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I was looking at a thread on arf com about the distribution centers that supply the supermarkets. It was interesting to hear that they tend to cluster, and how vulnerable they are to breakdown if their power or fuel for equipment goes out.
If you think that a local store with virtually no back-stock is bad, wait until you get a close look at the supply chain....
My best friend (best man at my wedding, and constant hunt partner) manages maintenance for a Walmart distribution warehouse. These technically aren't "walmart" operations, since the name on the building is something else, but the only customer is Walmart. Furthermore, Walmart directly tells the distribution center what they are going to do, and when they are going to do it.
The distribution center is huge. I lost count, but it's something like 400 trailer bays. And they are expanding. Stuff gets pulled off a trailer, and it's back on a different trailer and out the door in no time. Yes, there is some stock on racks, but considering the volume of stuff moved, its not a lot. Much of it is apparently seasonal. Walmart doesn't want plastic lawn chairs and tiki torches on the floor in retail while they are still pushing winter stuff. No point in having Halloween and Thankgiving stuff in late July either, so seasonal gets accumulated and stored until its time, then shipped out. Generally speaking, it seems that stuff like Doritos, milk, and peanut butter aren't really shelved items,
These operations are huge. This DC stopped running battery forklifts years ago. They use hydrogen fuel cells. Its typical efficiency stuff: Instead of a lift driver waiting in line for a battery change they can work continuously until they pass a hydrogen fill station that isn't being used. Pull in, top up and get back on the hamster wheel. They have several hydrogen pumping stations that push and pressurized the hydrogen to fill stations through the building. Talk about supply chain dependency issues: If those hydrogen pump stations go down (there are only two), the operation STOPS. As in within hours. It's specialized equipment, and the number of people who can repair these things are extremely limited.
Where it gets really ugly is when you look at geography: Retailers like Walmart select geographic sites for various reasons, and transportation networks are a BIG factor. What appeals to Walmart also appeals to Target, Kmart, Kohls, whomever. Distribution centers tend to be clustered very close together. Take Northern Pennsylvania for example: There are a ton of DC's clustered in one area. One major extended power outage, one big flood, one huge storm on a relatively local level and the distribution network most chains for the entire north eastern USA is down and out. We're talking no stock on shelves, no stock in back, and none coming for weeks.
So, let me put it to you this way: The fella that effectively keeps the equipment up and running for one of these Distribution Centers has now become a prepper. He's know the system, lt's weaknesses, and he's stockpiling food and supplies.