Monday
Jan182010
I have two things to say.
Monday, January 18, 2010 at 6:56PM
The first is this:
The second thing is to say:
I'm sorry.
I ask you to imagine a stack of papers this tall:
And on each paper was at least one skein of yarn. Some of the papers had two skeins of yarn, some had twenty. That pile represents 6,000 pieces of paper. Six thousand separate orders. That's how many orders were placed on our site in a three week time period in July and August.
Six thousand. So I want to say
again. Thank you for buying yarn from us. I hope you'll love it.
for being patient. It took me a long time to make all of that yarn -- too long. This experience has convinced me that yarn people are some of the nicest people in the world. Most people waited with exceeding patience and then had the kindness to email and say things like (and these quotes are taken directly from emails with the permission of the writer):
I don't share these out of vanity. I share them to applaud you, some of the bestest people in the world. These are the kinds of notes people send us after having waited for so long for their yarn.
I also want to share a couple of things with you. The first is that we made many of you wait a long time for your order, and while you were kind about it, it was still an inconvenience. I want to apologize for any inconvenience we've caused you. I know this was a sacrifice for some of you, and I don't take that lightly. Thank you.
Next, I want to answer a few questions for you.
Q: Why didn't you know how long it was going to take to make my order?
A: For a couple of reasons. The first reason is that we have a very unsophisticated shopping cart system. We are in the process of upgrading the shopping cart system now to something that has a lot more functionality. The additional functionality also means that it's more complicated from the back end, so it's taking us a little while to get everything done. Our current (unsophisticated) system does not compile orders. It cannot tell me, for example, "Hey, Yarnista, you've had 6,000 orders." Or, "Hey, Yarnista, 7,200 skeins of Georgia Peach have been ordered! ACK!" It wasn't until I began to sit down and print out every order one by one that I was able to count and see how many there were. The printing alone took me dozens of hours over the course of many months. It's a good thing I use recycled paper.
Secondly, having not mass produced any of the colorways that were contest winners, I significantly underestimated how long it would take me to dye them. And not just dye them, dye them and wash them and dry them and wind them and label them and package them and ship them. It took me much longer than expected to complete all of these tasks. I have no one to blame but myself. I take full responsibility for underestimating this, and if this inconvenienced you in any way, I am so sorry.
I also want you to know how hard I worked on these orders. Not so that you'll feel sorry for me, because I love handpainting yarn. But just so you'll be aware that your order was not lost or misplaced or uncared about. When I say I worked seven days a week, sometimes 14 hours a day, I mean it. When I say I had staff in the studio with me at least six days a week, often working overtime, I mean it. Please don't think your order was unimportant to us because it took a while to make it. I promise that the opposite was true -- I was and still am deeply committed to customer satisfaction, and I hope that every one of you loved what you received.
Q: What are you doing to make sure this doesn't happen again?
A: Good question. The first thing that we're doing is upgrading the shopping cart system. When this is in place, it's going to allow you to do things like log in and see where we are with your order. Imagine that! (Another feature our current system lacks.) The new shopping cart system will allow us to provide you with an upfront estimate of how long your order will take before you even get to the check out. (This will be made possible by the fact that our new system will actually compile orders!)
We are also increasing the number of retailers that carry our yarn, so you'll have better access to instock items via your LYS or your favorite web retailer. This will mean instant yarn gratification.
Our new system will allow you to choose a shipping method as well. You'll be able to select the cheapest option, expedited shipping via UPS/FedEx, etc. This will also give you more control over your orders.
We're adding two additional staff members in the coming months to help us better keep up with the flow of orders. This will help prevent a log jam from happening again.
We're going to be increasing the amount of instock items we have on hand, just in case you need something right away. You can contact us, and we'll see if we have something we can send immediately.
The good news is that all of the backlog from the Dye for Glory contest has been cleared, and we're now going to be focusing on quickly catching up with the rest of our orders. If you've been waiting for something, you'll be seeing it soon.
We're going to be closing to new orders for just a little bit (except for club members), but we're not going anywhere. We're just getting ready to finish up the shopping cart system, which we'll then test to death to make sure it's as bug free as possible. When we re-open, we're going to be debuting some new colorways and new products.
So,
again lovely, lovely customers and friends. I am so grateful to have you, and so grateful for your support.
The second thing is to say:
I'm sorry.
I ask you to imagine a stack of papers this tall:
And on each paper was at least one skein of yarn. Some of the papers had two skeins of yarn, some had twenty. That pile represents 6,000 pieces of paper. Six thousand separate orders. That's how many orders were placed on our site in a three week time period in July and August.
Six thousand. So I want to say
again. Thank you for buying yarn from us. I hope you'll love it.
for being patient. It took me a long time to make all of that yarn -- too long. This experience has convinced me that yarn people are some of the nicest people in the world. Most people waited with exceeding patience and then had the kindness to email and say things like (and these quotes are taken directly from emails with the permission of the writer):
"I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for the amazing yarn -- I have never seen anything like it, and it was absolutely worth the wait. THANK YOU THANK YOU!"
"I was doubtful that any yarn could be worth waiting months for, but you have proven me wrong. I am amazed, speechless, really. I will be back again and again."
"Thank you for being the best thing in my week. I can't tell you what this package has meant to me -- you are truly a gifted artist, and I want to thank you for sharing your talent."
I don't share these out of vanity. I share them to applaud you, some of the bestest people in the world. These are the kinds of notes people send us after having waited for so long for their yarn.
I also want to share a couple of things with you. The first is that we made many of you wait a long time for your order, and while you were kind about it, it was still an inconvenience. I want to apologize for any inconvenience we've caused you. I know this was a sacrifice for some of you, and I don't take that lightly. Thank you.
Next, I want to answer a few questions for you.
Q: Why didn't you know how long it was going to take to make my order?
A: For a couple of reasons. The first reason is that we have a very unsophisticated shopping cart system. We are in the process of upgrading the shopping cart system now to something that has a lot more functionality. The additional functionality also means that it's more complicated from the back end, so it's taking us a little while to get everything done. Our current (unsophisticated) system does not compile orders. It cannot tell me, for example, "Hey, Yarnista, you've had 6,000 orders." Or, "Hey, Yarnista, 7,200 skeins of Georgia Peach have been ordered! ACK!" It wasn't until I began to sit down and print out every order one by one that I was able to count and see how many there were. The printing alone took me dozens of hours over the course of many months. It's a good thing I use recycled paper.
Secondly, having not mass produced any of the colorways that were contest winners, I significantly underestimated how long it would take me to dye them. And not just dye them, dye them and wash them and dry them and wind them and label them and package them and ship them. It took me much longer than expected to complete all of these tasks. I have no one to blame but myself. I take full responsibility for underestimating this, and if this inconvenienced you in any way, I am so sorry.
I also want you to know how hard I worked on these orders. Not so that you'll feel sorry for me, because I love handpainting yarn. But just so you'll be aware that your order was not lost or misplaced or uncared about. When I say I worked seven days a week, sometimes 14 hours a day, I mean it. When I say I had staff in the studio with me at least six days a week, often working overtime, I mean it. Please don't think your order was unimportant to us because it took a while to make it. I promise that the opposite was true -- I was and still am deeply committed to customer satisfaction, and I hope that every one of you loved what you received.
Q: What are you doing to make sure this doesn't happen again?
A: Good question. The first thing that we're doing is upgrading the shopping cart system. When this is in place, it's going to allow you to do things like log in and see where we are with your order. Imagine that! (Another feature our current system lacks.) The new shopping cart system will allow us to provide you with an upfront estimate of how long your order will take before you even get to the check out. (This will be made possible by the fact that our new system will actually compile orders!)
We are also increasing the number of retailers that carry our yarn, so you'll have better access to instock items via your LYS or your favorite web retailer. This will mean instant yarn gratification.
Our new system will allow you to choose a shipping method as well. You'll be able to select the cheapest option, expedited shipping via UPS/FedEx, etc. This will also give you more control over your orders.
We're adding two additional staff members in the coming months to help us better keep up with the flow of orders. This will help prevent a log jam from happening again.
We're going to be increasing the amount of instock items we have on hand, just in case you need something right away. You can contact us, and we'll see if we have something we can send immediately.
The good news is that all of the backlog from the Dye for Glory contest has been cleared, and we're now going to be focusing on quickly catching up with the rest of our orders. If you've been waiting for something, you'll be seeing it soon.
We're going to be closing to new orders for just a little bit (except for club members), but we're not going anywhere. We're just getting ready to finish up the shopping cart system, which we'll then test to death to make sure it's as bug free as possible. When we re-open, we're going to be debuting some new colorways and new products.
So,
again lovely, lovely customers and friends. I am so grateful to have you, and so grateful for your support.
Reader Comments (30)
I've been loving these blog posts that allow us little glimpses into the operation of your studio. I'm excited to see the new changes coming about and think that everything sounds like it will enhance customer satisfaction as well as make things easier for you and your staff. I'm glad I'm one of the clubies and can't wait to see what else you come up with!
Holy Cannoli! I am floored! I am amazed and impressed and SO glad that I was introduced to TIG! Thank you Sharon for ALL of your hard work. It is really and truly appreciated.
My Georgia Peach was so worth the wait. Thank you, once again, for taking time to communicate with your fans. Hang in there Yarnista! Hugs!
Now I'd love to know how many in your first three weeks of business. LOL
I'm so lucky to have been with you for so long. I've never received a yarn that I didn't like the base. Some colors weren't me but they were for someone out there and I could pass them on by selling/trading the skeins or making something out of them.
You've come such a long way.
My brother and SIL are going through renovations with their business, a bar named Main Street Tap Room in Avon Park, FL- feel free to visit if you're ever in the wee town. No matter what the business, it's a big job.
See you after the "renovations!"
Thank you for this update. I knew it must be really overwhelming, and I've been worried about you, but...wow! Wow! That is just amazing. And how do you do all this and still maintain such a warm, gracious demeanor? I love, love, love all the beautiful yarn, and I'm so glad I've found 3IG. I'm excited about the changes coming up, and I really hope you're getting some rest.