Planning for Locker Season

Know why our hair greys more April through October? It's called "locker season", that time of year when everyone waits until the last minute to order the lockers that they need in August.

You'd think that the year-after-year dynamic of more demand than supply during locker season would entice manufacturers to better prepare for this locker rush. They may try, but the reality is that come summer, every company that sells lockers is scrambling to meet the needs of their customers.

If you need to have your lockers delivered during a specific time frame, you’ll need to adequately plan your project given the variables of increased lead time, reduced inventory and overworked manufacturing crews.

Changing Lead Times

In December or January you can usually expect around a four-week lead time for production locker orders. When May rolls around, this is increased to six weeks or more. By August you can expect 10 weeks or more to get your lockers manufactured.

If you know you're going to need your new lockers installed and ready to go by the beginning of the school year, you'd better start the shopping process early in the year.

Diminished Supply

Most manufacturers have "quick-ship" programs where they stock common sized lockers in a limited choice of colors. But during locker season these lockers get scarfed up rather quickly, and quick ship is no longer so quick. And even when you call to ascertain that a certain number of locker frames are available, by the time you place your order and the manufacturer enters it into their system, the supposedly available frames might be gone. It’s “first come, first served” in the locker world, and every dealer and wholesaler has been stung by this industry practice.

For a variety of reasons, the 2006 locker season was a nightmare for everybody, manufacturers, wholesalers and consumers alike. Every major manufacturer is addressing the issues that plagued us in 2006, but the challenges still remain. They'll probably read this article and call to yell at me, but the truth is the truth. We just want you be aware the market variables that affect your locker project planning.

Bottom line, your best bet as a consumer is to start your locker planning early. How early is early enough? We advise starting your search six months before the projected completion of your summer project, and purchase at least four months in advance.

This might sound a bit conservative, but consider the possibility of not getting your lockers on time. You're better off ahead of the curb than behind it.