Sale Price

Sale Price

n. The reduced or discounted PRICE of an ITEM that's ON SALE.

Sales Floor

Sales Floor

n. Any public area where CUSTOMERS may tread (with restrooms possibly excepted). Often simply FLOOR.

Scanner

Scanner

n. 1. A laser-based device for reading UPC BAR CODES, including devices embedded in the checkout registers as well as hand-held register-specific devices for pricing objects that are large, awkward, or otherwise cumbersome to place on the checkout register's conveyor belt. 2. An remote, fixed-location in-AISLE WI-FI connected PRICE CHECK, UPC BAR CODE and BONUS CARD reader available for CUSTOMER use. 3. A special hand-held, WI-FI connected remote device used by DEPARTMENT MANAGERS and PRICE CONTROL for managing INVENTORY, ordering PRODUCTS, verifying PRODUCT status and PRICES, etc. See GUN.

Schedule

Schedule

n. A weekly timetable showing what days and hours an EMPLOYEE is expected to WORK. Compare NOT SCHEDULED. —v. To follow, prepare, provide input to or modify such timetables: “Please don't schedule me next Wednesday.” See also CLOCK.

NOTE: Schedules are posted weekly by DEPARTMENT, and are supposed to be up no later than noon on Friday for the week following.

Scrape-Off

Scrape-Off

n. If you're not careful, what can sometimes happen to things that are piled too high on the SPECIALS RUNNERS when you pull them out of their BAYS.

Scratcher

Scratcher

n. A scratch-off, “instant-winner” lottery ticket. See also LOTTO.

NOTE: A popular way for many employees to gamble away some of what little money they've earned.

Second FRONT

Second FRONT

n. See EXTRA VALUE ZONE. Also 2^nd FRONT.

Security Camera

Security Camera

n. For safety and security purposes, video cameras monitor and tape activity throughout the STORE and its environs, including the parking LOT, LOADING DOCKS, DEPARTMENT BACKROOMS, and so on.

NOTE: Upon walking into the STORE, you can see yourself on a video monitor. This is known as sending folks a message. However, there are some who still don't get it. A few have learned the hard way that the STORE'S video tapes can and have been used for criminal prosecutions as well as internal disciplinary actions.

Service

Service

n. An intangible activity that assists a CUSTOMER to accomplish a task or purpose. Compare PRODUCT.

Service Desk

Service Desk

n. See CUSTOMER SERVICE DESK.

Service Operations Manager (SOM)

Service Operations Manager (SOM)

n. (* DEFINITION GOES HERE *).

NOTE: As it happens, I'm told my STORE doesn't presently have anyone in the SOM role. It's been subsumed into the COM, or CUSTOMER OPERATIONS MANAGER'S position. Thus, your constructive input would be appreciated!

Shadow Box

Shadow Box

n. See Backdrop.

Shark-Cut

Shark-Cut

v. To open a CASE or BOX by closely cutting three sides of the top using an upward diagonally-angled blade so that just the corner triangular bead of CARDBOARD joining the lid to the sides is separated or removed, and the interior of the CASE or BOX is just barely penetrated without touching any of the contents inside. So called because the tip of the BOX CUTTER BLADE is seen to move along the BOX'S upper edge just above or slightly below the surface, akin to a shark's fin cutting through water. —n. Any CUT so made. See also BASE-CUT, BOX CUTTER, H-CUT, LIFT-CUT, PEEK-CUT, STACK-CUT, TAPE-CUT, TOP-CUT, TRAY-CUT, WINDOW-CUT, X-CUT.

NOTE: A Shark-Cut is an angled variation of a regular TOP-CUT. Don't attempt one with a dull blade; it has to be new and sharp. Not the fastest (See X-CUT), but perhaps the best way to open difficult CASES that would otherwise not provide a nicely STACKABLE remnant if you followed the so-called “Easy Opening” method suggested on the packaging by the manufacturer.

Candidates? CASES of pudding and gelatin cups come to mind. Likewise some cake and brownie mixes, where the CASE is supposedly a DISPLAY unit. Yet, if you open the sides where they're glued, either the CASE falls apart, or stuff falls out the next time your CART goes over a bump. Or maybe, if you open that Zip tab on top, you have an awkward hole to deal with, and a not-so-great floppy lid.

Forget it. When you think there's going to be some leftover to go back into the BACK ROOM, cut your own lid and there's much less muss and fuss in the long run. The little bit of extra trouble can be well worth it.

Exceptions? For one, those small cases of Gerber® baby food in plastic twin-packs of plastic cups. The unglued sides fall open if you Shark-Cut the case. Problematic.

Sheet

Sheet

n. 1. See NEGATIVE ORDER WORKSHEET: “Have you seen the sheet?” 2. See ASSET TRACKING WORKSHEET: “Don't forget to put that on the sheet!”

NOTE: Context—where you are and what you're doing—generally tells you which Sheet they're talking about. In the GROCERY BACK ROOM it's Sheet1, the NEGATIVE ORDER WORKSHEET, and on the LOADING DOCK it's Sheet2, the ASSET TRACKING WORKSHEET.

Shelf

Shelf

n. 1. By shortening, representative of any and all shelving in the public areas of the STORE which is used to support and DISPLAY ITEMS for sale: “Is that on the shelf?” 2. The specific SPOT or HOLE where an ITEM belongs: “Be sure that goes to the shelf.” 3. The long, narrow, silver-colored metal, angled shelf that fits between the slats of a BACKDROP, as on an END-CAP: “You'll need a shelf.” See BACKDROP. —v. To put an ITEM into it's proper SPOT on the SHELF: “Shelf this.” See WORK. See also SHELF OUT.

NOTE: By implication, the expectation when you're told to Shelf something is that it should all GO. However, if not, the remainder goes to the BACK ROOM as either SPECIALS or BACK-STOCK, as appropriate.

Shelf Clip

Shelf Clips

Shelf Clip

n. A small, clear, more or less C-shaped narrow plastic strip that has a friction grip near one end for holding DISPLAY SIGNS by their edges and which can be gently squeezed to make it slip into a track that runs along the entire length of the front edge of a standard STORE SHELF. Typically used in pairs to hold 3-UPs on END-CAPS and WINGS.

NOTE: A special BLACK RACK CLIP variant with curved hook is required to hold 3-UPs on BLACK RACKS. See BLACK RACK CLIP.

Shelf Dividers

Shelf Dividers

n. Thin, upright organizational aids, usually CARDBOARD or PLASTIC, used to help clearly separate similar ITEMS, as between tiny stacked jars of baby food, or boxed packets of gravy mixes, etc. May or may not protrude beyond the SHELF FACE. Usually has manufacturer's BRAND and/or PRODUCT decorations.

Shelf Out

Shelf Out

v. To remove a quantity of PRODUCT from a DISPLAY and, to the fullest extent possible, refill its regular SPOT on the SHELF: “Shelf Out the foil shipper near the front of 13.”

TIP: Shelf Out 1's & 2's. After you've filled the HOLE, yet have one or two pieces left over, don't bring them back! Instead, try to either gently JAM them into the HOLE or gracefully HIDE them nearby. The idea is to save your team time by reducing unnecessary handling. As for three extras, um, maybe. But, four or more should usually either stay on the SPECIALS CART or go into BACK-STOCK, as appropriate. Likewise, there are some single ITEMS that are so bulky, they just have to come back.

Shelf Tag

Shelf Tag

n. An ITEM'S PRICE TAG, affixed to the shelf supporting it, at the leftmost edge of the ITEM'S HOLE. See also DANGLER.

NOTE: There are many different types of Shelf Tags, including the REGULAR PRICE tag, SALE PRICE tag, DISCONTINUED tag, and so on.

If the Shelf Tag you need to look at is missing, take the ITEM in question to PRICE CONTROL to SCAN its UPC with a GUN in order to get the STORE CODE, and to perhaps also learn whether or not the ITEM is currently ON SALE (although one of the STORE'S in-AISLE PRICE CHECK SCANNERS may be able to tell you that). You may or may not be instructed to leave the ITEM you brought, in order for PRICE CONTROL to make a replacement Shelf Tag.

Moving Shelf Tags is a no-no. You only do it if you've previously gotten instructions and/or permission to CUT IN a new PRODUCT or to expand one HOLE at the expense of another.

DETAILS: Shelf Tag ANATOMY. OK. Fair warning: this is the deep end of the pool. At one time I wondered what are all of the things that make up a Shelf Tag, or, what would the definition of a Shelf Tag look like? So, I tried to write one. And that's what you see below: the results of my research at one particular point. (Doubtless Shelf Tags will continue to change over time, so please just take this as a demonstration of principle.)

Now, if the definition happens to look a little strange, that's because it's written in computer-ese. More specifically, I used what one might call a loosely written modified Extended Backus-Naur (BNF) form with POSIX and GREP extensions.

Say, “Eh?” Well, the overall idea is simply that you have to define things as you go, taking absolutely nothing for granted. For instance, as you'll see below, even a single “LETTER” must be defined, here as one thing selected from the list “[ ]” of capitals and lower-case A through Z. Likewise, “*” means “zero or more;” “+” means “one or more;” “|” means “or,” and so on. In just a few moments, you can probably get the hang of it.

   

• Shelf_Tag =
  
  • , Retail_Price_Info =
    • , Item_Name = Manufacturer_Name, Blank, Product_Name ;
      
      • Manufacturer_Name = Character_String ;
        
        • Character_String = [ Letter* | Symbol* | Digit* | Blank* ]+ ;
          
          • Letter = [A-Za-z] ;
          • Symbol = [!"#$%&'()*+,-./:;?@\[\\\]_`{|}~^=<>] ;
          • Digit = [0-9] ;
          • Blank = [ \t] ;
      • Product_Name = Character_String ;
    • , Size_or_Quantity =
      
      • , Quantity = Integer {, ".", Integer }? ;
        
        • Integer = Digit {, Digit }* ;
      • , Units =
        
        • [ ( "CT" | "COUNT" )
        • | ( "OZ" | "OUNCE"{"S"}? )
        • | ( "FOZ" | "FLUID OUNCE"{"S"}? )
        • | ( "LB" | "POUND"{"S"}? )
        • | ( "SQF" | "SQUARE ", ("FOOT" | "FEET") )
        • ] ;
      • ;
    • {, Count_per_Case}? = Integer ;
    • {, UPC_Numeric_Code}? =
      
      • , Digit
      • , "-"
      • , Digit{5}
      • , "-"
      • , Digit{5}
      • {, "-", Digit}?
      • ;
    • {, Week_Number_Tag_Posted}? = [1-52] ;
    • {, Retail_Code = Commodity_Code, " - ", Store's_Stock_Code}? ;
      
      • Commodity_Code = Digit{2|3|4|5} ; (* For ordering TAGS by an entire section *)
      • Store's Stock Code = {Digit,}? Digit{5} ; (* Usually 6, but 5 digits if omit leading 0. *)
    • {, [ UPC_Bar_Code | "DSD" | (Discontinued_Date, Pull_Date) ]}? ;
      
      • UPC Bar Code = (* Pattern of Thick and Thin Vertical Bars *)
      • Discontinued_Date = Month_Number,"/",Day ;
        
        • Month_Number = [01-12] ;
        • Day = [01-31] ;
      • Pull_Date = Month_Number,"/",Day ;
    • , Retail_Unit_Price =
      
      • , ["UNIT PRICE" | "Unit Price without Bonus Card"]
      • , Price = [ Dollar_Price | Cents_Price ] ;
        
        • Dollar_Price = "$", Integer {, "." Digit{2}}? ;
        • Cents_Price = Digit {, Digit}?, "¢" ;
      • , "PER"
      • , [ Units | Quantity ] ;
    • , Retail_Price =
      
      • , ["RETAIL PRICE" | "Price without Bonus Card]
      • {, Quantity, ("FOR" | "/")}?
      • , Price
      • ;
    • ;
  • {, Dangler_Info}? =
    • | On_Sale =
      
      • , Sale_Price_Info =
        
        • , Sale_Unit_Price =
          
          • , ["UNIT PRICE" | "Unit Price with Bonus Card"]
          • , Price
          • , "PER"
          • , [ Units | Quantity ] ;
        • , Date_Sale_Ends = "Thru:" Month, " ", Day, {" TPS"}? (* TPS = “Temporary Price Savings”*);
          
          • Month = [JAN-DEC] ;
          • Day = [01-31] ;
        • {, "WITH BONUSCARD"}?
        • , [ Sale_Price | Deal] ;
          
          • Sale_Price = Price (* < Retail_Price *)
          • Deal = "BUY ONE GET ONE FREE OF EQUAL VALUE" (* E.g. *)
      • , Savings_Info = "Bonus Buy Savings", "Save", Savings_Amount {, Requirements}? ;
        
        • Savings_Amount = Price (* I.e., = Retail_Price - Sale_Price *) ;
        • Requirements =
          
          • [ "WITH BONUSCARD"
          • | "ON", Quantity {,"WITH BONUSCARD"}?
          • | "Must Buy ", ["Quantity" | Quantity]
          • ] ;
    • | New_Item = "New Item", "GOOD THRU", Date
      
      • Date = Month_Number, "/", Day, "/", Year = Digit{2}
    • | New_Low_Price = "New! Low Price"
    • | Extra_Rewards = "EXTRA REWARDS"{4}, Message, "EXTRA REWARDS Savings!"
      
      • Message = "Buy 2 THRU ", Date," GET A CHECKOUT COUPON FOR $1.00 OFF YOUR NEXT SHOPPING ORDER", "MINIMUM $1.00 PURCHASE REQUIRED" (* E.g. *)
    • | Store_Brand =
      
      • | Tout = ((* Store_Logo *), "Top Quality, Lower Price.")
      • | Generic = ("GV", "Guaranteed Value", "Good Quality.", "Everyday Low Price.", ("Exclusively at", (* Store Name *) ) ;)
      • | Health_&_Beauty = ("CareOne(TM)" ;)
      • | Laundry_&_Cleaning = ("Pure Power" ;)
      • | Pet_Products = ("Companion(TM)", Pet", "Your Trusted Friend(TM)" ;)
      • ;
    • | Compare_and_Save =
      
      • , "SAVE UP TO", Price, "Compared To"
      • , {STORE, Price, "Price Checked on ", Date }+
        
        • STORE = Character_String ;
      • , "GOOD THRU " Month_Number", "/", Date ;
    • | Discontinued = "Discontinued Item", {"SALE Clearance SALE"}?, "While Supplies Last"
    • ;
  • ;

For more about BNF, see for example:
^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backus-Naur_form#Variants}

Shelf Tag Notations

Shelf Tag Notations

n. Any marks or other notes that the PRICE CONTROL DEPARTMENT writes on SHELF TAGS. See also CASE NOTATIONS.

NOTE: Needless to say, STOCK CLERKS do not in any way mark or alter SHELF TAGS. That's strictly the job of PRICE CONTROL. Examples of their notations include:

Mark	Meaning
B	B-ITEM (i.e., soon to be DISCONTINUED)
DBL	“Double” (i.e., ITEM is in two SPOTS; don't double ORDER)
DISC.	DISCONTINUED ITEM
NOF ISP	“Not On File; In-Store Price”
(Red Line Strike-Out Through Description)	Do not ORDER

B - See B-ITEM.

DBL - The classic example of a legitimate doubled ITEM—that is, one that appears in two different SPOTS on the SHELF—is organic peanut butter. You'll find it in the peanut butter AISLE, and you'll also find it in the organic ITEMS AISLE. Parmesan cheese, same thing: both in the pasta section and in Dairy. In each case, one of the two TAGS may be marked DBL to alert the person holding the GUN that there's another SPOT to check before ORDERING more. STOCK CLERKS must remember to THROW the ITEM to both SPOTS. Thus it's a good idea to jot down the two locations on the CASE if it's going onto a SPECIALS RUNNER or into BACK-STOCK, to help others MAKE IT GO later on.

DISC. - See DISCONTINUED.

NOF ISP - (“Not On File; In-Store Price”) is the rarest of these notations. I've only seen it once in 3-1/2 years. It's an ad hoc TAG, created as a temporary measure to expedite the sale of what is essentially a remaindered, non-orderable, non-replenish-able ITEM that's otherwise not a candidate for the DISCOUNT RACK. PRICE, weight, size, BRAND and PRODUCT name are all accurate on the TAG, and the ITEM will SCAN properly at CHECKOUT, which is what counts.

(Red Line Strike-Out...) - Reasons to cease or delay ORDERING additional STOCK vary. One might be in anticipation of a known rebranding or packaging change. In each case, check with the DEPARTMENT head if you want to know the specific reason. Meanwhile, THROW to the SHELF as usual.