# Inbound questions... again



## swordfishtrombon (Jan 7, 2022)

A few months ago my GM ETL was super short staffing our inbound team. We would have a thrower and 3 on the line for every unload. Obviously we struggled, because at our store inbound pushes flats as they fill up. So it would inevitably become 2 on the line and one thrower and unloads would take forever because it's just not efficient to have one person on each side of the line. We finally convinced her to invest more hours into inbound and it improved. We now have 5 on the line and one thrower like we're supposed to. Normally end up having to break one off to push flats around the second panel, which is usually fine, we can survive with two on each side of the line. 

However, my ETL now wants inbound to push 90% of the truck. This would be doable I think if we were allowed to swap vehicles out to get through the unload, then push after the unload was finished. The vehicles on our line fill up at around 800-1k pieces depending on what custom blocks are heavy. We have four bays on each side of the line. We used to keep about 20-ish extra vehicles that we would swap out with vehicles on the line to get through unload. This would get us through a 1600 piece truck usually without having to break anyone off to push uboats. If we had a lot of rolled freight we would call DBOs to push a uboat or two before they got started on visuals to help the unload go smoother. Now my ETL doesn't want us swapping any vehicles. She wants inbound to break off and push uboats as soon as they fill up on the line. Now we're in essentially the same situation as before because I start off with one thrower and five sorters, then by the second panel I've got a thrower, two sorters, one pushing flats, one pushing full p1 uboats and one pushing full p2 uboats. The person pushing flats is usually ok, but when we only have two sorters we start to really struggle. Then I get yelled at for the unload times. I really just want the extra uboats back, I know I can get 2k pieces done in two hours if I have enough sorters and a strong thrower, but I can't break this many people off to push. I'd almost rather stop the unload and have everyone push freight then get started again from an efficiency standpoint. I just... does this sound reasonable to any of you? My etl says at other stores they don't have extra uboats to swap and inbound just pushes full uboats from the line when they fill up, but I feel like she's lying to me because I've definitely heard of other stores swapping out empty vehicles during the unload.


----------



## jenna (Jan 7, 2022)

We swap out vehicles during the unload... assuming there isn't too much roll-over freight.

ie Empty U-boats/flats are swapped for full ones, so the inbound team can continue unloading.  In extreme cases, we use pallets on the unload.
-
On normal days, we have one thrower, three on the front of the line, and two on the back of the line. -- assuming no call-outs, etc.
-
We have stopped the unload to push freight, but it is not ideal.  Usually during a double truck day.


----------



## jenna (Jan 7, 2022)

@allnew2 - any thoughts?


----------



## NightHuntress (Jan 7, 2022)

We do the same as Jenna said her store does. But our inbound team are also ALL DBO’s. So the goal is to finish unload as quick as possible to get everyone to their own areas.


----------



## Planosss enraged (Jan 7, 2022)

Everything must be done quickly, hurry everyone hurry the F up


----------



## ION the Prize (Jan 7, 2022)

jenna said:


> We swap out vehicles during the unload... assuming there isn't too much roll-over freight.
> 
> ie Empty U-boats/flats are swapped for full ones, so the inbound team can continue unloading.  In extreme cases, we use pallets on the unload ...


Same.

Swordfishtrombon, what'd your ETL do with your extra U-boats? Did she take 'em home with her?


----------



## swordfishtrombon (Jan 7, 2022)

We're currently in a remodel so she took them to one of the CONEX's in the boneyard on the far side of the parking lot... we have like 5 extra vehicles now. She also dedicated some to cooler/freezer only and we're not allowed to use them for RDC trucks.


----------



## swordfishtrombon (Jan 7, 2022)

A


Planosss enraged said:


> Everything must be done quickly, hurry everyone hurry the F up


Agreed. I want to get this shit done faster so I can get to the stuff I actually have to do. I don't mind babysitting the inbound team to make sure they're not wasting time if it means it gets done fast. Vs a 4 hour unload for an average sized truck. Plus her solution to excessive talking on the line is to break one of them off to push. I'd rather just coach them...


----------



## seasonaldude (Jan 7, 2022)

targetuser said:


> We do the same as Jenna said her store does. But our inbound team are also ALL DBO’s. So the goal is to finish unload as quick as possible to get everyone to their own areas.



Same at my store. We'll usually have a GMTM or two there to push out their stuff when it gets heavy. But, inbounds just unloads and swaps vehicles as needed. (OK. Not always. Instead of swapping vehicles inbounds has a habit of throwing excess boxes on nearby vehicles. Love those guys.)


----------



## jenna (Jan 7, 2022)

swordfishtrombon said:


> We're currently in a remodel so she took them to one of the CONEX's in the boneyard on the far side of the parking lot... we have like 5 extra vehicles now. She also dedicated some to cooler/freezer only and we're not allowed to use them for RDC trucks.


FDC and P-Fresh uses the green metros.  Red Uboats are mainly for GM/Dry Market --RDC.
-
sorry your ETL is an idiot.


----------



## seasonaldude (Jan 7, 2022)

jenna said:


> FDC and P-Fresh uses the green metros.  Red Uboats are mainly for GM/Dry Market --RDC.
> -
> sorry your ETL is an idiot.



This is where my store differs. Home uses metros for secondary sort and pulls. Everyone at my store has learned that I will raise hell if they so much as think about using my kitchen metro without asking me first. We have some market people who prefer U-boats for their pulls even in Pfresh. (Weird, I know.) But, market uses metros for most things, including pulls in dry.


----------



## swordfishtrombon (Jan 7, 2022)

seasonaldude said:


> This is where my store differs. Home uses metros for secondary sort and pulls. Everyone at my store has learned that I will raise hell if they so much as think about using my kitchen metro without asking me first. We have some market people who prefer U-boats for their pulls even in Pfresh. (Weird, I know.) But, market uses metros for most things, including pulls in dry.


We used to use metros to sort C/D repacks and office/stat/home repacks but did away with them because they would just accumulate trash and unworked freight (especially the kitchen/stat one)


----------



## allnew2 (Jan 7, 2022)

Hold up . How are you getting vehicles filled by second panel??? Is that from the first truck or second truck? Second she is lying to you about uboats. Next question are your inbound dbos ? If no why would you have to push the vehicles for market and p1? Those dbos should be there during unload . In order to sustain your unload time you need to change vehicles that’s the process period . Now if your inbound are not dbos and have full shift they could push 80% of the truck without doing the backstock .
Best practice for inbound is 5 sorters 1 unloader. 
If I would stop the truck to push would only be for p2 because they don’t come in until 9-10. But if I were you I would flat out refuse to push p1 or market since they are there and that’s their process. They should be giving you vehicles during unload and you should switch vehicles to maintain your unload . You are responsible for the truck unload not push . However I wouldn’t sacrifice the line over one person pushing. I would stip the truck and push with the whole team but again I would only push the vehicles for p2 because those dbos don’t come in until 6 hours after unload .


----------



## Planosss enraged (Jan 8, 2022)

allnew2 said:


> Hold up . How are you getting vehicles filled by second panel??? Is that from the first truck or second truck? Second she is lying to you about uboats. Next question are your inbound dbos ? If no why would you have to push the vehicles for market and p1? Those dbos should be there during unload . In order to sustain your unload time you need to change vehicles that’s the process period . Now if your inbound are not dbos and have full shift they could push 80% of the truck without doing the backstock .
> Best practice for inbound is 5 sorters 1 unloader.
> If I would stop the truck to push would only be for p2 because they don’t come in until 9-10. But if I were you I would flat out refuse to push p1 or market since they are there and that’s their process. They should be giving you vehicles during unload and you should switch vehicles to maintain your unload . You are responsible for the truck unload not push . However I wouldn’t sacrifice the line over one person pushing. I would stip the truck and push with the whole team but again I would only push the vehicles for p2 because those dbos don’t come in until 6 hours after unload .


This is a not a cookie cutter process. Terms like DBOs , don’t even exist at some store.. the ETL is doing the best they can given the resources. There’s always a TM that thinks they can do it better.


----------



## MrT (Jan 8, 2022)

Seems like there was a reason your short staffed on inbound that seems like the most inefficient and annoying process.  There's truck details for a reason.  Figure out what you need make a plan and unload the damn truck.  Ive had people push in the middle of an unload but its usually better to unload as fast as possible and get everyone working.


----------



## FlowTeamChick (Jan 8, 2022)

My store works it more like Jenna's. We rarely roll freight from the previous day's truck so all the vehicles are usually empty. The TL there for unload will generally be the one to swap out full vehicles. The only time the unload team will stop and push freight would be if there's a double truck. Even with a 2000+ piece truck, we have enough vehicles (and pallets to stack the repacks on) to handle all of it.
Most of us use u-boats; soft lines uses metros for folded, the Mom & Baby DBO uses one for what comes in soft lines repacks, and Market uses them for some stuff and flats for bulky stuff like cereal but mostly they use u-boats.


----------



## swordfishtrombon (Jan 8, 2022)

allnew2 said:


> Hold up . How are you getting vehicles filled by second panel??? Is that from the first truck or second truck? Second she is lying to you about uboats. Next question are your inbound dbos ? If no why would you have to push the vehicles for market and p1? Those dbos should be there during unload . In order to sustain your unload time you need to change vehicles that’s the process period . Now if your inbound are not dbos and have full shift they could push 80% of the truck without doing the backstock .
> Best practice for inbound is 5 sorters 1 unloader.
> If I would stop the truck to push would only be for p2 because they don’t come in until 9-10. But if I were you I would flat out refuse to push p1 or market since they are there and that’s their process. They should be giving you vehicles during unload and you should switch vehicles to maintain your unload . You are responsible for the truck unload not push . However I wouldn’t sacrifice the line over one person pushing. I would stip the truck and push with the whole team but again I would only push the vehicles for p2 because those dbos don’t come in until 6 hours after unload .


Flats are what get filled early on mostly. Plastics is a big seller at our store (college town), especially around the beginning of the semester, and those flats fill up fast. We have two custom block flats for plastics and since a flat is full after like 6-8 boxes I pretty much constantly have to have someone pushing flats. We've had around 100 cartons of plastics on every truck recently. In between plastics flats they'll usually grab diaper flats or bedding flats, depending on what is heavy. 

No our inbound aren't DBOS, they're scheduled strictly inbound. But I think she wants them to behave more like an old school flow team where they push most of the truck. They do have full shifts but like I said, unloads take longer than they should because we have a lack of vehicles and I have to break them off to push. I've run unloads where I've had the GM team constantly pushing during the unload and they go much better because inbound gets the vehicles they need. Other problem is we have 6 inbound TMs at 6, then two GM come in at 7 and start zone. By the time they wrap up zone and one for ones inbound would ideally already be done with the unload. Next DBOs don't come in until 9 or so. Unless I get the early GM team to stop zone and start pushing (which I've been coached for doing before because it's NoT PrOcCeSs) there isn't really any benefit to them being there early in the morning.


----------



## allnew2 (Jan 8, 2022)

swordfishtrombon said:


> Flats are what get filled early on mostly. Plastics is a big seller at our store (college town), especially around the beginning of the semester, and those flats fill up fast. We have two custom block flats for plastics and since a flat is full after like 6-8 boxes I pretty much constantly have to have someone pushing flats. We've had around 100 cartons of plastics on every truck recently. In between plastics flats they'll usually grab diaper flats or bedding flats, depending on what is heavy.
> 
> No our inbound aren't DBOS, they're scheduled strictly inbound. But I think she wants them to behave more like an old school flow team where they push most of the truck. They do have full shifts but like I said, unloads take longer than they should because we have a lack of vehicles and I have to break them off to push. I've run unloads where I've had the GM team constantly pushing during the unload and they go much better because inbound gets the vehicles they need. Other problem is we have 6 inbound TMs at 6, then two GM come in at 7 and start zone. By the time they wrap up zone and one for ones inbound would ideally already be done with the unload. Next DBOs don't come in until 9 or so. Unless I get the early GM team to stop zone and start pushing (which I've been coached for doing before because it's NoT PrOcCeSs) there isn't really any benefit to them being there early in the morning.


He’ll me understand a bit more . What time is unload scheduled ? Do you have a market team and p1 in the am?
Truck should be done in 2 hours . If your unload is at 6 I would change few things . Your etl needs to understand what it means a lead in time and what’s attainable with the vehicles you have . If trucks starts at 6 and you know you can’t finish a 2000-2400 pieces truck with the vehicles you have this is how I would do it . Let’s take a 2000 pieces truck I wouldn’t use more than one flatbed for plastic once is full I would stage it than use plastic pallets for bulk plastic . Then you reuse the 1 flatbed after you stock it to restock from pallets . I would do 3 panels should be done in a hour that would be 7 am, then I would take the team to push , (the sorters push the bays that they unload ie unloader would do plastic , bay one at my store is all babies and litter so bay one sorter would do that ) push till 8:15 , break time resume truck at 8:30 finish truck 9:45 . Then you resume push until lunch time . Back from lunch and push the remainder of the truck .


----------



## swordfishtrombon (Jan 8, 2022)

allnew2 said:


> He’ll me understand a bit more . What time is unload scheduled ? Do you have a market team and p1 in the am?
> Truck should be done in 2 hours . If your unload is at 6 I would change few things . Your etl needs to understand what it means a lead in time and what’s attainable with the vehicles you have . If trucks starts at 6 and you know you can’t finish a 2000-2400 pieces truck with the vehicles you have this is how I would do it . Let’s take a 2000 pieces truck I wouldn’t use more than one flatbed for plastic once is full I would stage it than use plastic pallets for bulk plastic . Then you reuse the 1 flatbed after you stock it to restock from pallets . I would do 3 panels should be done in a hour that would be 7 am, then I would take the team to push , (the sorters push the bays that they unload ie unloader would do plastic , bay one at my store is all babies and litter so bay one sorter would do that ) push till 8:15 , break time resume truck at 8:30 finish truck 9:45 . Then you resume push until lunch time . Back from lunch and push the remainder of the truck .


I come in at 5:30 with the thrower to set up. Inbound comes in at 6 along with one flex TM, one open market and one dry grocery. Next GM TMs don't come in until 7 (chem/paper/personal care and infant hardlines - 2 TMs). Then I get another at 8:30 (HBA/OTC/haircare repack pusher) and the rest all come in at 9 (second dry TM, office/home TM, domestics/home flat TM, toys/sport TM, seasonal/pets TM). Trying to explain logistics stuff to my ETL is like talking to a brick wall. She just sees numbers on greenfield and assumes she can schedule them at whatever time to get the most salesfloor coverage. She used to be our specialty sales ETL, which makes sense. Doesn't understand the logistics of running an unload at all. Thinks we should be able to get 2k unloaded in two hours with one throwing and one on each side of the line. That's an interesting idea with the plastics though, I'll have to try it. During back to college we get 4-5 pallets of plastics per truck.


----------



## allnew2 (Jan 8, 2022)

swordfishtrombon said:


> I come in at 5:30 with the thrower to set up. Inbound comes in at 6 along with one flex TM, one open market and one dry grocery. Next GM TMs don't come in until 7 (chem/paper/personal care and infant hardlines - 2 TMs). Then I get another at 8:30 (HBA/OTC/haircare repack pusher) and the rest all come in at 9 (second dry TM, office/home TM, domestics/home flat TM, toys/sport TM, seasonal/pets TM). Trying to explain logistics stuff to my ETL is like talking to a brick wall. She just sees numbers on greenfield and assumes she can schedule them at whatever time to get the most salesfloor coverage. She used to be our specialty sales ETL, which makes sense. Doesn't understand the logistics of running an unload at all. Thinks we should be able to get 2k unloaded in two hours with one throwing and one on each side of the line. That's an interesting idea with the plastics though, I'll have to try it. During back to college we get 4-5 pallets of plastics per truck.


Speciality now it makes sense lol. Market and p1 should come in at 5:30 in that case here is why . Guest will always shop hba, chem and food in the am  so you want to have that zone , pulled /push and by  7:30 already on pushing truck . 
We are a midnight unload , 2 am dollar spot,paper, pets , chem, hba peraonal care , otc and babies . 4 am plastic dbo 3 for dry market , 5 am beverage  dbo at 6 am Tl market , Tl pfresh . 7 am more pfresh . At 9 am toys , sea, home, dom, sprt, kitchen, stat. 
So if my inbound was to run out of vehicles they would push priority 2 since they come at 9 and mostly bulky is p2 aside from plastics .


----------



## allnew2 (Jan 8, 2022)

You can not do a 2k with 2 people on the line and a thrower . I’m sorry but no. However you should invite your etl to be one of the sorter and show what’s facts and what’s in her/his head


----------



## swordfishtrombon (Jan 9, 2022)

allnew2 said:


> You can not do a 2k with 2 people on the line and a thrower . I’m sorry but no. However you should invite your etl to be one of the sorter and show what’s facts and what’s in her/his head


The funny thing is we've run unloads like that with an ETL throwing and two TLs on the line. Took almost 4 hours to get through 15k.

Anyway I spoke with my SD about it and I was like "the sort stock guide says five on the line and a thrower" and showed him the trailer sort summary divided by the # of TMs on the line saying that our unload times are fine given our resources. He was like "oh well starting in February the company is going to one thrower and two on the line." After earlier this year he said "oh the company is going back to a truck team that sorts and pushes the whole truck" then this fiasco happened. Starting to think my SD/ETL are both bullshitting me and "the company" really means whatever dumb idea he wants to try without actually giving us a chance to improve on it. Highly doubt sort stock guide is changing and I doubt he would give me that info if he knew about it because I assume you have to sign some sort of NDA about revealing that sort of info.  I'm used to this because my last ETL bullshitted me too. Luckily I'm not the inbound TL, I'm just filling in because he has covid. I just smell a lot of bullshit. Feel sorry for him though, I think he kinda has an impossible job to do.

EDIT: 1.5k not 15k. That would be very impressive though.


----------



## allnew2 (Jan 9, 2022)

Inbound is not going back to a flow . And sort and stock won’t change . So they clearly are bs you and they can suck it


----------



## StyleStar (Jan 10, 2022)

At my store we schedule inbound team 8 people a day(this allows us to absirb call outs) They get on/off 2400 pieces in 1 hr 20 to 1 hr 30. During small trucks we will break a few awwy to start pushing once they have a full vehicle.They aren't super burned out. We take doubles daily after 1st unload they stage vehicles in their respective dept take thier 15 drop palletd and unkoad 2nd truck. So unkoad starts at 4am and by 8am 815 we have 4800 piece double unloaded everyday. Than they take their halfs abd push for the last 3.5-4 hours. We have found that investing the additional payroll to ensure unload goes smooth, really sets gm up for success the remainder of the day.


----------



## allnew2 (Jan 10, 2022)

StyleStar said:


> At my store we schedule inbound team 8 people a day(this allows us to absirb call outs) They get on/off 2400 pieces in 1 hr 20 to 1 hr 30. During small trucks we will break a few awwy to start pushing once they have a full vehicle.They aren't super burned out. We take doubles daily after 1st unload they stage vehicles in their respective dept take thier 15 drop palletd and unkoad 2nd truck. So unkoad starts at 4am and by 8am 815 we have 4800 piece double unloaded everyday. Than they take their halfs abd push for the last 3.5-4 hours. We have found that investing the additional payroll to ensure unload goes smooth, really sets gm up for success the remainder of the day.


You don’t need 8 people to finish a double in 4 hours . That’s not investing that’s wasting . You also mention second truck goes on pallets and with that you already fucked gm because now on second truck you don’t even border to do a sort . Then you said your team push after lunch . So I assume they push the vehicles you stage from the first truck . Ans then you gonna touch the freight again from pallets . 
Sounds like inbound sacrifice sort and stock guide for speed yet you have more people on the line for what it calls for . If anything you utilize the 2 extra to push what gets hit on the truck . 4800 pieces on pallets and vehicles you make it sound like it should be a dream.  4800 pieces all on vehicles with a good sort and stock to hold tm accountable now that would get you more ahead . At least you don’t need to impress me but what you mentioned here is half fast shit that is screwing gm


----------



## MrT (Jan 10, 2022)

The issue with doubles in my store is that areas that are not gm that i dont control do not schedule correctly for doubles. Dont have a+a sorters early enough to make a difference.  Beauty still has a pallet of repacks that they didnt touch from days before.  Our VM owns H+H but doesnt push it until she feels like it a few days later when there is 3 to 4 uboats worth.  Market are not in early either so we constantly have to make sure we have enough vehicles to completely swap all of market out.  That leaves very little extra vehicles to swap out for gm.  I will still jot put freight on pallets except for anything on our dock since we have tms pushing the dock while unloading while the store is closed.


----------



## allnew2 (Jan 11, 2022)

MrT said:


> Beauty still has a pallet of repacks that they didnt touch from days before.


Beauty breakout belongs to inbound .


----------



## MrT (Jan 11, 2022)

allnew2 said:


> Beauty breakout belongs to inbound .


Yes but if they dont push it we don't do it.


----------



## allnew2 (Jan 11, 2022)

MrT said:


> Yes but if they dont push it we don't do it.


Why aren’t they pushing it? Waiting for the beauty set? 😂


----------



## MrT (Jan 11, 2022)

allnew2 said:


> Why aren’t they pushing it? Waiting for the beauty set? 😂


We just gpt a new specialty etl so hopefully that fixes the problem been without one since October.  Mostly just covid and call outs.


----------

