Hi - I'm so new that I'm still trying to navigate before going out into the shopping world. I've been seeing things about "down stocking" in reference to big stores ie Best Buy. What exactly is the shopper expected to do? When I was in retail, it meant to pull stuff that isn't selling off the shelves for either a clearance bin or return to warehouse. Sorry if this has been asked and answered. I searched but didn't find anything.

Down stocking is common in retail stores and means that the store commonly uses that top shelf which most customers can't reach as extra quick storage. As a way to rotate stock especially during busy times just say Thanksgiving the store will put common things or large items as an example turkey gravy on that top shelf to save some time once it becomes empty to just move it down into it's proper home instead of needing to go to the storage area to find that item and put more on the shelf. Larger items would be like Costco selling rugs or fire safes that several just won't fit on the shelf. Usually for shoppers it would reference inventory control and making sure the item on that top shelf has a lower home instead of being five isles away, but may also include product rotation for expiration dates with perishable items.

Perhaps you can anonymously call a Best Buy store, for example, and ask what downstocking is?

for that store specifically:

you are assigned 5 departments to get 50 scans in, you take the scanner, create a new report, go to your first department, find 10 empty pegs, scan them, and then Submit it to the printer

then you repeat this process for each department, once you are done you go get your reports from the printer, and score them(which really really sucks but I’m pretty dumb). Submit your reports, bring them to geek squad for a copy to be made, give the copy to the manager, turn the scanner back in and you’re done.