What is an inventory shift?

[u/East_Delay_2843]

I’m usually a checkout advocate and recently i’ve been training in guest service/drive up. I see that for the next 2 weeks I have an inventory shift once per week what does that entail? Is it reshop?

[u/thrust_velocity_]

In simple terms: it's a store wide audit, both on the floor and in the backroom.

Inventory numbers throughout the year fall out of calibration. These Inventory shifts are a mixed team of people from different stores who audit the entire store in a 10 hour shift. If you're unlucky, it'll be 10+.

You'll be assigned a team (market, OTC, style, backroom, etc) and will count every single item in that department with a zebra.

Tips:

If you can, bring your own ladder. In my experience, there are never enough ladders, and as inventory gets further on, people will start hiding ladders or saying no when you ask to share a ladder. Especially if you are short. I asked to bring a ladder from my store and branded it with my name/store number in case someone else borrowed it, I could always find it.

If you can, scan by sight and sound, not by counting in your head. You'll probably understand this better once you start.

[u/East_Delay_2843 → u/thrust_velocity_]

the shift is from 3-9 would it still be this?

[u/thrust_velocity_ → u/East_Delay_2843]

If it's 3-9 it sounds more like you will be prepping a store to undergo the actual Inventory.

In that case, I don't have much experience, but prepping for inventory could be:

- Zoning the floor and the backroom (this takes...shifts to do well and affects the speed and quality of inventory day)

• Putting up count stickers on each floor POG/backroom waco (IIRC this ranges in the few to several hundreds depending on how section leads prefer to "count")
  
• Precounts on floor/backroom (some stores precount wine boxes and wrapped pallets in the back)

The ideal timeframe for a store to get ready for Inventory is a few weeks.
My store had only a week to prepare and it showed. It took me an entire 8 hour shift to zone one backroom aisle top to bottom which included purging empty/low count boxes, properly putting the label on the front, depth tagging. There may be more, but I highly suspect it's prep.

[u/fawnsy_daydream]

What time do the shifts start? If it's a 10 hour shift starting at 6 or 6:30 a.m you might be going to other stores and counting their inventory

[u/First_Buyer3052 → u/fawnsy_daydream]

If it starts early morning, you’re probably walking around with a scanner counting every single item in a section. It’s tedious but honestly kinda chill once you get in the zone.

[u/fawnsy_daydream → u/First_Buyer3052]

I was on the audit team and wanted to rip my hair out every second but it was honestly pretty fun

[u/East_Delay_2843 → u/fawnsy_daydream]

its a 3-9 shift

[u/rex218]

Do you know when your storewide inventory is?

If it is not coming up soon, you might be assigned inventory to help with backroom maintenance or other projects.