Hi friends, this shopkeeper has a little request to make.
We've been selling online for 6 years now, and each year the big Christmas rush gets a little bit later. I completely understand why, we're all waiting for Black Friday bargains, and we've come to expect near instant delivery when we order online...
The only problem with this is, it makes it much harder to plan for, and with the demand concentrated into just a couple of weeks it's incredibly hard for small business with limited staff to cope with.
We've already been warned that Royal Mail and other couriers are anticipating delays this festive season. And if that's anything like the delays we experienced in lockdown, you could be waiting over 2 weeks for your order.
This is whilst we're also facing supplier issues and manufacturing delays due to Covid related staffing issues.
I don't like to be doom and gloom - I try to share the highlights of small business life with you, because sharing the gritty bits can sometimes sound like we're making excuses, and I try to keep things at least vaguely professional, but I also try to be honest, and I'm fairly sure I'm not the only one experiencing this dilemma.
Whilst we've been working very hard to build up a good stock of jewellery for Christmas, inevitably (because it happens every year) something will sell out, and I can't be sure we'll be able to restock it before the big day. So if you see something you like, maybe don't leave it too long?
I know you're already big supporters of shopping small - hopefully that's why you're here, and for that we salute you, but if you could help spread the demand a little this Christmas through October and November, you'd be making this (and many other) shopkeepers very happy during a challenging year.
Thanks for reading,
Penny x