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.

Store Brand

Store BRAND

n. “Me too” products or product lines which the STORE commissions manufacturers to produce and then offers along side the manufacturers' and others' better-known BRANDS, but for which the STORE reaps higher profit MARGINS, e.g., by minimizing advertising costs, etc. Also PRIVATE LABEL. See also BRAND.

NOTE: Like they say about beauty, I think CUSTOMER SATISFACTION is also in the eye of the beholder. Some folks seem to think all Store Brands are inferior to their national Brand counterparts. I don't know about that, but I do know Store Brands are generally a lot less expensive! Where I work they currently include:

Store Brand	Category
CareOne®	Health & Beauty
Companion®	Pet Food and Care
Guaranteed ValueTM	Various; Bargain Items
JaVaNa®	Coffee
KaPop®	Popcorn
Nature’s Promise®	Organic Foods
Smart LivingTM	Household, Entertainment, etc.
(Store Name)®	Various; Canned Goods, Cookies, Crackers, etc.

Store Directory

Store Directory

n. A bi-fold sheet of printed paper that opens to show both a pictorial map of the general layout of the STORE and an index listing key PRODUCTS and the AISLES where they may be found. See also PHONE LIST.

NOTE: The layout from one STORE to the next varies widely, so each Store Directory is unique to that particular STORE.