Curious Covid
What has Covid meant for us? Many things both good and bad actually.
Suddenly supplies were not coming into ports. We had to buy up what fabric we could knowing that ships wouldn’t arrive with more for months. Guessing what you would or would not purchase was a gamble to say the least.
We learned that we had great suppliers who were willing to go the extra mile to drive to warehouses, dig through old stock to find whatever might be hiding somewhere.
We also got to experience the new home office while dogs barked, cats walked on keyboards, furry tails swished in someones face, kids fought in the background and a few times we wept together at the stress of everything that was happening around us and then shared stories of the unexpected and unsung hero’s out there. We also experienced the giggles of someone admitting on the phone that they were still in jammies at noontime.
We learned that the mail could be outlandish. Yes, I choose the word outlandish. The phone was jammed daily, typically before I finished coffee. The emails came in page after page after page, with less staff, it felt like I was in some weird movie or dream where everyone on the planet decided to ask about aprons. I spent nearly 5 hours one day answering mails and by days end was drowning again. It is heart wrenching to do a bad job.
All things shall pass.
The mail has now slowed to manageable amounts (knock on wood), the phone can typically take another message and ships are sailing into ports. We have learned a lot. We have learned what awesome suppliers and sales reps we have and what awesome customers we have. People have let us know when it’s a gift that needs to get there, when it’s no problem to wait, we have received cards from customers for the great service during covid….. Surprisingly I thought we would have more angry mail about wait time, lost messages and lost phone messages. But all in all, people have been amazing and heart warming.
I think in the end we are all just a bunch of people on a planet, all doing the best we can. And through this time, we learned how incredibly awesome everyone can be.
We have staff back working, we are near caught up with orders. Current orders are getting out on time. The back load is near gone. And we are starting to feel like we at least survived the first half of 2020, not an easy feat.
Its been a crazy challenging time. Its been very difficult to provide any realm of customer service. But we have learned what wonderful people we have for both suppliers and customers. And we want you all to know how appreciated you are.
As so many have rediscovered the lost art of ironing, we are adding more ironing board covers. We are also adding back adult bibs. For those who are unfamiliar, our Adult Bibs are 34″ long and made of double layered homespun. They were first introduced for professionals who eat in the car between meetings. The bibs cover your lap as well as your chest. They also tuck under a jacket nicely and don’t look like a bib. We also offered a placemat and a tote so it could be kept in the glove box. We are adding them back.
Normally we don’t add coupon codes in our blog posts but this year has even caused us to start buying the good wine. So to brighten anyone’s day who needs it, here is a coupon code to use on our website. It’s good through Thursday 9/17 until midnight.
Use Blog15 at checkout on our website at www.vermontapron.com
Be safe and well, Susannah
