Follow the step-by-step journey of a ring:
Part 1: The Journey of a Ring: Stuller Customer Care Center
Part 2: The Journey of a Ring: Jewelry Design and Development
Part 3: The Journey of a Ring: Jewelry CAD and Modeling
Part 4: The Journey of a Ring: Explore Stuller’s Fulfillment Area
Part 5: The Journey of a Ring: Just-In-Time Jewelry Distribution
Stuller’s Story of Jewelry Distribution
In our last posts about the journey of a ring, we offered a behind-the-scenes look at how we make jewelry— from design and development phases to CAD, casting, and fulfillment. Now, to wrap up, we have one final stop to make: Stuller’s Distribution Department. This is the area where all orders come together to create one complete shipment that will arrive at your door in one day, as promised!
Shipping & Handling by Stuller
Our jewelry distribution department has about 45 associates— a small headcount compared to the approximately 4,000 packages we ship on any given day. And that number can vary greatly depending on the season. Around Mother’s Day, shipments jump to about 5,500 packages per day. At holiday time, numbers can exceed a staggering 10,000 packages shipped per day. Wow! So after personally helping in this area during past holiday seasons, I can attest to the smooth organization this department demonstrates. In fact, in the latter part of December, volunteers from all ends of the company flock to the distribution department to make sure all packages make it out the door on time.
Interestingly enough, since Stuller allows customers to place orders until 5 p.m. CST and still receive them the next day (on any item in-stock), jewelry distribution doesn’t start revving up until late afternoon.
Sort > Scan > Ship!
As we discussed before, the fulfillment department pulls the pieces in queue for pending orders. Then, these items head to Stuller’s conveyor tilt tray system. Here, an associate places each item on the belt, barcode facing up. The pieces pass under a scanner, identifying which of the 30 shipping stations that item will go.
Once at a shipping station, the pieces are scanned again so an associate can determine which bin number the order belongs. When the last line item in a given order is scanned, the computer indicates the order is complete and ready for an invoice. The associate double-checks the items one final time to make sure they match the order. Once confirmed, the associate packages all items into one box (if possible), along with a handful of Stuller Dum-Dums.
Speaking of Stuller Dum-Dums, here’s an interesting fact: Stuller orders 1,500 cases of those suckers a year. And we enjoy all the notes customers send requesting different and favorite flavors. And, if you’re a regular, you may have noticed that depending on the season — from Mardi Gras to Valentine’s Day to Holiday season — we change up the lagniappe (a little something extra). The reason for this? Well, we just like to think of it as traditional southern hospitality. It’s the way our mommas raised us. Read more about the mystery of Stuller Dum-Dums here.
Shipping to a store near you!
Then, your just-in-time package is handed to either a FedEx or UPS team member, which we have stationed at our facility. One UPS associate, Renee Hulin, has spent most of her career working for UPS inside of Stuller.
“She understands the logistics,” says Dustin Trahan, Executive Director of Logistics Operations. “Renee is a team player. She wants to see everyone succeed even if it means helping her carrier competitor get packages out the door for Stuller.” And since 1982, Stuller has been one of the largest UPS and FedEx shippers in the southeast, shipping to 170 different countries. In fact, Stuller had a big hand in bringing those carriers to Acadiana.
In some cases, we’ve apparently taken our jewelry distribution promise to the extreme! Stuller lore is full of stories featuring our people getting downright physical in their attempts to ensure that an order makes it on time. One popular anecdote, for instance, tells of an anonymous Stuller associate accidentally tackling a UPS employee in order to pass off a last-minute item. Another story, dating to the early days of overnight delivery, involves a pair of employees driving to the airport and launching packages over the fence to workers in the midst of packing up the FedEx® jet.
Enjoyed the journey? Tell us a story of how Stuller has come through for you in the comments section below.
