Whatever the order composition, we found a way to make what was needed and pack the orders. I’m pretty sure we made a summary Crystal Report that had a master pick for a given set of orders, then we packed the individual orders from that master pick. Sort of a replen from storage to a single forward pick location that was a table or bin. We would pack an order, write the M.O.M. order number on the shipping container with a Sharpie, and close the container with the packing slip inside. Thanks to the amazing catalog and Global Industrial, we had acquired a hard-sided mail cart. We would toss packed, closed packages into the mail cart and wheel it over to the shipping station, where we were running HarveySoft. We’d then reach in the mail cart, and pull out a package. We’d find the Sharpied order number, type it in, Harvey would query M.O.M. and pull up the Ship-To Address, the carrier, and the service. Click it through, and we’d get our thermal shipping label.

Similar to UPS, we had set up an account with USPS and had our own permit number. I read the Domestic Mail Manual. We registered our account at the Bulk Mail Center up on Crosspark Dr. I forget his name, but the fellow in charge of permit numbers came down, watched our process, and validated our system prior to approving our permit number. Our end of day process for USPS involved printing the manifest from HarveySOFT, printing a check with the total postage for the manifest, and handing off the packages, check, and manifest to TransDel, a courier with a box truck and lift gate who would run everything up to the Bulk Mail Center and deliver the goods, manifest, and check. Maybe we transmitted the manifest to USPS digitally? We must have. I don’t remember. I also don’t remember how the tracking number emails went out, whether from us or from Yahoo Store. The digital side of things was Jud’s domain. I think he had gone back to UT for the fall to finish his History degree.