I am a drug gm assistant department head and I have been given the task of shrinking my 13 carts of backstock, plus my new items cart and my fast movers cart, which is a total of 15 carts, down to eight carts. I wrote down on a piece of paper all of my sections including the fast movers and new items and I got a total of 47 sections. Now I work in a marketplace which means that our home side department takes care of some sections that aren't included in my 47 like, kitchen, baby, and candles. I'm finding it almost impossible to shrink It down to this size. My drug cordinator is asking this of me and I was just wondering if anyone else has been able to do this and if so, for some guidance on how to do so because I just don't see how to do it. Please help!!!
Can you put some of it on shelves in the back room? Fifteen carts is a lot for drug/gm. Is it stuff they've added out or is somebody ordering without checking the backstock first? I've always said if the person doing the ordering was the same person who had to unload it and find a home for it, they wouldn't order nearly so much. One day a few weeks ago the deli got in 8 cases of of unbreaded chicken nuggets on the frozen order. There were already 13 cases in the freezer. The next day we got in 6 more. None of the ones that were in there previously had been used. There's no reason for that.
We get 9 trucks a week and only have 5 people in my department. It's my department head, the backup and 3 other clerks. The 3 clerks don't work many hours because they are in college so the only thing they do is truck. That's all they have time for because we get 9 trucks a week so backstock and ordering and working truck is left to me. I only get a chance to run it once a week because of the trucks and other things I'm responsible for and I don't get the chance to run all of it so I'm basicly ordering to fill the holes, which I know adds more backstock but I don't really have a choice. What I'm really trying to figure out is that I have 47 commodities in my department and I have to fit those down to 8 carts and I'm having a difficult time shrinking it down to that size.
How much time did of a timeframe did he/she give you to do all that? I would see if I could get by without ordering anything for a day or two to try to get rid of some of the backstock. You might not be able to do it with things like pain relievers or cold medicines etc. but you could certainly do it with things like hair care products and other beauty items. The world won't come to an end if someone can't find their favorite brand of shampoo.
I have 3 weeks to reduce it to eight carts. I think everyone is missing what I'm saying. I have 47 sections in my department meaning, candy, charcoal, shampoo, soap, shave, check stand candy, school, automotive, air filters, coffee filters, meds, vitamins, first aid ect. I could go on but in all it adds up to 47. We are going through a remodel right now so yes I'm going to have a lot of backstock. Having a lot of backstock isn't my issue. It's fitting all 47 areas of backstock onto 8 carts. I have to have a cart that's just candy. Nothing else can go on it. Not an option. I have a new items cart. Nothing else can go on that. I have a charcoal cart. So the only things that will go on that is charcoal and related items. A check stand candy cart. So that's already 4 carts used up and 4 commodities, which leaves 43 commodities left to fit on four carts. I don't see how to make it fit. Sanitary needs it's own cart because it's so bulky. I did add to that cart, cotton balls and make up. But see now that's five carts, 3 left and 39 commodities left. Do you see where I'm going with this? I need more carts.
Why does it have to go on trucks? Isn't there a section of shelving in the back dedicated to drug/gm? If not, there should be. Some of that stuff you mentioned shouldn't even be in backstock. Automotive? School supplies? With the exception of windshield washer fluid and antifreeze, automotive stuff doesn't sell all that fast. School supplies should have gone out a month ago. Grilling season is coming to an end, if it hasn't already. So you don't need backstock on charcoal. With the exception of holiday items, if you have something in backstock for more than a week, you shouldn't have ordered it.
The Kroger I used to work in was just a regular store, perhaps just a tiny bit larger.
Our nutrition section took up two short shelves on both sides, so I'd say it can also just be one long aisle.
For backstock, we had at least four uboats and a couple of L-carts, often times three or four of them. But, we also allocated shelf space at the back and keep at least one or two pallets up there.
Our Drug/GM takes up five aisles. We have two tall blue carts (for personal care/hygiene, soap, and OTC medication), and three uboats (candy, firewood, diapers).
In answer to your response, i live in Houston tx where it's warm almost 9 months out of the year and if it's not summer it's football season so grilling is almost a year around event for us so I have to have backstock on charcoal at all times because we sell so much of it. In regards to the automotive, we have a fuel station that comes in and replenishes four times a week and we do really well with automotive. Plus with the remodel they just made that section even bigger so they have added more new product. I always need extra for that because of the fuel station. School I don't need a full cart for so you have a point there.
We only have 9 u-boats of dry grocery backstock. Some isles don't even get one
Yikes!
We have 19 Uboats and 3 pallets(water, KrogerK and paper) just in dry grocery. If they were ran everyday correctly, we could probably go to 10 Uboats.
Drug/GM doesn't use Uboats. They have an Lcart for new items, an Lcart for diapers, a locked cage and space for about 18 pallets. Most of the space is used for seasonal distros. 8 pallets are used for backstock and checked daily. I am not sure what they keep locked in their cage.
-- Edited by Anonymouse1 on Sunday 5th of October 2014 04:25:32 PM
-- Edited by Anonymouse1 on Sunday 5th of October 2014 04:26:33 PM
We keep charcoal and water on pallets. I think we have about 9 carts. Formula, cosmetics, razor blades and some other items are being moved to the cage where they are put on carts, shelves or hung on the wall. No matter how many times it gets organized and cleaned up, a day or so later there is stuff piled everywhere. It's a constant battle.
I was thinking that. I don't know much at all about drug gm but why are you using so many uboats? Why don't you have a cage for all that stuff?
Our store has a cage too. They also have several feet of shelving in the back room too. I'm not sure how much stuff they have on trucks or u-boats because the store expanded its kitchenware section and made that a separate department. The OP hasn't mentioned it, but surely they must have shelving in the backroom dedicated to drug/gm. If they don't, she should ask for it. Personally, I would put only things that get put out on a daily or almost daily basis on trucks/carts/u-boats. The stuff that only gets put out once in a blue moon should be put on a shelf in the back.
My cage is used for cigarettes and movies. Currently not much room for anything else. My dead shock will be put up in the bay but that's not even included in the 15 carts. My shippers and the massive amount of candy that is sent to us is up in the bay as well. For how big my store which is pretty big compared to us being very short staffed it's difficult to run my backstock.
My cage is used for cigarettes and movies. Currently not much room for anything else. My dead shock will be put up in the bay but that's not even included in the 15 carts. My shippers and the massive amount of candy that is sent to us is up in the bay as well. For how big my store which is pretty big compared to us being very short staffed it's difficult to run my backstock.
Hahaha, funny. We keep our cigarettes and movies in a small broom closet. And that's IF it ever makes it in there. Often times we'd have a few cigarette totes lined against the wall next to the walk-in freezer.
My cage is used for cigarettes and movies. Currently not much room for anything else. My dead shock will be put up in the bay but that's not even included in the 15 carts. My shippers and the massive amount of candy that is sent to us is up in the bay as well. For how big my store which is pretty big compared to us being very short staffed it's difficult to run my backstock.
Hahaha, funny. We keep our cigarettes and movies in a small broom closet. And that's IF it ever makes it in there. Often times we'd have a few cigarette totes lined against the wall next to the walk-in freezer.
