Dollinger index

Suzy’s Zoo 487

products such as tablecloths, invitations,
cups, and plates are mass-marketed in high-
volume stores. Revenues from cards have
plateaued, and the overall increases in rev-
enues can be attributed to other products. If
people do not want to buy cards with cute
images anymore, Suzy’s Zoo will put the art-
work on other products that people will
buy—that is why it is found on items like
children’s sleepwear and baby products.
As consumer consciousness has been
raised, recycled paper products have become
more important. Some consumers will not
buy paper goods without the recycling code.
Another change in recent years is that all
Suzy’s Zoo products are bar-coded, which
has allowed Suzy’s Zoo merchandise to be
sold in some of the larger retail outlets.

OPERATIONS

The company is a nonunion operation with
approximately 50 employees. Spafford makes
many of the major decisions regarding the
company except for personnel and financial
matters. Her husband, Ray Lidstrom, serves
as company president and takes the lead in

those areas. The organizational chart for

Suzy’s Zoo Greeting Card division is illus-

trated in Exhibit 3.

Suzy’s Zoo operates out of a two-story,

55,000-square-foot warehouse and office

suite in the Sorrento Valley area of San

Diego. The company moved into this facility

in February 1990. Operations include prod-

uct design, marketing, warehousing, and

shipping. No manufacturing is done on-site;

rather, manufacturing is accomplished

through subcontractors.

The facility is set up to ensure the efficient

flow of products through the warehouse (see

operations diagram, Exhibit 4).

Shipments of manufactured goods arrive

at the receiving dock from various locations

via common carrier on palletized boxes and

in cartons. The boxes are placed into a racked

bulk-storage area adjacent to the receiving

dock. Hand trucks and forklifts are used to

move stock.

As product is needed, cartons are broken

down, and the shelves are stocked in the

“picking” area. The picking area consists of

merchandise organized by product number

on a shelving system, where pickers fill orders

EXHIBIT 3 Suzy’s Zoo Greeting Cards: Organizational Chart

President

Ray Lidstrorm

Suzy Spafford

Graphic arts/

design

Product

development Warehouse

Publishing/

licensing Accounting

Purchasing Credit

Sales

Customer

service

Shipping Production Receiving Data entry