Specials RUNNER

Specials RUNNER

n. A RUNNER or CART kept in the BACK ROOM and dedicated to holding up to a CASE or two of extra STOCK of some ON SALE ITEMS, from which the SHELF from time to time may be replenished: “Work the aisle 1 through 4 Specials Runners.” See also SPECIALS WALL, THROW, WORK.

Rollout Flowchart…

NOTE: At one point as I was pulling out yet another Specials Cart to WORK it, I happened to wonder, “Hey—Just what exactly am I doing?” I knew I was doing a lot of thinking and judging, so—just for fun—I thought I'd try to write down everything, just to see what I got. And the answer is...

DETAILS: Specials Runner ROLLOUT. Yep: once again, this is the deep end of the pool. The result of my ruminations was actually a flowchart, with diamonds for decisions, rectangles for process steps, and ovals for the start and stop terminals. Click on the thumbnail at right for a much larger view. Here's the condensed, text-only version:

   

• (Start)
  • [ Inspect cart in bay, before moving it ]
    • < Any items toppled/leaning on other carts? >
      • [ Carefully move non-involved cart(s) to gain access ]
      • [ Temporarily off-load items at risk of falling ]
    • < Any items stacked too high? >
      • [ Move adjacent cart(s) to gain access ]
      • [ Temporarily off-load items at risk of "scrape off" ]
    • < Wide items snagged on other carts? >
      • [ Jockey other cart(s) in bay to free snags ]
      • [ Withdraw interlocked carts together, then separate ]
    • < Precarious, unbalanced items? >
      • [ Move adjacent cart(s) to gain access ]
      • [ Reposition items for maximum safety ]
  
  
  • [ Pull cart out of bay ]
    • < Any other moved carts? >
      • [ Return other carts to proper slots in bay ]
  
  
  • [ Re-inspect cart ]
    • < Any leaks, spills, or damaged items? >
      • [ Casualties to damages rack, sink or trash, as appropriate ]
      • [ Clean up ]
    • < Any empty boxes, waste plastic, etc.? >
      • [ Recycle or dispose of properly ]
    • < Anything belong on other cart(s)? >
      • < Space available on proper cart(s)? >
        • [ Move hitchhiker item(s) to proper cart(s) ]
    • < Any temporarily off-loaded items? >
      • [ Return off-loaded items to cart ]
    • < Any items on other carts belong on this cart? >
      • < Space available? >
        • [ Move fugitive items back onto cart ]
    • < Precarious, unbalanced items? >
      • [ Reposition items for maximum safety ]
  
  
  • [ Put footstool onto cart ]
    • < Cart very full, too many items? >
      • [ Get shopping cart to hold cardboard, plastic ]
    • < Expect lots of waste plastic? >
      • [ Put milkcrate onto cart to hold plastic ]
  
  
  • [ Pull cart out to designated aisle(s) ]


• (etc...)

The description above may seem daunting, but the actual task is pretty straightforward and more often than not, downright easy. I don't recall the listed contingency inspections ever requiring action all at the same time. Usually it's just pull out the CART, grab a footstool (they help a lot when you're WORKING the top SHELF), and go!

For more about flowcharts, see for example:
^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowchart}