Summary of Filling the Shelves Breakout Session ALA Commissary Roundtable April 21, 2016
The Filling the Shelves breakout session was an informative, rather than interactive, presentation. The Full Shelf Initiative committee consisted of a wide variety of industry members including brokers, manufacturers, distributors and service providers. Since January, our committee has been working to identify pinch points in the process by which products get to the shelf.
After outlining the new items process, DeCA Store Ops (SO) representative Jason White immediately notified his leadership of the need to streamline this process. SO, along with Sales and Logistics, has already begun work on this project and will produce a “Best Practices” for the involved stakeholders, including sale, vendors, distributors and stores.
Vendor stocking is a part of the full shelf process, however, and as such, our committee discussed at length the issues in order to come up with a list of Best Practices. Some of the challenges to successful stocking identified were the following:
· Stocker Recruitment-primarily word of mouth currently
· Base Access-different at each base, changes without warning, stores don’t know the requirements
· Working Conditions-safety concerns
· DeCA Store Employees-unclear directions, poor communication, unfair expectations
· Product Ordering-resulting in lack of product
· Pay-not being compensated for all the work required
Our committee has determined some Best Practices around the 4 Cs
· Communication
o Between the stockers and the stores
§ Daily conversations regarding what happened the night before
§ Designate a store liaison
§ Designate a stocker liaison
o Between the brokers/manufacturers and the stockers
§ Provide updated listings of products to be stocked
§ Identify new items
§ Identify lost items
o Between the service providers and stockers
§ Explain pay schedules
§ Explain pay changes
o Between stockers
§ Develop relationships with other stockers for coverage
§ Develop relationships with stockers within the same categories for coverage/support on days off
· Consistency – Repetition
o How products are staged
o Where products are staged
o Times stockers are allowed on the floor
· Cooperation not Opposition
o Between store and stockers
o Between brokers/manufactures and stockers
o Between stockers
o Base access
· Compensation
o Increase case rates
o Find new pay models
o Ways to not work 7 days a week