[Crazy Jetty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlasjr

Great posts but the description of the pos system shows why it's a more complex problem than just retailer distribution.

If the system shows an item is selling they ship more. They don't have trouble distrbuting to the store where it is selling and needed. The example of the produce is a good one. It shows they were able to distribute it according to their plan, it was their sales forecast that was wrong. It should have been corrected more quickly.

So let's say there are 6 six figures evenly distributed of two each. One of them is destined to be a peg warmer. Lets say the planogram calls for 8 figures on the shelf. Week one they sell 10 figures, so they ship another case. Week two they sell another 10 figures and order another case. By week three there are 6 peg warmers on the shelf, so the sales slow because they they only have two desireables at a time.
Three weeks later they get in a fourth and final case. After a couple of weeks they have nothing left but peg warmers and dont need to order another case.
At this point the toy company comes back with wave two only to find that the retailer doesnt want any or at least a greatly reduced number of cases.

The problem from our point of view is that we have trouble finding that lastest wave. The problem from the Toy company point of view is they have no way to get us their product.
The problem for the retailer isn't that their system is underordering sellable product it's that the system causes them to order a product which will only sell 84% of the prduct they take in.

It's sobering to realize their systems don't identify individual items for inventory. Ever bring in the wrong receipt for a return?

Anybody have any ideas for solutions?

The only true solution would be to return the power back to the department heads.
I worked at a regional Grocery store before I worked at walmart, worked in several departments, and was extremely close to the management staff. So I generally got to see how everything works, as well as doing my own share of inventory and ordering. (Even been put in charge of the store a few times)
We had out issues when it came to getting items we neither needed, nor wanted. But for the most part, when we were ordering what we needed, everything ran smoothly.
Then going to walmart, the people who run the departments really don't have much more control than us regular employees. My supervisor had some tricks, and so di the fresh area manager. And they both tended to look the other way and allow me to try to cheat the POS system. (Our tricks were to convence the computer we had more stock than we did to slow it down, or to convence it we had too little, to trigger it to send us more). But all three of us would be in a lot of trouble if people from outside the store caught us.
There are some tricks you can play to game the system. But the employees have to care enough first.

But ultimately, POS works for something like fuel filters, sports equipment, TVs, and maybe cloths... but a lot of employees don't realize toys, like lettuce has a finite shelf life. "Bad" product has to be gotten rid of every so often, so "good" product can be brought in. (Hell, I waited THREE YEARS for the Y-Wing SWTF to go on clearance)

The only real solution is return full control back to the hands of the toy department heads. And that unfortunately would only work if that person cares.
(I know, I tried for years to get moved to the toy department, if not outright supervisor. And I know for a fact, by speaking to other employees, that I was the only person in my store that really cared about the department)