Trucks, Trolleys & The Festive Rush
December is the busiest month of the year for shopping – and that’s no surprise. Although we might say each year that this year will be different, that we will buy earlier, spread the cost and the deliveries, we very rarely remember to do it. And then along comes December, and it’s panic stations to get that sought after Christmas gift in time.
If it’s a busy time for shops and shoppers, imagine how busy it must be for warehouses up and down the country as well. Retailers take on extra staff, but they also buy in extra stock to make sure they don’t run out of the must haves (and the oh well while I’m heres…). This means that there is more and more demand put on warehouses. Along with that extra demand and workload, it is essential that employees are kept safe – a busy warehouse mixed with the wrong kind of equipment and little training is a recipe for disaster.
It is essential that business owners prepare properly for the festive rush. It takes consumers by surprise each year, but it should never be the same for warehouses. In fact, warehouse managers should start preparing for the rush in the summer, when it is slightly calmer – more people on holiday mean fewer sales in the shops, and that means a small period of relief for warehouses. So during this time it should be possible to take a look at the workload in previous years and work out a plan of attack. This could mean buying in additional pallet trucks – or other kinds of trucks – and keeping them in storage until the time comes to use them. This is far better than waiting until the festive period has begun and then trying to buy trucks which, by that point, could be out of stock and have a long waiting time attached to their delivery.
Once those trucks are in place, they don’t have to be used only during Christmas. This is the great thing about planning in advance; the trucks can be used at any time, and once warehouses are in possession of them, they can begin to expand without any worries that they won’t be prepared. Perhaps by next Christmas they will have even more business to enjoy!
Buying a number of hand pallet trucks is a good investment. They take only very little time when it comes to staff training, but once staff know how to use them, they can really get to work more quickly and efficiently. They can be used to move stock around the warehouse, out into the yard, and even onto lorries if the load is correct. This speed and efficiency will ensure that no one is left out this Christmas.