No More Case Stock

How is that going to work? Are we going to get sent boxes with 100 cans of soup in them?
 
It will be expanding to 4 more DCs once travel restrictions are lifted. Saw it in an article a couple of days ago. They'll be using robots to sort everything into breakpacks by store aisle. They just can't install them right now.
That’s not caseless. That’s a pilot to sort things already sent in repacks. My DC was supposed to roll it out right before covid. It’s cool and the first step to get there but it can’t handle any item over 11 inches cubed. It’s a small package sorter with the same technology used to sort mail.
 
We're now being told it's time to start phase two of the backroom reorganization. Apparently, we're doing away with fillgroups. We have two weeks to reorganize the entire backroom by salesfloor location. We mostly have our own ad hoc way of doing that now, but I guess there is some super specific way that we have to change it all.
 
We're now being told it's time to start phase two of the backroom reorganization. Apparently, we're doing away with fillgroups. We have two weeks to reorganize the entire backroom by salesfloor location. We mostly have our own ad hoc way of doing that now, but I guess there is some super specific way that we have to change it all.
It’s not that specific. They just rolled it out last week and for now you should stay generally within fill groups for pull efficiency but organize it by sales floor. Most areas stay within fill group with exceptions like bathroom organizer stuff that falls under plastics but is set in bath, which should get backstocked in bath with other bathroom plastics. It’s hit miss but I’ve done almost every fill group expect Toy 2 and Home. All areas ladderless and caseless. The guidelines are pretty broad though and specifically says they’re not rolling out detailed plans because every store is different and to make it up.
 
It’s not that specific. They just rolled it out last week and for now you should stay generally within fill groups for pull efficiency but organize it by sales floor. Most areas stay within fill group with exceptions like bathroom organizer stuff that falls under plastics but is set in bath, which should get backstocked in bath with other bathroom plastics. It’s hit miss but I’ve done almost every fill group expect Toy 2 and Home. All areas ladderless and caseless. The guidelines are pretty broad though and specifically says they’re not rolling out detailed plans because every store is different and to make it up.


Ahh. OK. That makes sense. My info just came from talking to bitching DBOs in passing.
 
We've kind of started that process in some aisles. Personal care was purged last week and then each section of that aisle was labels for an aisle- women's shave, toothpaste/mouthwash, men's deodorant, etc. As long as each section can be configured to fit the items it is supposed to hold, this will help with efficiency. But I am wondering how this will work when non-pretied transition comes in. I know the TL of the area is hoping we can just use the upper shelves for that, and only that, when necessary.
 
We've kind of started that process in some aisles. Personal care was purged last week and then each section of that aisle was labels for an aisle- women's shave, toothpaste/mouthwash, men's deodorant, etc. As long as each section can be configured to fit the items it is supposed to hold, this will help with efficiency. But I am wondering how this will work when non-pretied transition comes in. I know the TL of the area is hoping we can just use the upper shelves for that, and only that, when necessary.
Flex it out and set early! We already have our back to college bedding out a few weeks early and will be setting the new bedding pogs next week!
 
Flex it out and set early! We already have our back to college bedding out a few weeks early and will be setting the new bedding pogs next week!

We are nowhere near being able to do that with many of our DBOs. We can sometimes be ahead on pog workload and are currently a week ahead, but we've never been able to maintain it because either the workload drops to nothing so there's nothing to get ahead on or it's so heavy we fall behind/on time instead.
 
We are nowhere near being able to do that with many of our DBOs. We can sometimes be ahead on pog workload and are currently a week ahead, but we've never been able to maintain it because either the workload drops to nothing so there's nothing to get ahead on or it's so heavy we fall behind/on time instead.
Yeah the fluctuation is tough with hours. Luckily that’s my big focus and I write the schedule so I always make sure to have 40-80 hours on pog even on the weeks we only have little to no work so they can set ahead
 
It’s not that specific. They just rolled it out last week and for now you should stay generally within fill groups for pull efficiency but organize it by sales floor. Most areas stay within fill group with exceptions like bathroom organizer stuff that falls under plastics but is set in bath, which should get backstocked in bath with other bathroom plastics. It’s hit miss but I’ve done almost every fill group expect Toy 2 and Home. All areas ladderless and caseless. The guidelines are pretty broad though and specifically says they’re not rolling out detailed plans because every store is different and to make it up.
Whew! This is already sort of how I have my backroom area set up. Almost always caseless and ladderless except for all the extra product at Christmas time.
But does this mean that trash bags will finally be with paper instead of chemicals? Those areas are way far apart in my store and it always bugs me when I have to push that batch - get all the chem done and trot wa-a-ay down the other way to push a few boxes of trash bags.
 
Heard there's a replenishment process update coming for inbound to match with the caseless backroom.

Rapid or Ready something. Trucks will be push all with less back stock based on SFQ. Is anyone with caseless seen less inventory in their backrooms (pre-COVID)? We've been focusing on purging to get our backroom units below a threshold. A lot of D-Code and clearance. Unlocating almost all our movies. It's wild times. Our backroom is starting to look like a ghost town (except for pets. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Overflowing with product).
 
Heard there's a replenishment process update coming for inbound to match with the caseless backroom.

Rapid or Ready something. Trucks will be push all with less back stock based on SFQ. Is anyone with caseless seen less inventory in their backrooms (pre-COVID)?

Not really. It tends to go in cycles. Everytime we get a bckroom section somewhat clean and empty the DC sends us a ton of product for that section that won't go out. Everytime. Especially in PP1. It gets extremely ugly with upcoming sale items because we can't sweep them back and corporate can't seem to figure out that not every sale will increase sales one hundred fold. It's not as bad in PP2, but even there upcoming sales can fill up backroom aisles quickly. Stationary is it's own special hell. We're already getting school supplies in for BTS and we haven't even sold down all the extra supplies they sent us for last year. Yay to getting multiple casepacks of junk when you already have hundreds of it sitting in repacks in the back.
 
Heard there's a replenishment process update coming for inbound to match with the caseless backroom.

Rapid or Ready something. Trucks will be push all with less back stock based on SFQ. Is anyone with caseless seen less inventory in their backrooms (pre-COVID)? We've been focusing on purging to get our backroom units below a threshold. A lot of D-Code and clearance. Unlocating almost all our movies. It's wild times. Our backroom is starting to look like a ghost town (except for pets. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Overflowing with product).

I agree. It goes in cycles. A major reset fills up my BR - mainly when it's taken down for the next set. Think something like Mini- Seasonal that has dually located items. Mini Seasonal changes, and all those extra items have to go somewhere.

Overall, I have less product in my BR than during previous years.

: knocks wood :

And I always seem to have 2-3 DPCIs that have an excess amount of inventory for no reason... no upcoming POGs or REVs. Like 50 of one item, that is now caseless, and can't be swept back. I put out what I can, but I don't understand the logic. Probably sell three a week, so I have 5 months supply in the BR, with more arriving on the truck.
 
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We're being given direction to not have any backstock now. None. I am fully on board for this in high demand areas like hand soap, wipes, and paper, but I am struggling with this is other areas. It starting to look like tacky and unkempt on the salesfloor.

Pushing to get ladderless and crouchless is just busy work if we're also not allowed to use the space in between.
 
We're being given direction to not have any backstock now. None. I am fully on board for this in high demand areas like hand soap, wipes, and paper, but I am struggling with this is other areas. It starting to look like tacky and unkempt on the salesfloor.

Pushing to get ladderless and crouchless is just busy work if we're also not allowed to use the space in between.
How does that work when they send 10,000 cans of progresso soup
 
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How does that work when they send 10,00 cans of progresso soup

Told to partner with the TL and find somewhere to put it. Grocery for us is so far from being anywhere close to ladderless/crouchless it is almost funny. We have one section in a backroom aisle where the bottom shelf was taken out to keep people from backstocking there. Guess what? Now we've got food items backstocked directly on the floor there. 🤦🏻‍♀️
 
What a fucking disaster that must be, SigningLady.

As a not-lazy GM TM, the laziness of other GMTMs pisses me right the fuck off. They're allergic to backstocking, though we haven't had any instructions against backstocking, in the big. Dudes. You make the same amount of money whether you put the item on the floor or in the backroom, so fucking do as you're told. My ETL has started working overnights because the overstocking was so bad and the floor just looked like shit, nothing is where it belongs, INFs are ridiculous (because stuff isn't in it's proper spot and flex doesn't look around), prices are off so guests are pissed and taking up time we don't have with (justified) price challenges, and so on.

As a short person who only works closing shifts, there's nothing I would love more than not have to deal with either cardboard or ladders/the Wave to get stuff from the back, but I just don't see how it's realistic. Particularly these days when inventory is so unpredictable and we get, say, a pallet of candles a few days after we get an inventory alert that we're not getting home items for a couple months and we've replaced all of the endcaps with other stuff that we have too much of.

Maybe when the covid situation settles and inventory gets predictable again we can see, but right now it's so all over the map that I don't see how Spot isn't looking at those type of initiatives and saying "Yeah...maybe not now."
 
Having no backstock at all makes no sense... wouldn't you want there to be some backstock, so that you can refill the floor without needing another truck to come? Because the only way to realistically have no backstock is to get sent only what fits on the floor, which means the floor will be out more often. Not to mention that there's shelves in the back for a reason... why would you just leave all that space empty and useless?
 
I have noticed there is very little backstock from working freight from the truck. Ridiculously little. Out of two full uboats, I ended up with a handful of items that should be backstocked the other night. And it's not just certain areas, I've worked Paper, hba, chem, home, domestics these last few weeks and across the board, very little to no backstock without flexing.
 
No back stock at all is ridiculous. Good luck in BTS/Stationary! or Toys! or Pillows! or Cosmetics! or Groceries! or ....

: you get the point :

🙄

How about the DC not send me 60 of one DPCI that I sell maybe three of a week? -- not on an upcoming SP, either.
 
No back stock at all is ridiculous. Good luck in BTS/Stationary! or Toys! or Pillows! or Cosmetics! or Groceries! or ....

: you get the point :

🙄

How about the DC not send me 60 of one DPCI that I sell maybe three of a week? -- not on an upcoming SP, either.

Barbasol with the green cap! 🤦🏻‍♀️
 
Barbasol with the green cap! 🤦🏻‍♀️
I'll take your Barbasol with the green cap if you'll take my Native charcoal deodorant. Guests at my store seem to like to buy the shave cream but aren't interested in the deodorant. But the DC keeps sending me a lot of both.
 
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