I swear I was not paid for this glowing endorsement- heck I am about to rave about someone who technically is my competition.!That just shows how much I admire these ladies. I feel it is important to note that no money was exchanged for this posting. My praise comes from my own personal experience.
So, I can be quite flighty when it comes to keeping track of my inventory (just ask my sis who has heard quite a few stories about my shock at finding I really do not have any more bla bla dolls. Really? I swear I had one more......didn't I?"). One of my regular (meaning repeat and one who graciously refers me to everyone) ordered these really cute hand knitted cupcakes. I emailed me her to tell her all was in stock and they would ship the next day. As I am packing up her order, Icannot find any more of the cupcakes. I really thought I had one left. See the problem is I also sell on amazon.com and this messes up my inventory count. Sure enough- I looked up my orders on amazon and I sold the last one a few weeks previously (the manufacturer was also out of stock). I just could not bring myself to tell my customer I had none left. So what did I do? I googled Yellow Label Kids handknitted cupcakes and came up with this store- Two Blue Peas. I was so relieved to see they had some in stock- which I promptly ordered. Yes, I had to pay retail plus shipping, but I could breathe easier knowing I came through for my customer. I have discovered that finding customers can be a challenge and once you have a loyal one, you want to hang on to them desperately (quite honestly, referrals are a huge source of business for me). Now I just had to hope that Two Blue Peas would quickly ship my order. You know how some stores require 3-4 business days for "processing"? By the way, what exactly are they "processing"? Literally, 30 minutes after I placed my order, I received a shipping notice. My package was on it's way! Amazing- that is super quick service! My order arrived a few days later nicely wrapped. Completely professional.
After browsing, I found more to like about the 2 Blue Peas website. Their site is crisp, clean and uncluttered. It is easy to find what you are looking for and their offerings are not overwhelming. I really do not like shopping at sites with 50+ pages of clothing (or some other category) that I have to look through. Reading through their about me page, I detected bits of humor and am fairly sure the owners, Sarah and Helen don't take themselves too seriously and are really having fun with their endeavor. I enjoyed reading their blog as it gave some insight into who the people are behind this business. They seem like 2 cool women I would hanging out with . Helen and Sara, thank you so much for helping me keep one of my customers happy! Best of luck to you both. Oh-they still have the really cute cupcakes in stock ( sadly, I am still out of stock).
So, I can be quite flighty when it comes to keeping track of my inventory (just ask my sis who has heard quite a few stories about my shock at finding I really do not have any more bla bla dolls. Really? I swear I had one more......didn't I?"). One of my regular (meaning repeat and one who graciously refers me to everyone) ordered these really cute hand knitted cupcakes. I emailed me her to tell her all was in stock and they would ship the next day. As I am packing up her order, Icannot find any more of the cupcakes. I really thought I had one left. See the problem is I also sell on amazon.com and this messes up my inventory count. Sure enough- I looked up my orders on amazon and I sold the last one a few weeks previously (the manufacturer was also out of stock). I just could not bring myself to tell my customer I had none left. So what did I do? I googled Yellow Label Kids handknitted cupcakes and came up with this store- Two Blue Peas. I was so relieved to see they had some in stock- which I promptly ordered. Yes, I had to pay retail plus shipping, but I could breathe easier knowing I came through for my customer. I have discovered that finding customers can be a challenge and once you have a loyal one, you want to hang on to them desperately (quite honestly, referrals are a huge source of business for me). Now I just had to hope that Two Blue Peas would quickly ship my order. You know how some stores require 3-4 business days for "processing"? By the way, what exactly are they "processing"? Literally, 30 minutes after I placed my order, I received a shipping notice. My package was on it's way! Amazing- that is super quick service! My order arrived a few days later nicely wrapped. Completely professional.
After browsing, I found more to like about the 2 Blue Peas website. Their site is crisp, clean and uncluttered. It is easy to find what you are looking for and their offerings are not overwhelming. I really do not like shopping at sites with 50+ pages of clothing (or some other category) that I have to look through. Reading through their about me page, I detected bits of humor and am fairly sure the owners, Sarah and Helen don't take themselves too seriously and are really having fun with their endeavor. I enjoyed reading their blog as it gave some insight into who the people are behind this business. They seem like 2 cool women I would hanging out with . Helen and Sara, thank you so much for helping me keep one of my customers happy! Best of luck to you both. Oh-they still have the really cute cupcakes in stock ( sadly, I am still out of stock).
3 comments:
Great post!
I have also run into a situation where I was so sure I had something in stock and then when you don't have any more and a customer orders the item, you just don't want to disappoint them and you try to get the item to them any way possible.
I love your humor and honesty - I find so many blogs that don't like to admit what they did to make a customer happy. I too own my own business and write honest posts about it - London Edwards of My Little Dish (very good friend) sent me to your site. Your site is great, and I am really enjoying the blog! Good luck with all!
Jamie Lentzner
www.jamiespnd.com
www.jpd.typepad.com
Customer service is key and I find that I get so many loyal customers by giving great customer service. I probably would have done the same thing you did. I can't tell you how many free plates I've given away just to keep them happy, whether they were being unreasonable or not. Glad I found your blog, I can't wait to read more.
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