Thousands of low-cost SKUs, not high complexity per item
A plumbing or pipe fitting distributor's challenge is rarely any single SKU being complicated — it is the sheer number of SKUs, often running into the thousands of fitting sizes, materials, and configurations, each individually cheap but collectively representing real inventory value. At that volume, barcode scanning at receiving and picking is what keeps counts accurate; manual tracking at this scale accumulates small errors that compound into real discrepancies.
Will-call orders need their own reservation
A contractor will-call order — picked and set aside for pickup, sometimes ahead of full payment or final confirmation — needs to actually hold that stock as reserved, not just leave it in generally available inventory. Without that reservation, another counter sale can draw down the same stock before the contractor arrives, leaving a picked order incomplete when they show up expecting it ready.
Focus reorder attention where volume actually is
A relatively small share of fitting SKUs typically accounts for most trade-counter volume — common sizes and standard fittings move constantly, while the long tail of less common configurations moves rarely. ABC classification lets a distributor concentrate tight reorder-point management on that high-volume core, while managing the long tail with simpler, less frequently reviewed rules, rather than spreading equal attention across thousands of SKUs regardless of how often they actually move.
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