Handing a growing sample fulfillment program to a trusted 3PL can give a busy team back hours every week. Living Style supplies upholstered furniture to major big box retailers, and its swatch card program started in a back room with a single laptop. Then the program grew faster than anyone expected. Before long, a supervisor was spending a significant amount of time printing shipping labels.

Enter Stewardship Warehousing & Logistics, a Tupelo, Mississippi warehousing and fulfillment 3PL and a member of the AWI Network. Stewardship already handled the company’s replacement parts, so its team knew the business well. Within 30 days, the swatch program was running out of Stewardship’s warehouse instead.

 

The Challenge: A Sample Fulfillment Program That Outgrew Its Space

Catching a side program before it outgrows its setup keeps a small task from turning into a new hire. Living Style launched its swatch card program so retail customers could see and feel fabric options before purchasing a sofa, sectional, or recliner. At first, the setup was simple. The team used a back room, a laptop, UPS WorldShip, and a few addresses typed in by hand.

However, demand grew much faster than anyone planned. As volume climbed, one supervisor spent more and more of her week printing labels instead of focusing on her own role. Soon it was clear the company would need to hire someone just to keep up. Adding headcount for label printing was not the answer, so the team needed a better option.

 

“Rusty and his team are much more than a 3PL warehouse. It doesn’t matter what the issue is, they’re always quick to try to come up with a solution. If something comes up that’s outside the original scope, it’s never ‘that’s not our problem.’ It’s always, ‘What do we need to do to make this work right for everybody?’ That’s just the kind of partner they are.”
– Jennie Spigner, VP of Operations and Customer Service, Living Style

 

The Solution: Moving Sample Fulfillment Under One Roof

Working with a 3PL that already knows your business makes a program handoff faster and far less risky. Stewardship was already managing replacement parts warehousing for Living Style when its team noticed how much time the swatch program was taking. So Stewardship offered to take over sample fulfillment and give the internal team its time back. From there, the move came together in a few clear steps.

• Stewardship’s team came on-site to pick up the swatch inventory and move it to its facility
• A team member sat down with Living Style’s staff to walk through the programs and processes, so nothing got lost in the handoff
• Label printing and order management moved off the internal team’s plate
• The full program was running out of Stewardship’s warehouse in under 30 days

 

“Jennie’s team was spending hours every week on work we already do every day. Since we knew their business from the parts side, taking on the swatch cards was a natural fit. The key was sitting down with their staff first, so the handoff didn’t miss a step.”
– Rusty Waterer, CEO, Stewardship Warehousing & Logistics

 

The Results: Hours Back Every Week

Moving the swatch card program to Stewardship gave Living Style back 10 to 15 hours every week. In addition, the company avoided a part-time hire, saving at least $25,000. The move also freed up space inside its own facility, which the team has repurposed to focus on growing the business.

• Full program transition completed in under 30 days
• 10 to 15 hours saved every week
• A minimum of $25,000 saved by avoiding a part-time hire
• Internal facility space repurposed for growth
• About 1,200 swatch cards shipped per week, now more than the replacement parts volume

The operations team attributes the result to a partner that treated a request outside the original scope as its own problem to solve.

 

Why It Matters: Sample Fulfillment Belongs With a Partner Built to Scale It

Manufacturers can recover real time and money by asking whether their current 3PL can take on side programs. Sample fulfillment tends to start small, so it rarely gets a formal review until it is already a burden. In fact, the 2026 Inbound Logistics 3PL Perspectives report found that 77% of surveyed 3PLs offer fulfillment and 74% offer value-added services.

The timing matters too. Many companies have slowed hiring or delayed backfilling roles, which leaves smaller teams carrying the same workload. As a result, every hour a supervisor spends printing labels is an hour taken from work only that person can do.

So before adding headcount for a growing program, look at the partners already in place. Our guide on how to tap the full value of your 3PL covers which questions to ask. A 3PL that already knows your products can often absorb new work faster than a new hire can learn it.

 

Contact AWI for Expert Guidance

Stewardship turned a back room swatch program into a smooth, reliable operation in under 30 days, and that initiative is what makes a strong 3PL partner. If a growing program is pulling your team away from its real work, reach out to Associated Warehouses to start the conversation. The service is free for manufacturers.