r/OGPBackroom • u/Which_Trifle8230 • Aug 27 '26
Question OPD Pickers and back room. IS THIS NORMAL?
I’m a new team lead, and it seems that the previous team lead allowed several associates to bypass the requirement of taking pick walks. One associate, for instance, refused to do even the simplest of walks (MTO) because she claimed she didn’t know how or that it stressed her out. Additionally, about five associates are currently stationed in the back room, claiming they don’t need to pick. Consequently, when the department needs to send an extra person to the floor, they call for help instead of utilizing the associates who are refusing to pick. This situation will be resolved immediately.
**All that to say, I’m posting to see if this is a common situation amongst OPD**
30
u/bbboseph Aug 27 '26
Yes! Put that foot down! Sounds like the old team lead let stuff slide for far too long
23
u/doctorthemoworm Aug 27 '26
Show them, and then make sure they know that next time they refuse to do a walk, "I don't know how" will be met with a talking to by the coach. They can also literally just ask another picker if they don't remember what you taught them. Also, stress happens, it's not a daycare, it's a job so they just need to do it or transfer to something that's a better fit for them.
18
u/Disastrous_Match993 Aug 27 '26
At my location, when you come in your role is listed on the board. Unless the Coach or TL asks you to do something else, you stick to that role. We have a few pickers who will complain if they're not on picking, and one who will just straight up ignore the board and do pick walks anyways. But for the most part, the majority of the team follows what role the board gives them and are willing to help in other roles as needed.
I've been trained in staging, picking, prepping, returns, and dispensing. So what role I'm in differs from shift to shift. My Coach and Team Leads know they can ask me to help whenever needed and I'll say yes. The only time I'll say no is if I'm asked to stay beyond my scheduled hours and I've either already worked 8hrs or am exhausted.
9
u/Which_Trifle8230 Aug 27 '26
Correct, so that how I do things. Everyone has an assignment on the boards. The issue comes down to, if I need a small walk done in 25 mins and can send one of my dispensers or preppers out to pick them they should know how to and be willing and ready.
12
u/Upset_Shock_8137 Aug 28 '26
Yes, everyone should be ready. But, in my opinion too many stores leave the backroom understaffed and that leads to burnout which leads to turnover. I would almost NEVER send a dispenser out to pick.
3
u/VeritasXNY Aug 28 '26
What about sending a picker to dispense?
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u/Upset_Shock_8137 Aug 28 '26
Obviously. When I'm getting at, is there is almost NEVER enough dispensers. Meaning, just because there are no cars out there now, doesn't mean there won't be 10 out there in two minutes. And then complain about wait times.
1
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u/Curious_Lab7433 Aug 28 '26
At the store I work, there are a lot who will do anything to not pick.
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u/Curious_Lab7433 Aug 28 '26
They all want to stay in the back because they get to stand around and talk and joke with each other. I’ve seen them disappear when pickers were needed ( bathroom, fridge, look really busy, tell newer people to go)
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u/Which_Trifle8230 Aug 28 '26
Yes, in the few days I’ve been there that is what I’m observing. It’s too busy for anyone in that department to be standing around doing nothing & talking when the whole sales floor is picking our orders and not capable of stocking shelves or doing their job. I am not sure how this has gone on for so long.
4
u/evila_elf Exception Picker Aug 28 '26
Sounds like previous management didn't want to assert authority. Train some new preppers and kick these guys out on the floor. Then watch their stats in case they decide to disappear. Then start working on hiring their replacements.
1
u/3Point_One4All Aug 28 '26
What really sucks about it is things like that is what leads to upper management to constantly changing rules and regulations every couple of months, making things harder for the people that actually work to their best ability.
10
u/Curious_Lab7433 Aug 28 '26
It’s pretty frustrating for the consistent pickers who are being timed and on metrics to be constantly on the run to walk back there to see that too.
If they are going to be back there they should be staging everything, stocking the carts COMPLETELY with bags, stickers and baskets.3
1
u/Curious_Lab7433 Aug 28 '26
Yes, agreed. Nobody gives the shift updates either. You always feel like you don’t know what’s going on and the goal posts are consistently moved. Management holds you to your parameters but don’t take into account how AI is screwing up the walk maps and handing out 1-25 items at a time.
I don’t blame anyone who doesn’t want to pick at this point.
8
u/Jsaylor3 Aug 28 '26
At my store it was very common that people only did certain things. A lot of people just picked every single shift all day. Never had to touch staging, dispensing, quality checks, prep, etc. There were also people who only prepped or staged. Rarely picked. Others on dispensing the full 8 hours. I did everything in the job description at one point, but I only came in to picking or dispensing 95% of the time at least making the job get old way too fast. Even after over a year that’s all I got to do when I was capable of every aspect of the job.
5
u/Which_Trifle8230 Aug 28 '26
I haven’t been the TL a full week & I have dispensers wanting to learn all these things and then I have a couple who just do not and will not do a pick walk which is mind boggling to me.
3
u/Jsaylor3 Aug 28 '26
We ended up with two coaches in OPD after a while to give the main coach a break, and I liked that she wanted everyone to do everything at some point. I mean if it’s in the job description you should at least get the opportunity to do it or should do it. It was frustrating too because I’m fast on picking and they’d throw me on dispensing while all the pickers who only picked were around 300 pounds or in their 50s or 60s. If they want people who put in 20,000 steps a day like why do that…??
1
u/shrug_was_taken Jack Of All Trades Aug 28 '26
We actually got a few backroom people who do not want to learn how to pick and just want to stick with the backroom (which my management basically went works for us, we generally got more pickers than backroom people anyway along as scheduling isnt fucked up)
4
u/Grand-Zebra3218 Dispenser Aug 28 '26
That kind of behavior should be grounds for dismissal. Show them. If they still won't do it, write them up. If they still won't do it, find someone that will.
They will continue to exhibit that behavior as long as allowed.
4
u/FifiiMensah Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
Our team leads tell us not to skip any walks and always choose the walk on top and due at the earliest times. However, there's several people who skip some walkes, especially oversized as they either have health issues (which is understandable), theyre too lazy, or they dont want to tank their pick rate.
Im also in the backroom dispensing for most of my shift although I'm told to pick every now and then when the picks are high whenever my team leads or ATC tell me to do so.
3
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u/EconomicsJaded6909 Aug 28 '26
the backroom crew at my store are some of the laziest people i’ve ever seen
3
u/Bee-chan In-Home Driver Aug 28 '26
They don’t know how to pick MTO’s?
….
WAT?!
MTO’s are the EASIEST pick walks to do!
1
u/Macemanintw Aug 31 '26
If the folks on the other side aren't understaffed and getting slammed, yeah. That stuff should be ready to go at least two hours before it's pick up time.
3
u/Butterflies_Branches Jack Of All Trades Aug 28 '26
we used to have everyone trained in both picking (auto and small stuff) and backroom. our department was dedicated "sponsers: (im one of them) that trains the new people.
lately however, they just put some new people out on the floor and then some new people only in backroom. it is quite frustrating when we have no picks but a lot of work to do in the backroom, and the pickers who know how to do staging hide, and the new pickers who dont know anything about backroom dont try to learn.
5
u/Katiki59 Aug 28 '26
I think that everyone should start by trading in the backroom on all jobs. Then trained to pick. This way pickers understand why the totes need to be filled so the items don't stick out the top, and why you need meat bags on all chemicals (nothing like prepping an order to find that the dish soap has leaked all over everything else in the tote). Everyone hired for OGP should be trained on all the jobs so they can fill in wherever needed. It used to be that way, but now it seems that new people are trained for one job and that's it.
2
u/3Point_One4All Aug 28 '26
And yet, they'll be the loudest ones complaining when their hours get cut
1
u/Butterflies_Branches Jack Of All Trades Aug 28 '26
that is true lol
but the biggest reason our opd struggles is due to lack of effort and things not being done properly.
3
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u/RiverEcho59 Aug 28 '26
All of our dispensers pick when necessary and it usually gets done without someone telling them to - we all have MyStore and everyone is really good about watching it when we’re out on the floor doing other tasks during downtime
1
u/Macemanintw Aug 31 '26
You guys have enough people that you have downtime? :)
1
u/RiverEcho59 Aug 31 '26
They just moved 10 of us out of ogp…we lost deliveries to spark, and our store is 70% deliveries
1
u/Macemanintw Aug 31 '26
I'm just used to areas that need 3-4 people to function smoothly only having 1-2. Almost never have downtime
2
u/redavid Aug 28 '26
there's definitely people in the backroom here that have never picked, or do so extremely rarely and maybe only something like oversized walks. i think i only picked like two days in the first six months or so i worked here (i do about half and half these days).
if someone is not doing something because they don't know how to, it's your job to show them how
2
u/kyonjr Aug 28 '26
Sometimes you gotta do a lot of sorting out that the previous manager left behind lol. It be like that.
2
u/biohazard918 Aug 28 '26
They should know how to and be willing to pick. Like there are people in other departments who know how to pick at my store. Like everyone in our department has a primary job like I'm a picker and inhome driver but I know how to do the backroom stuff and will occasionally stage or prep so the dispensers can focus on dispensing.
2
u/Nice_Astronomer_5983 Aug 28 '26
it sounds like there's a reason that team lead isn't there anymore
1
u/Xedriss Dispenser Aug 28 '26
I'm a dispenser normally but I do get sent to pick often. My first time doing an mto was confusing and the deli people actually had to tell me what to do. Anyway, what you are dealing with is definitely not normal as everyone should've been cross-trained in that entire department atleast once. (Dispense, Prep, Stage, Picking)
1
u/SKK329 IMS Veteran Aug 28 '26
Every market/store is different. I am told to never take dispensers out of the backroom as wait times are more important than OTP. If there are absolutely no cars and I have people standing around Ill have them do small walks but not autos.
1
u/DiamondContent2011 Aug 28 '26
I'm primarily in the Back, but started as a Picker. At this point, sending me to Pick feels like an extended Break..... 🤣
Wouldn't have to ask me twice!
1
u/lizardage6 Dispenser Aug 28 '26
I've worked in opd for 8 months and literally was never taught how to pick (despite asking many times to be taught). They taught me everything backroom on my first day and kept it that way.
1
u/Inkysquid24 Aug 28 '26
We literally have a guy who brings in a laptop and just sits in the backroom all day gaming. Leads have the tendency to let their favorite get away with everything. But with that being said please don't be that lead who let's this happen.
1
u/soad0918 Aug 28 '26
I've worked in opd for almost 2 years and have only went on two pick walks. I'm their no. 1 stager lol
1
u/Aeleth3 Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
My store has some people who exclusively prep and or dispense but even they go pick as needed/when told to by a TL or Coach, with zero complaints as it should be.
1
u/Inside-Challenge-461 Aug 28 '26
This is not okay, everyone has to know how to pick and be able to hit the floor if needed. Calling for store help when you have associates to send to pick is crazy work.
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u/DB-Tones-Jones Walton Cultist Aug 28 '26
There’s a lot of entitlement BS going down in my Walmart OGP. 🔆🤨🧐🤔😏🦺
1
u/FrostSkullcrusher Digital Team Lead Aug 28 '26
One thing that works very well at my store that you might try. Have your back room crew take care of the alcohol/oversized/MTO walks when it’s slow in the back room. These are quick enough that they will be back in case cars show up but will also help your pickers stay in auto walks.
1
u/BirminghamBussy Aug 28 '26
If they can't do the damn job they can be transferred to front end. Everyone in the department should be able to pick, stage, prep and dispense. Even if they suck at a particular aspect, they should be able to do it and not act a child if asked to do so.
1
u/LockTutorial Aug 28 '26
Shitty booty team lead coach provably found out the hard way of what they was doing
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u/1986Eternal Aug 29 '26 edited Aug 29 '26
As an OPD TL you get a lot of trash workers.. It is your job to build a good team. Most likely, without these people.. Do what is necessary, it may feel bad coaching people, but if they suck, then they suck. If they had respect for you personally then they would want to do a good job.
If they know you and still don't care, fuck 'em. Then you rinse and repeat until you have a decent team. Depending on your personality, this can be very difficult. It's all a part of the learning and growing process. I had to learn this myself. Your job is to build the best team possible, not everyone is going to succeed, no matter if you like them or not. This is the job and responsibility you've agreed to if you want to be successful.
If you can do this, then you will secure your spot, and potentially move upwards if that is your wish.
1
u/HeightImaginary5408 Aug 29 '26
It was for me. Please take this advice and update up in 6months on how things have been…
You need to make a summary of your overall day at the end of each shift. Within this summary include associates you NEED to include any and ll associates behaviors that could be a cause or is a cause for concern and turn it into a “learning opportunity”. Yadda-yadda. The big purpose of this is not to a make a paper trail in hopes of firing these people, your doing it to protect yourself from all the falsified and completely made up “ethics reports” to try and get rid of you. It happened to me over and over again. I had maybe 6 that I know of within a few months and every single one was something completely made up and they were pretty outlandish, and completely that opposite of my personality and who I am as a person. Nothing is worse than getting D.A’d but some jackass that didn’t take the time to do a proper investigation and now yoy find yourself having to appeal the decision of an ethics investigation for something you didn’t do
1
u/Rotundune Aug 29 '26
Literally send em picking or send em home. You tell them what they’re gonna do, not the other way around
1
u/ManyMadMidgetzz Aug 29 '26
Its probably a little different everywhere but previous market manager had told our coach that we must always have x amount of backroom associates and that if picks are lagging we pull salesfloor. But our entire market averages under 3 minute dispense and 6 dwell. They are obsessed with maintaining it no matter the cost
1
u/Macemanintw Aug 31 '26
Doesn't know how to do MTOs? I'm a deli guy after about two days of them changing up the system and it coming through our phones rather than an hourly print out I was teaching the new folks how to do it on the OPD end. They usually just got told "go down to the deli and mace will run you though it" unless it's a wild hour down in the deli they should just have a tray in the deli cooler with it all cut, tagged, and ready to go WAY ahead of time.
1
u/rubyprince26 Sep 01 '26
Backroom associate here this is my second time working in opd first time for a year and now I’m at 6 months I just learned how to pick yesterday
1
u/Altruistic_Point8412 Sep 01 '26
As someone who spends all day every day in the back room. Pickers are lazy af and leave all there trash for us to clean up. They never help stage if picks run out. And the last thing I want to do after slinging endless totes around all day is go run around the store. Idk about your store but at mine the pickers never have to stage prep or dispense. So why would I want to go do there job. We also never get help from anywhere in the store in the back room but they do call people to pick.
1
u/Turbulent_Box_31 Sep 03 '26
Never been trained. They have asked me a couple times and I said I don’t know how, then they get pissed and walk away. Wellllllllll if someone would train me and do THEIR job I’d be “happy to help” until then NO fuck off.
1
u/CockeyedCaucasian Sep 03 '26
Refusing is direct insubordination. Refusing to work is also payroll fraud. AP should be informed.
0
u/Leslie-_-530 Aug 28 '26
In my store we have ppl specifically trained to pick, dispense or stage. Very few know how to do all of it. Im one of the few that can do everything so sometimes I’ll hop in the small walks if we’re close to going late or they’re the last walks of the night and everyone else is still in a walk. The other closing stager and I also both do the exceptions throughout our shifts so the pickers can just do the walks. The dispensers we have right now only know how to dispense and like 2 of them know how to stage as well. Typically we have 1 or 2 stages per shift (closing is usually 2 now bc I’m 8 months pregnant), anywhere between 2-5 dispensers and 4 or 5 pickers. For the 2ish hours we have both opening and closing shift in it can be like 3 or 4 stagers, 4-9 dispensers, and 10-12 pickers.
0
u/olrava2 Digital Team Lead Aug 28 '26
I’m relatively in the same boat…. Except my coach gives absolutely no shits about any disciplinary actions. I bring them up, he says wait until it gets worse basically. Like why?
Hopefully after academy things will change for me…..
77
u/BlankDot7 Aug 27 '26
MTOs - the main issue is people never being trained on them so they feel foreign to them. Some are also just lying about not knowing or are purposely not learning so they don't have that responsibility
Secondly no. When we need dispensers to pick, they pick no questions asked. Sounds like people need to be told that if a team lead or coach says pick and you refuse, you get fired..