The Warehouse The distribution warehouse is a central collecting point for a particular good or a particular merchandising chain. Finished goods are forwarded to and held at the warehouse until selected and assembled into a customer order. The warehouse environment is not well understood by many shippers. A typical dry groceries warehouse may contain 20,000 individual stock items. A hardware chain warehouse holds upwards of 40,000 stock items. Product arrives at the central warehouse in bulk or unitized, is broken down or reunitized according to the warehouse's needs, and then is arranged for stock-picking. Stock￾picking is the process of selecting individual items to fill an order for a particular store or destination. Central warehouses serve large customer areas; in some instances one or two warehouses may essentially serve the entire nation.The Warehouse The distribution warehouse is a central collecting point for a particular good or a particular merchandising chain. Finished goods are forwarded to and held at the warehouse until selected and assembled into a customer order. The warehouse environment is not well understood by many shippers. A typical dry groceries warehouse may contain 20,000 individual stock items. A hardware chain warehouse holds upwards of 40,000 stock items. Product arrives at the central warehouse in bulk or unitized, is broken down or reunitized according to the warehouse's needs, and then is arranged for stock-picking. Stock￾picking is the process of selecting individual items to fill an order for a particular store or destination. Central warehouses serve large customer areas; in some instances one or two warehouses may essentially serve the entire nation