The unloading of large trucks carrying nursery stock and large bulk orders is always difficult when the high traffic season begins. Often, owners of garden stores forbid these deliveries on big volume days and weekends because there simply is not room to get them unloaded without major customer disruption.
We believe that products need to arrive and get sold quickly and we have designed an area to address the congestion issues to get those trucks unloaded.
Adjacent to the main parking area is a large open area #I which has several uses. It is a flat and entirely covered with compacted gravel.
This is the unloading area for large tractor trailer semis that bring nursery stock to the store. The trucks enter through the main gate and move through another set of automatic gates out of the customer parking and traffic flow. The nursery stock is unloaded, tagged, prepared for sale, and stored here until it can be moved into displays. This area is also the main storage area for pallets of bark, soils and peat moss as well as decorative rock and pavers. Customers can access this area through a small gate #T from the main parking area.
Trucks exit from the area following the perimeter of the site passed the bark sales section, out a gate and on to the public street.
All the supplies for this preparation are stored and immediately available in this location and in the portable office #M. Forklifts, Bobcats and trailers are also stored here. The moving of the plant material into the main site is easily accomplished as there is minimal interaction and confusion. The trucks are out of the way of traffic on busy gardening days. The bark and soils are nearby for easy transport from this site.
Once the season peak is over, the remaining plants are compacted into a smaller part of the lot and the vacant gravel areas in both areas #I and #U are rented to owners of boats and recreational vehicles for a very reasonable fee for winter storage.
This area is also a place for "winter healing" of plants held over from the season. Plants are generally loaded onto pallets and placed tightly. The pallets stay in position and a heavy layer of mulch is applied. In the early spring, the pallets are picked up, the mulch removed and the plants re-processed.
The area is lighted with street lamp lights. Drivers of these trucks are able to unhook and leave their trailers securely in the lot until they are unloaded by the green garden gates employees. Occasionally, when the product is really needed, a night unload is necessary with proper lighting to get this accomplished.
__________________________________________________________
Checklist For Semi Unloading And Storage Area
Physical plan and procedures
Physical Plan
Is the area designated and signed properly?
The area is designated. There is large signing at the entrance and directional signing for the drivers as they enter the store. The signing continues to inform them of the procedures and the route to exit the site.
Is there a loading dock?
No, we do not have a loading dock. We have developed a procedure for efficiently unloading the trucks. A dock is not necessary.
Is the site easily accessible?
Yes, it is very easy and simple to maneuver, free from congestion
Is there equipment readily available for this process?
Yes
Can discarded or damaged plants be easily moved for disposal or re-potting?
Yes, all the facilities are very close to the area
Can the price and descriptive tags be produced at the site during unloading?
Yes, we are connected to all the programs and have the printers on site in the processing shack to accomplish this. There is no need to leave the site for this work..
Is the area adequate for unloading?
Yes, we have the space to turn, move and unload as many as three large trucks in this area
Is there power and lighting on this site?
Yes, street lighting type lamps are positioned for evening loading which can be turned off and on at the retail store or by remote commands from the employee at the shack. Power and water is also available
Is there a toilet available nearby?
Yes, there are portable toilets positioned near the site.
Is there sufficient regulated irrigation for the storage of plants?
Yes, this area is capable of running a number of removable lateral irrigation lines from the main source irrigation loop to insure complete coverage all connected to a simple timer system for automatic watering.
Can these plants in storage be easily moved to the main retail customer areas?
Yes, there are several entrance points into the retail area. Bobcats, forklifts, golf carts with trailers can all move in and out of the retail area with ease a short distance from this storage area.
Are the plants moved off and stored by hand?
Almost never. We use pallets for nearly every move. They are inexpensive or no cost to us we get a good supply dropped to us each spring. Employees are trained to use pallets with every motion possible with these moderate to heavy plants and large quantities of plants.
Procedures
What is the procedure in for instance unloading a semi truck of balled and burlapped evergreens?
Before the truck arrives, a lot is happening to prepare for it. First the trucking company or vendor is obligated to notify the store of the day of arrival and approximant time. The loading document has already been electronically transferred to the receiving and processing section leader. The section leader begins to schedule the employees needed for the unload and placement of the plants and prints the descriptive and price stickers for each item that will coming off the truck. The trucker is directed in person or by telephone where to place the truck upon arrival. The section leader is notified when it arrives and the truck is directed into the site.
(We saw this unloading system work at a small
The equipment is moved into position near the rear doors. In this case, it will be a forklift, a bobcat with a bucket, a pallet jack and many stacks of pallets and lots of bungee cords. For this unload, it will take three employees in the truck and one employee operating the forklift. The evergreens are loaded onto pallets and the tops bungeed together to prevent dropping as they are being lowered and moved from the truck into a holding area right next to the truck. Once an aisle is cleared in the truck, a forklift is brought into the truck and three empty pallets on the pallet jack. The pallet jack then acts like a moving carriage. The evergreens are loaded onto the top pallet and bungeed. The pallet jack turns and rolls to the truck opening. The forklift picks off the loaded pallet and places the evergreens in the holding area. The pallet jack is then rolled back to the evergreens where they are stacked and bungeed on the next empty pallet and the process continues, adding empty pallets to the pallet jack carriage
Once the semi is empty, the section leader makes the count of the evergreens. (We only require that the total count be verified, not individual pieces. If there is a large shortage more counting will need to be done) After the count is verified, and any damaged or unacceptable plants are noted on the truck manifest, the trucker is released and given directions to exit. (As in the case of the bulk sales section, truck drivers are not allowed to clean their trucks on the site, with the exception of lumber material)
The section leader then directs the pricing of the individual evergreens. Following the pricing and tagging, the evergreens are moved into a more orderly position on the site, the plants are taken off the pallets and the bungees released. The plants are then checked for moisture and with a bobcat, covered with a mulch to prevent drying out. Any of the evergreens that will be potted are moved to the potting area for processing.
After the plants are in position, a detailed inspection is made of the plants to identify any problems that were missed in the unloading process and to insure all pricing and tagging is complete. (Some plants by inspection may need to be priced higher or lower depending on their quality. (Those plants are tagged for a change in the pricing stickers)
The plants are then ready for sale to our customers. Some will be moved into a retail space in the next several days with the remaining held in this section for re-stock and customer sales in this area.
Here is a word about counting and verifying the amount and varieties of plants on the truck. We strive always to be accurate but the care of the customer is the most important task that we do. A few plants will sometimes go missing and the vendor will be more than happy to replace. Don’t cut off your head to spite your face.
“I worked in this garden store in
Garden center employee
Is there a set procedure for counting and verifying delivered plants?
Who signs for the receiving and verifying?
Yes, there is a procedure. The plants are first counted as to total number. If the count equals the number on the plant manifest, then a sign off can occur. If the count is noticeably different from the manifest, a more thorough count must occur. We strive to bring the plants onto the pallets in like kind with like sizes for simplify a more accurate count. The section leader or his or her designee is responsible for the signing.
Is the counting and unloading as efficient as possible?
We continue to look for other time saving methods in this process. For now, this is the most efficient way to handle the unloading and counting
Is there a policy for driver helping with the unloading?
Drivers and companies are very different on this issue. Some drivers are instructed to bring the products to the door of the truck. Some drivers will not unload at all. We encourage drivers to help with the unloading process. Their help gets them on the road faster and we get an extra hand in this work.
“I once had two drivers who delivered a semi load of large bales of peat moss to my store in the late winter. All the bales were on the floor, without pallets and they were frozen solid. These two old boys said that they were hung over and had bad backs and they headed for the sleeper. As they left, they told me that they had another load and they needed to get out of here fast for another pick-up. I told them that if they helped, we could get them on the road in about four hours. If they did not help, it may be a couple of days. They jumped right in that truck and pitched in!
Garden store owner
Do plant and large product deliveries at green garden gates have limits to certain hours?
It depends on the time of season. Generally, during the season we will accept trucks starting about 7am to 4pm, when the receiving crew leaves work. each day depending on the schedule of the. We have a policy that plants and large products orders are to be delivered Monday through Friday between the mentioned hours. We will however accept them on Saturday and Sunday if we need them bad enough. We will also unload at night if we want those plants fast for the next day at the store.
Can drivers leave the trailer at the receiving site and pick it up later?
We encourage this if possible and leaving it overnight is possible as long as the trucker knows that the gates are closed and the trucker cannot get into the site until the opening the next day. We do have a 24 hour limit to this parking of trailers and will charge the trucking company a huge day fee if it is violated.
Are customers allowed in this storage and unloading area?
Yes, but it is limited. An employee must accompany the customer and there must be a specific purpose (plants that are not available in the retail area at sometime during the working day). Children are not allowed in the area at all because of the unloading of trucks and congestion.
What happens to the damaged plants?
A note is made of the plants and a call is placed to the grower or vendor. They may be held for pickup and credit by the vendor or the shipping company. Most often, a credit is issued on a verbal agreement and the garden store owner is given the option of destroying it or she is allowed to “get what she can” selling the plant on discount.
What is the authority of the section leader of the receiving and processing area?
A wide range of authority. See the discussion on section leaders authority in an upcoming entry.
Are these employees part time or full time?
As in the case of most employees at green garden gates, their work begins in early spring and ends when the store closes for the season in the fall. They are regarded as part time employees. Some are only hired for the several months of the busy season and some stay longer. The section leader will be the last to go and the first to come back in the early spring. The employees with the longest work record at green garden gates switch jobs and help in other areas to fill in as the season slows.
No comments:
Post a Comment