We now leave our elegant Showroom area and enter one of the most important parts of our organization, our expansive product warehouse. We receive and inspect 6,000 new pieces of china, crystal, and silver per day, nearly 300,000 per month. Since the introduction of a paperless procedure, we have raised our productivity by nearly 50%, enabling us to keep our costs as low as possible.

Replacements, Ltd. receives between 200 and 450 boxes per day (70,000 pieces per week) of tableware and collectibles. A network of 700 independent suppliers, many of whom are antique dealers, search worldwide for pieces at warehouses, store closings, auctions, estate sales, and flea markets. This supplier group alone brings to us nearly 4,000 pieces of tableware every single day. We also purchase select inventory directly from the manufacturer, and continue to look for the best bargains from these manufacturers to pass along to our customers.

After being received at our facility, each dinnerware piece is individually inspected by one of our trained inventory specialists. Each piece is graded for quality relative to the age of the pattern, and pieces which are determined to be in less than "excellent" condition (minor scratches, worn gold trim, etc.), are identified as such and sold to our customers at discounted prices. Cracked or chipped pieces are not acceptable, and thus are not purchased or sold by Replacements, Ltd. (All of our merchandise is backed by a 30-day return guarantee.)

To ensure fast, efficient inspection and processing of the inventory we receive, a color-coded system is used to help our inventory specialists see "at a glance" the processing status of incoming shipments. Colored cups are used to designate status, with blue indicating "High Priority Items" (many customers on file!), red indicating that merchandise is ready for entry on the system, yellow indicating that merchandise is ready for shelving, and green or purple indicating that a shipment needs to be double checked.

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