Whole foods has a higher class problem that's leading to entirely empty shelves. hpeterson@businessinsider.com.
Empty shelves have been routine before amazon. And it's nationwide.
28 replies (most recent on top)
No one from leadership or ots reguonal trainers have ever adequately explained to me how ots was supposed to increase revenue...sales...comps...etc..a lot of that "take ownership, moving forward,sense of urgency,u guys rock" university of phoenix business language bullet point responses
OTS is a total fail. Store looks like we are closing. Back of the store is worse and more frustrating then before this OTS system. What genius came up with yet another fail.
The amount of money wasted on OTS is mind boggling. It takes our OTS "auditor" a full shift to audit the whole store. Multiply that by 2 times/week. Now multiply that by over 400 stores. By conservative estimates, thats $250,000 per week just to do the audits. For zero return in increased sales, and probably loss of sales. Not to mention the countless labor hours tm's spend toiling over clipboards, dating boxes, last case out sheets (useless), end of day counts (also useless), etc...Millions of dollars right down the toilet.
OTS is a total fail.
All Whole Foods had to do was lower prices. Amazon comes in and lowers prices and sales go up. Genius. Amazon gets it, and hopefully they see whats really going on with OTS sooner than later.
I think plenty of people can appreciate the cleaner/tidier back rooms that OTS demands. The unrealistic part is the clipboard logging and other minutia that takes lots of labor off the floor...only to get a FAIL if 1 out of 400 boxes isn't facing forward. It's demoralizing and very military...leaading people to focus on passing an inspection and not really caring about quality, conditions, or customer service.
There are some parts of OTS that are good for our store - like cleaning up our back of the house in ways that make sense and forcing buyers to adapt to tighter ordering practices. Gone are the days of letting canned dog food and applesauce sit on the top shelf unrotated until inventory comes around and you discover half of the ones in the back are extremely out. But it’s unreasonable to hold TMs to the same high standards without regard to our supply chain being a hot mess.
In the NA there was a lot of transitioning of top moving items from the DC to UNFI. Then, of course, they were OOS for weeks. Even now, post holiday, the number of OOS from UNFI are astounding -- nearly entire bays of alternative milks.
They will go harder on OTS, of course! Isn't that what WF has always done? Double-down on inefficient programs that were ill-thought out! At least until the next "brilliant idea" from some corporate kiss up comes along and they decide THAT is the new greatest idea EVER!
Jeff Bezos did not get filthy rich by being stupid. It is only a matter of time before he puts a stop to programs that are a waste of time and resources.
It is hard to say if there will be any fall out. It is very likely that it will be ignored. However, it is funny that TMs are talking to the press.
Im wondering what the fallout will be from this article..over the last few years everytime there was a tare scandal,listeria dripping scandal,credit card data breach scandal,we always had to take some b---s--- training..will they go harder on ots or modify it??
Lol @ calling someone a "moran"
Every reply is dead on right. Could not have said it better! Amazon has really got to stop the morans at regional from making anymore business decisions ASAP
Please explain to me what good Scan and review is, if the info it provides is from the previous week? Not in real time? I don't need to know how much we sold of any particular item last week if there was a holiday that isn't happening THIS WEEK.... Where is the logic in that?
Yes to alk that@1qss..complete sh--show for holidays...same here with people almost not getting tgeir pre pack foods..
Please explain ots to an outsider
The Holidays in the SW were very revealing about all of the regional/global problems. Barely enough product to complete Holiday orders for guests.... hours getting cut during the Holiday season, the "back pack" crew of metro associates are no help...they only criticize and place blame on TL's and TM's. IT IS JUST GROCERIES.... none of this should be all that difficult. Invest in better systems for ordering and inventory management. Band-aide after band-aide and elitist attitude led to this mess. But, no one wants to listen to those of us in the trenches. They only want to hear their own voices and ideas. What happened to the encouragement of innovation?
Cryin shame it is, some really weird things happening ! I think we have a situation going on where WFM had a commitment with the peeps who created OTS, and then Amazon came along $$$ Booyah! so what we have is a clusterf-tornado effect of AZM+ WFM ** On top of overpaid, in-adequate regional people getting real worried about their jobs, (and making bad decisions about product) STLS' getting real worried about their jobs and TM's really getting worried due to the above stress created by all of the above.
Whats going to happen is anybody's guess, but you can darn well bet they, AZM peeps are reviewing the 6 figure salaries of all the leaders on all levels, Yeah its gonna get real interesting,, they have been put on notice for sure, you can bet on that, no more milking the golden WFM cow, Its being done in reverse, TM with labor cuts, reduced hours, consolidating teams, MarketBS OTS BS SamanthaBS BS= BullSh t and then the really nasty stuff dun dun dun! Senior leadership reductions in salaries, positions, and the ultimate grind of death. I've heard plans of getting rid of Mackey soon, that is why Walter and so many others have left by their own hand. Bless us all, Happy New Year! and the true spirit and essence of Whole Foods will always live on in many hearts and souls and that will be just fine with me.
Link towards the article --> http://www.businessinsider.com/whole-foods-out-of-stock-problems-and-deteriorating-produce-2018-1
On the bottom of the article, the author asks if any TM wants to share their story. If you have relevant information pertaining to the article in questions (such as reasons for the empty shelves and such), please feel free to share it with her. There has been at least two people already in contact with her.
At my store, grocery is so short handed that there is barely any floor coverage. No one to work the seafood and meat counters... a barely functional coffee/juice bar, a beer and wine bar that sits empty, and long lines at the check outs.....
Since the demo fiasco, there are no vendors or demo specialist in the store driving sales. Before this, our guy always had stuff going on and vendors in the store. Metro marketing doesnt seem to "drive" customers to the store.... Sales are down. TM's are nervous and customers know that something is deeply wrong with Whole Foods. I think that it is sad that regional/global thinks that we are all stupid and beneath them.
BUT... yes, let's worry about 20 clipboards per team. Let's worry about crooked laminant cut or slight discoloration in signs... lets continue placing undue stress on TM's to do the job of 3 people... It's great for morale dont you know... OH WAIT.. Team Member Happiness was forgotten about a couple of years ago.
Smoke and mirrors are at the core of retail execution.
1rjw: that was pretty right-on
BRAVO 1rjw!!
You said it all :-)
And who the heck believes these stores that are reporting 50 out of stocks in Grocery, what a crock of dog poo, they just don’t want to have to count OOS all week, and it makes the rest of us look bad for being honest in our counts, cheaters prosper I guess, so long as the point executive looks good because his stores have the least OOS, that’s all they care about, false numbers... anything to help them deceive Amazon into believing that this OTS crap is working and worthy of their continued employment, since it seems that’s all anyone outside of a store TM is hanging on too these days. “We’re important, We’re in charge of OTS”. I feel bad for the Meat guys, I see a new posting for a Meat TL every couple of weeks, these guys aren’t freaking secretaries, they want to cut meat and help our guests. My walk is coming up and I’m praying for a layoff or termination, and these OTS Regional/Global crews, what a joke of a job, just where do they think this will lead to once/if (big if, as I doubt all stores will be certified before the program is axed), there’s no future for clipboard counters and left tag alignment checkers. Hiring freeze, understaffed, unrealistic and out of touch demands from corporate, stressed out Store Team Leaders struggling to find common ground between Regional/Global demands and their disgruntled team on the floor, and unhappy, frustrated guests who can’t find anything or anyone to help until they get in the looooooooooooooong checkout line, where the hell is Amazon, please please please come save us from the morons who put us in this situation in the first place and are now trying to justify their existence with this already failed OTS programs, you hear me Bezos?
I remember when they first brought up the plan for ots and they were selling it as a way to increase sales and efficiency because team members would be more available for customer service and spending less time in the warehouse..i asked an stl how having less product would increase revenue-which if you listened to the earnings calls was a problem wholefoods was having quarter after quarter..he couldn't give me an answer..fast forward to now--I find team members spending more time in warehouse getting ready for landlord walks and clipboard shuffling for last case out counts than helping on the sales floor..and the out of stocks and ots method of leaving empty spots is a bad look as seen by Barclays here...
More concerned with clipvoards and clean floors in earehouse than making sales..
That's OTS
I like when customers say that it looks like they are shopping in north korea...lol...hey there is a clipboard for that!!!
OTS is a total disaster that is taking the ship down and putting more stress on team members. Now hearing even more complaints for customers then before OTS, the backof the store is more stressful then ever. News flash... no it has not made anyones life better as we were told it would.
Thanks to OTS!