METRO: store picking and delivery partner operations
In a New Retail interview published on 22 September 2021, Eugene Mischenko described METRO’s partner picking model: orders collected from store shelves, dedicated space after picking and checkout integration that avoided rescanning at a belt. This operating choice connects online capacity directly to the trading store. The analysis examines the decisions a retailer must resolve when adopting a comparable arrangement.
Calculate picking capacity during store hours
A sales floor contains stock, staff and customer traffic, all of which vary through the day. Before choosing an order limit, observe the complete picking cycle during ordinary and peak hours. Include travel between aisles, unavailable products, substitution approval and movement to the staging area. An average that excludes interrupted orders will overstate the capacity available to sell.
Build the first schedule around productive picker minutes and the expected basket mix. Large baskets need a different workload allowance from small top-up orders. Keep spare capacity for exceptions, then compare planned workload with the queue that actually accumulates. Adjust the delivery promise when that queue exceeds the remaining capacity.
Specify responsibility for every handover
The partner model needs an order-level agreement about when responsibility changes. Define who approves a replacement, confirms the final basket, records packaging and releases the order to a courier. If an item is missing, support needs a shared order reference and a visible decision history. Asking the customer to contact a second organisation can prolong a problem that both organisations already have enough information to resolve.
Test a partial cancellation, a late courier and a damaged package with both teams. Compare the timestamps each party holds. A completed task in the picking system should correspond to a physical order that the next employee can locate and accept.
Size staging space for the waiting orders
Staging demand depends on how long a completed order waits for collection. Even a fast picker can fill the available space if courier arrivals are irregular. Estimate concurrent waiting orders by time of day and by storage requirement. Then check physical separation, order identification, access routes and the process for an order that misses its collection window.
Measure the time from completion to handover alongside picking time. A crowded staging area can create search work, package confusion and blocked movement. These are costs of the service design. Include them when comparing store picking with a dedicated facility, together with stock duplication, replenishment and distance to customers.
Reconcile the cost of a completed basket
A retailer assessing the arrangement should calculate contribution after commercial discounts, partner charges, store labour, packing, refunds and failed handovers. Record who bears each cost when the final basket differs from the original order. Compare customer segments and delivery zones over the same period; a network average may hide an unviable location.
Use a pilot store to review availability, queue length, handover time, complaints and contribution together. Expansion should follow a repeatable operating result across representative busy periods. The next store may need a different order cap because its layout, basket mix and courier access create a different workload even with the same software.
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