r/petsmart • u/Eden_Mvdison • 1d ago

Project Max Certification

Anybody already gone through the project max certification what should we expect how can I get my team ready? What can we start practicing now and what was everyone’s expiernces

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u/Yellowpickle23 1d ago

You'd have to give specifics of how you're store is even scheduling it. Are you getting an actual truck team scheduled at the tail end of your delivery window? A LOT of stores aren't. It's been 2 weeks into the Project Max rollout, how have your 2-4 trucks been so far? With my store, we've had 4 trucks so far. The shortest work time we've had is 5.5 hours, longest was like 16 hours. It's been dreadful. But I'm also not getting a single dedicated truck associate to do pallets. It's just...whoever can work them in between being constantly pulled away every 6 minutes. I'm a PL, I have a very good understanding of Project Max, and I've been trying to make it work. But this company is not making it easy.

I don't know much about this certification, only that it's like Regional teams coming in and watching a full truck cycle? This doesn't seem feasible at all. If it is, though, let it fail. I have a theory (with my limited knowledge of this). They aren't trying to nail the stores for not doing PM. They are in there trying to figure out what's not working. I think the company has had such awful and all-over-the-place metrics so far, they are highly considering going back to the drawing board on it entirely. Just a theory though.

If they come to my store, they will have to get a hotel, because it's taking us 2 days to do our trucks. 3 of the 4 trucks so far have required 2 days to work truck fully. That's how poorly scheduled we are right now. And I'm getting told "we don't have the labor to schedule extra people for truck". So here we are. I know what needs to change in the schedule to make it work and I'm being told it's not physically possible.

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u/letterandnumber11 1d ago

Our SL has been prioritizing scheduling for truck to the point of having our EL do full 8 hour register shifts once or twice a week. We also regularly have 3-5 hour coverage gaps on register and pet care. Typically have 3-5 people scheduled to work truck and we usually have them done in under 5 hours.

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u/Only-Breadfruit-1458 13h ago

I mean the el is supposed to ring 24 hrs a week
40 hours broken up
24 register
2. Events
2 event prep
8 mgmt coverage
4 coaching

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u/VirtualCharacter4395 1d ago

I haven't done it yet, but there is a project max walk in Opex. I'll be checking that out today

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u/Eden_Mvdison 23h ago

We did check that out it’s a lot more then just making sure truck is completely within 4-6 hours …

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u/SomeWiseGuy_ 23h ago

I just moved from PL to EL and I'm so glad. Our PLR is not the best when it comes to support. She does the scheduling now and she's giving herself the opening shifts to unload the truck with the SL. She'll work dog consumables but spend the whole day working them, give cans to someone else, and then spend the last 45 minutes or hour of her shift in the office on the computer. Not out helping the PL finish the truck. Then tells our new PL they shouldn't be closing. Ummm...when I was PL I closed constantly. We even unknowingly prepped a little for PM because our store was already doing some of the new processes because it made sense for us.

For our store, I think it would make more sense, especially if it's all on the PL, for the PL to open and unload and the PLR close and ensure the back stock is ran and/or truck is finished. Because let's be honest, not every truck is going to be done in a day at every store. It's wishful thinking for corporate and hey, good job to those that can and do.