In the 80’s during my teen years I probably kept a fashion store in business with all my purchases. This included a variety of leggings (I so loved those leggings), tunic tops with huge shoulder pads, tube tops and parachute pants. When I moved out on my own and lived in various small apartments, I learned early on to clear the clutter. Even to this day (Post Covid and Supply Chain Era), I believe less material things are healthier in general. It’s easier to clean, find things and you only need a minimum of storage. So I trained myself to give away my belongings to friends and charity when I purchased new belongings.
Mentally this is hard at times. Case in point, in the past few years leggings came back into style. Since I always loved leggings, I’ll have to admit, I purchased a few pairs. They looked exactly like the ones I had in my teens. So in essence did I make the wrong decision to give away my clothes in the past? Absolutely not and here is why…
1.) Inventory Storage and Space
I have exactly one large dresser, a medium sized closet and two large plastic containers for switching out Winter/Fall with Spring/Summer clothes. Had I kept all of my clothing and as years past with styles changing, my size changing and my tastes ever changing I would have had to purchase an abundance of dressers and perhaps built a larger closet. (You know the kinds you see actresses have.) This would have cost allot of money.
2.) Inventory Movement
Since I was eighteen I have moved six different times. Typically with every move there was very little outside assistance, you know that age old saying, “You really know who your friends are when it’s time to help you move.” With every move we used our own vehicles and with each “load” there was time, fuel and additional efforts. Thank goodness I purged clothes over the years.
3.) Locator System
Last but not least, it is really easy for me to find what I want to wear because it will either be in my dresser, my closet, the laundry room or a suitcase. If I had to look through multiple dressers, closets and containers each day, this would require allot of time.
So what’s the moral to the story here? Get rid of unnecessary inventory. Even outside of the fact it ties up your operating capital, it takes up storage, you have to move it and it can make it more challenging to find the inventory you do need.
What Now?
Click here to learn how distributors and manufacturers can get rid of excess inventory.