Well, we're certainly into the teeth of it now. The holiday shopping season, that is. And from early indications, it could be a pretty good year for retailers. Consumers certainly seem motivated and are swinging into action early. I actually did some shopping the week before Thanksgiving and the stores were busy.

There was also great selection. The shelves were full and there was a great range of items. But the week before Thanksgiving is the easy part for retailers. They haven't had to restock or fight the imbalance between projections and what actually sells.

But that's only part of the order fulfillment equation. There's a whole other world we don't see at DCs for mail, phone and Internet orders. While you may not have to fight for a parking space, getting what you want is still a matter of successful pick/pack/ship.

With that in mind, I cruised through the stories in this issue and was struck by the different ways that order fulfillment is treated.

Take a look at the Special Report (Leading trends in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution). These are the results of a survey Modern did earlier this year. Among the 50+ questions we asked, one focused on key metrics. The top five are: shipping accuracy, on-time shipping, inventory accuracy, inventory levels and picking accuracy. Let's hope your favorite retailer scores high on all five this month.

There's also a piece on lean warehousing (Warehousing gets lean). While not as established a practice as lean manufacturing, it is certainly building critical mass as it removes waste from the order fulfillment processes. Tom Ciepichal, VP of operations at OPW Fueling Components which practices lean warehousing, says, "We're looking at how we can identify and optimize those processes that add value for our customer." Now that's an admirable goal for retailers in any shopping season.

Our Warehouse of the Month is about contact lens supplier Coopervision (A clear vision for the future), which has made great strides in simplifying its order fulfillment. In the old system, order pickers had to differentiate between 26 different brands and be able to read prescriptions, says VP of logistics Joe Stannard. Now pickers are directed by voice to a location and pick a specified number of items. Talk about a boost to their top metrics.

And there's the Information Management story (WMS takes on new roles) on how warehouse management systems are having an impact on operations beyond the four walls. It's all about integration of various order fulfillment functions to optimize how orders are picked, packed and shipped.

Stories like these are clearly laying the groundwork for an even more successful holiday order fulfillment season for retailers next year. Meanwhile, happy holidays to all of you this year.