The Work Bench · Stockers and Order Fillers

Decide storage methods and locations

The task, from O*NET: Determine proper storage methods, identification, and stock location, based on turnover, environmental factors, and physical capabilities of facilities.

Typical length 29 minutes. Time split: documents 80%, hands-on 20%. About 210,073,736 hours a year of desk work across the US go to this task.

Passes, one attempt by Claude Fable 5.1. The rubric was written 2026-10-01 03:27 UTC, before the attempt (2026-10-01 03:43 UTC); the grade came last (2026-10-01 03:50 UTC).

One attempt at one task on one date, with constructed material: it is not a statement that the job, or this task in a given workplace, can be done by AI. The rubric, the attempt and the grade were made by the same model in one session, in that order; a person's check of a sample of grades will be published beside them.

The brief

You stock the back room at a Pinecrest Market grocery store. The stockroom is being reorganized and the assistant manager asks you to propose where each of the twelve product groups below goes and how it is stored, following the store's rules: fast movers nearest the sales-floor door at waist to shoulder height; heavy cases on the floor or the lowest shelf; nothing heavier than 20 pounds above head height; temperature needs respected; chemicals and flammables away from food; first in, first out for anything dated; in the cooler, raw meat below ready-to-eat food. Produce a placement table (group, zone, shelf level, storage method, the rule behind it) and list anything you could not place within the rules, for the manager to decide.

The material

Constructed for this example; the names, figures and documents are invented.

THE ROOM
Zone A: racking beside the sales-floor door, 4 bays, levels: floor, waist, shoulder, and an overhead level for light items.
Zone B: racking along the back wall, 6 bays, the same levels.
Zone C: walk-in cooler, 34 to 38 F, 3 shelf levels.
Zone D: walk-in freezer, 0 F, 2 shelf levels.
Zone E: a locked cage beside the receiving door, 2 shelves, for chemicals and high-theft items.
The receiving door is at the far end of the room from the sales-floor door.

THE GROUPS (weekly turnover in cases; case weight; needs)
1. Bottled water, 24-packs: 60 cases a week; 28 lb; ambient.
2. Canned goods: 40; 22 lb; ambient.
3. Cereal and crackers: 35; 9 lb; ambient.
4. Paper towels and tissue: 30; 7 lb; ambient, bulky.
5. Milk and dairy: 55; 30 lb; 34 to 38 F; dated.
6. Fresh meat, packaged: 25; 25 lb; 34 to 38 F; dated; must sit below ready-to-eat food.
7. Ready-to-eat deli salads: 15; 12 lb; 34 to 38 F; dated.
8. Frozen vegetables: 20; 18 lb; 0 F.
9. Ice cream: 18; 14 lb; 0 F; dated.
10. Cleaning chemicals (bleach, degreaser): 6; 24 lb; away from food; ventilated; locked.
11. Baby formula: 8; 11 lb; ambient; dated; high theft.
12. Charcoal and lighter fluid: 5; 20 lb (charcoal), lighter fluid is flammable; away from food and heat.

The rubric, written before the attempt

1. Every group is placed in a zone that meets its temperature need. Evidence: Dairy, meat and salads in Zone C; frozen vegetables and ice cream in Zone D; everything else ambient in A, B or E.
2. Fast movers sit nearest the sales-floor door at waist or shoulder height, and slow movers away from it. Evidence: Water (60), canned goods (40), cereal (35) in Zone A; charcoal, chemicals and formula not in Zone A; dairy nearest the cooler door.
3. Heavy cases are low and nothing over 20 pounds is overhead. Evidence: Water (28 lb), dairy (30 lb), meat (25 lb), canned goods (22 lb), chemicals (24 lb) on the floor or lowest shelf; paper goods overhead or on top; charcoal (20 lb) not overhead.
4. Food safety order in the cooler and first in, first out for every dated group. Evidence: Raw meat on the lowest cooler shelf with salads above; FIFO stated for dairy, meat, salads, ice cream and formula.
5. Chemicals and lighter fluid are locked in Zone E away from food, and baby formula is not shelved beside them: it gets its own secured place or the conflict is flagged for the manager. Evidence: Explicit handling of the formula against the chemicals in the two-shelf cage.
6. The table has all five columns for all twelve groups and each reason names the rule applied. Evidence: Twelve rows, five columns, a rule in every reason.

The attempt, one pass, unedited

Claude Fable 5.1, written 2026-10-01 03:43 UTC from the brief and the material only.

PLACEMENT PLAN, Pinecrest Market stockroom

| Group | Zone | Shelf level | Storage method | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bottled water (60 a week, 28 lb) | A, bays 1 and 2 | Floor | Full cases on the floor, two bays wide for the volume | Fast mover by the sales-floor door; 28 lb cases stay low |
| 2. Canned goods (40, 22 lb) | A, bay 3 | Floor and waist | Full cases on the floor and lowest shelf; open cases at waist | Fast mover near the door; 22 lb cases low |
| 3. Cereal and crackers (35, 9 lb) | A, bay 4 | Waist and shoulder | Cases at waist and shoulder; overflow may go overhead | Fast mover near the door; light enough for shoulder and overhead |
| 4. Paper towels and tissue (30, 7 lb, bulky) | A and the near bays of B | Overhead | Overhead level, cases stacked | Light and bulky, under 20 lb, so allowed overhead |
| 5. Milk and dairy (55, 30 lb) | C | Floor and lowest shelf, nearest the cooler door | Date-labeled, new stock behind, oldest to the front (first in, first out) | 34 to 38 F; heavy cases low; the fastest cold mover nearest the door |
| 6. Fresh meat, packaged (25, 25 lb) | C | Lowest shelf, below every ready-to-eat item | Sealed cases, dated, first in, first out; bottom shelf only | Raw meat below ready-to-eat food; heavy cases low |
| 7. Ready-to-eat deli salads (15, 12 lb) | C | Middle shelf, above the meat | Dated, first in, first out | Ready-to-eat above raw meat; cold |
| 8. Frozen vegetables (20, 18 lb) | D | Lower shelf | Cases on the lower shelf | 0 F; the heavier of the two frozen groups goes low |
| 9. Ice cream (18, 14 lb) | D | Upper shelf | Dated, first in, first out | 0 F; dated |
| 10. Cleaning chemicals (6, 24 lb) | E | Lower shelf of the cage | Locked, ventilated, cases on the lower shelf | Away from food; locked; 24 lb low; slow mover at the far end |
| 12. Charcoal and lighter fluid (5, 20 lb) | E | Upper shelf of the cage; lighter fluid beside the chemicals | Locked, away from food and heat | Flammable, away from food; slow mover; charcoal is at the 20 lb limit, so not above head height |
| 11. Baby formula (8, 11 lb, dated, high theft) | Not placed; see below | | Dated, first in, first out wherever it lands | High theft calls for the locked cage, but the cage holds chemicals and lighter fluid, and formula is food |

Could not place within the rules: baby formula. The only locked space is Zone E, and the rules keep chemicals and flammables away from food, so formula cannot share the cage's two shelves with bleach, degreaser and lighter fluid. Options for the manager: (a) a lockable cabinet or lockbox in Zone B, waist level, bay 6, the farthest bay from the sales-floor door, which fits its slow turnover; (b) move the chemicals and lighter fluid to a separate locked cabinet by receiving and give the cage to formula; (c) keep formula in Zone B unlocked and rely on the sales-floor controls. I would not put it in the cage as it stands.

Other notes. Zone B, bays 1 to 5, takes the overflow of water and canned goods when a delivery exceeds Zone A, at the same levels. Nothing over 20 lb goes above head height anywhere; the overhead level carries only paper goods and cereal overflow.

The grade

Graded 2026-10-01 03:50 UTC against the rubric above, by the same model.

Overall: passes. The plan applies every rule and finds the one group the rules cannot place. The row order puts group 12 before 11 to keep the cage items together, which a reader may find odd. The option of swapping the cage's contents is practical and was not prompted.

How the examples are made and graded: the method. Every task of this job, with its length and when it comes within reach: Stockers and Order Fillers.