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Or so we're being told.
We just had another Inventory on Tuesday (which is why I haven't been around this week, as I've been going to work early/going to bed early and just plain tired.)
It's not a good sign when the Inventory crew that comes in is 2 people short. Good point was that our grocery backroom wasn't as heavy this time with backstock (as opposed to last September.)
It was a bit more tedious and took a bit longer to get everything in the backroom areas counted. I was stuck back there w/ MA almost all morning (MA still whining somewhat about her hemmroids.) It was finally done after 1:30, then I had to help with recounts until after 2, then I blocked the main HBA aisle and left at 3.
Before I left, I asked both P. Diddy and Opie about how the HBA inventory was looking (we've had a bunch of theft.) Opie said almsot $14,000.
Not good.
This morning, I had to go in for 3 hours (I had just over 9 hours left when I left Wednesday) and run a bit of backstock and straighten b/c company was coming.
I didn't see the DM . . . she came by for a bit on Tuesday, then left. All I saw was Mohair running around w/a PPC, our LP guy and another "specialist" wandering around and hanging out on her laptop.
Not long after I got to work, I found out just how bad this inventory was. Let's just say is was close to $90,000 short.
I haven't heard of an inventory in that range since I worked at the WD store that was right up the road from the house . . .
Of course, these "specialists" want to know why. Let me explain (even though they don't want to hear any of it)
1) Thieves are running rampant on a daily basis. It's even worse after 5, when most of the department heads have left for the day, as well as weekends.
2) We have a CSM who won't come out of the office and actually watch what's going on at the registers. Meaning, cashiers are not very well supervised and there's an open invitation right there for sliding stuff through the register to friends/neighbors/homies, et al.
3) Our warehouse sometimes sends products that is either mislabeled or damaged. So there's some loss there, but the biggest reasons I suspect are 1 and 2.
What will Corporate do about this? Most likely, put another store manager in our store. That alone won't solve the issue. Unless other changes are made, this problem will continue to get worse.
What would I suggest?
1) Replace the CSM and bring in one who will actually run surprise audits on cashiers to make sure that what they're scanning is being rung up. Also better enforce the no relatives/friends/neighbors policy of checkout.
2) Bring in an off-duty police officer for security detail in the evenings and on weekends, which seem to be peak times for shoplifters.
3) Better train warehouse personnel in proper slotting/picking procedures when getting store orders together.
4) Also have Corporate not force out so many displays of certain items, especially high-profit, high-theft HBA items. I don't need a display of 12 Embrace razors - just send 6 and I can at least have representation on the New Item section and the shelf. Is this too much to ask for?
5) Keeping the Receiving doors locked when no one is in the backroom is also good. It'd be more helpful if our DSD person actually has a key to the door . . .which is something I don't understand. I had a key back at my old store when I did DSD. I was told that was policy as well as common sense. As it is now, the key-carrier who opens unlocks the Receiving and the roll-up doors and they stay unlocked all day . . .
Even scarier . . . they are sometimes left unlocked all night long. I've walked in at 5 a.m. on a Wednesday w/the Scanning person and we've discovered both the roll-up door unlocked and the alarm turned off on the Receiving door.
Not having so much of the high theft items on the shelf could also help . . . I've went and pulled stuff in certain sections (stuff I wouldn't think would walk out the door) until there's only 2 left of each variety on the shelf. I've also spent Wednesday morning installing more shelf bluffers in certain areas (feminine accessories, deodorant and bodywashes.)
Not all the bluffers in the world will stop the stealing . . . but having security would be a damn good way to reduce it.
Of course, Corporate hears none of it. They'll just say it's the employees not doing their jobs and they'll think putting in a new manger will solve everything.
And of course, they're too cheap to offer us any K-Y . . .
We just had another Inventory on Tuesday (which is why I haven't been around this week, as I've been going to work early/going to bed early and just plain tired.)
It's not a good sign when the Inventory crew that comes in is 2 people short. Good point was that our grocery backroom wasn't as heavy this time with backstock (as opposed to last September.)
It was a bit more tedious and took a bit longer to get everything in the backroom areas counted. I was stuck back there w/ MA almost all morning (MA still whining somewhat about her hemmroids.) It was finally done after 1:30, then I had to help with recounts until after 2, then I blocked the main HBA aisle and left at 3.
Before I left, I asked both P. Diddy and Opie about how the HBA inventory was looking (we've had a bunch of theft.) Opie said almsot $14,000.
Not good.
This morning, I had to go in for 3 hours (I had just over 9 hours left when I left Wednesday) and run a bit of backstock and straighten b/c company was coming.
I didn't see the DM . . . she came by for a bit on Tuesday, then left. All I saw was Mohair running around w/a PPC, our LP guy and another "specialist" wandering around and hanging out on her laptop.
Not long after I got to work, I found out just how bad this inventory was. Let's just say is was close to $90,000 short.
I haven't heard of an inventory in that range since I worked at the WD store that was right up the road from the house . . .
Of course, these "specialists" want to know why. Let me explain (even though they don't want to hear any of it)
1) Thieves are running rampant on a daily basis. It's even worse after 5, when most of the department heads have left for the day, as well as weekends.
2) We have a CSM who won't come out of the office and actually watch what's going on at the registers. Meaning, cashiers are not very well supervised and there's an open invitation right there for sliding stuff through the register to friends/neighbors/homies, et al.
3) Our warehouse sometimes sends products that is either mislabeled or damaged. So there's some loss there, but the biggest reasons I suspect are 1 and 2.
What will Corporate do about this? Most likely, put another store manager in our store. That alone won't solve the issue. Unless other changes are made, this problem will continue to get worse.
What would I suggest?
1) Replace the CSM and bring in one who will actually run surprise audits on cashiers to make sure that what they're scanning is being rung up. Also better enforce the no relatives/friends/neighbors policy of checkout.
2) Bring in an off-duty police officer for security detail in the evenings and on weekends, which seem to be peak times for shoplifters.
3) Better train warehouse personnel in proper slotting/picking procedures when getting store orders together.
4) Also have Corporate not force out so many displays of certain items, especially high-profit, high-theft HBA items. I don't need a display of 12 Embrace razors - just send 6 and I can at least have representation on the New Item section and the shelf. Is this too much to ask for?
5) Keeping the Receiving doors locked when no one is in the backroom is also good. It'd be more helpful if our DSD person actually has a key to the door . . .which is something I don't understand. I had a key back at my old store when I did DSD. I was told that was policy as well as common sense. As it is now, the key-carrier who opens unlocks the Receiving and the roll-up doors and they stay unlocked all day . . .
Even scarier . . . they are sometimes left unlocked all night long. I've walked in at 5 a.m. on a Wednesday w/the Scanning person and we've discovered both the roll-up door unlocked and the alarm turned off on the Receiving door.
Not having so much of the high theft items on the shelf could also help . . . I've went and pulled stuff in certain sections (stuff I wouldn't think would walk out the door) until there's only 2 left of each variety on the shelf. I've also spent Wednesday morning installing more shelf bluffers in certain areas (feminine accessories, deodorant and bodywashes.)
Not all the bluffers in the world will stop the stealing . . . but having security would be a damn good way to reduce it.
Of course, Corporate hears none of it. They'll just say it's the employees not doing their jobs and they'll think putting in a new manger will solve everything.
And of course, they're too cheap to offer us any K-Y . . .
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