Consolidation Revisited

Today, a second DC was added to the mix and it was very obvious. In addition to Raleigh customers, we now have Lexington, KY, and Baton Rouge, LA, customers to service and more are on the way. January isn’t a terribly busy month for the auto parts industry but today I felt like it was mid-July and the computer system was down. Every time I turned around, my phone was ringing or someone was handing me an order or a piece of paper with a question or a part number to confirm.

I knew this was coming and thought I was prepared, but what will I do when the busy season begins and we have all 11 DCs? And it’s not only me. The ladies that will answer most of the calls will be inundated all day long. And some of the customers will undoubtedly become frustrated with all the new changes. Some customers are a challenge to deal with when everything’s normal, let alone when they become frustrated!! I certainly hope that the growing (or should I say shrinking?) pains for this consolidation will be short and relatively painless. If not, we will all be in for a time of controlled chaos.

On a saner note, this past weekend’s Project Feeder Watch was wonderful. My feeder area looked like a miniature RDU. I was delighted to see all of the different species come feed from them. The highlight of the count was the two Brown-headed Nuthatches (Sitta pusilla) that visited. They are some of the most acrobatic birds I have ever seen and it was fun watching them fly in at top speed, twist around in midair and grasp the edge of the feeder roof with their feet in order to look back on the flight path, and then drop down headfirst onto the feeder floor to grab a morsel before taking off again. There was also the occasional squabble if both arrived at the same time. They make for a fun watch.

Well, until the next DC comes aboard, here’s to hoping for calmer days ahead.

Have a blessed day!