Warehouse

This is the view from our front parking lot. The building used to be a paper mill, and has been renovated into warehouse space. Gone are the massive machines (and the massive holes they needed in the floor) and they've been replaced by forklifts and almost 250 staff. We pride ourselves on being part of the community of Thorold.

Sorting Room

When the books first arrive from the publishers, they are sorted into groups for shelving. At this point they are added into our inventory. Most books only remain in the sorting room for a couple days before they're available for purchase.

Another view of our sorting room.

Our sorting room from a different angle.

Upstairs

We have several floors of books, audio books, and videos. This is the second floor of the warehouse, which has its own sorting room.

Upstairs Shelves

This view shows the miles our staff walk daily to pick books for our customers. We have a great inventory system that allows us to find books quickly based on their section and shelf location.

Shelves

When we talk about having 400,000 square feet of books we aren't kidding! It goes for several football fields, and it can take days to see it all. The trouble is that before you're done, there will be new books added.

View Down Row

Books are not shelved by subject, but based on the space needed for the number of copies received. A visit to our warehouse will show cookbooks next to bibles, fiction beside home repair. Our inventory system allows for real time updates, and can locate a book in seconds. The staff wheel carts through the rows, picking each book ordered and sending them to the packing room.

Packing Room

The final step in your book's journey at our warehouse, the packing room contains everything from bubble wrap to postage meters.