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Dairy/Frozen Chip

Dairy/Frozen Chip

n. A small, clear plastic rectangle placed over a SHELF TAG so that it engages the SHELF'S front rail in a friction fit much the same as a SHELF CLIP, but for the purpose of holding the underlying SHELF TAG securely in place in situations where the adhesive backing alone might be insufficient. Applications include cold temperatures (hence its original name, Dairy/Frozen Chip), but also anywhere around the STORE where there are slippery or waxy surfaces, such as may be encountered in SPOTS for furniture polishes, air fresheners, etc.

Dangler

Dangler

n. The extra portion of a SHELF TAG which hangs down from, and extends below the SHELF'S front rail, as for an ON SALE, DISCONTINUED, or any ITEM to which the STORE wants to draw the CUSTOMER'S attention. Also FLAG.

Day Crew

Day Crew

n. Anyone who works a DAY-SHIFT.

Days

Days

n. Working a DAY-SHIFT: “He's on days.” Versus NIGHTS.

Day-Shift

Day-Shift

n. A work schedule that begins anywhere from very early morning on, and may end as late as 11:00 PM. For example, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

Department

Department

n. A subdivision within the STORE that has a common PRODUCT theme or responsibility.

NOTE: For example:
  • Bakery, a.k.a “Baker's Oven”
  • Bulk Foods
  • Customer Service
  • Dairy/Frozen
  • Deli, a.k.a “The Deli” and “Carry-Out Cafe”
  • Floral, a.k.a “Petal Works”
  • Front-End (Cashiers, CART BOYS, and CUSTOMER SERVICE)
  • General Merchandise (a.k.a. GM)
  • Grocery
  • Meat, a.k.a “Butcher's Block” (may include Sea Food)
  • Pharmacy
  • Price Control
  • Produce, a.k.a “Garden Fresh Produce”
  • Receiving
  • Sea Food, a.k.a “Captain's Choice” (may be included in Meat)
  • Security

Department Manager

Department Manager

n. The person in charge of running a DEPARTMENT by ordering PRODUCTS and SUPPLIES, managing INVENTORY, SCHEDULING EMPLOYEES, etc.

Directory

Directory

n. See STORE DIRECTORY or PHONE LIST.

Disc.

Disc.

n. See DISCONTINUED, below.

Discontinued

Discontinued

n. An ITEM that will no longer be sold once on-hand supplies are depleted.

NOTE: Discontinued ITEMS are easy to identify. Their SHELF TAG clearly says “Discontinued.” OK. So, now what?

HOW TO: Handle Discontinued ITEMS

  1. Fill the SHELF, same as always, anytime you encounter a Discontinued ITEM. The only difference is what you do with the leftovers...
  2. Any left?
    1. Put a large “DISC.” (for Discontinued”) on the CASE with your MARKER, and circle it to draw attention to the CASE NOTATION.
    2. Drop it off in RECEIVING on the designated SHELF in the RACK back by the GATE. If there's not enough space, leave it on the floor nearby.


Occasionally, you'll be standing in the AISLE holding a CASE of something for which you can't find a HOLE on the SHELF. You've looked hard, but it's really not there. So, you may wonder: is it NEW, or is it Discontinued?

Don't guess. Always ask the GROCERY MANAGER, if present. At his instruction (only), you may receive permission to “DISC.” it, as above. However, you can't ever Discontinue an ITEM yourself, just because you can't find it! The alternatives are to MARK the CASE either “New” or “N.O.S.”—but which?

The answer is, only write “New” on the un-found ITEM'S CASE if you know for sure it's a NEW ITEM. Otherwise, if there's even the slightest doubt, you should write “N.O.S.” for NOT-ON-SHELF.

No more thinking required! Both N.O.S. and NEW designations go into exactly the same place: the NEW ITEMS RACK in the BACK ROOM. Down the road, someone else (e.g., the GROCERY MANAGER) will eventually sort out what should be done with them.

Discontinued Items Rack

Discontinued Items Rack

n. 1. The RACK back by the DOCK in RECEIVING where DISCONTINUED ITEMS go, once you've MARKED them DISC. and brought the remaining CASES back into the BACK ROOM. 2. See DISCOUNT RACK, below.

Discount

Discount

n. The amount a PRICE is reduced because it's ON SALE, DISCONTINUED, etc.

Discount Rack

Discount Rack

n. A special RACK set aside for CUSTOMERS to inspect potential bargains on ITEMS that have been DISCONTINUED, may have sustained slight damage, are the final remaining leftovers from an IN-AN-OUT SHIPPER, etc. See also DISCOUNT TAG, below.

NOTE: In my STORE, the Discount Rack is located at the front end of the Dairy/Frozen DEPARTMENT, in what would be AISLE NUMBER 16, except it has no posted number.

Discounted ITEMS are MARKED DOWN by the RECEIVER, who applies a special DISCOUNT TAG over the ITEM'S regular UPC.

TIP: Price Check, Mate? Occasionally you may be paged by a cashier to do a PRICE CHECK on an ITEM the REGISTER reports as ITEM-NOT-FOUND. That's your cue to look first on the Discount Rack for a similar item, as maybe the DISCOUNT TAG came off of the ITEM you're being asked to check. Don't find a mate to the one you're holding? Check the SHELF. Still no luck? Ask the GROCERY MANAGER, if available. Otherwise turn it back over to the CSM or FRONT-END MANAGER to resolve the issue. As a STOCK CLERK, you don't set PRICES.

Discount TAG

Discount TAG

n. 1. A special yellow TAG that overlays a PRODUCT'S usual UPC code, so that the special DISCOUNT PRICE rings up at the CHECKOUT REGISTERS. Typically used for ITEMS on the MARK DOWN RACK. 2. A SHELF TAG that shows a reduced PRICE because the ITEM is ON SALE, DISCONTINUED, etc. See also DANGLER.

Display

Display

n. A prominent arrangement of a single PRODUCT or PRODUCT LINE, intended to attract the CUSTOMER'S attention and encourage purchase, typically accompanied by an ON SALE or DISCOUNTED price, BOGO, or other incentive detailed in the SIGN or SHELF TAG. Examples include 3-WAY, AISLE STACK, END-CAP, EVZ, FAST-WALL, SHIPPER, and WING. —v. To show in a noticeable way.

Display Sign

Display Sign

n. The largest sized TAG, about half the size of a sheet of paper, and which fits into the frames of DUCK-FOOT, GOOSE-NECK, and SWAN-NECK SIGN HOLDERS. Often shortened to just Sign: “Get a sign for that.”

Distribution

Distribution

n. A quantity of PRODUCT received with the usual LOAD, but which was not specifically ordered. Rather, it is something that the central office apportions among all STORE branches and requires each STORE to put on DISPLAY and sell. Compare MISPICK.

Dock

Dock

n. See LOADING DOCK.

Dock Plate

Dock Plate

n. A large, hinged floor plate which by means of an embedded chain mechanism can be lifted up and folded or unfolded in order to serve as a temporary bridge over the gap between the open GATE in RECEIVING and the open back end or cargo hold of a TRUCK which has been backed into a suitably snug position at the LOADING DOCK.

Door Seal

Door Seal

n. A small, single-use, serial-numbered plastic tag with one-way, one-time loop fastener used to “secure” two eye-bolts or hasps, such as on a door and a door frame, and thus provide evidence as to whether or not the door, hatch, gate or other such access point has or has not been opened.

NOTE: Door seals answer the question, “Did this (door, hatch, whatever) open during the time it was supposed to stay closed?” Door Seals are very easily broken, and virtually impossible to repair. The point is not to provide a barrier, but to provide proof that the door or whatever has remained closed, and thereby support the function of the LOCK and ALARM. ALARMS can be disarmed, and LOCKS can be opened, but like Humpty Dumpty, Door Seals can't be put back together again. Likewise, when it's time to be legitimately broken, its serial number has to match the one previously written down in the M.O.D.'s log book, or else you know there's been foul play.

Dress Code

Dress Code

n. See UNIFORM.

Drop

Drop

v. To gently lower or set down, albeit expressed with dramatic exaggeration: “Drop that pallet under the mezz.”

NOTE:

If you take a PALLET out onto the FLOOR, you should always immediately Drop it as soon as you arrive wherever you're going. Dropping it avoids trouble. Plus, it is an OSHA requirement.

Don't leave a PALLET jacked up, or the STORE may be liable for any CUSTOMER injury. For instance: suppose a kid walks by, pulls the Drop release lever and causes your full PALLET to land on a sibling's toe. Bad!

DSD

DSD

n. “Direct Store Delivery,” as coded on SHELF TAGS. That is, it's the VENDOR, and not STOCK CLERKS, who (usually) puts that ITEM on the SHELF.

Duck-Foot

Duck-Foot

n. The shortest SIGN HOLDER, which has no stem, but just a white frame and a base with a triangular tab that slides under a STACK of PRODUCT: “You'll need a duck-foot sign holder.” Compare GOOSE-NECK, SWAN-NECK. See photo at SIGN HOLDER.

NOTE: Typically used under the bottom layer of a DISPLAY on a WING BASE. Also at the bottom of an END-CAP, FAST-WALL or EVZ DISPLAY. The Duck-Foot gets a copy of the same SIGN DISPLAYED in the GOOSE-NECK that's inserted above, at the base of the BACKDROP. AISLE STACKS and SHIPPERS do not get a Duck-Foot; instead, they always TAKE a regular, GOOSE-NECK SIGN HOLDER.

Dummy Box

Dummy Box

n. A long CARDBOARD BOX, usually plain white, that is used to reduce the amount of INVENTORY that fits on the SHELF, and thereby save the STORE money. See also INVENTORY, MOVE, TURNOVER.

NOTE: The basic idea here is to use an inexpensive “filler” to change the CASE MODULUS of the HOLE. Cutting down the number of CASES or additional partial CASES needed to fill it results in less LOAD standing idle. That's good, because the STORE doesn't make any money when ITEMS sit. Profit comes only when they sell. Doubtless some bright light somewhere has figured out a more optimal balance between the labor cost of filling a shallower SHELF more frequently vs. other factors, and hence Dummy Boxes are definitely here to stay.

They are RECEIVED as a SUPPLY in as a shrink-wrapped stack of flat cutouts. When assembled by folding, each one forms a rectangular prism that is used as a filler or spacer in the back of a SHELF'S HOLE to make it shallower.

Multiple Dummy Boxes may be STACKED vertically to provide a more even back-wall surface, and/or horizontally to further reduce the depth of the HOLE. Whether or not they're STACKED vertically often depends on the size, shape and/or weight of the ITEM that goes in that particular SPOT. Sometimes—especially on the top SHELF—they may be intentionally not STACKED vertically, in order to provide a buffer area for stashing a slight excess of one, two, or a few extras. Be careful, though. They're not capable of supporting much weight, so pilling on pickle jars is a no-no.

TRUE STORY: If you're new, you might be tempted to remove one of these things the first time you find one. I did. Then it was explained to me: they're supposed to be there. Talk about feeling like a dummy!

Dummy Up

Dummy Up

v. To create a DISPLAY that appears to be SOLID, but uses far less PRODUCT by virtue of a curtain, or shallow front and only the essential interior supports. Supports may be widely-spaced columns comprised of PRODUCT cans or BOXES, or empty PRODUCT CASES set between intervening layers of GLASS: “Hollow out the detergent and dummy it up.”

Dustpan

Dustpan

n. An open-ended pivoting receptacle with a medium-length handle into which dust and debris may be swept using a BROOM. See CLEAN-UP.