A method for handling piece goods being moved one after another in at least one row for forming a palletizable layer or pre-grouping for a palletizable layer, wherein - immediately consecutive piece goods are transported in a row without spaces as closed formation to a seizing range of a manipulator, and - at least one transported piece good is seized from the closed formation within the seizing range in a clamping and/or force-locking and/or form-locking manner by means of at least two clamping means and/or gripping means, which clamping means and/or gripping means are arranged opposite one another and are associated with the at least one manipulator, which at least one seized piece good is spatially separated from the closed formation by distancing in the transport direction and by at least brief acceleration with a movement component parallel to the straight movement path of the closed formation and which at least one seized piece good is brought into a specified relative target position (P1, P2, P3) and/or target alignment with respect to subsequent piece goods of the closed formation, - wherein a first vertical symmetry plane, which is being oriented approximately about perpendicular to a transport direction and/or a longitudinal extension direction of the closed formation and which is being defined by the at least one piece good seized by the at least two clamping means and/or gripping means of the at least one manipulator, is spaced apart from a second vertical symmetry plane aligned about parallel thereto and defined by the manipulator or by its clamping and/or gripping means, characterized in that - in which method in a plurality of temporally consecutive steps, in each case at least one transported piece good is seized from the closed formation, is in each case spatially separated from the closed formation by lateral rotation out of a straight movement path of the closed formation and is being brought into a respective specified relative target position (P1, P2, P3) and/or target alignment with respect to the subsequent piece goods, wherein as a result the palletizable layer or the pre-grouping for a palletizable layer is formed in temporally consecutive steps from the piece goods being brought and/or rotated into their respective target position (P1, P2, P3) and/or target alignment. - immediately consecutive piece goods are transported in a row without spaces as closed formation to a seizing range of a manipulator, and - at least one transported piece good is seized from the closed formation within the seizing range in a clamping and/or force-locking and/or form-locking manner by means of at least two clamping means and/or gripping means, which clamping means and/or gripping means are arranged opposite one another and are associated with the at least one manipulator, which at least one seized piece good is spatially separated from the closed formation by distancing in the transport direction and by at least brief acceleration with a movement component parallel to the straight movement path of the closed formation and which at least one seized piece good is brought into a specified relative target position (P1, P2, P3) and/or target alignment with respect to subsequent piece goods of the closed formation, - wherein a first vertical symmetry plane, which is being oriented approximately about perpendicular to a transport direction and/or a longitudinal extension direction of the closed formation and which is being defined by the at least one piece good seized by the at least two clamping means and/or gripping means of the at least one manipulator, is spaced apart from a second vertical symmetry plane aligned about parallel thereto and defined by the manipulator or by its clamping and/or gripping means, characterized in that - in which method in a plurality of temporally consecutive steps, in each case at least one transported piece good is seized from the closed formation, is in each case spatially separated from the closed formation by lateral rotation out of a straight movement path of the closed formation and is being brought into a respective specified relative target position (P1, P2, P3) and/or target alignment with respect to the subsequent piece goods, wherein as a result the palletizable layer or the pre-grouping for a palletizable layer is formed in temporally consecutive steps from the piece goods being brought and/or rotated into their respective target position (P1, P2, P3) and/or target alignment.