Prepare for the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, supermarkets and warehouses should start "mobilizing troops and arranging battle formations"

With less than a month to go before Mid-Autumn Festival, many supermarkets have already begun stocking up. Mooncake gift boxes, alcoholic beverages, grain, oil, and non-staple food, as well as seasonal gift boxes, are being brought into the warehouse in waves. At this time, the warehouse, which usually seems spacious enough, suddenly becomes "overwhelmed": the aisles are filled with gift boxes that haven't been put on the shelves yet, boxes of beverages are stacked at the entrance, and the turnover goods in the fresh food section are so crowded that it's hard to move around.

When the inventory increases, problems arise. The gift boxes are prone to being crushed, and if one box is damaged, the prestige goods become defective products. Alcoholic beverages are heavy and slippery, and if stacked too high, they are prone to toppling over. Seasonal products are time-sensitive, and if the goods stored in the corner haven't been put on the shelves, the festival is already half over. What's more troublesome is that with the inventory piled high, picking and finding goods relies entirely on rummaging through the stack. If restocking can't keep up, the storefront is left waiting for stockouts.

The warehouse during the inventory preparation season is often not "overwhelmed" but "disorganized". By streamlining the following three steps, many warehouses can manage without renting additional space.

First, we need to clarify the circulation routes. The receiving area, storage area, picking area, and shipping area should be clearly designated, ensuring that goods move from entry to exit without any backtracking. The pathways should also be prioritized: the main pathways that can accommodate forklifts should be wider, while the secondary pathways for picking should be wide enough for one person and one vehicle to pass through, avoiding blockages caused by shelves.

Step two, select the "bed" according to the goods. This is crucial. For heavy items such as beverages, grain, and oil, use palletized storage and heavy-duty racks, with full pallets for storage and retrieval, and forklifts for loading and unloading, which is labor-saving and not prone to damage; for delicate and fragile items such as mooncake gift boxes and seasonal gift boxes, use medium-sized racks, with the height of each layer adjustable according to the height of the boxes, and one row per layer, making it easy to see and retrieve; for fresh and frozen turnover goods, use stainless steel racks, which are moisture-proof and easy to maintain, with water stains easily wiped away.

Step three: leave a fallback plan for after the holiday. Having more stock is not necessarily better. Number the storage locations and store them in designated positions. Place the best-selling items before the holiday in convenient locations; for gift boxes and near-expiration products that remain unsold after the holiday, plan in advance for their return to storage or disposal locations, so as not to let them clog up the aisles during peak season.

After following these three steps, the "capacity" of the warehouse can often be further optimized. Shelves serve as the foundation for the inventory season - choosing the right type and arranging them properly ensures that even during the busy holiday season, there is no panic. Shippon's shelves, including light, medium, heavy, and stainless steel models, can be customized. We offer free on-site measurements and CAD design services to help you lay out your inventory strategy. With a tidy warehouse, the holiday season becomes more manageable.