‘Tis the season to be shopping and we are shopping! National Public Radio (NPR) says that Black Friday and Cyber Monday both exceeded anticipated holiday sales levels. This year, according to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales are expected to ring in at $447.1 billion; that’s about $1,450 per capita. With holiday sales representing about 20 percent of total annual retail sales, discounters, department stores, grocery outlets, and specialty shops make sure to stock sufficient merchandise for us to choose from. And, for those of us who don’t like to elbow our way through the shopping mall, we can always order on-line. E-commerce sales (which are not included in the above forecasted number) are expected to reach $32.4 billion- a whopping 11 percent increase over last year.

So, how does all the merchandise we purchase during the holidays find its way from factories to warehouses and from warehouses to store shelves and ultimately to us? Business consultants refer to this process as Supply Chain Management (SCM). To give you an idea of the importance of SCM, the US Military and Wal-Mart invest heavily in this process and are considered to be leading experts in the field. SCM makes sure goods are where they need to be when they need to be there. Despite the complexities of SCM, at the bottom of it all and critical to the movement of most goods is the simple pallet. (more…)

Valentine’s Day is a festival of cards, candy, and flowers. During this holiday, 65% of all US households will exchange greeting cards, 38% will give or receive candy, and 32% will turn to flowers to say, “Will you be my Valentine?” (more…)

See if your local supermarket has an in-store kiosk. Often retail kiosks enable shoppers to find items, compare prices, and swipe their loyalty cards for discounts. Kiosks can provide valuable information, save time, and save money. By swiping your loyalty card for discounts, you may eliminate printing coupons upon check-out!