Who should cover the checkout rush?
Use the roster and forecast to cover the rush and the pickup desk.
The question
A fictional UK supermarket needs a plan for 17:00 to 18:00. One colleague can cover one assignment at a time. Everyone listed is available until 18:00, apart from the fixed break.
| Tills | Pickup | |
|---|---|---|
| 17:00–17:30 | 2 | 1 |
| 17:30–18:00 | 3 | 1 |
Each till and the pickup desk need a trained colleague.
- TillsAsha, Ben, Cora and Fran can staff tills. Ben has a fixed break from 17:00 to 17:30.
- PickupDee is trained for the pickup desk.
- Stock countFran needs 20 minutes to finish a count by 18:30. The count can move.
“How will you cover the rush with this team?”
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A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: What coverage must you protect?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Spread checkout cover evenly over the hour.
Tempting, but it misses something. The second block needs one more staffed till than the first.
Plan each block around training, pickup and the break.
The strong move. This keeps the required jobs staffed at the right time.
Count anyone on the roster as able to run a till.
Tempting, but it misses something. Only four named staff can cover tills.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Check the tills in each half hour. Keep Dee on pickup and protect Ben’s 17:00 break.”
Why it works: Total staff on the roster does not tell you how many people can work a particular job at 17:00.
Step 2: Who would you assign?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Run three tills at 17:00 using Asha, Ben and Cora.
Tempting, but it misses something. Ben is on a fixed break at that time.
Keep two tills all hour and use Fran on the count.
Tempting, but it misses something. The later block would be one till short.
Add Ben at 17:30 and keep pickup staffed throughout.
The strong move. Both blocks meet the forecast and the break stays covered.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Asha and Cora cover tills in the first block. Ben joins them at 17:30. Dee stays on pickup. Fran can do the count in the first block. That gives 150 till staff-minutes.”
Why it works: The forecast needs two staffed tills for 30 minutes and three for 30 minutes.
Step 3: What changes when the rush starts early?
The updated demand check now calls for 3 staffed tills in the first block too. Pickup cover and the second block stay the same.
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Move Fran to tills until Ben returns.
The strong move. This adds early till cover and keeps pickup and the break intact.
Call Ben back from the fixed break.
Tempting, but it misses something. Fran can cover the till without changing the break.
Move Dee from the pickup desk.
Tempting, but it misses something. Pickup needs a trained colleague for both blocks.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Put Fran on a till from 17:00. That supplies 30 extra till staff-minutes. When Ben returns at 17:30, Fran can do the count and finish at 17:50. Dee stays on pickup.”
Why it works: Fran is trained for the early gap. The count still fits before the deadline.
Step 4: How will you check the plan?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Confirm assignments and check both queues at the changeover.
The strong move. The lead can respond to a new gap while the team knows who owns each job.
Check only the checkout queue.
Tempting, but it misses something. The plan still has to serve customers at pickup.
Move the count again without telling its owner.
Tempting, but it misses something. The team could miss the count deadline without a new assignment.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Tell the team who covers each till and the pickup desk. Check both queues at 17:30. If a fourth till is needed, tell the duty manager that the count needs another owner or a revised deadline.”
Why it works: At 17:30 the lead can verify that the revised assignments cover both queues.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Use Fran on tills until 17:30, then move Fran to the count.
- Because
- The early rush needs one extra trained colleague. Pickup and Ben’s break stay covered.
- What would change it
- A fresh demand check requires another till or changes the pickup need.
Common traps
- Using total headcount as till cover.
- Moving the pickup colleague to clear the checkout queue.
Check your answer
- Who can work each job?
- When is the break fixed?
- Which assignment changes at 17:00?
- Who checks both queues at 17:30?
Last reviewed Nov 11, 2026