2023 ESG Report
New and improved PC Express experience
August 22, 2023
New changes to PC ExpressTM have been rolled out across the Discount and Market divisions to improve colleagues’ experience using the platform for fulfilling orders.
The improvements are thanks to feedback from store teams.
“Our colleagues in store are our eyes and ears on the ground,” says Vanessa Ogden, Director of Online Grocery Operations for Discount. “We always want to look at how we can make PC Express better, and we welcome their input.”
Both Vanessa and her Market division counterpart, Hufsa Akbar, used to work at the store level, so they knew first-hand some of the ways that PC Express could improve.
“We thought it was important to ensure that these changes were made,” says Hufsa, Director of PC Express Store Operations for Market, Fortinos, and Wholesale Club.
The improvements have been underway for some time. Both Vanessa and Hufsa have teams of specialists who regularly visit Discount and Market stores across the country, where they talk to colleagues about how PC Express is working and gather feedback.
“Our teams have built these amazing relationships with colleagues, with open, two-way communication,” Vanessa says. “Even if the feedback is only coming out of one region or it’s only one colleague that’s voicing it, we’ll dig deeper into it and it could be something has an impact on the entire banner.”
“We’re focused on how we can make the lives of our colleagues and our customers better,” Hufsa adds. “Retail excellence goes hand in hand with colleague excellence.”
Their specialists bring the input to the digital team, who incorporates the feedback into the systems the stores use.
It’s about working together, from senior leadership to the stores, Vanessa says.
“The banners and divisions have come together with a common goal of improving the PC Express experience and the customer experience.”
The changes include:
A new real-time dashboard where store teams can see how pickers are performing and provide assistance promptly if needed
Batching orders for produce, which improves pickers’ efficiency
Improving how pickers can collect large fridge and freezer items, such as 4L milks
Adding a bar code to stores’ item exception reports, so colleagues can easily scan the product with their handheld
Updating time zone information in item exception reports to local time, rather than the prior default of Eastern time
A new follow-up procedure when colleagues report errors in Instabug so they learn what came of their report
Adding a secondary job code for the concierge role, since the position requires specialized skills
New access for Vanessa’s and Hufsa’s teams to see cancelled store orders
Since the changes have been made, Hufsa’s and Vanessa’s teams have documented an increase in perfect orders and in found rate—how often customers receive the exact item they ordered.
Both Market and Discount stores have also seen increases in customers’ overall satisfaction scores.
“We strive for retail excellence, and I'm so proud of everybody’s hard work,” Vanessa says. “It takes an entire team for PC Express to really be successful. That collaboration and that engagement within the stores has really driven us to whole new heights.”
