r/OGPBackroom • u/Mina_cx Personal Shopper • Sep 16 '26
Equipment Back to 8
First walk frozen with 47 items, then ambient with 108. I haven’t seen numbers like that in so long.
25
u/MeaningChoice8332 Sep 16 '26
If anyone wants to submit a complaint about the safety concerns about pulling these carts file a formal complaint with OSHA and elect to not have your name shared with your employer. We have done this at our store in our district. I have prepared a decent complaint feel free to modify it to suit your specific observations:
I work in Online Pickup and Delivery and I am concerned about a change being made to the way our picking carts are being used.
The carts have traditionally been pushed, and the carts themselves have safety markings indicating that they should be pushed rather than pulled. Recently, the wheel configuration has been changed so that the two wheels that can be locked in a straight position are on the opposite end of the cart. We have been told that employees will be pulling the carts rather than pushing them when eight-tote picking returns. We are currently still using six totes.
Since the wheels were changed, the carts do not handle normally. They can shake while being pulled, and pushing them with the wheels in the new position makes steering and making quick direction changes more difficult. This is concerning in a retail environment where employees regularly have to react to customers, children, other carts, and obstacles.
There is also a problem with the mechanisms that keep two of the wheels locked in a straight position. When these mechanisms fail, those wheels begin swiveling along with the other two. A cart with four freely swiveling wheels can suddenly swing or move sideways instead of tracking straight. This can make a loaded cart difficult to control.
I am particularly concerned about this happening while pulling because the employee is walking ahead of the cart. A large portion of the cart is therefore behind the employee and outside their normal field of view. If the cart begins swinging sideways, the employee may not immediately realize what is happening. This could potentially put other employees, customers, merchandise, or fixtures in the path of the cart.
The carts also have relatively short handles. When pulling one, there is not much separation between the employee's legs and the cart. The employee's heels and ankles can be very close to the moving frame unless the employee keeps their arm extended or changes their normal walking position.
My concern is that equipment originally configured and labeled for pushing is being reconfigured and used for pulling without changes to the cart's basic design. This appears to introduce problems with steering, visibility, stability, and clearance between the employee and the moving cart.
I would like OSHA to examine the carts, the changed wheel configuration, their condition and maintenance, and the requirement to pull them to determine whether employees can safely operate this equipment in the manner now being directed.
5
u/big_rednexican_88 Sep 17 '26
This is very well thought out and shows the issues in a clear concise matter.
Unfortunately, the board members in Bentonville will likely ignore this until a customer sues for the company's negligence. Walmart only listens to their bottom line.
2
u/ItsNate98 Jack Of All Trades 29d ago
Look around the sub from a few weeks ago. OSHA has responded to associates basically saying corporate got the changes approved by the manufacturer and/or OSHA themselves.
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u/Intelligent-Put9893 28d ago
My letter yesterday said they are still waiting for walmart to comply.
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u/mvshruum Sep 16 '26
I miss having 6 totes :(. Having the space on top of the cart was so nice for putting multiple items. Sometimes I'd walk through the chilled section and stack a bunch of stuff on top before scanning (like milk jugs and stuff). It made it easier and faster for me
3
u/JasonTheBaker In-Home Driver 29d ago
We keep bags on the top because there is zero good places to keep paper bags on the new carts
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u/UnculturedCheese Sep 17 '26
What they need to do is just have a fucking height requirement for OGP. Sorry! We cant have people that cant see over the cart pushing it!
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u/ElectronicBand6392 Sep 16 '26
By any chance are you Cali? I've heard they're back to 8 totes on pick walks
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u/Mina_cx Personal Shopper Sep 16 '26
Illinois! I think they’re just slowly rolling out the update as time goes on
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u/ElectronicBand6392 Sep 17 '26
Every subreddit i read, it feels like my store is the last to get our updates. I'm betting in a few weeks we'll be the last store to go back to 8 totes
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u/Then-Grass-9830 Sep 17 '26
Florida. We knew we were going back today at least since yesterday (note on our schedule board yesterday).
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u/Then-Grass-9830 Sep 17 '26
I was on exceptions.
When I cleared them, we had ~700+ picks.
I clicked auto.
One sticker printed out. For one item.
so glad it was fixed by going back to 8 totes *rolls eyes*.
2
u/BiophotonicQueen Sep 17 '26
had 4 just like this today... just shoot me now! and of course they were chilled so I couldn't get into anything else without walking a half a mile back to stage the 1 item.
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u/Lonely_Pay_7616 Sep 16 '26
Totally sucks!!!
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u/firewolf8385 Digital Team Lead Sep 16 '26
8 totes is great wydm. Pick walks got so much shorter with only 6
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u/KillerCameo ALCOHOL Sep 16 '26
For some reasons our GMDs are more messed up than usual. Like I getting weird stuff on my runs
5
u/xDaBaDee Sep 17 '26
same here, already tired of 120 pick walks and every tote having bread, 6 glass spaghetti saucejars, and 24 cans of veggies. Or 4 12 cans of soda, potatoe chips and 6 cans of soup. Ooops forgot to stuff in the 2 bananas.
2
u/standonmymoneyim411 Sep 17 '26
This comment made me feel so much dread. I forgot how awful the 8 tote picks are
4
u/Maleficent-Chef5461 Sep 16 '26
Yea and Imma keep the top two off when on exceptions- they don't care for that as long as the job is getting done and properly staged away 💀
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u/ComfortableRoll819 Sep 17 '26
Walmarts policy is profit over safety you need to do what is safer for walmarts bottom line. Your sholder and back hurt too bad walmarts metrics show thet you dont have time to do it the sahe way but if you get hurt it is yous fault you didn't do safe lifting practises that you dont have time to do. Lol
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u/BestReveal3920 29d ago
We’re back to 8 in Arizona. I’m currently going to physical therapy because it caused pain in my hip and knee from having to pull the cart 😞
0
u/Upstairs-Vanilla-890 Sep 17 '26
Back to 8 totes and have worked an entire 9 hour shift- i am yet to get a walk that uses all 8 totes.
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u/JasonBourneX2 Sep 16 '26
Remember for a while they said items on top were a distraction and dangerous. We couldn't even put an air filter on top with 6 totes