Expiration Date and Stockers Concerns

[pstuder12321]

Greetings!

So I am a Operations Director for a large company that deals with heavy stocks (Food industry.) So Expiration dates and product rotation and stock is something I deal with very heavily.

Expiration Dates in this game makes total sense, HOWEVER. I think this game should stay away from it for one huge concept. This game simply isnt ready for that level of realism. Expiration dates is very realistic and will add a sense of depth to this game, however, there is absolutely no stock management currently in the game. I'm not talking about shelves, backups. I am talking primarily about a concept all business owners and managers, or even basic employees SHOULD know about, called FIFO. (Some businesses do LIFO but a supermarket like this should be using FIFO.) This is First in First out.

First - The stockers are horrendous, In short, I would have fired them hundreds of times over. Being to slow to handle the rushes, and glitches aside, they dont rotate anything. it is not uncommon for me to somehow find 4 boxes of the same product all with 1-2 items in each box. (shout out to all inventory specialists out there, I now understand your frustration! haha.) The stockers really need a revamp so they work much more effectively, otherwise when you release expiration dates, im just firing the stockers and doing it all my self, as it will be a nightmare trying to manage these guys.

Secondly - There is no product reductions happening. If you have said 4 boxes with 1-2 items in it, it takes two seconds to combine the boxes into one with the oldest products first. (Some places advise against this as they argue the boxes should remain to the same expiration date. thats valid but not efficent for said inventory specialists to be making accurate orders of product. if you see 4 boxes, you assume you are good on inventory. and dont order. Not following this method leads to over ordering or under ordering. Either way you run into problems.) It should be simple to add the ability to take one box that isnt full, and look at another box, and click a button to combine them.

Third - I mentioned this briefly in the first point, but only rotations happen are done by the player themselves. in order for FIFO or expiration dates to work correctly, you HAVE to rotate product, right now there is no system set into place for the game that allows for product to easily be rotated, and the stockers through rotating completely out the window. Releasing expiration dates without first patching rotations would be a total nightmare.

In short, Im not saying dont add expiration dates. Im just saying theres a lot of work that should be added before thinking about adding a FIFO based penalty into a game that has no FIFO managing tactics.

[Swisspike]

Originally posted by pstuder12321:

Greetings!

So I am a Operations Director for a large company that deals with heavy stocks (Food industry.) So Expiration dates and product rotation and stock is something I deal with very heavily.

Expiration Dates in this game makes total sense, HOWEVER. I think this game should stay away from it for one huge concept. This game simply isnt ready for that level of realism. Expiration dates is very realistic and will add a sense of depth to this game, however, there is absolutely no stock management currently in the game. I'm not talking about shelves, backups. I am talking primarily about a concept all business owners and managers, or even basic employees SHOULD know about, called FIFO. (Some businesses do LIFO but a supermarket like this should be using FIFO.) This is First in First out.

First - The stockers are horrendous, In short, I would have fired them hundreds of times over. Being to slow to handle the rushes, and glitches aside, they dont rotate anything. it is not uncommon for me to somehow find 4 boxes of the same product all with 1-2 items in each box. (shout out to all inventory specialists out there, I now understand your frustration! haha.) The stockers really need a revamp so they work much more effectively, otherwise when you release expiration dates, im just firing the stockers and doing it all my self, as it will be a nightmare trying to manage these guys.

Secondly - There is no product reductions happening. If you have said 4 boxes with 1-2 items in it, it takes two seconds to combine the boxes into one with the oldest products first. (Some places advise against this as they argue the boxes should remain to the same expiration date. thats valid but not efficent for said inventory specialists to be making accurate orders of product. if you see 4 boxes, you assume you are good on inventory. and dont order. Not following this method leads to over ordering or under ordering. Either way you run into problems.) It should be simple to add the ability to take one box that isnt full, and look at another box, and click a button to combine them.

Third - I mentioned this briefly in the first point, but only rotations happen are done by the player themselves. in order for FIFO or expiration dates to work correctly, you HAVE to rotate product, right now there is no system set into place for the game that allows for product to easily be rotated, and the stockers through rotating completely out the window. Releasing expiration dates without first patching rotations would be a total nightmare.

In short, Im not saying dont add expiration dates. Im just saying theres a lot of work that should be added before thinking about adding a FIFO based penalty into a game that has no FIFO managing tactics.

I ran one of the largest warehouses in the United States, with 770 thousand cases of product, of soda, Monster, and MANY other products from a massive company based in Atlanta. You likely have some of their products in your house now.

You bet we had to manage expiration dates...and you CANNOT do this successfully in this game. IF you have a freestanding shelf, open front and back, you can replace in the back while pulling from the front. Until that happens, this simulation is significantly less complex, and expiration dates are useless.

[pstuder12321]

Originally posted by Swisspike:

Originally posted by pstuder12321:

Greetings!

So I am a Operations Director for a large company that deals with heavy stocks (Food industry.) So Expiration dates and product rotation and stock is something I deal with very heavily.

Expiration Dates in this game makes total sense, HOWEVER. I think this game should stay away from it for one huge concept. This game simply isnt ready for that level of realism. Expiration dates is very realistic and will add a sense of depth to this game, however, there is absolutely no stock management currently in the game. I'm not talking about shelves, backups. I am talking primarily about a concept all business owners and managers, or even basic employees SHOULD know about, called FIFO. (Some businesses do LIFO but a supermarket like this should be using FIFO.) This is First in First out.

First - The stockers are horrendous, In short, I would have fired them hundreds of times over. Being to slow to handle the rushes, and glitches aside, they dont rotate anything. it is not uncommon for me to somehow find 4 boxes of the same product all with 1-2 items in each box. (shout out to all inventory specialists out there, I now understand your frustration! haha.) The stockers really need a revamp so they work much more effectively, otherwise when you release expiration dates, im just firing the stockers and doing it all my self, as it will be a nightmare trying to manage these guys.

Secondly - There is no product reductions happening. If you have said 4 boxes with 1-2 items in it, it takes two seconds to combine the boxes into one with the oldest products first. (Some places advise against this as they argue the boxes should remain to the same expiration date. thats valid but not efficent for said inventory specialists to be making accurate orders of product. if you see 4 boxes, you assume you are good on inventory. and dont order. Not following this method leads to over ordering or under ordering. Either way you run into problems.) It should be simple to add the ability to take one box that isnt full, and look at another box, and click a button to combine them.

Third - I mentioned this briefly in the first point, but only rotations happen are done by the player themselves. in order for FIFO or expiration dates to work correctly, you HAVE to rotate product, right now there is no system set into place for the game that allows for product to easily be rotated, and the stockers through rotating completely out the window. Releasing expiration dates without first patching rotations would be a total nightmare.

In short, Im not saying dont add expiration dates. Im just saying theres a lot of work that should be added before thinking about adding a FIFO based penalty into a game that has no FIFO managing tactics.

I ran one of the largest warehouses in the United States, with 770 thousand cases of product, of soda, Monster, and MANY other products from a massive company based in Atlanta. You likely have some of their products in your house now.

You bet we had to manage expiration dates...and you CANNOT do this successfully in this game. IF you have a freestanding shelf, open front and back, you can replace in the back while pulling from the front. Until that happens, this simulation is significantly less complex, and expiration dates are useless.

Exactly. I am worried that they are going to put expiration dates in this game, and while now its fun, I feel expiration dates are going to ruin this game. They at least need to program basic FIFO mechanics into it before they think about putting in expiration dates, otherwise its going to be a disaster.

[Swisspike]

Originally posted by pstuder12321:

Originally posted by Swisspike:

I ran one of the largest warehouses in the United States, with 770 thousand cases of product, of soda, Monster, and MANY other products from a massive company based in Atlanta. You likely have some of their products in your house now.

You bet we had to manage expiration dates...and you CANNOT do this successfully in this game. IF you have a freestanding shelf, open front and back, you can replace in the back while pulling from the front. Until that happens, this simulation is significantly less complex, and expiration dates are useless.

Exactly. I am worried that they are going to put expiration dates in this game, and while now its fun, I feel expiration dates are going to ruin this game. They at least need to program basic FIFO mechanics into it before they think about putting in expiration dates, otherwise its going to be a disaster.

Just because it can be programmed, doesn't mean it should be.

[pstuder12321]

Originally posted by Swisspike:

Originally posted by pstuder12321:

Exactly. I am worried that they are going to put expiration dates in this game, and while now its fun, I feel expiration dates are going to ruin this game. They at least need to program basic FIFO mechanics into it before they think about putting in expiration dates, otherwise its going to be a disaster.

Just because it can be programmed, doesn't mean it should be.

I agree. But they have said they are planning to put it into the game. I don't think they should, but if they are going to, I ask they at least program FIFO before even thinking about programming expiration dates.

[Swisspike]

Originally posted by pstuder12321:

Originally posted by Swisspike:

Just because it can be programmed, doesn't mean it should be.

I agree. But they have said they are planning to put it into the game. I don't think they should, but if they are going to, I ask they at least program FIFO before even thinking about programming expiration dates.

They would have to give the stocker/merchandisers the ability to FIFO..otherwise, what's the point? You're not going to have a stocker put product on the shelf, just for the manager to dig through and check dates, and swap out as needed.

Unneeded complexity, that operationally, makes no sense at all.

[pstuder12321]

Originally posted by Swisspike:

Originally posted by pstuder12321:

I agree. But they have said they are planning to put it into the game. I don't think they should, but if they are going to, I ask they at least program FIFO before even thinking about programming expiration dates.

They would have to give the stocker/merchandisers the ability to FIFO..otherwise, what's the point? You're not going to have a stocker put product on the shelf, just for the manager to dig through and check dates, and swap out as needed.

Unneeded complexity, that operationally, makes no sense at all.

Yeah, thats what I was trying to point out in my original post. It doesnt make any sense at all to put it in. Specially not with the game designed as it is now.

[Sistermatic™]

I never saw this mentioned as ever being an added feature. Where's this written?

[pstuder12321]

Originally posted by Sistermatic™:

I never saw this mentioned as ever being an added feature. Where's this written?

When you log into the game, at the top right there is a message board with the changes that are coming, among shop lifting and other things, expiration dates is one of them.

[Sistermatic™]

Originally posted by pstuder12321:

Originally posted by Sistermatic™:

I never saw this mentioned as ever being an added feature. Where's this written?

When you log into the game, at the top right there is a message board with the changes that are coming, among shop lifting and other things, expiration dates is one of them.

Much appreciated.

Without delving too deep, this would be a micromanaging PITA ...or... it needs to be so automated that it would end up pointless having it.

So yes, you're right, although I'd go one step further, game would be better off without it entirely.

[pstuder12321]

Originally posted by Sistermatic™:

Originally posted by pstuder12321:

When you log into the game, at the top right there is a message board with the changes that are coming, among shop lifting and other things, expiration dates is one of them.

Much appreciated.

Without delving too deep, this would be a micromanaging PITA ...or... it needs to be so automated that it would end up pointless having it.

So yes, you're right, although I'd go one step further, game would be better off without it entirely.

Seems to be the general opinion, the only thing I can think it would do is prevent you from way over ordering. But I do think if they add it, they do need to make it automated through the stockers, otherwise the entire game will turn into correcting the stockers simulator.

[Fused]

Agreed. I don't like this or shoplifters.

[cmps]

I agree but I hope the dev works on the improvements to the stock workers as a top priority, regardless of whether expiration is added. In addition to the FIFO system and the ability to combine boxes, I would also like to see:

1) preventing two or more stock workers taking the same job. I have regularly seen two workers go to restock the same product. So now I have two partial boxes in stock. Great.

2) preventing the accidental over-writing of empty shelves. It's so easy to mis-click and put the stock you are adding to the wrong shelf when they are empty, especially when they often look very similar. This could be easily fixed by requiring, e.g., a Ctrl-click to over-write empty shelves.

[Fralee]

before they even think of adding expiration dates the stock rotation needs to be deal with
i had added a large shelf of all salt since i had bought too much and as i was stocking them i found tons that had like 2-5 out of 16 items in box after box... even found 3 boxes in a row with 1 and 2 in each box
the rotation of boxes and products needs to be dealt with first

[polterchrist]

I still find it amusing I can just throw things like sushi on a shelf and forget it. I don't like the idea of expiration dates either, though. Am I going to need freezers in the back for them now? Please fix the box issue first like others have mentioned with one item in each.

[Fralee]

Originally posted by polterchrist:

I still find it amusing I can just throw things like sushi on a shelf and forget it. I don't like the idea of expiration dates either, though. Am I going to need freezers in the back for them now? Please fix the box issue first like others have mentioned with one item in each.

they would probaly end up adding fridge/freezer racks that you can buy if needed
but yes having 12 boxes of each type of raw meat on the racks in storage and they last a week lmao