When are you getting X Y Z in store??

[JustTapNotNow]

Hi, so my store is small and I get angry guests every week complaining about why we are out of stock of certain items and that they come every day and we still don’t have it. Is there anyway to know when we’ll get something in store? My LOD says we get two trucks a day but we never know what’s in them…

if there isn’t a way to know, what do you usually tell guests? I told a guest that we were a small store and don’t have that much room for storage (true) she scowled at me and said that was a bullshit excuse lol

 

[GRC]

If you scan an item, sometimes it will tell you in the item details when they're supposed to come in next, usually only about 5 days out at the most. It'll say "12 on the way on 10/26" for instance. You can also use MyHelp to get your DC's info for it, chances are if you've been out of it it's because the DC is out. If they're getting some soon it will sometimes have the date they expect it to arrive, which will probably be 1-2 days before it gets sent out to stores, but depending on your store size you might not be first priority to get the item.

 

[MrT]

Make sure your store doesnt have on hands for those items or you will not get more in if it thinks you have enough

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

Use my help. It shows if the warehouse is out and if there’s a date the warehouse is expecting to get some. If the date is 1/1/2022 (lol) just tell the guest there’s a supplier issue or perhaps it’s on a boat. lol

 

[Rarejem]

We are told to never give a guest an expected date of arrival because there are many reasons that it won't be on the shelf on that date (flex, truck cancelled, short staffed, etc.). We can tell them that a product is expected to be replenished, but that we have no guarantees on the date of arrival and that it is not expected before whatever date is in myDay and they should call after then to see if we have further information or whether it is in stock or not.

 

[jenna]

I usually just tell the Guest whether the item is Active or Discontinued. aka - unlikely to get more of the discontinued items

I tell them we never know what's going to be on a truck, but I can check another store for the item.

I also AUDIT items in my area, but I would talk with your TL before doing something like that - if you haven't used AUDIT before.

 

[SigningLady]

I like reminding guests there are global supply chain issues and many many items are being held up due to that, whether it's a lack of materials to make containers/packaging or items are simply stuck on a giant boat in the Pacific or in a port waiting for a truck with a driver.

And then, just to trick them into thinking I am not giving them a lecture, I usually say something like, "I know it's super crazy how things aren't in stock that you wouldn't expect, right? I've had trouble finding X Y or Z too."