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Our readers are accustomed to an occasional focus on ‘commemorations’. This week we’re going to look a little closer and see if the monthly ‘commemorations’ have some value. Who knows… we might just have a little fun while we’re looking.

Last week we focused on an upcoming celebration of ‘Earth Day’. The week before we focused on ‘Stress Awareness’. It’s easy to see the value of commemorations as these special “days” bring our minds to awareness, and strengthen our resolve to protect the environment and value ourselves and our peace of mind.

AMS Commemorates

At AMS, some of our Associates like to participate in the awareness days in special ways. This month they are creating awareness of Stress on April 8^th by wearing the color blue, and doing a walk while on break.

April is also Autism Awareness month and this too is a subject we can learn more about… how to help and assist individuals with autism. The day for the walk while on break is April 15, and the color is rainbow.

The Earth Day celebration is on the 22^nd and the color is green. Earth Day is another gift of awareness – there are things we can do to care for our Mother Earth and the ‘day’ is a very good reminder.

The Commemorations List

A search gets us the following list: Earth Month, dedicated to environmental awareness. Stress Awareness Month focuses on mental well-being. National Autism Acceptance Month promotes inclusion. Celebrate Diversity Month honors diverse backgrounds. National Financial Literacy Month promotes financial education. National Garden Month celebrates gardening. Arab American Heritage Month recognizes contributions.

Those are some very good subjects to think about, read about, and by doing so, expand our awareness of ways that we can help make a better world.

Just a Little Fun

We mentioned that we might be able to have some fun. So, where is the fun? Under the title of “Other Notable Days” we find the following: National Find a Rainbow Day is April 3; National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day is April 16; Husband Appreciation Day is also April 16; National Day of Silence is April 17 and National High-5 Day is April 23^rd.

Just the list itself is fun! April 16 is a double up day. Wear pajamas on the job and appreciate the husband on the 16^th. Then, amazingly, the very next day we are silent – no talking. We wait a few days and Victory arrives – it’s National High-5 Day. It seems that the creator of these ‘Days’ has a sense of humor.

Enjoying Awareness

Yes, there is value in placing our awareness on things we can improve and learn from. We truly appreciate our AMS Associates for bringing our attention to how stress affects our lives, and how we can decrease the stress and increase the peace. Our Associates are also bringing our attention to Autism and to the environment on Earth Day. We thank them.

AMS Fulfillment enjoys a very positive work culture.

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Please feel free to visit amsfulfillment.com and learn more about us. We’ve been doing eCommerce fulfillment for more than twenty years and we are a highly respected third-party fulfillment service (3PL) with many satisfied and successful clients.

We’re all very well aware of the environmental or conservation movement. More than a few businesses today practice environmentalism, putting a strong focus on recycling, conserving, respecting, protecting… doing everything possible to Not be detrimental to the natural environment. AMS is one of those businesses, and we don’t do it ‘for show’. We do it out of respect for Life and our beautiful Earth.

April 22^nd is the anniversary of the environmental movement’s founding – Earth Day. Earth Day has been celebrated since 1970, when the environmental movement began in earnest.

There was a book published in 1962 that brought awareness to what was happening to the environment. That book, written by Rachel Carson, was entitled “Silent Spring”. The Silent Spring book truly raised awareness of the environment, and what damage was being done through pollution.

When it Began

The Farmer’s Almanac [LINK] tells us some of the details about Earth Day: “In the decades leading up to the first, Americans were consuming vast amounts of leaded gas through massive and inefficient automobiles. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of the consequences from either the law or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. Until this point, mainstream America remained largely oblivious to environmental concerns and how a polluted environment threatens human health.”

San Francisco activist John McConnell and Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson are credited with getting the environmental movement started. They spoke out on toxic drinking water, air pollution, and the effects of pesticides and called for a demonstration. The demonstration turned out to be very successful, with 20 million Americans taking to the streets in the protest. From that beginning we now have Earth Day and much more.

The Farmer’s Almanac tells us what happened next: “President Richard Nixon led the nation in creating the Environmental Protection Agency, which was followed with successful laws, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.”

Nowadays on Earth Day communities get together to clean up their parks and pick up litter on their streets; they plant trees or flowers and gardens to add to the beauty and the health of their environment, and basically use the anniversary to make a commitment once again to care for the Earth.

AMS and the Environment

Some years ago, AMS established a Green Team to monitor and manage operational waste and recycling programs. From the Reporting Year 2023 we find the following data: 5,750 lbs. of scrap metal; 1,482,156 lbs. of cardboard; 50,800 lbs. of plastic stretch film; 6 tons of co-mingles plastic bottles and aluminum cans; 30,000 lbs. of chipboard; 3,000 lbs. of paper; 8 pallets of IT equipment.

Our efforts at AMS are to create environmental management practices that reduce any negative impact on the air, climate, water, land, and biodiversity. This includes the direct impact of our operations and, when applicable, our supply chain and distribution channels.

AMS is a B Corporation, and as such, we have a legal commitment to extensive recycling. We also use biodegradable packaging, and we keep sustainability at the forefront with regard to our warehouses and offices. On Wednesday, the 22^nd of April we will join in gratitude with all other Earth Day celebrants… gratitude for our beautiful Mother Earth.

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Please feel free to visit amsfulfillment.com and learn more about us. We’ve been doing eCommerce fulfillment for more than twenty years and we are a highly respected third-party fulfillment service (3PL) with many satisfied and successful clients.

Today we’re going to create and embrace the human being’s most desired state … a mind at Peace. Our subject is the opposite state of being we’re all quite familiar with … Stress. We know what it means to be stressed. Looking into April commemorations, we begin by examining ‘stress awareness’ to see if we can lift it off of our shoulders. Here’s how AI describes it:

“April is Stress Awareness Month, recognized annually since 1992 to raise awareness about the causes and cures of our modern stress epidemic. It focuses on recognizing symptoms—such as fatigue, irritability, and physical aches—and adopting healthy coping mechanisms like exercise, proper sleep, and counseling to manage, rather than eliminate, daily stressors.” 

Stress is a very broad subject. When we look for what causes stress, we can easily come up with lots of causes… everything from poor health to not enough money to a storm on the horizon to the freeway traffic to the global ‘news’ threatening nuclear war. Basically, stress is triggered by fear thoughts and fear messages. Nowadays we’re inundated with negative news. One solution can be to turn off the news reporter. Sometimes that’s the best choice.

Stress at Work = No Injuries

The stress-free environment in an AMS warehouse has to be safe, with no threat of injuries to our associates. AMS has operated for years with a strong focus upon safety in our warehouses and offices, and because of our training and precautions we very rarely see injuries.

Some of our associates have to lift heavy objects from time to time. Our associates tasked with that job, are specifically trained in how to lift a heavy object without musculoskeletal strain of the back, shoulder and neck. Safety is #1.

Our walkways in the warehouse are closely monitored to avoid slips, trips and falls due to spills or clutter. We also give new associates extensive training on avoiding injuries caused by forklifts, conveyors and other industrial equipment. At the AMS warehouses there will be no items falling from high shelving due to poorly stacked pallets. Not at AMS.

In other words, we care about our associates, and we absolutely take every step we can take to make sure they don’t have to deal with work-related stress. In fact, we hope that their time and duties at work serve to relieve stress. And finally, we hope the traffic, in the drive to and from work, just moves right along… no worries, just a comfortable flow.

AMS Benefits

We are told that exercise triggers a happy feeling due to endorphins, and we’re encouraged to utilize natural supplements and essential oils. Other recommendations in dealing with stress include deep breathing and soothing music. These things help, and at AMS we encourage healthy living. And… we go the extra step to make sure there is more help available if needed.

AMS has a free Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This program gives every associate and their entire household access to licensed mental health professionals 24/7. This is such a valuable benefit and we know that benefits really matter. Employees want to stay in good health and have access to what they need, and we want this for them. The EAP provides access to a therapist, and a phone number that gets answered day and night.

Symptoms of Stress

Let’s look at what the Internet tells us are the symptoms of Stress: headaches, rapid heart rate, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. We can add to that our ‘fear’ thoughts.

The first method of relieving stress has to be 100% common sense… let go of situations you cannot control. We mentioned everything from poor health to not enough money to the storm on the horizon to the traffic to the global ‘news’ threatening war. We can’t control the weather, so storms will come and go and we’ll make it through. We also can’t control the global ‘news’ threatening war.

Here is what AI says are commonly recommended stress management tips:

“Manage What You Can: 1) Let go of situations you cannot control. 2) Practice Self-Care: Focus on the “Big Three” — regular exercise (walking/swimming), nutritious diet, and proper sleep. 3) Connect: Discuss problems with friends, family, or a professional counselor. 4) Relaxation Techniques: Utilize techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, or yoga to calm the mind.”

We wholeheartedly agree with these suggestions. Self-care matters a lot and we encourage utilizing the meditation and breathing methods of calming the mind. We also encourage use of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help out if the stress gets to be a burden. And, if the stress creates the need to take time off work, we encourage our associates to request paid time off (PTO).

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Please feel free to visit amsfulfillment.com and learn more about us. We’ve been doing eCommerce fulfillment for more than twenty years and we are a highly respected third-party fulfillment service (3PL) with many satisfied and successful clients.

We’re moving into the Spring season, and the increase in sunlight is energizing! With Spring here, we are seasoned in our preparation for increased demand, shifting product lines, and optimizing warehouse space for faster turnaround times. Proactive planning in March ensures that inventory is positioned correctly before the busy season hits.

March is when we experience the Vernal Equinox – taking place March 20^th and 21^st. It marks the official start of Spring. The Vernal Equinox means that the sun crosses directly over the equator. What that means for us is a balance of light followed by an increase in light. The AI overview tell us the story:

 “Historically celebrated as a time of rebirth and fertility, it marks the start of the new year in some cultures, such as the Persian New Year (Nowruz). It is also famously marked by the “serpent” shadow on the Kukulcán Pyramid at Chichén Itzá.”

March Commemorations

Being in balance, with the light increasing, the inspiration of this time period is ‘new energy’ and preparation for a new year of growth of the garden and discovery of ways to improve. We checked online to see what the March commemorations are this year, and there we found that March is “Women’s History Month” and “B Corporation Month.” In last week’s blog we covered women’s history, and this week we will look inside the best B Corporation that we know… AMS Fulfillment.

AMS Fulfillment is proud to be a B Corporation, certified in 2017. What this means, in essence, is we make a commitment to do what is right in all areas of our business. This B Corporation membership basically means we have ethical standards. The B Corporation has made a legal commitment to balance profit with purpose.

A company committed to the B Corporation’s “Business for Good” model will certainly empower women. Placing ‘Women’s History Month’ into the B Corporation movement is a natural fit because both celebrate businesses that prioritize people and social equity alongside profit. For example, a quick search for women-owned B Corporations takes us to:

#EileenFisher #SustainableWomensApparel #CircularFashion;  #SheaYeleen #EthicalBeautyProducts;  #GladRags #FeminineHygeine;

It is our pleasure to spotlight “Women in Logistics”: at AMS we celebrate our female warehouse managers, drivers, and supply chain analysts, focusing on their unique contributions to our business.

Let’s put it this way… this Spring, March 2026, AMS continues to look into additional ways to live up to the highest standards any business could seek. We call it a commitment to ‘continuous improvement.’ Readers can check out our B Corporation commitment [HERE]. Quoting from the AMS website: “Achieving the B Corp designation is the beginning of a journey of continuous improvement, not the destination.”

Continuous Improvement

What does it mean for a business to continuously improve? What does it mean to be a “Benefit” corporation and to continuously improve? For us, what it means is to make choices that benefit the people and the natural world. Our commitment, at AMS Fulfillment, is to benefit the clients who trust us, our associates who work with us; the communities in which we exist and the environment, our shared Earth.

This requires transparency, and AMS has nothing to hide – our service is simply us doing our best and keeping an eye out for ways to improve. Continuous Improvement, aka in each and every way, being a decent human.

 An Exceptional Month

We have made it through the Winter, and, metaphorically, here we are, ready to grow another garden. This season AMS Fulfillment will do its best for our exceptional clients, our dedicated associates, our communities and our shared Earth. And… we will continuously improve.

There we have it! We are commemorating B Corporation Month and the end of Winter/beginning of Spring. Here we go… let’s grow!

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Please feel free to visit amsfulfillment.com and learn more about us. We’ve been doing eCommerce fulfillment for more than twenty years and we are a highly respected third-party fulfillment service (3PL) with many satisfied and successful clients.

A few weeks ago, we looked into Black History Month and we asked… why do we need a designated month? Is not Black history American history? Surely W.E.B DuBois is in our school children’s history book, and Marcus Garvy, and Harriett Tubman. Well, unfortunately Black History Month is still needed. The school books have some improving to do.

Now we have entered the month of March. Surprisingly March 8^th is designated as International Women’s Day and the month of March is Women’s History Month. Apparently, it has taken some special efforts to get women’s story into the history books. Well, let’s just say it this way: our American History books have been a little bit out of balance.

Equality in the History

The task, of course, is to tell the actual history, also known as “what really happened.” Women could not vote in elections. We did learn about the Suffragettes and their victories, so some of the history is in the books. But we didn’t know that married women could not own property, and legally, somehow women ceased to exist when married. Let’s look at what AI says:

“Historically, married women in the US and UK could not own property, sign contracts, or keep their own wages due to the legal doctrine of “coverture,” which merged a wife’s legal existence into her husband’s. This meant husbands controlled all property, with significant legal reform only beginning in the mid-19th century through Married Women’s Property Acts.”

Paying women less than men while they’re doing the same job… well, if we look at what’s going on in today’s world, there are still examples of that injustice. We can definitely say… not at AMS Fulfillment. Our management and our ‘decision-makers’ are both women and men, and we’re grateful for that. AMS is a B Corporation, and our leadership is Values-Based. That means our clients, our employees and our communities expect the best from us and we are proud to live up to their expectations.

A Victory Story

We’re going to tell a story that is both Black History and Women’s History. We will tell the story of Ida B. Wells, a Black woman who succeeded in a very hostile world. She is described as a journalist, anti-lynching activist, women’s suffragist, and early civil rights movement leader. Her story is heroic, and there are so many achievements it would take a book to list them.

Ida B. Wells is one of the founders of the NAACP so we’ll start there. She started documenting lynchings in the 1890s and debunked the fallacy that lynching victims were guilty of crimes. She exposed the truth, that lynchings were used to terrorize the people. The following information is from Wikipedia.

“Wells was born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi. She was freed as an infant under the Emancipation Proclamation, when Union Army troops captured Holly Springs. At the age of 14, she lost both her parents and her infant brother in the 1878 yellow fever epidemic. She got a job teaching and kept the rest of the family together with the help of her grandmother, later moving with some of her siblings to Memphis, Tennessee.

Courage is Her Foundation

Ida B. Wells wrote for a newspaper she owned, entitled “Memphis Free Speech and Headlight.” Her reporting covered incidents of inequality, and her journalism was published in Black-owned newspapers across the nation. Because of her success she was threatened with criminal violence and a white mob destroyed her Memphis newspaper office and press. She decided to leave Memphis and move to Chicago where she met and married an attorney named Ferdinand Barnett. They had a family, and she continued her lifetime of work organizing for civil rights and the women’s movement.

“Wells’ role in the U.S. suffrage movement was inextricably linked to her lifelong crusade against racism, violence and discrimination towards African Americans. Her view of women’s enfranchisement was pragmatic and political. Like all suffragists, she believed in women’s right to vote, but she also saw enfranchisement as a way for Black women to become politically involved in their communities and to use their votes to elect African Americans, regardless of gender, to influential political office.”

Ida B. Wells died in 1931 and interestingly, in 2020 she was honored with a Pulitzer Prize. The prize came with a citation as follows: “For her outstanding reporting on the horrific and vicious violence against African Americans during the era of lynching.”

Celebrating Her Life

Last year (2025) the U.S. Mint put Ida B. Wells’ image on the quarter. The launch was celebrated at the DuSable museum and in the National Women’s History museum.

Women’s History Month is a dedicated month to reflect on the often-overlooked contributions of women to U.S. history. International Women’s Day (March 8) was established by the United Nations in 1975, recognizing that fundamental freedoms and human rights require the equality of women. Our favorite message from this year’s event is “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” The life of Ida B. Wells certainly proves it true.

Recognizing the Women of AMS Fulfillment

We honor and thank the women of AMS, from the executives to the supervisors to the laborers – you are SO VITAL to our success and the success of our clients. We appreciate your wisdom, your talent, your voice… we thank you and we know your value is beyond measure. Happy Women’s History month to all!

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Please feel free to visit amsfulfillment.com and learn more about us. We’ve been doing eCommerce fulfillment for more than twenty years and we are a highly respected third-party fulfillment service (3PL) with many satisfied and successful clients.

It happens every year and we make the adjustments. Even so, it’s good to go through the rules and regs of Daylight Savings Time. On Sunday, March 8, at 2:00:00 am, the clocks are turned forward 1 hour to 3:00:00 am local daylight time. Two o’clock turns into three o’clock and there we have it. An hour vanishes, and when the alarm goes off, we might still be a little sleepy.

The History

We were curious as to what was the reasoning behind this “Daylight Savings Time” idea, and we found some interesting history at this [LINK].

“Before the U.S. adopted standardized time zones, cities set their clocks based on the sun, leading to widespread inconsistencies, especially for railroads, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. To address this, U.S. and Canadian railroads implemented four time zones in 1883, creating the foundation of today’s system.

“In 1918, Congress officially established time zones and introduced daylight saving time during World War I to conserve energy. Though DST was later repealed in 1919, inconsistent local observances of time created confusion. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 sought to fix this by standardizing DST nationwide while allowing states to opt-out.

“The Department of Transportation has helped ensure uniformity in timekeeping since 1966. Time zone boundaries have continued to evolve, with adjustments as recently as 2010, when Mercer County, North Dakota, chose to switch from Mountain to Central Time.”

There are two states that do not observe Daylight Savings Time, and they are Hawaii and Arizona. There is an exception in Arizona and that is the Navajo Indian Reservation. Also the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and Puerto Rico do not observe Daylight Savings Time.

Saving Daylight?

Apparently, the notion of saving daylight is as follows: We will maximize the sunlight during the Spring and Summer evening hours. Also, when Daylight Savings Time was originally established, the argument was that we will reduce energy consumption, increase recreational time, reduce evening traffic accidents and crime, and boost retail sales.

The notion of ‘saving light’ was attributed to farmers, but in fact farmers generally oppose Daylight Savings Time because their schedules are dictated by the sun and not the clock. Critics also argue that the human circadian rhythms are disrupted and this leads to sleep deprivation and an increase in heart attacks.

Get Ready AMS!!

Whatever the arguments for and against, it is our reality. Beginning on March 8^th and ending on November 7^th our work schedule and our Associates will accommodate the change, giving up a morning hour of sleep in exchange for an hour of sunlight in the evening.

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Please feel free to visit amsfulfillment.com and learn more about us. We’ve been doing eCommerce fulfillment for more than twenty years and we are a highly respected third-party fulfillment service (3PL) with many satisfied and successful clients.

As our readers likely know, sustainability matters to AMS Fulfillment. We don’t talk about it often, but AMS is a B Corporation. As a B Corporation we have legal and moral commitments to our clients, our employees, our communities and our beautiful earth. We achieved B Corporation status in 2017, and with consistent efforts we have achieved carbon neutral status.

AMS has worked hard in order to recycle all of the waste that is generated in the fulfillment process, including stretch plastic. We use energy-saving lighting and temperature control in our warehouses and offices, we utilize biodegradable packaging, we carefully maintain our vehicles and we help our clients with returns management, making sure that their returns are handled with sustainability in mind.

In this writing we will focus on the trends in sustainability, especially within the supply chain and in fulfillment.

Sustainability Trends

AI-driven Transparency: We see that AI has been bringing about positive change and increasing transparency and regulatory compliance. Companies have been utilizing digital tools to track emissions, and AI is helpful in this measurement. AI is also being deployed to reduce waste.

Circular Economy: What ‘circular economy’ means is handling returns of products in a sustainable manner, doing repair and generating resale initiatives. Circular economy strategies have become a part of the core business model. The determination to recycle and/or reuse is shaping product design and sourcing decisions. At AMS Fulfillment, we offer to manage returns for our clients, and we are committed to the circular economy strategy, offering repairs, reselling, and donation as well as sustainable recycling.

ESG Framework: Another trend in the supply chain is to establish an ESG framework. ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. Sustainability is the goal of the ESG framework. It measures carbon emissions, labor practices and board diversity, and uses these measurements to analyze performance. As a B Corporation, AMS established an ESG framework several years ago.

Climate Adaptation: There is a trend of ‘climate-proofing’ due to extreme weather, with investment in nature-based solutions. Companies are diversifying their suppliers and investing in nature-based, secure resources. Climate adaptation would also include climate-proofing their buildings and offices. As we mentioned, the AMS warehouses and offices are climate-proofed to the degree that we are carbon neutral.

The Primary Sustainability Trend

Our research takes us to what we conclude is the primary trend of sustainability in the supply chain. We’ll quote the response of AI to our question:

“Looking to 2026, circular economy strategies have started to become embedded in core business models rather than treated as sustainability add-ons. The principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle are increasingly shaping product design and sourcing decisions.”

We are proud of our efforts in this area, with our Returns Management team’s focus on repair, reuse, donate, recycle – we take every possible step to advance the circular economy. We are proud of our clients as well with regard to the circular economy trend, and we thank them for choosing AMS.

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Please feel free to visit amsfulfillment.com and learn more about us. We’ve been doing eCommerce fulfillment for more than twenty years and we are a highly respected third-party fulfillment service (3PL) with many satisfied and successful clients.

As readers know, AMS Fulfillment is a full-service third-party logistics company, also referred to as a 3PL. We do it all… warehousing, pick and pack fulfillment, eCommerce fulfillment, B2B/wholesale fulfillment, shipping, kitting and value-added services, warehouse management, inventory management, customer service, and returns management. What about Reverse Logistics?

The term, ‘Reverse Logistics’, actually refers to Returns Management. Returning a product to the seller or the seller’s fulfillment service wherein the customer receives a replacement or a refund. It’s like the river flows from consumer to manufacturer (upstream) rather than from the manufacturer to the consumer (downstream).

Here is how Google describes it: “Reverse logistics is the management of the supply chain in reverse, handling the movement of goods from the end-user back to the seller, manufacturer, or distributor. It involves processing returns, repairs, recycling, and refurbishing to recover value, ensure proper disposal, and improve customer satisfaction.” 

Our Team of Associates

Google got it right describing what is involved. “Processing returns” brings about reverse logistics. That’s one of the many services we provide at AMS. We very much appreciate our Returns Management team. They are wise and thorough, and highly trained. It takes skill to make decisions as to the handling of the product, and our clients deserve our best. Let’s look at what they are required to do.

There are several stages of decision-making when a product has been returned. A member of our Team will decide … where does this go? The first question leads to many more decisions. Reverse logistics actually goes beyond just managing returns. Our team member will be well versed in the Client’s wishes, and will make the decisions. Here’s an explanation of the decisions involved:

1) Returns Management refers to the handling of customer returns, exchanges, and damaged items. 2) Repairs and refurbishing take place when possible, restoring products to functional, saleable condition. 3) Recycling and disposal take place when the materials cannot be reused. 4) Recalls refers to managing the return of defective products. 5) End-of-life management is the handling of products that have reached the end of their useful life.

Benefits of Efficient Returns

At AMS we understand the benefits of having a wise and well-trained team: 1) Efficiently managing returns reduces waste and lowers expenses, leading to cost reduction. 2) Top notch returns management supports the circular economy by recycling, repairing, or reusing products, which reduces environmental impact. 3) A smooth return process enhances customer satisfaction and trust. 4) Properly handling returns allows our clients to recoup value from returned items through restocking, repairing, or reselling in secondary markets. This is foundational to our values and beliefs as a B Corp certified organization.

What Truly is Reverse Logistics?

It seems that Reverse Logistics is Returns Management with a plus. The plus is the AMS associates who make it work. Their aim is to quickly get the inventory back onto the shelf as shippable finished goods (for those items that can be refurbished), and to do their best to minimize the costs associated with returns handling.

There is uncertainty and complexity involved in processing returns, and for that reason AMS carefully consults with the client and gives the team of associates thorough training. Processing returns requires careful handling and inspection of items to determine the best destination.

AMS collaborates with the client to create effective returns management solutions for each client, often integrating with their desired returns fulfillment platform, and perform the work to get the return registered in the system, data communicated back to the client, and the product back on the shelf and ready to sell. If the product is damaged and cannot be resold, we set it aside for donation, alternate sales channels, recycling, or destruction in a sustainable fashion.

Let’s conclude with a very big Thank You to our Returns Management/Reverse Logistics Team for their dedication and expertise. Returns are an unfortunate reality for many of our clients. At AMS, we help to streamline this negative work through employing a great crew, automated systems, and client-specific processes.

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Please feel free to visit amsfulfillment.com and learn more about us. We’ve been doing eCommerce fulfillment for more than twenty years and we are a highly respected third-party fulfillment service (3PL) with many satisfied and successful clients.

Everyone knows about Valentine’s Day, coming up on the 14^th. We hope every reader has an enjoyable Valentine’s Day! A commemoration that is focused on Love is and always will be a winner. Let’s look into the history of Valentine’s Day – who invented it and why? Here’s what Google tells us:

“Valentine’s Day, celebrated annually on February 14^th, is a holiday dedicated to expressing love, affection, and friendship through gifts, cards, and romantic gestures. Rooted in both ancient Roman traditions (Lupercalia) and Christian history, it commemorates St. Valentine, a martyr from the 3^rd century.”

Why Valentine’s Day is Celebrated

The commemoration began as a celebration of the life of Saint Valentine who took a stand against the Roman Emperor Claudias II. Apparently, the Emperor had outlawed marriage for young men. Why had he outlawed marriage? The history tells us that Claudias wanted the young men to serve in his army, and he believed single men made superior soldiers compared to those with wives and families. Valentine was a priest who secretly defied the order of Claudias and performed marriages. As a result, he was imprisoned and he was beheaded.

So… Valentine’s Day is about choosing love and life over war and death. Saint Valentine was willing to give his life for what he believed!! Well, that’s definitely qualification for Sainthood, worthy of gratitude, commemoration and celebration.

“According to legend, Emperor Claudius II (reigned 268–270 A.D.) executed Saint Valentine on February 14, circa 270 A.D., for violating a ban on marriages for young men, which Claudius implemented to bolster his army. Valentine, a Roman priest or bishop, defied this order to secretly marry lovers, leading to his imprisonment and martyrdom. While imprisoned, Valentine is said to have sent a letter to his jailer’s daughter—whom he had allegedly cured of blindness—signed “From your Valentine,” establishing the tradition of romantic messages.”

Speaking of romantic messages, let’s enjoy one of the best. Searching through the most famous love poems leads us to these beautiful thoughts offered by Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

That is an incredibly beautiful expression of love. We’ve been wondering… can a fulfillment company write a valentine? What valentine expression does a fulfillment service want to offer the world? At AMS we offer values-based leadership, and that’s sincere. Let’s start with that … an AMS Valentine!

We Wish You Success

We wish you success in every deed of good, in every kept promise, in every realization that the ‘other’ is your brother.

We wish you success in every kindness, in every offer to lift another, in every realization that we are the creators of our success.

We wish you success in every new venture, in every vision of a better world, in every realization that yes, leaders with values do matter.

We wish you, our Associates and Clients, success in Life and Love … Happy Valentines Day from AMS!!

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If you are a business looking for product fulfillment, please feel free to contact us at amsfulfillment.com. We are true partners to our clients, and we focus upon client success.

February is here and so is 2026! AMS Fulfillment made it through the Peak season of October, November and December with a great deal of success for our client partners! Our AMS Associates put in long days throughout the last quarter of 2025 and we thank them sincerely for this success. Now January has flown past and here comes February!

When we think about February the first thing that comes to mind is… Valentine’s Day! Interestingly the month is crowded with commemorations, with the first being Black History Month. We are happy to put Black History Month at the top of the list. American Heart Month comes next, followed by Valentine’s Day, and finally… President’s Day. We need to squeeze the Super Bowl in there too! We’ll skip over Groundhog Day, as nowadays there are quite a few better means of predicting the weather.

The Lesser-Known History

We would like to offer the readers some of the lesser-known stories in Black History, as it truly is vital to understand history in order to embrace a future where there is no such thing as ‘racism’: Google gives us a quick outline of lesser-known history as follows:

“Lesser-known Black history includes pioneering figures like Dr. Rebecca Lee, the first Black woman to earn a medical degree (1864), and Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her bus seat nine months before Rosa Parks. Other facts include the first Black millionaire Madam C.J. Walker, the only female Buffalo Soldier, and inventors of modern technology.” 

There are many stories of truly heroic individuals, with one of our favorites being George Washington Carver. His life impacts our lives today, and we have much to thank him for.

“George Washington Carver (c. 1864–1943) was not just “the peanut man” but a pioneering environmentalist and agricultural scientist who revolutionized Southern farming by promoting crop rotation (peanuts, sweet potatoes) over cotton to empower Black farmers. He developed over 300 peanut products, advised Mahatma Gandhi, and turned down a six-figure salary from Thomas Edison to continue his work at Tuskegee Institute.” 

George Washington Carver

“Born into slavery in Missouri, Carver and his mother were kidnapped by slave traders when he was just weeks old. He was recovered in exchange for a racehorse, but his mother was never found.”

There is a very thorough Wikipedia page on Mr. Carver [LINK] and we encourage readers to check it out. In brief, Mr. Carver was the first Black student at Iowa State Agricultural College where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He taught poor farmers how to rotate crops and renew the land after it had been depleted by cotton, and he did this by going to the farms with a mobile classroom he called Jesup Wagon.

George Washington Carver is considered an environmental pioneer, and a leader in sustainable farming. He is also an inventor, developing over 300 uses for peanuts including soap and cosmetics. Mr. Carver taught at Tuskegee University for 47 years, heading the Agriculture Department and teaching generations of Black students. We thank him for all he has given to our culture and our environment.

Black History contains many untold stories. We enjoy revealing the lesser-known ones as they tell us about trailblazers and innovators, people with tremendous skills and courage as well. Perhaps one day we won’t need a ‘month’ designated for Black history, as the stories will be in the history books.

Here We Go Into 2026!

Let’s create an excellent year – excellent for our associates, our managers, our executives, our clients, our neighborhoods, and our beautiful earth – we can do it!

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Please feel free to visit amsfulfillment.com and learn more about us. We’ve been doing eCommerce fulfillment for more than twenty years and we are a highly respected third-party fulfillment service (3PL) with many satisfied and successful clients.

We often talk about the benefits of partnering with AMS Fulfillment, and we emphasize the fact that AMS is a Full-Service Fulfillment Provider. To be described as Full-Service, the fulfillment services need to include everything a client/partner would need.

Many of the services of a fulfillment company are to be expected, i.e. receiving, warehousing, pick & pack, shipping, shared technology, covering all of the usual needs. But that’s not what makes us Full-Service. There are quite a few other services our clients may need, and Full-Service means we can cover them all. Our clients know they can come to us with various refined and specialized needs.

Some of our clients may require branded packaging in order to please the customer with some unboxing fun. We can do that. Other clients may need us to complete the assembly of their product. We can do that too. That and a whole lot more. Let’s look into the question of… what are Value-Added Services, also referred to as VAS.

Describing VAS

Here below is how Google describes VAS:

“Value-added services (VAS) in fulfillment are specialized, non-standard activities—such as custom packaging, kitting, labeling, and inspection—performed by 3PLs to improve product presentation, speed, and customer experience. These services go beyond basic storage and shipping to streamline operations, reduce retailer compliance risks, and support branding.” 

AMS gets more specific:

“As a major, high-capacity player in the world of pick pack ship fulfillment, we are also very nimble and accommodating to the brands we serve.  At AMS, we have engineers, equipment, and expertise in a variety of special handling services, including large scale kit assembly, product-relabeling or packaging, B2B routing-based VAS work (e.g. price stickering, hang tags, hanger insertion/removal, compliance labeling), B2C branded pack-outs… and even higher-end product manipulation work such as engraving!”

Services Included

Let’s say the client sells subscription boxes or gift boxes containing a high-end brand of beauty products. Assembling these products into one package is called Kitting and Assembly. AMS has a team for Kitting and Assembly.

We mentioned the use of branded packaging. Clients also may need custom packaging or specialized packaging, and the AMS team does this as well. As we mentioned, we do price stickering, hang tags, hanger insertion/removal, compliance labeling, price stickers, SKU labels – everything our clients need, we provide. We do gift wrapping too if our clients need.

If a client needs us to inspect their products to search for defects, we can do that. We can provide quality control and functional testing to make sure the product is working properly. We also can provide final assembly, such as inserting batteries or adding accessories to products before shipping.

A bit more from AMS: “AMS does it all in the world of eCommerce order fulfillment, including our sophisticated gift note capabilities, allowing for customized gift messages to be printed on a variety of paper stocks at the time of packing.”

Other Services

There are other specialized services that don’t fall into the VAS category. We do Returns Management for our clients, also referred to as Reverse Logistics, and we provide Customer Service and Back Office Support as well. All of these services add up to Full-Service Fulfillment.

We’re a pretty big player in the world of warehousing services. Our systems are built to excel at the basics of Value-Added Services, and we’re open to challenges that go well beyond the basics in VAS. In other words… AMS does it all in the world of eCommerce order fulfillment!

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Please feel free to visit amsfulfillment.com and learn more about us. We’ve been doing eCommerce fulfillment for more than twenty years and we are a highly respected third-party fulfillment service (3PL) with many satisfied and successful clients.

Before we leave the month of January, we would like to offer a gentle reminder to our readers of the profound gift that we can give another human being – blood donation. During the winter, especially around the holidays, there are often shortages in blood donations. This is very understandable as we definitely are busy. At the same time, hospital demands for blood donations are abnormally high during that time.

This is the reason that January is designated “National Blood Donor Month”. In January the call goes out from the American Red Cross organization and other organizations to please, if you can, donate in January.

As we know, blood is very much needed by individuals undergoing surgery. Other urgent needs are emergencies, cancer treatments, and chronic conditions. According to the Red Cross, someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds. That’s an amazing statistic! Donations of blood are truly a gift to those in the position of needing our help. So… at the end of a very wonderful gift-giving season in 2025, we can begin 2026 by giving the most personal gift, and perhaps save a life.

How to Participate

A Google search gives us some information on participation in this drive.

“Donate Blood: Find a local donation center via the American Red Cross or America’s Blood Centers. (link below)

“Meet Eligibility: Donors must typically be at least 17 years old and weigh over 110 pounds.

“Promotions: The Red Cross offers incentives, like entry into a Super Bowl drawing, for donations made by January 25, 2026, for Super Bowl LX.

“Key Blood Types in Demand – Type O: Often in high demand as a universal donor for transfusions.

“Platelets: Also critically needed and have a short shelf life.”

Find a donation location near you at this [LINK]

A Gift of Life

We are not being overly dramatic to say that a donation of blood is a gift of life. Any one of us who has survived an illness requiring blood transfusions will agree – the gift of blood is a gift of life.

We found some very touching stories at a website called “The Blood Connection”. The following message is offered from a gentleman who is realizing the gift he can give by donating his type “O” blood.

“It feels like God blessed me with this type because he had a plan for me to go share it to others without judgement to age, gender, race, religion or financial status. I find that rewarding. Having said that, when I see that label “Baby Blood” attached to the bag I feel like just maybe I will help save a child’s life! That indeed is a great feeling of accomplishment for just giving up a few minutes of my time. I often try to think of what a family may be facing with the need for blood for their child. I’d rather be blessed to be on the giving end than the receiving end.”

Thank You All

We so very much appreciate our Readers, our AMS Associates, and our valued Client Partners. Here we go into 2026, with all of our hopes and plans. If it’s possible, we can begin the year with a gift that has a great deal of meaning for the recipient… a gift of Life.

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Please feel free to visit amsfulfillment.com and learn more about us. We’ve been doing eCommerce fulfillment for more than twenty years and we are a highly respected third-party fulfillment service (3PL) with many satisfied and successful clients.