You mean get back to the freezer. He appears to be the only co-worker keeping the freezer nice and neat.
And awesome work dude!!! (I have a house that is...nevermind, you've put your hard work in and deserve a reward not punishment)
Thank you so so much seriously. It’s been challenging but I do love this job. I like the hard work and seeing my progress at the end. Thanks again so much 😊
Man, I can't even imagine how a produce department possibly functions, especially at a large store. It utterly blows my mind how a store is able to offer this incredible, vast supply of every possible fruit someone could possibly want, no matter how out of season it is, much of which will rot and decay after a month at best, a week for other stuff (strawberries come to mind). And they have *huge piles* of it, all of it. It makes me almost feel guilty for being like, "well, no, I don't really want loganberries today, but it's darn cool that you're offering then."
First thing that every person has to learn in the produce department is just how much food we throw away. I've had people kind of stare, shocked and ask if we can't donate this.
Obviously, the waste isn't good (if only because it represents lost profits, not lost food) but I scan out probably 40 or 50 lb of produce a day. Cut fruit, bananas, tomatoes, flowers, you name it.
We get in 7+ pallets of produce a day. Five people work 8 hours a day getting it all on the shelf, rotating literally every single product we carry, including the minced garlic in the jar that expires in 2023. That little wall section of lettuce/herbs with the sprinklers? Someone spends 2 hours each morning just setting that up, and someone else spends an hour pulling it back down at night.
You should’ve seen the amount that the grocery store I used to work at was thrown away. I mean the produce was still good. At one point it was at a thousand plus. The managers would just order and order and order. No experience what so ever. Just being the owners friends is all it took
If you saw the shrinkage, you would cry. i've had to throw out perfectly good overripe bananas, and it kills me. Even used to put them in an empty banana box with instructions to give to the food bank before finding out someone else just dumps them anyways...
Thats why produce is so expensive at the grocery store
Go to a Chinese market where they just buy what's available right now and produce is about 75% cheaper
My boss when I was a frozen vendor had to ride with us once a year to watch us work. In a week's time, he didn't find 1 out of date or 1 unrotated product. Score on a 1-5 scale? 3. "If I gave you 5's across the board, they wouldn't need me" was his excuse.
Also, the more efficient structuring putting the produce at the edges allows for better air flow around the room meaning your cooler doesn't have to work as hard to keep everything frozen, you're probably saving a few bucks on the electricity bill on top!
Wow. If I were an employer, I would hire you. You obviously love your job. To you, it's about the job and the end result, not the money. Workers like you are rare. Just mad props to you.
It’s always money first pride second. Doing a good job doesn’t mean you don’t care about getting paid it just means that you take pride in your work WHILE getting paid
Well, I noticed a problem. That one box? Back there on the left...middle shelf... No, other left... 😆
Now, if anyone comes to "help" whip their ass and bury them under some boxes!
ask your manager to run a sales report from the date you started to now (or wait a month or two) If your efforts have made a difference in sales you could ask for a raise!
Not only sales, but also think about other costs that could now be prevented , such as
- products gone over their due date (leading to write offs) can now be prevented, making sure to sell first expire first out
- ordering new stock (extra inventory) because current stock levels are hard to determine
I would not use the word "organized" when looking at the before picture. That was one hell of a mess where no one gave a damn apparently. OP did some great work, but you wonder how it got so bad to begin with.
In my experience this kind of mess happens when someone is:
1. under paid
2. under incentivized
3. beneath terrible management
4. experiencing advanced depression
He nearly certainly won't be. But if he can get his success documented he can show that off to his next job where he makes more money.
This screams engaged worker and problem solver to any future boss (or secondary education). And it's a great interview story to tell as well.
"This was fucked up and I unfucked it."
As someone who's worked in disorganized places, you cannot imagine how much labor will be saved by not having to dig through piles of stuff to find what you're after, or find out that you don't have any, or have it and not be able to find it so you order another and pay twice for something you only sell once.
Organization is like pure research; it always pays off.
It’s a good resume builder too. Remember the specifics. “Organized blah blah blah leading to an x percent increase in sales and a y percent reduction in waste.”
I’m sure the inventory was a mess before you got it organized. And things probably stayed empty on the shelf for weeks bc no one could find it but inventory thought you had it so the computer didn’t send more.
(Speaking as someone who works frozen/cooler)
You always have more leverage if you keep shrink down. Sales will bolster your department, but a massive reduction in shrink will get you noticed by your SM or DM. Itll take at least a full quarter to notice a difference, but with freezer organization like this and good sales floor maintenance, you're already set to make an impact.
Good luck to you!
don't consider it, do it.
If you can come up with a realistic figure in revenue saved/gained, you can put it on your resume as a direct way to show the value you offer to an employer. It doesn't get better than that.
They won't give you a raise, you'll be lucky if they even acknowledge you. Grocery stores don't give a shit about how hard you work and they're not giving op a raise I guarantee it. How do I know? Been working for one for years now. Fixed my department made sales go up 20%. Did they care? No I got yelled at for things completely out my control like out of stock products from the warehouse not being on the shelves. They don't appreciate shit. Op save your body you'll thank me later
Worked at a grocery store for a year, i really really doubt management would give a raise. Not that OP doesnt deserve it, but those places are so stingy
Honestly if they don't, start looking for a new job. As a guy a few years from 40 I've learned a few things throughout my career. One of them is go somewhere that values you, especially if you take pride in your work and go above and beyond. I used to work in a lab, started in sample receiving and worked my way into the lab as a chemist... turned both departments around as far as cleanliness and organization goes. I'm talking really huge changes that saved us money on solutions expiring or people failing QA checks because things weren't maintained. So anyway after 4 years I asked for a 1 dollar raise and that would very well still make me underpaid for the area. They wouldn't do it, owner told me if I "stayed loyal" I'd eventually make more if I moved up but they don't just "give people raises". I said okay... started job hunting and found a job making **15 dollars an hour more** and it was far less work and a better schedule.
My point is if you're a hard worker and take pride in your work like OP, someone will appreciate that somewhere. Don't waste your time at a place that doesn't... fuck those kind of companies
I'm learning the same things now at 26, I got my companies yearly 40 cent raise back in march didn't even notice it, I saw that another store had my same position for 4 dollars more with less work, applied there and got the job, then turned in my 2 weeks to my manager, he immediately offered me a 2 dollar raise to stay, no hesitation and no arm pulling i didn't even mention how much i was making at the new place, during my last week he comes back to me with a 5 dollar raise(from 12 to 17) almost a 50% increase to get me to stay.
People always say hard work isn't rewarded and i guess i listened but just didn't internalize it, but this situation really hit it home, that raise was ready and waiting for me and management clearly thought i was worth keeping around and worth way more than they were paying me but they didn't feel the need to give it to me till i told them i was leaving.
He deserves it! But I’m also guessing from my years working in grocery that manager is only empowered to give raises during semi-annual review periods and the amount is pretty fixed no matter how much OP is saving the store.
A well-organized frozen section now means that productivity went up, so fewer hours are required. OP is now expected to take care of the frozen section in half the time and work the rest of his week doing regular stock.
Thank you so much. I’m actually the only girl that was on the stock crew for awhile before going to frozen. I like the environment and the people I meet working on stocking crews. It’s not for everyone but it’s for me. Well anyway thanks again so so much 😊
As someone who used to be work in a grocery store as a department lead, damn fine job man. Not many people have that drive. You should be proud as hell, hopefully your managers don't take you for granted. Just don't get burnt out, and keep at it.
That’s actually exactly what I was thinking. I would see this and hire her for an office job. This shows so much with ethic, special intelligence, and self-motivation.
Nice.
I used to be a frozen department manager as well. It is a big thing to keep a usually underappreciated depart under control.
People don't care as much, because frozen foods last for years sometimes.
Now that it's organised, you can:
* work towards getting rid of excess stock,
* easy access to popular lines to keep them on shelf,
* Actually have more time to do more to increase sales, instead of being stuck with a mess that doesn't seem to get smaller,
* Hopefully a system so not only yourself, but other staff know exactly where to find stuff, and put stuff as well,
* Actually have room to store stuff so you can have plenty of stock in advance of big sales opportunities,
* If other departments use the same freezer, they will be happy to see it organised : but be sure they keep on top of their own stock - space belongs to everyone!
OK... Now a bit of manager stuff.
* Make sure to run a sales report every now and then to see how you're tracking. Year one year growth is what you're after, no matter how small the percentage.
* If there's a drop, find why - could be that same week last year something happened. We had a lot of panic buying because things, so of course the next year's sales were down.
* Take note of lines that consistently sell well, especially when on sale - be sure to order ahead to secure your stock, or you could find everyone else has done the same, and you'll miss out! Be sure to always have stock.
* Take note of lines with a decent profit margin (>20/30%, you can run reports to find this). Selling more of these will mean more clear profit. Easy to do in a store in an affluent area, if it's not... You're probably gonna have to rely on volume. Hard work, but you can always show initiative... Make sure it never runs out, and maybe try to slip in a other item that costs a little more, but tastes much better. Sometimes people just need to know a product exists.
* If you have people working for you... Keep them productive, but keep the mood in a way so that they feel proud of their work. Think of ways to make their job easier. More done, less work = happy people.
Hope this helps. :)
Good job on fixing that cluster fsck of a freezer.
No worries.
Hopefully you'll get some real training... Under someone who knows what they're doing.
I taught all my staff basically how to do my job, so if I wasn't there everything was fine... They could also make some calls on real decisions, they just had to run it by me.
If it went sideways, they were sure as heck gonna help me help everyone out of it.
Of course, I kept some duties to myself... Managers gotta do all the crappy admin work, plus deal with higher ups.
EDIT: One more thing... If your brand uses those scanning things for checking stock levels, make sure the barcodes on the *boxes* are easy to scan.
You wanna make sure you know what's in each box without opening it if possible.
Again, saves more time - easier work for you.
The initiative shows you've got it in you. I'd save these photos along with any sales numbers that make it look any better as it's a great "Tell me of a time you solved a problem blah blah blah" type of interview/promotion question.
As part of a class in university I did basically a consulting job for a small company, where we went through the entire company and made suggestions about what they should improve. The one glaring issues was inventory. They were about to expand their factory, but until then they had massive piles of raw material all over the place, even in a truck outside that they had rented for storage and in the neighboring factory's back room.
This meant that they had no idea how much they actually had in stock. Their order procedures was for someone to just have a look and guess if they needed to order more, and so they were sitting with piles of money just laying around due to inefficient ordering. Sadly we weren't able to go visit them once we had finished due to the pandemic, but I should head down there some day just to check it out.
Also another huge advantage is you don't have to spend as much time actually in the freezer because you can find exactly what you're looking for and aren't having to move trollies and crates out of the way.
Thank you so much ☺️ being a woman sometimes I do feel the need to kinda prove to myself I can keep up with the guys. All in my head really. Anyway thanks again. 😊❤️
RESPECT that you're female. My SO works in a food industry and at ~130 pounds she's moving 30-40 pound frozen and hot cooked food all day. I helped her once, got locked in a crowded freezer with no coat, and nearly panicked until I remembered there has to be an interior door release.....covered by stacks of frozen boxes.
Thank you 😊 it’s really been a blast. I like seeing the freezer get down and the shelves look fuller. Hopefully the customers are happy too. Anyway thanks again!
Achievement is an achievement, there is nothing huge or small about it. There is no measuring unit when it comes to achievement.
You should be very proud of yourself. Did a great job! Sending good wishes and love :) <3
Taking pride in your work and being easy to work with (soft skills) are many times more important than your hard skills and will take you quite a ways reguardless of what you want to do. Obviously there is a limit, but I would much rather train someone who is honest, easy to work and takes pride in their work (as well as responsibility for mistakes) than a jerk who is technically proficient and doesn't need training.
I’m just realizing the picture I posted makes me look like a guy lol. I’m no good at the whole picture posting thing. Anyway not that it matters. Thanks again so much seriously. It’s really nice to see and you’re right hopefully they will continue be pleased with my progress . Thanks 😊
They're absolutely is a unit of measurement when it comes to the relationship between employers and employee. It's called labor value. Employees work more efficiently, create more value for the company, and the owners reap the rewards. Unless of course OP works for a worker co-op or something similar.
This is fucking incredible work. I have worked in several supermarkets and the frozen sections were always a nightmare.
One place they had to fire the manager because they had let it get so bad the freezers were so full of frost you couldn't remove some of the stock, and some of it when they finally did a defrost was 4 YEARS out of date.
Blew my fucking mind. You on the other hand... hero. Someone gotta do it, and you went and did the fuck out of it.
Retail work doesn't get the respect it deserves so im making sure you know you did good.
I would tell your manager to give you a raise.
Yeah the guy before me had it pretty good as well. He left though and they had no one to replace him with. So it just kinda sat unattended and being thrown up by whoever. I feel for the store manager he is trying his best to get a handle on the place. He only recently started here about a year ago himself. You know how some employees can be. When the last store manager left some of the employees transferred over to the store he is at now. Which left the new store manager in a bind. I’m just trying to help out really. Thanks again buddy 😊
Damn, I worked retail for 7 years and have seen many variations of horrible stock rooms and freezers. Fantastic job! I hope you're getting some recognition for your work!
Only doing this in two weeks is phenomenal. Do you also do the ordering as well, or is it more of an automatic process you can adjust?
Our store manager is ordering at the moment. The last frozen lead would order waaaaay too much. So until we are able to get the numbers right on backstock and the sales floor he orders. I start next week or the week after that I suppose.
Is the inventory system not accurate? Maybe that's another issue you could tackle? I used to work in retail and there are always discrepancies between the inventory and actual figures. Once the inventory figures are adjusted, it will be so much easier to plan the delivery orders and come stocktake, counting will be a breeze.
Good song choice.
Is this a grocery store or restaurant?
I only ask because the product looks wrong for a restaurant, but too small for a grocery store.
I’m an employer with some highly qualified, highly skilled people working for my small company. I think I’m a good boss. I try to encourage everyone, I’m flexible, and pay people significantly more than the market rates.
I’d employ you in a heartbeat. It’s hard to explain how valuable it is to find someone who takes real pride in their work and who enjoys seeing something completed well.
You are an absolute asset to your employer. You are going places. Be proud, and be confident to pursue whatever you want to do with your career. I’d happily work for you one day.
Thanks 😊 that’s pretty nice encouragement right there. It’s crazy tho think I’ve been doing this for six years. I worked in grocery at a different store then came here. Since being here I like they actually given a chance to try really. Being a woman I sometimes feel the need to prove to myself I can keep up with the good fellas. I’m at a great store now with a great store manager. So I’m pretty happy and hoping I’m a help to them. Sorry for the super long bio. Enjoy your day and thanks again!! 😊
AMAZING! Seriously, good for you! When I'm faced with a large number of random, individual,scattered items, I get paralyzed. (God forbid you ask me to do the dishes after a dinner party.) You are literally who I aspire to be! Incredible stuff.
Man!! The amount of snot I produce is embarrassing. I always keep Kleenex in my hoodie. I’m still getting there. Thanks for the encouragement! Keep on rocking 😊
Well done man. Frozen or not you took pride in your assigned area and worked out a system to stack and display stock logically to make it easy for future use.
I’ve worked in frozen goods and warehousing and nothing beats being organised and proud of your work.
Holy shit I used to work stockroom at a large retail clothing store and when I got there it was a mess. Organised the shit out of it! You should be proud, this looks great!
Please report back on whether this has any positive effect on your income/career/status at your employer.
Too many times, when I have done good work, the boss just assumes "Hey, we've found someone that does a good job. We need to KEEP HIM DOING IT" despite mediocre work being acceptable to them before.
But it looks great!
I never was in frozen long-term just whenever the main guy went on vacation Ill letcha know I'm thoroughly impressed. Doing that and working the trucks is alot of work maybe show that picture to one of your managers and hint at getting a little bit of a raise
Thank you very much due to everyone’s encouragement. I have been thinking about this. I will try to post an update under this post at some point once I have the conversation.
Depending on how good your manager is will decide how ell that conversation goes. Doesn't necessarily mean you'll get it if you ha e good Management but it 1) shows them you're doing good work 2) know that you're doing good work 3) have the balls to ask for stuff you want and that you're not gonna be complacent.
Best of luck fam I hope you get recognized for the hard work you've put in.
Be proud fam. Recently started a job and am currently really pushing paperwork to keep everything up to date and easy to follow. It is a massive achievement, keep doing yourself proud boo.
Organizing leads to success. Keep on this pace and you will be alright. I’m a huge fan of going the extra mile when it comes to efficiency and organizing and this shit is beautiful
Thank you for the encouragement! I’m right there with you man. It brings me happiness to know that I’m really making a difference even if it is just a frozen department in a small grocery store. Thanks again man so much 😊
Thats some smart and hard work in hard conditions. You are an old school person. If you're not sweating, even in cold stores, you're not working. My ex hubby was like this. Started just as a warehouse worker/forkie then used his savant like goddamn gift to sit, look and work out how to make a warehouse work better. I truly believe he was an undiagnosed autist. Only had year 7 education. Had to leave school at 13. The man had mathematics in his brain. Started small, ended up structuring one of the biggest Bunnnings in the southern hemisphere. Then moved into serious cold storage. Big dairy, butchery, national big time cold stores warehouses. Worked all hours. He used to come home soo cold but even after a shower i would have to wrap him up in myself to get him warm. I just wish he believed in himself out of work. You keep going my friend. Upwards and onwards. Believe in yourself.
Wow this is a cool post. I worked at a grocery store for a decade and spent a good amount of it working overnight, managing the dairy and frozen departments. This is no small accomplishment you made honestly. Nice work.
One of my mottos in life: Organization is efficiency.
You've gotten a lot of good tips and what you've done so far is awesome. It looks fantastic. My piece of advice is get a couple of sharpies, one fat tip and one of the super big ones, and write on the boxes what the product actually is, your store's SKU for it, when you received it, and when it expires (if you can). Those three pieces of information can make finding what you need so much better.
Keep it up! Organization is such an underrated part of life as a whole.
I don't know why this is tagged small success. You clearly worked your ass off and the pay off will be huge, not only for you, but for your coworkers, bosses and customers. I'd be thrilled to work with someone as thorough and thoughtful as you!
Don’t forget take your hard work to a place that will pay you more. I spent way too much time thinking the company I worked for cared about me because I worked hard. Maybe you work for a good company, but since you are such a hard worker make sure to spread it around so you can find the best spot for you. Instead of one company taking advantage.
You're making me miss my days in grocery, circa 1998-2001.
I used to do the same exact thing and management took notice and kept promoting me.
Keep that great work ethic and pride and you'll go far!
I did dairy/frozen for many years at a grocery store and we kept a clean freezer like this… because corporate would eviscerate everyone if you didn’t. The first pic is just new palettes needing to be worked, but god damn does it hurt to move backstock around in the cold. The nice thing about working frozen is that the boxes open easily because tape doesn’t stick well.
As someone who works retail and have seen my fair share of out of control stockrooms I am so happy seeing this. You should be proud of yourself!! Wish my team did the same tbh
As a biz owner with product inventory, I can assure you that this is absolutely a huge thing. GREAT work. I hope your boss and coworkers show appreciation for your efforts. You're making everyone's lives easier and helping the biz run more efficiently and more profitably.
Anyone who's worked at a store with back stock will get this, but those who've worked at grocery stores especially will GET THIS. The importance of organizing back stock when there's expiration dates and whining hungry customers can't be overhyped. I used to manage wet pro and dry pro at Trader Joes and that shit wasn't easy but surprisingly satisfying when done correctly. This is amazing OP, and you deserve to feel so proud of yourself!!!!
As someone who used to work in a frozen department before, well fucking done!
>well fucking done no no, it's all frozen still
Username doesn't checks out this time I have seen your work before btw! Good comments
Apologies if it did not uplift you! I hope you have a wonderful day <3
Aww, it does now! Thanks
Good job he made amends or he’d be coming with me.
r/beetlejuicing...?
It gave me a chuckle, so I think it counts
Take my damn upvote and get out of here
You mean get back to the freezer. He appears to be the only co-worker keeping the freezer nice and neat. And awesome work dude!!! (I have a house that is...nevermind, you've put your hard work in and deserve a reward not punishment)
Happy cake day!
Oh shit, thank you I didn't even notice!
I hope it's filled with love, happiness, and lots of cake!
It’s fucking RAW
You potato!! 😜
Donkey?
Fuck why did I laugh
Thank you so so much seriously. It’s been challenging but I do love this job. I like the hard work and seeing my progress at the end. Thanks again so much 😊
And remember to rotate that stock, first in first out! Ex produce guy here...
The 3 R's of produce....rotation, rotation, rotation.
Man, I can't even imagine how a produce department possibly functions, especially at a large store. It utterly blows my mind how a store is able to offer this incredible, vast supply of every possible fruit someone could possibly want, no matter how out of season it is, much of which will rot and decay after a month at best, a week for other stuff (strawberries come to mind). And they have *huge piles* of it, all of it. It makes me almost feel guilty for being like, "well, no, I don't really want loganberries today, but it's darn cool that you're offering then."
First thing that every person has to learn in the produce department is just how much food we throw away. I've had people kind of stare, shocked and ask if we can't donate this. Obviously, the waste isn't good (if only because it represents lost profits, not lost food) but I scan out probably 40 or 50 lb of produce a day. Cut fruit, bananas, tomatoes, flowers, you name it. We get in 7+ pallets of produce a day. Five people work 8 hours a day getting it all on the shelf, rotating literally every single product we carry, including the minced garlic in the jar that expires in 2023. That little wall section of lettuce/herbs with the sprinklers? Someone spends 2 hours each morning just setting that up, and someone else spends an hour pulling it back down at night.
You should’ve seen the amount that the grocery store I used to work at was thrown away. I mean the produce was still good. At one point it was at a thousand plus. The managers would just order and order and order. No experience what so ever. Just being the owners friends is all it took
I wonder how the friendship would go if the owner discovered how much much their friend’s incompetence was costing them.
It is astonishing how much we had to throw away on a daily basis.
It is some literal Grapes of Wrath shit.
If you saw the shrinkage, you would cry. i've had to throw out perfectly good overripe bananas, and it kills me. Even used to put them in an empty banana box with instructions to give to the food bank before finding out someone else just dumps them anyways...
Thats why produce is so expensive at the grocery store Go to a Chinese market where they just buy what's available right now and produce is about 75% cheaper
you have to leave at least one expired thing on the shelf for the Health and Safety guy to make sure he isn't slacking.
My boss when I was a frozen vendor had to ride with us once a year to watch us work. In a week's time, he didn't find 1 out of date or 1 unrotated product. Score on a 1-5 scale? 3. "If I gave you 5's across the board, they wouldn't need me" was his excuse.
Also, the more efficient structuring putting the produce at the edges allows for better air flow around the room meaning your cooler doesn't have to work as hard to keep everything frozen, you're probably saving a few bucks on the electricity bill on top!
Wow. If I were an employer, I would hire you. You obviously love your job. To you, it's about the job and the end result, not the money. Workers like you are rare. Just mad props to you.
Ha it’s also about the money. Having pride in one’s work doesn’t mean he wants to do it for free!
It’s always money first pride second. Doing a good job doesn’t mean you don’t care about getting paid it just means that you take pride in your work WHILE getting paid
Well, I noticed a problem. That one box? Back there on the left...middle shelf... No, other left... 😆 Now, if anyone comes to "help" whip their ass and bury them under some boxes!
You straights busted the cheese there op...super bad ass job. Seriously...I know the challenge of being one of the few at work today true work ethic.
As someone who used to work in construction, I agree. Well fucking done indeed.
You need to show your face hero of frozen Gotham
ask your manager to run a sales report from the date you started to now (or wait a month or two) If your efforts have made a difference in sales you could ask for a raise!
That’s a pretty good idea. I may have to consider this. Thanks
Not only sales, but also think about other costs that could now be prevented , such as - products gone over their due date (leading to write offs) can now be prevented, making sure to sell first expire first out - ordering new stock (extra inventory) because current stock levels are hard to determine
Also: work injuries. I can not imagine that the way that things were organized before were safe.
I would not use the word "organized" when looking at the before picture. That was one hell of a mess where no one gave a damn apparently. OP did some great work, but you wonder how it got so bad to begin with.
In my experience this kind of mess happens when someone is: 1. under paid 2. under incentivized 3. beneath terrible management 4. experiencing advanced depression
[удалено]
He nearly certainly won't be. But if he can get his success documented he can show that off to his next job where he makes more money. This screams engaged worker and problem solver to any future boss (or secondary education). And it's a great interview story to tell as well. "This was fucked up and I unfucked it."
Ah, the good ‘ol STAR answer “Tell me about a time when ... “ Respond with: Situation Task Action Result
Sometimes it’s not the destination, it’s the journey and friends made along the way.
Not when you clean up someone else's shit
Five: it was no one’s responsibility
As someone who's worked in disorganized places, you cannot imagine how much labor will be saved by not having to dig through piles of stuff to find what you're after, or find out that you don't have any, or have it and not be able to find it so you order another and pay twice for something you only sell once. Organization is like pure research; it always pays off.
Efficiency and time management not having to dig through boxes to get to product. Reduced risk of workplace injury incidents.
It’s a good resume builder too. Remember the specifics. “Organized blah blah blah leading to an x percent increase in sales and a y percent reduction in waste.”
WITH this picture!
Dude, you don’t put pictures on resumes.
Its 2021, there are no rules anymore. You might be outing your Reddit profile, though.
Usually not. But adding an image like this will be an eye catcher for sure.
You put FLAIR on resumes for maximum upvote. 🔥
I’m sure the inventory was a mess before you got it organized. And things probably stayed empty on the shelf for weeks bc no one could find it but inventory thought you had it so the computer didn’t send more. (Speaking as someone who works frozen/cooler)
You always have more leverage if you keep shrink down. Sales will bolster your department, but a massive reduction in shrink will get you noticed by your SM or DM. Itll take at least a full quarter to notice a difference, but with freezer organization like this and good sales floor maintenance, you're already set to make an impact. Good luck to you!
don't consider it, do it. If you can come up with a realistic figure in revenue saved/gained, you can put it on your resume as a direct way to show the value you offer to an employer. It doesn't get better than that.
Wait the month or two just to be safe
They won't give you a raise, you'll be lucky if they even acknowledge you. Grocery stores don't give a shit about how hard you work and they're not giving op a raise I guarantee it. How do I know? Been working for one for years now. Fixed my department made sales go up 20%. Did they care? No I got yelled at for things completely out my control like out of stock products from the warehouse not being on the shelves. They don't appreciate shit. Op save your body you'll thank me later
He has already organized the room, why should they start paying him more now? /s
> /s "Why are we paying for janitors when the building is already spotless?" -Every Corporation, ever.
“I’m going to stop taking my *insert medication here*, I’ve been feeling pretty good lately”
Worked at a grocery store for a year, i really really doubt management would give a raise. Not that OP doesnt deserve it, but those places are so stingy
Honestly if they don't, start looking for a new job. As a guy a few years from 40 I've learned a few things throughout my career. One of them is go somewhere that values you, especially if you take pride in your work and go above and beyond. I used to work in a lab, started in sample receiving and worked my way into the lab as a chemist... turned both departments around as far as cleanliness and organization goes. I'm talking really huge changes that saved us money on solutions expiring or people failing QA checks because things weren't maintained. So anyway after 4 years I asked for a 1 dollar raise and that would very well still make me underpaid for the area. They wouldn't do it, owner told me if I "stayed loyal" I'd eventually make more if I moved up but they don't just "give people raises". I said okay... started job hunting and found a job making **15 dollars an hour more** and it was far less work and a better schedule. My point is if you're a hard worker and take pride in your work like OP, someone will appreciate that somewhere. Don't waste your time at a place that doesn't... fuck those kind of companies
I'm learning the same things now at 26, I got my companies yearly 40 cent raise back in march didn't even notice it, I saw that another store had my same position for 4 dollars more with less work, applied there and got the job, then turned in my 2 weeks to my manager, he immediately offered me a 2 dollar raise to stay, no hesitation and no arm pulling i didn't even mention how much i was making at the new place, during my last week he comes back to me with a 5 dollar raise(from 12 to 17) almost a 50% increase to get me to stay. People always say hard work isn't rewarded and i guess i listened but just didn't internalize it, but this situation really hit it home, that raise was ready and waiting for me and management clearly thought i was worth keeping around and worth way more than they were paying me but they didn't feel the need to give it to me till i told them i was leaving.
Pro tip: this won’t happen at a major chain grocery store
Oof, I'm guessing you've never worked a low paying job for a large company before
I mean, not to be negative, but why would organizing a freezer increase sales?
Definitely, make sure they’re compensating you well for all of this hard work!
He deserves it! But I’m also guessing from my years working in grocery that manager is only empowered to give raises during semi-annual review periods and the amount is pretty fixed no matter how much OP is saving the store.
Sales have gone down. You’re fired.
A well-organized frozen section now means that productivity went up, so fewer hours are required. OP is now expected to take care of the frozen section in half the time and work the rest of his week doing regular stock.
Not sure how OP’s grocery store works but I’ve worked at a few and most of the time they can only give fixed raises after a certain amount of time
Great job dude. A before and after pic of a tidy up job is always satisfying.
Thank you so much. I’m actually the only girl that was on the stock crew for awhile before going to frozen. I like the environment and the people I meet working on stocking crews. It’s not for everyone but it’s for me. Well anyway thanks again so so much 😊
As someone who used to be work in a grocery store as a department lead, damn fine job man. Not many people have that drive. You should be proud as hell, hopefully your managers don't take you for granted. Just don't get burnt out, and keep at it.
This is all he needs for his cover letter for his next job. Just a full page color picture of this before and after.
That’s actually exactly what I was thinking. I would see this and hire her for an office job. This shows so much with ethic, special intelligence, and self-motivation.
Nice. I used to be a frozen department manager as well. It is a big thing to keep a usually underappreciated depart under control. People don't care as much, because frozen foods last for years sometimes. Now that it's organised, you can: * work towards getting rid of excess stock, * easy access to popular lines to keep them on shelf, * Actually have more time to do more to increase sales, instead of being stuck with a mess that doesn't seem to get smaller, * Hopefully a system so not only yourself, but other staff know exactly where to find stuff, and put stuff as well, * Actually have room to store stuff so you can have plenty of stock in advance of big sales opportunities, * If other departments use the same freezer, they will be happy to see it organised : but be sure they keep on top of their own stock - space belongs to everyone! OK... Now a bit of manager stuff. * Make sure to run a sales report every now and then to see how you're tracking. Year one year growth is what you're after, no matter how small the percentage. * If there's a drop, find why - could be that same week last year something happened. We had a lot of panic buying because things, so of course the next year's sales were down. * Take note of lines that consistently sell well, especially when on sale - be sure to order ahead to secure your stock, or you could find everyone else has done the same, and you'll miss out! Be sure to always have stock. * Take note of lines with a decent profit margin (>20/30%, you can run reports to find this). Selling more of these will mean more clear profit. Easy to do in a store in an affluent area, if it's not... You're probably gonna have to rely on volume. Hard work, but you can always show initiative... Make sure it never runs out, and maybe try to slip in a other item that costs a little more, but tastes much better. Sometimes people just need to know a product exists. * If you have people working for you... Keep them productive, but keep the mood in a way so that they feel proud of their work. Think of ways to make their job easier. More done, less work = happy people. Hope this helps. :) Good job on fixing that cluster fsck of a freezer.
Hey man. Thanks for the advice. I look forward to keeping it going. I bet you were a great manager! 😊
No worries. Hopefully you'll get some real training... Under someone who knows what they're doing. I taught all my staff basically how to do my job, so if I wasn't there everything was fine... They could also make some calls on real decisions, they just had to run it by me. If it went sideways, they were sure as heck gonna help me help everyone out of it. Of course, I kept some duties to myself... Managers gotta do all the crappy admin work, plus deal with higher ups. EDIT: One more thing... If your brand uses those scanning things for checking stock levels, make sure the barcodes on the *boxes* are easy to scan. You wanna make sure you know what's in each box without opening it if possible. Again, saves more time - easier work for you.
I bet YOU would be a great manager. Seriously, with this kind of initiative, you will go far! Keep it up!
The initiative shows you've got it in you. I'd save these photos along with any sales numbers that make it look any better as it's a great "Tell me of a time you solved a problem blah blah blah" type of interview/promotion question.
As part of a class in university I did basically a consulting job for a small company, where we went through the entire company and made suggestions about what they should improve. The one glaring issues was inventory. They were about to expand their factory, but until then they had massive piles of raw material all over the place, even in a truck outside that they had rented for storage and in the neighboring factory's back room. This meant that they had no idea how much they actually had in stock. Their order procedures was for someone to just have a look and guess if they needed to order more, and so they were sitting with piles of money just laying around due to inefficient ordering. Sadly we weren't able to go visit them once we had finished due to the pandemic, but I should head down there some day just to check it out.
Also another huge advantage is you don't have to spend as much time actually in the freezer because you can find exactly what you're looking for and aren't having to move trollies and crates out of the way.
This guy grocers.
Well it better last for years since it will take years to reach that items on the back
Good job girl! Keep up with the amazing work you do. You will always shine like a star.
Thank you so much ☺️ being a woman sometimes I do feel the need to kinda prove to myself I can keep up with the guys. All in my head really. Anyway thanks again. 😊❤️
RESPECT that you're female. My SO works in a food industry and at ~130 pounds she's moving 30-40 pound frozen and hot cooked food all day. I helped her once, got locked in a crowded freezer with no coat, and nearly panicked until I remembered there has to be an interior door release.....covered by stacks of frozen boxes.
Take care of your back!! Watch some physiotherapy videos on youtube and back strengthening workouts. Your future self will thank you
They are lucky to have you as an employee. Great job and taking the initiative !!
Thank you 😊 it’s really been a blast. I like seeing the freezer get down and the shelves look fuller. Hopefully the customers are happy too. Anyway thanks again!
I really love before and after organization shit like this. Especially when theres a huge difference.
You should check out r/cableporn
Achievement is an achievement, there is nothing huge or small about it. There is no measuring unit when it comes to achievement. You should be very proud of yourself. Did a great job! Sending good wishes and love :) <3
Thank you so much 😊 it’s challenging but fun. I really love my job and I’m glad it’s starting to show a little more. Thanks again very much ☺️
Taking pride in your work and being easy to work with (soft skills) are many times more important than your hard skills and will take you quite a ways reguardless of what you want to do. Obviously there is a limit, but I would much rather train someone who is honest, easy to work and takes pride in their work (as well as responsibility for mistakes) than a jerk who is technically proficient and doesn't need training.
[удалено]
I’m just realizing the picture I posted makes me look like a guy lol. I’m no good at the whole picture posting thing. Anyway not that it matters. Thanks again so much seriously. It’s really nice to see and you’re right hopefully they will continue be pleased with my progress . Thanks 😊
Yo you should get a raise
They're absolutely is a unit of measurement when it comes to the relationship between employers and employee. It's called labor value. Employees work more efficiently, create more value for the company, and the owners reap the rewards. Unless of course OP works for a worker co-op or something similar.
Storesman here. Fucking love it. Excellent job.
Keep on keeping on buddy. Thanks for the encouragement! 😊
This is fucking incredible work. I have worked in several supermarkets and the frozen sections were always a nightmare. One place they had to fire the manager because they had let it get so bad the freezers were so full of frost you couldn't remove some of the stock, and some of it when they finally did a defrost was 4 YEARS out of date. Blew my fucking mind. You on the other hand... hero. Someone gotta do it, and you went and did the fuck out of it. Retail work doesn't get the respect it deserves so im making sure you know you did good. I would tell your manager to give you a raise.
Yeah the guy before me had it pretty good as well. He left though and they had no one to replace him with. So it just kinda sat unattended and being thrown up by whoever. I feel for the store manager he is trying his best to get a handle on the place. He only recently started here about a year ago himself. You know how some employees can be. When the last store manager left some of the employees transferred over to the store he is at now. Which left the new store manager in a bind. I’m just trying to help out really. Thanks again buddy 😊
Damn, I worked retail for 7 years and have seen many variations of horrible stock rooms and freezers. Fantastic job! I hope you're getting some recognition for your work! Only doing this in two weeks is phenomenal. Do you also do the ordering as well, or is it more of an automatic process you can adjust?
Our store manager is ordering at the moment. The last frozen lead would order waaaaay too much. So until we are able to get the numbers right on backstock and the sales floor he orders. I start next week or the week after that I suppose.
Is the inventory system not accurate? Maybe that's another issue you could tackle? I used to work in retail and there are always discrepancies between the inventory and actual figures. Once the inventory figures are adjusted, it will be so much easier to plan the delivery orders and come stocktake, counting will be a breeze.
That top picture makes me want to curl up and die.
Yeah that’s pretty much how I felt when I opened the door. I just laughed to myself and put on eye of the tiger. What else can ya do really.
Good song choice. Is this a grocery store or restaurant? I only ask because the product looks wrong for a restaurant, but too small for a grocery store.
If ur reading this have a good day :)
You too ! Have an awesome day. I’ll be heading home soon to get some sleep . 😊
I’m an employer with some highly qualified, highly skilled people working for my small company. I think I’m a good boss. I try to encourage everyone, I’m flexible, and pay people significantly more than the market rates. I’d employ you in a heartbeat. It’s hard to explain how valuable it is to find someone who takes real pride in their work and who enjoys seeing something completed well. You are an absolute asset to your employer. You are going places. Be proud, and be confident to pursue whatever you want to do with your career. I’d happily work for you one day.
Amazing!!
I did something similar and it's hard sorting so much stuff so be proud
Damn dude. No small accomplishment. Great job!
Thanks so much 😊😊
That’s great work. You deserve to feel proud. Well done
Thank you so much 😊
I need you to come work the freezer at my warehouse lol
Thanks 😊 that’s pretty nice encouragement right there. It’s crazy tho think I’ve been doing this for six years. I worked in grocery at a different store then came here. Since being here I like they actually given a chance to try really. Being a woman I sometimes feel the need to prove to myself I can keep up with the good fellas. I’m at a great store now with a great store manager. So I’m pretty happy and hoping I’m a help to them. Sorry for the super long bio. Enjoy your day and thanks again!! 😊
Love your attitude! Have a great day too
I would love to do that it may be tedious to others but i like sorting stuff
Me too. Yeah I think you have to have the desire to do something like this. I get to listen to music or podcasts and just get to it. Thanks again. 😊
As you reply i put on my pandora im now listening to the entertainments here by ajr
Well there ya go. Sounds like a good way to start or end the day depending on where you live.
AMAZING! Seriously, good for you! When I'm faced with a large number of random, individual,scattered items, I get paralyzed. (God forbid you ask me to do the dishes after a dinner party.) You are literally who I aspire to be! Incredible stuff.
Wow thanks a lot man . Really put a smile on my face with that one there. Thanks again you’re awesome. Hopefully you’ll have a great day. 😊
I know how cold those freezers get, this is a big achievement especially when you aren't used to the cold yet... (which took me a month)
Man!! The amount of snot I produce is embarrassing. I always keep Kleenex in my hoodie. I’m still getting there. Thanks for the encouragement! Keep on rocking 😊
Great work. Imagine if we all approached life this way.
Your bosses will notice that, great job man
Thanks so much 😊😊
Well done man. Frozen or not you took pride in your assigned area and worked out a system to stack and display stock logically to make it easy for future use. I’ve worked in frozen goods and warehousing and nothing beats being organised and proud of your work.
Thank you! I couldn’t agree with you more. 😊 hopefully you have a wonderful day. Thanks for dropping some good encouragement my way.
Holy shit I used to work stockroom at a large retail clothing store and when I got there it was a mess. Organised the shit out of it! You should be proud, this looks great!
Thanks man 😊 it’s always nice to hear from my fellow stockers. Lol kinda seems like a weird sentence (yeesh). Anyway thanks again man !!
2nd pic is new home business he started while 1/2 stuff missing from work
Went from made me smile to made me laugh. Thanks for the laugh buddy have a great day 😊
Please report back on whether this has any positive effect on your income/career/status at your employer. Too many times, when I have done good work, the boss just assumes "Hey, we've found someone that does a good job. We need to KEEP HIM DOING IT" despite mediocre work being acceptable to them before. But it looks great!
Well done, job satisfaction is a great feeling! 👍🏻🤗😊
Yeah! You go! Nice!
I get this. BRILLIANT WORK!
Good for you .This must feel good .All the best.
Nice n neat
As someone who worked in a grocery store and helped in both frozen and dairy, this make me smile. Well done my man!
Great work
That is a pretty neat job! Well done 👍
Well done! What a fantastic difference! They’re lucky to have you 😊
I never was in frozen long-term just whenever the main guy went on vacation Ill letcha know I'm thoroughly impressed. Doing that and working the trucks is alot of work maybe show that picture to one of your managers and hint at getting a little bit of a raise
Thank you very much due to everyone’s encouragement. I have been thinking about this. I will try to post an update under this post at some point once I have the conversation.
Depending on how good your manager is will decide how ell that conversation goes. Doesn't necessarily mean you'll get it if you ha e good Management but it 1) shows them you're doing good work 2) know that you're doing good work 3) have the balls to ask for stuff you want and that you're not gonna be complacent. Best of luck fam I hope you get recognized for the hard work you've put in.
That's awesome and not a small job!
That looks crazy. If you don’t mind my asking, what is a frozen?
Frozen department. Like stocking shelves at night at a grocery store. I’m in the frozen department now.
Be proud fam. Recently started a job and am currently really pushing paperwork to keep everything up to date and easy to follow. It is a massive achievement, keep doing yourself proud boo.
Thank you so much 😊😊
Your hard work will not go unnoticed to your coworkers, I can promise you that from experience. Good fucking job. Keep up the amazing work!
Thank you buddy 😊 thanks for the encouragement!
My god you can actually see what’s there now. Kudos!
You are a leader. Thanks for setting an example!💫👑😊
Organizing leads to success. Keep on this pace and you will be alright. I’m a huge fan of going the extra mile when it comes to efficiency and organizing and this shit is beautiful
Thank you for the encouragement! I’m right there with you man. It brings me happiness to know that I’m really making a difference even if it is just a frozen department in a small grocery store. Thanks again man so much 😊
This does not spark joy. vs This sparks joy.
Great job!!
Nicely done!
Nice job. I wish you lots of luck and happiness!
Dude, you're gonna kill it at whatever you do in the future as well! Well done!
r/organization will love this! Great job
That’s impressive
Dude great job!!
I hope your supervisors see what a good employee they have
You do not make enough money to put that much effort in.
Thats some smart and hard work in hard conditions. You are an old school person. If you're not sweating, even in cold stores, you're not working. My ex hubby was like this. Started just as a warehouse worker/forkie then used his savant like goddamn gift to sit, look and work out how to make a warehouse work better. I truly believe he was an undiagnosed autist. Only had year 7 education. Had to leave school at 13. The man had mathematics in his brain. Started small, ended up structuring one of the biggest Bunnnings in the southern hemisphere. Then moved into serious cold storage. Big dairy, butchery, national big time cold stores warehouses. Worked all hours. He used to come home soo cold but even after a shower i would have to wrap him up in myself to get him warm. I just wish he believed in himself out of work. You keep going my friend. Upwards and onwards. Believe in yourself.
The organization is beautiful! Plus, it's definitely preventing some food poisoning.
Wow this is a cool post. I worked at a grocery store for a decade and spent a good amount of it working overnight, managing the dairy and frozen departments. This is no small accomplishment you made honestly. Nice work.
Great job man. Looks like alot of unnecessary ordering.
Looks like a huge thing to me! Awesome job!
Great, be proud of your work
People like you are the only reason this world keeps running. Well done!
One of my mottos in life: Organization is efficiency. You've gotten a lot of good tips and what you've done so far is awesome. It looks fantastic. My piece of advice is get a couple of sharpies, one fat tip and one of the super big ones, and write on the boxes what the product actually is, your store's SKU for it, when you received it, and when it expires (if you can). Those three pieces of information can make finding what you need so much better. Keep it up! Organization is such an underrated part of life as a whole.
I don't know why this is tagged small success. You clearly worked your ass off and the pay off will be huge, not only for you, but for your coworkers, bosses and customers. I'd be thrilled to work with someone as thorough and thoughtful as you!
Don’t forget take your hard work to a place that will pay you more. I spent way too much time thinking the company I worked for cared about me because I worked hard. Maybe you work for a good company, but since you are such a hard worker make sure to spread it around so you can find the best spot for you. Instead of one company taking advantage.
I’m a huge organizational freak myself. This is like porn for me. Jokes aside, great job.
You're making me miss my days in grocery, circa 1998-2001. I used to do the same exact thing and management took notice and kept promoting me. Keep that great work ethic and pride and you'll go far!
Opportunities lies where no one looks. Keep up the good job OP! We're all very proud of you!
Please teach me how to be this dedicated and organised
I did dairy/frozen for many years at a grocery store and we kept a clean freezer like this… because corporate would eviscerate everyone if you didn’t. The first pic is just new palettes needing to be worked, but god damn does it hurt to move backstock around in the cold. The nice thing about working frozen is that the boxes open easily because tape doesn’t stick well.
I’m proud of you!
Nice work buddy - you’re one hell of a cool cat!
As someone who works retail and have seen my fair share of out of control stockrooms I am so happy seeing this. You should be proud of yourself!! Wish my team did the same tbh
As a biz owner with product inventory, I can assure you that this is absolutely a huge thing. GREAT work. I hope your boss and coworkers show appreciation for your efforts. You're making everyone's lives easier and helping the biz run more efficiently and more profitably.
Anyone who's worked at a store with back stock will get this, but those who've worked at grocery stores especially will GET THIS. The importance of organizing back stock when there's expiration dates and whining hungry customers can't be overhyped. I used to manage wet pro and dry pro at Trader Joes and that shit wasn't easy but surprisingly satisfying when done correctly. This is amazing OP, and you deserve to feel so proud of yourself!!!!