storemorestamps.com Blog

The big boys and I are on Spring Break this week.  Finished the last of my homework this afternoon, so now it’s official for all of us!  Catching up with family in San Antonio this weekend and then who knows what the rest of the week will bring.  It’s REALLY great to be able to be off with the boys – something I’ve wanted since Aydyn started school.  So, this is just a quick update and I’ll share some pics as soon as I get them onto the computer to play with.  I hope everyone’s starting to get some spring weather, even if it’s just some sunshine for now!

I’m a warm weather girl and this winter has been pretty COLD, so I’m glad that it’s starting to feel like spring around here.  Still cold in the mornings but warming up nicely in the afternoons.  I’m still wearing long sleeves and jeans, though, since it’s just warmER, not warm enough.  Doesn’t take long for the chill to return in the evenings – especially when you’re a wimp like me.  The boys decided today was officially the beginning of shorts weather.  The birds have been around for a couple of weeks.  Windows open to hear yards being cut.  Definitely starting to feel like spring.

front yard loropetalum

An apology & a completely fresh start

I will start by saying that I am truly appreciative of every one of you, for our relationships formed, and for each and every order received.  However, there are those of you for which I have not lived up to your (or my) expectations and I am very sorry for any problems you have had with me and/or my customer service in the past.  You already know about our Little Monkeys disaster last summer, but the problems were deeper than that and, on the personal side, I had to make some very tough decisions.  (Since I know enquiring minds want to know – the problems were not within the home, but did, in turn, cause problems within the home – just saying that home life is good and getting better.)  Now that those decisions have been dealt with and worked through, I feel that I am finally coming through to the good side of life again and that makes ALL the difference.

Having hope again and a fresh outlook means that I am also able and ready to focus on repairing my relationship with you.  As part of starting anew, I lost almost all of my past messages.  So, I am going to ask for now that you please send me a message at susan@storemorestamps.com and I will work with you on the best remedy for our problems.  I will respond to any messages received within 24 hours.  We can talk by phone, but please send a message by email first so I can do any research and be ready with information to talk.  I am in the process of rebuilding my contact lists and there are a lot of changes going on to make improvements and needed updates as well.  However, I do not want to wait until everything is “just right” to start working with you.

I am anxious and excited to be making a fresh start.  There will be changes coming to the website and a new look overall.  Adding help where needed is the biggest change.  And the biggest is that I am no longer handling shipping.  I am working with a new girl (I still call anyone my own age or younger a girl!) to process orders.  I will handle any problems or questions, but not involved on the processing side at all.  We have a set inventory and shipping schedule.  If your item is out of stock or will be delayed, you will know it up front.  Also, all shipping will go out on Thursdays and Mondays.  This will ensure that all orders are processed and shipped within a timely manner on a schedule you can rely on.  If your order needs special attention, please send a message to orders@storemorestamps.com.

Thank you for everything.  I look forward to hearing from you.  I also will post this on Splitcoast Stampers but please share with anyone you think needs to know and also let me know if it also should be posted elsewhere.  I am facing things head on so want to be sure the word is out!  Stay tuned for changes – I will keep you updated!

All my best,

Susan

No other way to put it.  There was a horrible disaster with our materials and after looking over everything, it was clear we would never be able to use any of the products in inventory.  To have this happen after already having problems this spring with my broken hand and the switch to the new shopping system, everything fell apart.  Or, rather, I fell apart.  I truly feel awful that I wasn’t able to keep you posted about the problems.  I didn’t tell anybody, though, not even my family and close friends.  Just couldn’t take it.  Even Tia, who was starting to help with shipping and might have been the saving grace if we could have faced this together, had to leave town to deal with both of her parents falling ill. A downward spiral of epic proportions.

Everything I had went into trying to recover – both from a business and a personal perspective – while putting on a smiling front for those around me and it was slow going.  I have scrounged every penny to be able to order new materials and am now finally making progress again.

I would like to thank a certain customer and her brother-in-law for the confirmation I was needing to keep moving and, as our boys say, “suck it up, princess.”

All outstanding orders will be shipped no later than Friday, 9/11/09.  It will most likely be earlier than that, but I don’t want to over-commit and cause more dissatisfaction.  Also, since it’s easy to want to please everyone and end up sidetracked, I’m just going to say up front that I will not work on any follow-up until everything has shipped and orders delivered.  At that time, I will see where things stand and will know better what my next steps should be.

I’ve felt like a part of me was missing through this difficult time so I’m ready to get it back, and ready to fight hard to move ahead with the other projects & next steps planned for Little Monkeys months ago.  New color sets are waiting for their release (will be Oct 15th!), new product ideas, etc.  I’m really looking forward to moving forward.  I hope that you are, too.

“Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up.” — Chinese Proverb