how they let October's trainees train November's trainees (and I don't mean casually helping them -- they're literally the names listed as the trainer on the new person's written schedule) and expect them to pick so many batches in a shift. That is, leadership acts like that until they can corner you, one of the only senior TMs in the department, and yell at you for the seasonals' high INFs and because they're asking leaders too many questions instead of you. Um, well, don't cut my hours and expect me to help them telepathically. It's simple: You're not allowed to train people, you're simply meant to show them something one time, and they're immediately supposed to get the hang of it.

I feel you on the not being able to train another person thing you mentioned in your other post. I'm not good at it, judging by their performances, but I'm all they have. I'm training multiple people on Thanksgiving, all while I'll be expected to have SFS and OPU in the green. I have no idea how I can do it.

 

[Proficient]

So today I decided to let my seasonal OPU help just have it. Told my TL that I needed the kid to get much better before next week, so I was just going to leave it to him to learn the store better while I just spent the day helping GM catch up on freight.

The good news when I left: Receiving is clean. All vehicles on the line are empty and ready to go for tomorrow's unload.
The bad news: The seasonal had an INF% over 15%.

I don't think I'll be doing that again.

Wait you're helping GM with freight If I was your peer I would've tell you to watch the orders and jump in them batches as they drop. No helping GM during this Holiday thats not best practice as Guests are most important its always been all about the Guest for Spot. Heck on friday and saturday we had like 5 ppl picking solely for OPU.

 

[Bosch]

They sure act like that with how they let October's trainees train November's trainees (and I don't mean casually helping them -- they're literally the names listed as the trainer on the new person's written schedule) and expect them to pick so many batches in a shift. That is, leadership acts like that until they can corner you, one of the only senior TMs in the department, and yell at you for the seasonals' high INFs and because they're asking leaders too many questions instead of you. Um, well, don't cut my hours and expect me to help them telepathically. It's simple: You're not allowed to train people, you're simply meant to show them something one time, and they're immediately supposed to get the hang of it.

I feel you on the not being able to train another person thing you mentioned in your other post. I'm not good at it, judging by their performances, but I'm all they have. I'm training multiple people on Thanksgiving, all while I'll be expected to have SFS and OPU in the green. I have no idea how I can do it.

What was done to me last year. And we ended up getting shut off since you can't have one person by themselves for three hours with two people on thanksgiving day when it's their first day and expect to get 800 SFS and what ever OPU drop picked on time and under INF..

My favorite stunt they love to pull is that they give you two newbies when you roll in for the day and expect you to have them fully trained by lunch and they dump three more on you then two more 10min before you leave and expect them to hold the process down for the night.. 10min training? Ok.. The girl who starts Sunday mornings actually called me and asked WTF? happened Saturday. Cause what she walked into was so fucked up. She called me later they did the same to her.

 

[gsa4lyfe]

Wait you're helping GM with freight If I was your peer I would've tell you to watch the orders and jump in them batches as they drop. No helping GM during this Holiday thats not best practice as Guests are most important its always been all about the Guest for Spot. Heck on friday and saturday we had like 5 ppl picking solely for OPU.

I don’t see the problem. Sounds like the volume was something 1 person to handle so instead of baby sitting the trainee they let them do it on their own and helped out the rest of the store. Sounds like it was a training disconnect not a work center issue

 

[badcrumble]

My favorite stunt they love to pull is that they give you two newbies when you roll in for the day and expect you to have them fully trained by lunch and they dump three more on you then two more 10min before you leave and expect them to hold the process down for the night.. 10min training? Ok.. The girl who starts Sunday mornings actually called me and asked WTF? happened Saturday. Cause what she walked into was so fucked up. She called me later they did the same to her.

I thought this was only happening at my store. I've been training multiple people every shift for weeks. I've been able to keep OPU & SFS afloat, but this week, the trainees are scheduled to start closing FF on their own. A new trainee who's still shaky on locations/reading shelf labels, alone in FF for 4 hours... what's the worst that could happen? 😵
My store's not even gonna make it to Thanksgiving/BF before we crash and burn. 😱

 

[seasonaldude]

I don’t see the problem. Sounds like the volume was something 1 person to handle so instead of baby sitting the trainee they let them do it on their own and helped out the rest of the store. Sounds like it was a training disconnect not a work center issue

Exactly, I gauged that 1 person could handle the volume. I did have to jump in a couple of times to clear things out for the seasonal quickly. Between that and doing the overnights I still did 150 or so units today for OPUs. But, we had double coverage and I didn't think we needed it. So I helped GM get caught up instead of sending the seasonal to do it because I needed to see if the seasonal could work on his own. He's well past his training and he can't because he simply refuses to ask anyone before INFing. Now I know that for sure. Discussed that with our primary FF closer so we know how to use the seasonal Thanksgiving week (reshop! unless we really need you for orders).

Shit day for my workcenter. Not real happy about that. But, I learned what I needed to learn and got GM caught up with freight so they have a clean start for the next couple of crazy weeks.

 

[Bosch]

Exactly, I gauged that 1 person could handle the volume. I did have to jump in a couple of times to clear things out for the seasonal quickly. Between that and doing the overnights I still did 150 or so units today for OPUs. But, we had double coverage and I didn't think we needed it. So I helped GM get caught up instead of sending the seasonal to do it because I needed to see if the seasonal could work on his own. He's well past his training and he can't because he simply refuses to ask anyone before INFing. Now I know that for sure. Discussed that with our primary FF closer so we know how to use the seasonal Thanksgiving week (reshop! unless we really need you for orders).

Shit day for my workcenter. Not real happy about that. But, I learned what I needed to learn and got GM caught up with freight so they have a clean start for the next couple of crazy weeks.

I wish I could give the seasonal people the foundation I feel they should have before setting them free cause then even if the INF was high we could work on why that is vs, I don't have confidence the basics are covered.

And I can understand why it's hard for a seasonal person to ask questions of people outside their work center. One thing I do to help kinda break the ice is introduce them to everyone on the floor. It helps the people in those areas learn who is picking and the seasonal might remember a couple faces to ask for help.

Though the one who I had to teach to climb a ladder yesterday I am pretty sure isn't going to make it. Fear of heights isn't allowed.

 

[calimero]

I've trained 6 seasonals so far and this last one has been a real doozy. I pretty much have to tell them to breathe. I was about to snap after the second day with them. It took about 3 hours for them to do 1 cart and that was with half the items being pointed out by other team members. Plus, they kept texting throughout the day. I really don't think I can mentally take training another person.

I think every year , we get one Or more of those ... it’s like the TL is throwing us a challenge .. and not a good one ... found on of my TM hanging out at Starbucks !
We have miss Attitude who doesn’t need a job but her daddy made her get one !
We have oh shiny object I can’t concentrate and loses her cart in the store !
And finally we have mister thinks he is god gift to women and can’t be bothered to actually work because he is hunting down his next victim ... his actual productivity was 2.1 on picking ...

 

[slowhands]

We probably have a 50% NCNS rate for seasonals in the last week. Not kidding...
Add to that having at least one tm with 30% or higher inf every day, its turning into a shit show.

 

[Bosch]

Four newbies today two of the NCNS'd.

 

[INFThatShiz]

I have a boyfriend and girlfriend seasonal on the team this year. Fun fun times.

 

[hufflepuff]

I have a boyfriend and girlfriend seasonal on the team this year. Fun fun times.

We had that a few years ago. Boyfriend and girlfriend who got into screaming matches in TSC and supposedly applied for a restraining order while continuing to date. Thanksgiving night another store needed support and they went... they got sent back. Fun season.

 

[flow4areasonuno]

supposedly applied for a restraining order while continuing to date.

This is the kind of BS that makes it harder for people who really need one to get one

 

[Antennae]

I have a boyfriend and girlfriend seasonal on the team this year. Fun fun times.

Please post updates of the crash and burn of said ship tia


Looks like seasonals are being trained by not me for OPU/DU since "You're kind of an asshole." Ok, this is true. But what good is that if your average INF is >10% because the service desk/cashier jockies don't know how to look for things if they aren't on the floor. Or the dipshits training babbies that scanning the shelf is acceptable?


If you want to get a replacement for me after January, maybe I should be allowed to figure out who should be kept and train this person to the best they can be, instead of having random cretins ruin my beautiful INF.

 

[vngoghlvr]

I had to tell my TL and ETL to yank one of the plano peeps from my department, she's just not picking it up quick enough and is not a self starter at all.

In good news, it looks like our store is the only one in our district on track to not have carryover on the first day of stress tests. Yay team!

 

[Moosechives]

In good news, it looks like our store is the only one in our district on track to not have carryover on the first day of stress tests. Yay team!

Lucky. We finished over 3100 units today on a forecast of 2950 and still had over 300 carryover due by store close. Splain dat one.

 

[INFThatShiz]

First day of the stress test is over, and can I just say, I’m sufficiently stressed. That means I passed, right?

 

[gsa4lyfe]

Lucky. We finished over 3100 units today on a forecast of 2950 and still had over 300 carryover due by store close. Splain dat one.

Carryover is from the previous day so that makes sense. Forecasted 2950 + 300 carry over would be 3250 for the day.

 

[moninity]

Is anyone else’s store being told to have pick productivity green? If so how are you or your team maintaining that and inf green as well?

 

[Moosechives]

Pick productivity is the only thing green for us right now~

 

[moninity]

For us it’s the only thing that is red

 

[spottymcspot]

How can they expect only seasonal people to pick but also expect green pick scores? I wonder when the last time upper management actually picked a batch during q4.
Im training people who literally have never have been in our store before. its nearly impossible to show them everything. They are taking hours to pick.

 

[Bosch]

Is anyone else’s store being told to have pick productivity green? If so how are you or your team maintaining that and inf green as well?

Yeah they want green but aren't going to get it. We are not given time to train properly. The backrooms are hanging by a thread in having things where they should be. So that makes it really tough to actually find things. Softlines is the majority of our issues.

How can they expect only seasonal people to pick but also expect green pick scores? I wonder when the last time upper management actually picked a batch during q4.
Im training people who literally have never have been in our store before. its nearly impossible to show them everything. They are taking hours to pick.

I know right. I have people for their first day picking just so they can learn the store. It's the best I can do. Saturday we had newbies in tears it was busy.

 

[Iknowstuff]

You only need to pick 36 units an hour to be green. For the most part, majority of my team including seasonals are green. We also keep under 6% inf. It's definitely possible.

6pack/ high volume store