Packing Theory

Packing Theory

n. The scientific discipline that provides a mathematical basis for optimizing the arrangement and stacking of quantities of items within a given space.

NOTE: I acknowledge that this is the deep end, and that I don't know much about it. However, I do know that...

TRUE STORY: Packing Theory was invented by the British Navy, who back in the days of rigging and sail were desperate to maximize the number of cannon balls and kegs of powder stuffed into their ships of war. Seems that the last man, er, boat still shooting tended to win those engagements they kept having with the Spaniards, pirates, etc. Not to mention that resupply was often weeks or even months away.

Well, here in our present context we simply observe that there is often such a thing as A Better Way, but also acknowledge that cramming the most into a given space is not for us as desperate a priority as it was for those sailors way back then. Other things, like the appearance of neatness and visual appeal are equally important to STORE MANAGERS and CUSTOMERS alike, and deserve our diligent consideration.

For a little more about circle packing, with diagrams, see, e.g.,

^{http://mathworld.wolfram.com/CirclePacking.html}

Pad

Pad

n. The left-over cookie-sized punched-out center portion of a large circular FLOOR polishing or buffing machine insert used by the CLEANING CREW. See also CLEAN-UP.

NOTE: These things are mighty handy when used for various small cleaning jobs along with RED or BLUE JUICE. E.g., for the periodic cleaning the TAG rails fronting all of an AISLE'S bottom SHELVES, etc.

Page

Page

n. Any call or announcement made over the STORE'S Public Address system: “Did you hear that page?” —v. To make such a call or announcement: “Did you page me?”

NOTE: Some people seem to thing that talking incredibly fast and/or sounding impatient or cranky is the right way to make a Page. Uh,... no.

Consider what's playing over the PA before your Page interrupts: MUS-ICK! and the occasional PROMO with professional production values. The idea here is to provide an audio environment that soothes and informs the CUSTOMERS. To help encourage them to be happy shoppers.

Thus, your style of speaking when making Pages should likewise soothe and inform. For example: “Customer assistance to Captain's Choice, please. Customer assistance to Captain's Choice.” Friendly; good manners; that kind of thing.

HOW TO: Make a PAGE

1. Pick up the telephone handset.
   

Press and release the "Page" button on the body of the phone.


Speak into the handset receiver slowly, clearly, and loud enough to be heard.

Repeat the message, saying the person's name or department name and the place or phone extension they should contact twice.


Press and release the small rectangular "Release" button on the body of the phone to break the connection silently and avoid making a loud audible “clunk” over the PA system.

5. Hang up the telephone handset.

Repetition and speaking slowly is important because—like you—other ASSOCIATES and MANAGERS are busy, are sometimes in a noisy environment, or are in the middle of conversations, and so on, and may not immediately “tune in” to what you're saying. So, help them out: speak slowly, clearly, and give the important information twice. If nothing else, it cuts way down on those ridiculous: “Please repeat the last page...” Pages.

Pallet

Pallet

n. A low, roughly table-sized platform that supports and is used to transport STACKED CASES of various PRODUCTS: “Drop those pallets under the mezz.” See also CHEP PALLET.

NOTE: Pallets are typically made from either wooden ties with cross-laid slats or a single piece of heavy-duty molded plastic. Contents may be bound around the circumference in layers of wide plastic film WRAP to help add stability.

Paper PALLET

Paper PALLET

n. One or more occasional, special PALLETS kept aside to hold CASES of paper towels, tissues, and other paper goods of various kinds and sizes. See also WATER PALLET.

NOTE: While technically BACK-STOCK, CASES on the Paper PALLET are typically not put in the GUN because they are high-turnover, and will not spend any appreciable time in INVENTORY. These PALLETS get worked every SHIFT or so, as often as necessary to keep the SHELF reasonably full.

Phone Features

Phone Features

-. Beyond simple direct dialing, there are extra things you can do using the in-store Norstar® brand phones.

NOTE: However, unless you're a MANAGER, probably the only Phone Feature you should learn how to use is the first one listed: Feature-74 = Hold, also sometimes known as “call parking.”

There's an ordinary Hold button on the phone, yes, but if you use it, the phone is then tied up, and you can't use the phone for anything else.

Consider: sometimes you may get a call, and then want to transfer it to someone else, whom you'll want to PAGE. What to do? Feature-74 call parking to the rescue:

HOW TO: Put a call on HOLD using FEATURE-74

1. Ask the person on the phone to “Please stay on the line” while you transfer their call.


2. Press three buttons: [Feature] [7] [4]. The call you were handling is now on hold, and you're free to use the phone for other purposes, such as make a PAGE.


3. Notice the Holding Line Number on the LED readout on the phone; it's usually either 801 or 802 if there's already another call on hold somewhere else.


4. Make your PAGE as usual, including the Holding Line Number. For example, “GM, please take the call holding on 801. GM, 801 please.”


5. Hang up the phone. That call is still on hold, and anyone at any phone call dial the Holding Line Number (e.g., 801) to pick up that call. Meanwhile, you're now free to use the phone again or go on about your business.

Note that you can use Feature-74 to put a call on hold without making a PAGE, and thus you can pick up the call yourself on another phone. That's very handy, for instance, after you've run to a different AISLE to make a PRICE CHECK, or get some other information for a CUSTOMER.

Here are more Phone Features. However, my advice is, except for Feature-74, DON'T USE THEM:

DESIRED ACTION	PHONE BUTTONS TO PRESS
Hold	[Feature] [7] [4]
Background Music	[Feature] [8] [6]
Call Forward	[Feature] [4]
Call Pickup	[Feature] [7] [5]
Conference/Transfer	[Feature] [3]
Do Not Disturb	[Feature] [8] [5]
Exclusive Hold	[Feature] [Hold]
Last Number Redial	[Feature] [5]
Link	[Feature] [7] [1]
Message - Reply	[Feature] [6] [5]
Message - Send	[Feature] [1]
Page	[Feature] [6] [0]
Program External Autodial	[Feature] [*] [1]
Program Feature Autodial	[Feature] [*] [3]
Program Internal Autodial	[Feature] [*] [2]
Ring Again	[Feature] [2]
Speed Dial	[Feature] [0]
Transfer (if equipped)	[Feature] [7] [0]
Voice Call	[Feature] [6] [6]
Voice Call Deny	[Feature] [8] [8]
Cancel Features	[Feature] + [#] + Code

Except for Feature-74 call parking, the other Phone Features are given here just for the sake of reference. Once they were listed on cards on all the phones, but nowadays, most of those cards are missing. Thus, should you for some reason need this information, here it is.

Phone List

Phone List

n. A directory of in-store telephone extensions.

NOTE: For example, these are the phone extensions I know about where I work.

By DEPT. NAME			By PHONE #
Bakery	264		227	Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping	227		231	Manager
Break Room	232		232	Break Room
Capt. Choice	238		233	Meat
Cheese	251		234	Produce
COC	299		235	Floral
CSM	301		237	Dairy
CSM Desk	300		238	Capt. Choice
Dairy	237		240	Service
Deli	250		242	Pricing
Floral	235		248	Unknown
Grocery, Floor	290		249	Unknown
Manager	231		250	Deli
Meat	233		251	Cheese
Mobile, Mgr #1	314		264	Bakery
Mobile, Mgr #2	315		285	Pharmacy
Personnel	308		290	Grocery, Floor
Pharmacy	285		291	Receiving
Pricing	242		299	COC
Produce	234		300	CSM Desk
Receiving	291		301	CSM
Service	240		308	Personnel
Unknown	248		314	Mobile, Mgr #1
Unknown	249		315	Mobile, Mgr #2

There's also an unused phone back in the Dairy/Frozen back hallway: x295. Plus, there's the series of “call parking” numbers mentioned above under PHONE FEATURES: x801, x802, ... and so on.

Occasionally you might hear a PAGE like, “Security, please call extension 804.” Since it's rare for the call parking lot to fill up beyond 802, for the most part, those are likely to be PAGES intended to spook a suspected SHOPLIFTER.

One last trick: If you need to talk to another STORE, and you know its STORE NUMBER, you can pick up any in-store phone and dial [6] + Store Number to be connected to that store directly.

Pinwheel Pack

Pinwheel Pack

v. To put PRODUCT into a BOX, CASE or CRATE by laying it down in a clockwise or counter-clockwise order, so that the same edge of the PRODUCT packaging is in contact with the outside edge of the container, regardless of the container's rotation. —n. Anything so packed.

NOTE: Wire MILK CRATES are the container of choice for ITEMS like 100-ounce plastic jugs of laundry detergent, and the Pinwheel Pack holds four of them nicely, with every label facing outward for ease of identification.

For pouches of rice or pasta side dishes, lay them on their backs in a pinwheel arrangement, possibly alternating head-for-toe in small STACKS so each composite STACK of STACKS in the pinwheel lies flatter.

As with all packing, the idea is to clearly show what's in there, plus (what may be a slightly competing objective, namely) to minimize the task of reorientation as ITEMS are later extracted.

PLU

PLU

n. “Produce Look-Up (Code),” or “Price Look-Up (Code).” A numeric code, usually four digits, possibly five, on produce labels which is used by checkout cashiers to link the fruits or vegetables customers bring to be placed on their register's scale to the appropriate PRICE on a written list or in the STORE'S computer.

NOTE: The PLU is such a fixture of the GROCERY scene that nowadays almost nobody knows what the letters stand for—and that includes lots of people working in Produce departments! There's also some debate about whether PLUs are standardized across different stores and in different areas of the country. Most likely the answer is that the industry is in the process of promoting its standards. Different PLUs for different stores and different areas of the country makes no sense.

In any case, CUSTOMERS who use the U-SCAN self-checkout lanes can lookup PLUs themselves on a nearby chart, or get assistance from the overseeing U-SCAN operator.

According to one source, the usual produce PLUs of 4 digits (4011 for bananas, for example) are conventionally grown, whereas organically grown produce PLUs consist of 5 numbers, with the first number always 9 (94011, for example). Genetically modified produce PLUs have 5 digits, with first number is always 8 (84011, for example—and no, I haven't yet seen one).

Another thing I haven't yet seen is a 6-digit PLU, which “zero defects”-style posters in the BREAK ROOM cite as one specific cause of SHRINK. Thing is, none of the CASHIERS I've asked has been able to explain it to me either. Maybe that's why there's a problem!

Productivity

Productivity

n. The rate and/or relative efficiency with which PRODUCTS are produced or SERVICES are performed.

NOTE: Everyone's always urging us to (in so many words) “Be more productive!” But, what does that mean? The overall answer is: to get more done in a shorter amount of time.

Now, if you're thinking, “But, but,... They're paying me by the hour,” then maybe you're suffering from a serious misunderstanding. Yes, they are paying you hourly, but your half of that bargain is to return good value for the money being spent on you. That is, you're supposed to be (more) productive.

Here's a few tips to help get you thinking along better (i.e., more productive) lines:

TIP: Move Faster. Sounds obvious, but if you push yourself a little harder, you'll get a lot more done.

TIP: Touch Less. If it's already on the SHELF, you save time by not moving it. That is to say, resist the temptation to tidy up, straighten and/or restack everything. We know it's not perfect, but you have too much else to do. So, only fix what really needs fixing, and then be sure that whatever you do THROW goes in nice and straight, LABELS-FORWARD, and beautiful. True perfection is getting the job done, not futzing with every detail.

TIP: Minimize Steps. To the extent possible, try to avoid zigzagging up and down the AISLE, or back and forth across it. Every extra step you take slows you down, reducing your productivity. Look at what you've got, and plan your trip down the AISLE accordingly.

Purge

Purge

n. To periodically delete all INVENTORY records (i.e., OVERSTOCK STORE CODES and quantities) from the computer, so that they may be refreshed with current, more accurate data. —n. The result of such action: “They did a purge last week.”

NOTE: Purges are done as a matter of routine every six weeks or so.

At first glance it might seem crazy to routinely just all that information out and start over. I mean, STOCK CLERKS take a lot of time and trouble to record STORE CODES from SHELF TAGS onto CASES of OVERSTOCK and transfer them onto the SHEET so they can be entered into the GUN. Or at least, they're supposed to.

And that's the rub. Consider how easily and quickly all that “official” information can become wrong. Suppose, for instance, someone...

• transcribes a wrong number, or
• puts a CASE into BACK-STOCK without a number, or
• works OVERSTOCK to the SHELF without MINUS-ING it on the SHEET, or
• Etc., etc.

These types of things go on all day long, day in and day out, every day of the week. It's one reason why PICK LISTS aren't always accurate.

So, instead of relying on corrupt data that's continually becoming even more corrupt, it's best to admit the system is flawed by nature. To accommodate that fact, the STORE routinely Purges the system and makes a fresh start, before all the data wanders too far off into the weeds to be useful.

Purple Tote

Purple Tote

n. A usually purple-colored plastic bin with two large, opposing and interlocking tabs for a lid. Typically used to transport and/or ship a collection of small or oddly-shaped ITEMS, such as spices, toothbrushes, etc. Purple Totes are mainly used by the GENERAL MERCHANDISE (GM) DEPARTMENT. Also TUB

NOTE: TUB is the proper name for these things, but apart from the RECEIVER and a few others, nobody will know what you mean unless you call it a Purple Tote.

Sometimes cigarettes or other ITEMS of special value may be shipped in red totes; sometimes not.