This might be a lengthy one. Grab a cuppa and take a read.
Business is open as usual
Firstly, I wanted to start with the fact that business here at TFD HQ will carry on as "normal" for as long as possible. If Royal Mail are still accepting and delivering parcels I will still be taking orders and sending lots of gorgeous goodies around the country. Working in a grubby, dusty, industrial unit means I was already cleaning regularly and washing my hands often. I will ensure I keep that up, if not up the scale a little bit. One advantage is that 95% of my time is spend lone working. Other than delivery drivers I am at the unit on my own from when I get here until about 3.30pm when Ant arrives. And even then I'm in my own separate little area! Nobody touches my equipment except me. It's almost like I've been prepping for self isolation without even knowing!
I am very lucky to be in the position I am with my "day job" that I am still able to work. You may or may not be aware that I am the Communications Coordinator for a local GP Surgery. I'm an NHS worker. I carry on working as usual. In fact my workload might just have increased a little bit with daily updates to our patients. The biggest bonus is that I already mostly worked my job remotely, I only go in once a week, the rest from home/unit. Now it's 100% from home/unit. I have been advised to work 100% remotely for the time being, only going into the surgery if requested to do so. My day job does only just pay my household bills though. Nothing else. No food. No loo roll. But Ant has plenty of socks if needs be!
Support the small businesses
Times are increasingly tough. I 100% get that. But please, wherever you can support a small/local business. Need meat - go to your local butcher. Need eggs - find a local farm who sell them, they might even have milk too! Need a gift for someone - jump on FB and support a small business. It won't just be me still open for orders. There will be as many of us as possible! For many the only income they get is from their business. Most will send direct to the recipient too. If you ask them nicely they will even pop in a gift note!
On that note, I am going to create some little gift notelets so that if any of you want to order a gift, from TFD, to send direct to somebody else I can include a hand written note for you! There will be no extra cost for this. I include a little note normally anyway, so this will just be a little bit different. Please ensure you pop THEIR name and address in the "shipping address" area as this is what gets pulled into my Royal Mail Click and Drop account.
TFD Changes during this time
As you know I do my best to get my orders complete and out in as shorter time as possible. You might think that being quiet means I can turn things around quicker. Sadly this isn't the case. My processing time is set to 7-10 working days as this allows me time to build an order to place with my supplier. I generally do this once a week (twice if I'm busy). With less orders I just can't justify the postage costs to place an order each week. This week I have NOTHING to order from my supplier. I have made the decision to extend my processing times through this time. They will be set at 7-28 working days. I know this might seem like a huge potential wait, but I need to have enough items in my "basket" to justify placing an order with my supplier. I can add an option for you to "EXPRESS" your order if you absolutely want to, this would cover the cost of the postage from my supplier. If this is something people want then let me know. At the moment my next supplier order is penciled in for the end of the month. Let's say 31st March. As always, you are welcome to contact me to see whether I can complete an order for a specific date. I will continue to do everything I can do ensure gifts etc are complete if I know they are needed for a certain date. My advice is to be as prepared as you can be though and order with plenty of time to spare. We are bound to see delivery delays soon too. Remember, when an items leaves me it is in the hands of Royal Mail/Courier and I can not control when it is then delivered to you.
I am also going to add some Virtual Vouchers to the website that can be purchased. These will be available in a range of price points. A discount code, to the value of the voucher you order, will be emailed (so make sure you include a valid email address when purchasing) to you upon purchase. Please note this may take up to 24 hours to arrive. These can then be redeemed on a future purchase or gifted to somebody. The fine print detail will be ironed out over the next day or so and I'll get them added. You could use them as a way of paying in instalments for an order later down the line. I will be more than happy to combine voucher codes into one code if you purchase multiples over a short period. Again, this will be in the fine print/T&C.
You will also notice regular website updates and tweaks whilst I'm quiet. I will be making the most of the down time and making sure my website is as good as it can be if not better. Better categories. Better navigation. New products. New options. It's time to plan! A few bits I do plan on adding over the coming weeks are the Self Adhesive Vinyl Graphics. You're might be thinking "I didn't realise you done those too..." .. well I do. And I intend to get them on to the website! Vinyl Graphics is something I have done for almost 5 years now. In fact I'm in the process of creating some wording for the unit door as we're installing a new video doorbell so I can lock myself in!
If you have got any suggestions on product ideas then please feel free to comment with them on here or drop me a message. I envisage having time to do lots of planning and research!
Normality will resume...
We all have to remember that after this Pandemic is over that we will need to get back to some form of "normality" whatever that may be. I am ever the optimist so if you need some positive words and advice throwing at you then just ask!
If you've got your kids at home and need some reassurance that you're not a crap parent. Shout. I'm not a parent, but I know that all those parents out there will be doing their best. And let's face it, you're a better parent than me...
If you're struggling with your mental health and need a chat. Shout. I'm here. I've struggled. I still do at times. I know how important support is at times like these! You are not alone. Ever.
If you're struggling work wise or with your business and need someone to bounce some ideas off of. Shout. I love helping in any way I can! I can promise you my brain works in crazy ways and can often come up with some insane ideas. Sometimes they're the best ones though!
Stay Awesome. Stay Safe. Stay you!
Hugs to all that need them. Reach out if you need me! I'm here.
Charlotte xxx