Thank You for Valentine’s Day Logistics
If you are a regular reader of our blog you are probably aware that logistics is around us everywhere, whether we realize it or not. But, for those of you who are not proficient with what logistics is about, let me give you a one sentence display. Logistics is the thankless profession that makes the world go ‘round.
Where there are goods and products to be sold, there are logistics to be conducted. So, it should be no surprise to anyone that Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest holidays for logistics.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) states that 55% of the U.S. population will participate in Valentine’s Day with the average consumer spending $143.56 ($7 increase from 2017). Planned Spending for 2018 is projected to be $19.6 Billion which is $1.4 billion more than last year.
Author: John Hritz from Ann Arbor, MI, USA via WikiMedia Commons
According to the NRF, the top 3 gift plans are candy (55%), greeting cards (45.9%), and flowers (35.6%). Surprise, surprise, all these items are commodities which can be imported. Looking at U.S. import data in the month of December alone, we see about ~39 million kilograms of candy, ~25+ million of individual greeting cards, and ~61 million kilograms of flowers being imported.
Once the products are imported they still need to be moved to the importer’s warehouse, separated, repackaged, moved to distributors, distributed to retailers, unpacked, labeled, and shelved before they are ready to sell. That’s a lot of planning and a lot of logistics.
But when your significant other receives that bouquet of roses and the box of chocolates and showers you with love and adornment, no one thanks the logistics. No thanks for the hundreds of people who ensured you will have something to buy your loved one that one day of year you express your gratitude and appreciate to them.
So this Valentine’s Day, Universal Cargo urges you to not only thank your loved ones, but thank logistics personnel everywhere. The hardworking men and women of our society that ensure we have beautiful and delicious things to purchase everyday.
Featured Image: Author – Johntex via WikiMedia Commons
