What Is A Surplus Warehouse?
A store that sells used items or items that haven’t been used after purchase (in the Commonwealth of Nations) is called a surplus store. These surplus stores usually sell army goods that are no longer needed or were bought in bulk. Such stores have a proper name that’s “army-navy stores” or “war-surplus stores” in the US. It doesn’t matter if the item has exceeded its use-by date, surplus stores can still sell these items.
Usually a retail store, an army surplus can sell anything from general equipment to camping equipment/military clothing. These items are usually ones bought in bulk, or purchased but not used for whatever reason.
Few Examples Of Surplus Warehouses Around The World
- Canada:
The Canadian army surplus stores can also carry sporting goods related to hunting, fishing, and camping.
- China:
The surplus stores in China mostly sell tarpaulins, blankets, clothing, and footwear, and even sell safety equipment at times. They’re very common in the country.
- Germany:
After the end of World War II, the stock and material of the German army were confiscated by the allied forces, and a government agency called, “Staatliche Erfassungsgesellschaft für öffentliches Gut”, which translates to “State Collecting Company for Public Goods”, was formed in 1948 to the manage the sale of this army surplus warehouse called, “Stegware”.
These surplus stores were loaded with 500,000 tons of stocking, and 150,000 tons of scrap. The United States military started adding its surplus from the war in the early 1950s. Until the 1908s, the joint surplus was sold in these “Stegwares”. A few things that they sold were clothes – both new and used, camping equipment, and utilities. Vehicles and heavier equipment used to be sold in the early days as well.
Policy & Procedures Of Surplus Warehouses
Their equipment items are UAB property, and the acquisition cost or object code doesn’t matter in that case. They need to be accounted for according to the Accountability Policy of UAB Equipment.
After an Equipment Disposition Form is completed, it’ll have to be signed by authorized personnel. Before the items can be accepted into the warehouse, they have to be approved by the Equipment Accounting Office.
If the shipment contains any content that’s biohazardous, it’ll have to go through the process of the safety department to clear and tag a biohazardous item before it can be accepted.
Before moving the items to the warehouse, sensitive information has to be deleted and hard drives cannot be removed from the computers, as the surplus warehouse is the legal disposal point for scrap and surplus.
If any item has been removed from the surplus, that means that it can only be used for official UAB business purposes. Any other use must be following state and federal law. If you wish to remove any item or move it to a different warehouse, you’ll need a valid UAB ID card.
If an item contains any cannibalized component, it’ll need to be listed on a completed Equipment Disposition Form before removing it from the warehouse. All the equipment disposition forms must be signed by the department head whose authorization is on the Equipment Accounting Department file.
The photocopies of Equipment Disposition Forms cannot be accepted as the legal disposal port has to verify all signatures, including the receipt of the listed items. Items can be placed on hold for as long as five days, but not longer than that. As for tagging the item as on hold, only warehouse personnel are allowed to do that.
The tag lists the person the item is held for, the date the item was reserved, the account the item is to be transferred, and the contact information of the person reserving the item. In case the item is declared surplus again, it’ll have to be sent to a specific warehouse for disposal.
How Effective Are Surplus Warehouses?
Surplus stores allow you to purchase army goods, which at times, can be hard to get a hold of. Hence, providing you with exclusive army gear and accessories, with legal consent. Surplus stores came to be after the Civil War, and have been very effective for a long time. But recently, they started going downhill. Surplus stores are still in existence but are not as effective as they once used to be.
