About

 Making space in the year 2020 has been one of the biggest challenges for brick and mortar stores.  This sounds so counter intuitive due to the brick and mortar shutdowns but in reality its the truth.  Most stores are moving to a more ecommerce based function and what this means is that they have to store more products and create a shipping department to get them out.  So now instead of floor space, the ability to store packaging supplies and have a system to send out those products efficiently is key.  So for us the project began years ago and now that many other companies are in the same boat I want to help them to be able to move into the new economy that has been created by covid-19.

 

So the first thing to know is that all storage facilities are not the same.  Most billion dollar big box companies use basic racking systems and create the shelves the same size as the boxes they need to fit.  So when it comes to storing items and categorizing them the goal is to have a nice system in place.  This is best done by creating rows in your store and building basic shelving.  I like 4x8 ply board shelves held up by 2x4s.  Make the shelving hight 2 inches taller then the box you plan on putting in it and then keep going vertical.  A ladder system is very easy to implement for ailes, just make sure your ailes are wide enough for the ladder and the box. The goal is to make the shelves tall enough that if you are using cheap moving boxes you are preparing for the flex.  Yes, cheap moving boxes do flex when weight is on them and you will need a few extra inches of space in order to get those boxes out and in.  Maybe add 4 inches if you are dealing with heavier products.

 

Now also make sure to think about bins instead of just regular boxes. If you are dealing with some small items then you need to create shelving and racks to accommodate.  The last thing you want to do is waste space by putting a small set of bins on a giant shelf.  So think hard about the items you are going to be storeig because you can buy cardboard bins for super cheap and you can make lots of shelves to store lots of different items in a small area.  Just don't go overboard on putting small bins on big shelves.

 

Now space is also a very important part of the process for shipping. Make sure to leave adequate space to put extra employees than you normally think you will need.  It happens that Ecommerce tends to happen in batches and some days you will need all hands on deck to fill orders.  This means you should plan on extra space where things get packed and create a great system for cataloging the products they are going to be grabbing.  Depending on the location of your store you may need to create space for 6 feet between employees due to local covid-19 policy.

 

So I suggest making this space linear and not a simple square.  Making an isle for packing and a very long table can help separate people.  Staggering from one side to the other is also a wise way to efficiently make space. So think of putting people in a diagonal location when making this space. Happy Shipping!