A shipment of spring dresses arrives at a retailer’s distribution center after weeks of production and travel overseas. The cartons are unloaded, opened, and the first few garments are pulled out for inspection.
At first glance, everything looks fine. The dresses are neatly packed and the styles look great for the upcoming spring season. But as the inspection continues, a problem begins to appear.
In retail, timing is everything.
Seasonal launches, promotional events, and new product drops are planned months in advance. Retailers build marketing campaigns, schedule store displays, and prepare e-commerce launches around a very specific calendar. When a product is supposed to hit the shelves, it needs to be ready.
The challenge is that the supply chain doesn’t always cooperate.
For retailers and apparel brands importing product, there’s always a bit of anticipation when a container finally arrives at the distribution center. After weeks on the water, the doors swing open and the expectation is simple: unload the cartons and move the product through the supply chain as quickly as possible.
“When we allocate our resources, we do so with Darn it! in mind. With our company’s goal of just time inventory and lean manufacturing, we often have very tight deadlines, Darn it! consistently makes me look good!”
Mike W.
