Current Mood: Meh

It’s fall, so I figured I’d better add a bit of life to this site.

Summer was…er…a mixed bag. In contrast to the prior post, sales dropped way off in Sept, and while they have increased since then, I figure it won’t be cruisin’ properly until after the election. Election years are a real spikey thing. First there’s the breath-holding & economic tanking (which everyone forgets happens every time there can’t be an incumbent after the election [although this time is unarguably worse than when Clinton had to step aside]). Then, after the election, half or more of the people are glad that whoever wins, did win, so they celebrate–by buying like mad!

So I’m sitting here waiting, with my merchandise…

On a brighter note, I finally bought 50 daffs (and some tulips) for myself AND got them planted. Usually I buy bulbs with the intention of planting them, but end up selling them. Not just for the money, but because planting is w*rk! So it will be nice in the spring to see a new daff patch, bordered by some tulips.

I half-expect that next spring I’ll be thinking, “I should have put those up for sale…”

Current Mood: Meh

Geez! “Dull” is actually an understatement. No wonder I never went fast on those j*bs when I did them for empl*yment. They put me to sleep!

What reminded me how dull clerical stuff can be?

Every year, I send out postcards to old customers to let them know that the tulip season has begun. Needless to say, this entails some clerical work. I had to enter all the names/addresses into the label template, print that out, and then sticker the postcards with those labels and my return-address labels.

And, I actually fell asleep a few times before I was done with the last set of labels!

At least I didn’t hate inventory/counting. Because the next step for the beginning of a season is to count out all the packs. They’re 12-packs, because I make ‘em 12-packs. But there’s clerical in that part, too: They have to be labeled by type.

No wonder shipping has improved on my opinion-meter! I got rid of all the nasty parts of the shipping operation. My boxes are big enough that fitting the stuff in isn’t a hassle, nobody can tell me to speed up and pack 1/min (I won’t ever fire me!), and I make sure to buy the good tape so there’s no frustration with that part.

But the clerical stuff…I think that’s irredeemable for now. There’re machines that WILL do it, but I’d have to be sending mass-mailings out a lot more often to make that equipment worthwhile. I only send cards out once a year…

Current Mood: Playful

To be planting! Specifically, tulips.

Why tulips?

Because they’re a great investment in next spring, because they’re the most popular bulb plant, because they’re pretty foolproof…

And because I just got my load of bulbs in from Holland for GoodBulbs.com! So the bulb-selling season is here, as well as the planting season!