UNFI Dry Goods Receiving Shifts (Wednesdays)

UNFI (United Natural Foods, Inc.) deliveries are the biggest individual shipments we receive. Because of the size of the shipment, it's often not possible for one shift to check the delivery, price & stock. UNFI also frequently makes mistakes, and shift members are responsible for both recording those errors, and calling in to report them to UNFI.

In progress 4.02.10-Lippe

Receiving Sheet & UNFI invoice

Receiving Sheet
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Receiving sheet:
Pricing for UNFI shipments is taken from a Receiving Sheet printed by ordering staff.
The Receiving Sheet also includes notes for individual items, such as whether tax is included, or if an item is a special order.
There may also be an attached sheet listing items that are scheduled for return, or notes on problems that occured on recent deliveries.

This sheet can be found Wed. morning in the front of a white wire basket underneath the register counter.
After referring to the invoice to reconcile delivery errors & price all items, it's filed for ordering staff in a red expandable folder on the shelf above the computer.
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UNFI Invoice Coversheet
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UNFI Invoice:
When the shipment arrives, the UNFI crew will have a invoice which must be signed.
They will keep the signature sheet, and leave the rest (generally 3-4 pages).

The UNFI invoice is NOT used in pricing deliveries.

There are sections listing the items we were billed for, as well as items that were out of stock and not billed.
After referring to the invoice to reconcile delivery errors, it's filed for finance in one of the the top 3 slots of the black filing tower.

Mispicks:
UNFI puts stickers on the boxes. These are called "pick tags". Sometimes they put the sticker on the wrong item, so that we are delivered the wrong item, though the pick tag matches what we ordered. This is called a "mispick." Most UNFI deliveries have one or more mispicks. It can be helpful to eyeball the items as they come into the store to see if there's anything you don't recognize as something we carry. If something looks suspicious, you can check the pick tag and see if it matches the manufacturer labeling on the box or bag.

Receiving procedure overview

There's a logic to this list.. If done in this order:

• It will be easier to pass off receiving to the following shift.
• If everything is priced, errors have been reconciled, and the invoice and Receiving Sheet have been filed, later shifts will only have to deal with stocking, and won't need to know anything about the nitty-gritty.

Before shipment arrives:

1. Check for any items to be returned.
2. Check store and basement for extra empty totes to be returned, other than the 3 that must stay.

1. Check UNFI invoice for out of stock items, mark them as as "O/S" on the Receiving Sheet.
2. Go through the stacks of items, marking them off on the Receiving Sheet, and marking the price on the item. Go by the manufacturer's labels, not the UNFI stickers ("pick tags"), as sometimes there will be something we didn't order ("mispick") where the pick tag on it is for something we did order, that is usually missing. Also, it's good to check expiration dates before marking the boxes, as occasionally something will be expiring too soon and need to be returned for that reason.
3. Label special orders as indicated on the Receiving Sheet.
4. Call in damaged items & delivery errors, record errors and credit info on Receiving Sheet & Invoice
5. File Receiving Sheet & Invoice
6. --Basement overstock?-- (take down or label to go down?)
7. Put away overstock items.
8. Fill bins and put remainder in overstock.

After stocking the order, the invoice sheet should be placed in one of the finance folders in the black filing tower to the right of the computer (the top 3 slots). The internal order sheet should be placed in a red plastic expandable file on the shelf above the computer.

Totes / Repacks

• Empty flip-top shipping bins (aka "totes"/"repacks"): We need to have 3 empties around, for farmer's market pickups. If the handtruck is in the basement, they can go there too. Any other than those than 3, or those in use for something else, can be returned to UNFI during any UNFI receiving shift, Wednesday and Friday mornings.
  Totes take up a lot of space, and extras should be returned with each delivery. If possible, it's best to immediately empty them and send them back.

Damaged Items:

UNFI should be informed of all damaged items, regardless of whether you think they would want it back or not. (The most up to date contact info and directions can always be found in the first few pages of the UNFI catalogs, stored on the shelf above the computer)

• Call UNFI Eastern Region Credit Contact at (800) 451-2525 from 7am-5:30pm EST Monday-Friday.
• Press 3 for the claims department.
• Have the items ready, as you may be asked to read off various information from the package, including the UNFI product code and UPC #. The UNFI representative will read out a claim memo # and refund amount for each item returned.
• If you cannot get through on the phone, then all of the information should be emailed to Dry Goods via the Contact form.

Do not write on the item, tape a note to the item, with regular tape, not packing tape, with the following information:

• Date received
• Why it needs to be returned
• Expected return date "To be returned xx/xx". (UNFI will expect to pick up claims during the next delivery, Wednesday of the following week.)

Try and leave the item somewhere that it will not be covered up and lost, or stepped on and destroyed. Use your imagination.

Write the claim memo #s and refund amounts on both the invoice & Receiving Sheet.

Shipment doesn't match the order sheet:

Items are delivered that were not on the order sheet:

• Check the invoice to find whether we were billed for the item.
• There will be a section where sample shipments are listed. Samples should be left for dry goods ordering to determine how they should be used.
• Items are also sometimes included in the shipment, but we are not charged. Follow the same procedure as for damaged items, but there will be no need to record a credit memo #, as we were not billed. Items on the order sheet were not delivered.
• If items are missing, check the invoice to find whether we were billed for the item.
  There is a section where out of stock items are listed. We're not billed for out of stock items, but the ordering staff should know that the items didn't arrive. Indicate out of stock items on the internal printout.

• Deal with any problems in the shipment
  • Missing item - Call UNFI claims for credit - Email Dry Goods via the Contact form
  • Extra item - Call UNFI claims, ask them what to do. Sometimes they don't ask for the item to be returned.
  • Mispick - Call UNFI claim for credit - Email Dry Goods via the Contact form

UNFI Catalogs

UNFI delivers new catalogs along with the regular weekly shipments. They are delivered alongside other products in the plastic totes. Replace the outdated catalogs on the shelf above the computer, cut the spiral binding from the catalog, and place it in the recycling box. The plastic spiral binding cuts easily with scissors.