How many pallets do you need before Christmas, and when do you have to order them?

Every December the same two things happen. Outbound volume climbs through November and peaks in the week before the close, and the yards that supply pallets and the trucks that deliver them fill up at the same time. The arithmetic is simple, and the order date matters more than the count.

Order pallets for the run-up Set up a standing order

Or call Jayden on 0494 820 639, 7am to 5pm weekdays.

Quick answer

How many pallets do you need before Christmas?

Count the pallets on hand, take the weekly burn (pallets out minus pallets back, from November's numbers), multiply by the weeks to the last despatch day, not to Christmas Day, and add a January week of cover. Order in November for December delivery in weekly drops, grade A first because it runs out first, and book the transport with the pallets. The closure dates, last delivery day and last pickup day are published on the facts page as soon as they are set.

The arithmetic

How many pallets will the warehouse use before the close?

01Count what is on handEmpties in the yard, the stack behind the dock, and the pallets under slow stock that will be picked before Christmas and come free.
02Take the weekly burnPallets out last week minus pallets that came back. Use the last four weeks, and use November's number rather than October's, because it is higher.
03Count the weeks to the last despatch dayNot to Christmas Day. The last truck out of most warehouses leaves days earlier, and that is the date the burn runs to.
04Add the January weekThe first week back has no pallet deliveries from anyone until the yards reopen. A week of cover carries it.

Worked through: a wholesaler sending 180 pallets a week with 40 coming back burns 140 a week. Six weeks to the last despatch day is 840. Take off 220 on hand and add a January week of 140, and the order is 760 pallets, not the 400 that feels about right in October.

The order date

When do you have to order pallets for Christmas?

In November, for December delivery. Pallet yards run down through December in a set order: grade A stock goes first because every DC wants the same pallet under retail loads in the same fortnight, repair crews cannot make grade A faster than it sells, and the trucks are booked solid from the second week. An order placed in the first half of November is filled from full stock. An order placed in the last week is filled from whatever grade is left.

Split the order into weekly drops so the floor is not buried under a month of pallets in one day, with the last drop landing the week before the last despatch day. The yard's Christmas and New Year hours, the last delivery day and the last pickup day are published on the facts page as soon as they are set each year, and the same dates go on the Google listing.

Grade A first, because it runs out first
Weekly drops, not one dump
A standing order through to the close, with the count set now and changed by one call
Empties collected on the delivery run once the stack is sixty reusable pallets in Greater Sydney
Published from-prices on the prices page, standing orders priced on the volume

What runs out

What runs out first in December, and what to do about it?

What	What happens in December	What to do
Grade A standard pallets	First to go. Every DC wants them under retail loads in the same fortnight.	Order them first, in November, for the whole run-up.
One way pallets	Fine until the last fortnight, then short.	Order with the grade A and hold them in the yard until the drop.
Transport	Booked solid from the second week of December.	Book the December runs with the pallet order, not after it.
Floor space	Pallet stock takes the floor the stock needs.	Stage the drops weekly and keep the empties moving out on the delivery run.
People	The person who orders pallets is on leave.	A standing order through to the close means nobody has to remember.

Getting a number

Give us the weekly burn and the last despatch day.

Tell us the grade, the weekly count and the last day you despatch before the close. The quote comes back the same business day when you ask before 2pm, split into the weekly drops you want, delivered from Prestons across Greater Sydney, Wollongong, the Central Coast and Newcastle.

Order pallets for the run-up Set up a standing order

Questions about pallets before Christmas

When is the last day to order pallets before Christmas?

The last delivery day, the last pickup day and the closure dates are published on the facts page under hours as soon as they are set each year, and on the Google listing. Order in November for December delivery; the week before the close is for the last drop, not the first order.

Can the order be split into weekly deliveries?

Yes. A standing order through to the close puts the same grade and count on the floor each week, which keeps the stock off the racking space and keeps the count honest. The price is set on the whole volume. How standing orders work.

What if volume comes in higher than the forecast?

Call and lift the count. A change on a standing order is one call and is priced at the term rate. A new order in the last week is filled from whatever grade is left, which is why the first order goes in early and the lift is the only thing left to do in December.

Do you collect empties over the busy period?

Yes, on the delivery run, where the stack is sixty or more reusable pallets anywhere in Greater Sydney, which is a free pickup. Smaller stacks ride back on the next delivery. The last pickup day before the close is published with the hours.

Is there a pallet shortage every Christmas?

Grade A hardwood tightens every December because retail loads, export and the pools all want the same pallet in the same fortnight. Grade B and one way softwood usually hold later into the month. The market note tracks what we are seeing this year.

Prefer to talk? Call Jayden on 0494 820 639. Planning the trucks as well as the pallets: peak season planning. The standing-order pattern, worked out: standing orders.

Call 0494 820 639 Get a price