Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
ISSING
LINKS
INOPTIMIZING
FOODDISTRIBUTION
EFFICIENCY
by
J, S. Toothman
Department of Agricultural Economics
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
Author presents the supply system included in this total. But there is
problems encountered by convenience very little evidence in the history. of
stores. food wholesaling to indicate that it
has a capability for innovation and
adaption to changing conditions compar-
Food retailing institutions in the able to that of retailing. The operat-
United States have historically expe- ing practices in certain segments of
rienced almost continuous evolutionary the retail supply system are essentially
change in response to advances in tech- the same now as they were fifty years
nology and new influences on consumer ago. Other parts of the wholesaling
behavior. This has caused frequent and industry, especially grocery wholesaling,
sometimes drastic change in the dominant by designing facilities and methods to
type of food retailing outlet. The efficiently serve supermarkets can no
earliest change was from trading post to longer meet the special needs of small
city general store and country general food retailers. The increasing concern
store. These were followed by small about energy scarcity, air pollution
grocery stores and specialty stores. and productivity in food distribution
Later the blending of perishable and non- creates an urgency for improving the
perishable food merchandising created logistics of food wholesaling.
the combination store which soon exploded
into the supermarketing concept of food New life styles have caused the
distribution. Each time period and its retailing sector of food distribution to
major food retailing institution has been continue the process of adaption. Dur-
accompanied by several supplementary ing the past decade developments in
forms of food retailing such as public the food service industry have been the
markets, hucksters, specialty food stores, most spectacular. This industry now
and roadside farm markets. Most recently boasts of serving one out of every three
convenience and fast food stores have meals consumed by the U.S. population.
become important auxiliary retail out- Its rate of real sales growth in recent
lets for food and related products. years has been higher than grocery
stores-- a pattern that is expected to
An estimated 700,000 retail loca- continue. Sales of the two largest fast
tions in the U.S. sell food products food chains now exceed one billion
either for on-premise or off-premise con- dollars a year, The sales growth of
sumption. Wholesalers and’direct delivery these firms is part of a major organ-
processors encounter difficult logistical izational change in the food service
problems in providing the supply services industry resulting from the increasing
demanded by the several types of outlets share of market being acquired by
Up to $10.00 127
10.01 - 20.00 56 In most firms, store personnel
20.01 - 50.00 97 presently prepare orders for dry gro-
50.01 -100.00 37 ceries, processed dairy products,
100.01 - 300.00 38 frozen food, eggs, produce, deli-meat,
Over 300.00 11 tobacco and candy. It is unlikely that
store personnel at the present level of
staffing, could effectively perform
Note: 366 deliveries to 6 convenience
additional ordering work for high volume
stores - one week.
perishable lines.
Snacks and
Biscuits 162 5.2 32.40 56
Table 6. Estimated Savings Per Store With Consolidated Daily Delivery of Bakery,
Snack and Biscuit Purchasesa
~/ Nine hundred cubic feet truck capacity + 35 cubic feet per store delivery = max-
imum 25 store orders per delivery trip. Assuming 80% average cube utilization =
20 store deliveries per 8 hour delivery route.