Don’t Be Frightened of Freight! 5 Good Reasons to Buy Now, Ship Now
It’s nearly upon us – the holiday shipping crush. It literally feels like a huge wrecking ball swinging back and forth, up and around, and you never know when it will hit its target. One thing is for sure: if you’re feeling fright about that wrecking ball hitting your business hard, stand up to it! Buy early, ship early and keep that wrecking ball at bay.
October is not frightfully early to plan and purchase your year-end needs. Why?
- You’ll be among the few who think of it early in the month. That means while everyone else is preoccupied with Halloween ghouls and goblins, you’ll be happy shopping for your new warehouse racking system or forklift. You’ll be choosing from a full selection, with everything in stock and ready to ship. You may even have it within the week if you are decisive and need it quickly.
- You can purchase your new rack system with those end-of-year “use it or lose it” budget dollars. If you have some money to spare in your facilities budget, you can earmark it for warehousing supplies. Take a survey of your company departments and see who has a money surplus. If they’re looking for ways to spend their unused= cash, think of how they use your services, and have them earmark some of their extra dollars toward a step-up rack system or rack accessories. Whether it’s rack systems or wire decking, there’s something to fit your left-over budget – or every department’s budget!
- You’ll get excellent customer service no matter when you buy, but you might get a tiny bit more attention in October than in December. That customer service includes the scheduling of deliveries. Contracting shippers is much easier before the holiday rush for obvious reasons. You also do not want to be forced into using only available carriers closer to the holidays. All around, October is a better month buy and shift product. Often, once a shipment is booked, it’s out of the seller’s hands and into the shipping company’s – who definitely are more attentive in October than in December. We’ll help you find the right shipper any time, but there will be more flexibility in October.
- For delivery services, the weather is less likely to be an issue earlier in the quarter. Get the inclement weather policies from your shipping company so that in the event you have an issue with the weather, you know the delivery company’s policy. Your shipment shouldn’t be delayed because of weather-related transportation problems.
- Everything Warehouse, your local warehouse products retailer, like many other warehouses, has a shut-down period over the holidays. We will be closed for two weeks during that time frame — nothing in and nothing out.
On the recipient’s side (yours), Spread the good cheer a little earlier this year, and be a prepared customer. Make your receipt of goods pleasant for everyone by adhering to a few guidelines:
- Keep your shipping bay clear and clean both from dust and debris.
- Have help available to assist in any way, including moving product into your warehouse; if your items are being installed by the warehouse retailer, there will be more than one delivery person, but if you are self-installing, there will only be the driver.
- Make sure all walkways are clear, with no holiday decorations around the loading area or the warehouse itself. You won’t have to worry about wrapping paper or decorations being in the way if you buy early.
- Evaluate the shipment before leaving the dock. Is it what you ordered? Is it in line with your needs? Is it damaged in any way? Call any issues to the driver’s attention at delivery time, and make a phone call to customer service.
- Complete the post-delivery evaluation. Your feedback is most important to us! Then, come back and see us when your 2020 budget begins!
