Job Description Warehouse Manager
I worked as a warehouse manager for several years and for several different companies. For legal reasons, I can't give the company names. As far as the varied merchandise I've dealt with; they include- tea, frozen food, clothing, machine parts, plastic materials, and bottled water. I've since moved on to other jobs (construction, manufacturing, and now I work at a recycling facility).From my own experience, I can give you the following tips:
-KNOW YOUR INVENTORY ( Know where it is, how much is on hand, what it's called, it's SKU number, and be aware of any instances when your computer is telling you something that you know to be inaccurate. And if you deal with food, know your lot numbers and sell-by dates. A notebook helps, but you'll be much more effective if you can recite all of this data from memory.)
-KNOW YOUR PRODUCTS ( What are your most popular sellers? Move these closer to the front of the warehouse. Locations should be based upon making it easier to get merchandise on the truck. If a popular item is wa-a-ay in the back of the warehouse, it slows down production for your order-pickers/fulfillment dept.)
-KNOW YOUR CREW ( Figure out who does what best. That slacker who you can't fire because he has seniority? Give him easy no-brainer orders that he can't screw up. The new guy who is really quick and accurate? Give him the high-priority orders that you can't afford any mistakes on. The owner's son/nephew/cousin? AVOID AT ALL COSTS! Nepotism sucks, but it still exists. Give them "busy-work" and try to keep them away from you; when push comes to shove, it's YOU who will lose.)
-KNOW YOUR SCHEDULE ( This will burn you the most. Every place I've worked at has a so-called standard of orders being placed two weeks in advance. They have all also had 'special' customers that can place LARGE orders with only a minute's notice. Be aware of these. Intuition helps. Nothing burns you more than a "RUSH" order that you only have a limited amount of time to get loaded onto a truck. Especially if the truck is parked in dock one and you've just gotten the paperwork five minutes ago; which brings us to our last tip...)
-KNOW YOUR SALESPEOPLE ( Their job is SALES. They will promise the world to the customers. It's your job to deliver it, not theirs. Even if you hate their phony smiling attitudes, be their friend. Be sure you keep open lines of communication. If they've oversold an item, tell them as soon as you're aware of it. If you wait 'til the last minute, you could cause them to lose an account and their commission, which usually just makes them bitter towards you AND your crew. If possible, also tell them when they're underselling items - that stuff in the back has gotta go SOMEWHERE.)
Good luck! Try not to stress too much, and I wouldn't advise this as a career choice. It's cool for a while, but the guys on the crew don't refer to the manager as "that crabby old geezer" for nothin'.
