Friday, August 5, 2011

Inventorialization!

The 9s section of the warehouse (BBQ stuff)

It was a busy week here at Chef Tools. We inventoried our warehouse this week, which means the entire staff spent 3 days counting what felt like millions of products. Chef Tools has over 10,000 products and we have several of each. I would estimate that we counted somewhere in the range of 20,000 items, from tiny pastry tips to hulking Dutch ovens

We worked in teams of 2, with one person counting items, the other keeping tally. Then, we went back for a second wave of counting to correct miscounts. The count required agility and creativity. One moment you might find yourself suspended 12 feet in the air balancing atop a shelving unit, a few minutes later you were emptying a box of Meri Meri party supplies, counting, and then re-packing it correctly, which was like solving a Rubik’s cube. 

The Nana Saver
We inevitably found some items that we had forgotten about. Doing inventory is sort of like cleaning out your attic or basement. But instead of finding an old middle school yearbook or a love letter (or gross spider carcasses), we found things like bottle dust caps. Or, my personal favorite, the ‘Nana Saver. No, it’s not a cryogenic chamber for your beloved grandmother; it’s a plastic cap for bananas to keep them from browning. I also discovered that we have an enormous stock of silicone spatulas. I counted so many spatulas that the word “spatulas” lost all meaning to me. 

The coolest thing I found was a Reed’s Rocket Nutcracker. I’m not sure who Reed is, or if he’s still alive, but his invention looks like a rail gun for nuts. It is awesome. It’s made in Glenville, Ga., by a company called Peas and Corn Inc., and I could totally picture a guy sitting on a porch in a rocking chair with a julep, a Reed’s rocket and a pile of pecans just completely set for the night.

At any rate, inventory was a success. It will help us get products to you faster because we have triple checked what have and what we don’t have. Also, if you know anyone who needs a ‘Nana Saver, send them our way.

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