Black Friday and Cyber Monday

I had hoped to get this posted last night but with the hustle bustle of the Thanksgiving holiday I was not. So, hopefully you'll have a moment in between Thanksgiving dinner and leftovers to peruse this blog post if you do happen to participate in the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. I don't typically blog about POP UP SALES prior to going live with one but this is going to be our biggest and last, so I figured this was as good of time as any to address some issues that do pop up (no pun intended) on our POP UP SALES. You can find details on why this will be our last POP UP SALE here and more information regarding the closing of Dainty Button here. 

Most web based businesses participate in Cyber Monday, so why are you doing Black Friday?

I have always done a Black Friday sale AND Cyber Monday sale for my customers. I'm not sure why but it works. There's two different crowds usually and the bargains are great. I did however contemplate nixing Black Friday and just combining everything into a Cyber Monday sale but I've been promoting both sales for about a month now and I decided to keep it as is. I am aware that having an online sale on Black Friday while everybody is out fighting for deals is not the smartest thing but there are some that don't enjoy the madness of Black Friday and I also set the sale at a late enough time in the evening that most should be home and relaxing. Or in the ER. 

Our POP UP SALES have always been a great success and have come with few complications however issues do arise and I have to address them. Here's a few that I feel need to be gone over prior to the sale and also a few revisions to the rules.

POP UP SALES are first come first serve:

My POP UP SALES are not an auction sale as the price is already set however the invoice does go to the first that comments. If there's 7 available obviously there's ONLY 7 and I can ONLY issue invoices to the first 7 that comment. 

Invoices:

Invoices are subject to change:

I have come across this issue a few times and for the most part, customers are pretty understanding however some have not been. My items have always been made to order with the exception of a few items. This includes the POP UP SALES. This will change after December 31st, which is discussed in the blog info given above. I go through inventory, which means that I measure out how many scarves I can offer and provide, pre-cut. Once I start cutting and sewing scarves, there might be blemishes in the material or measurements might not have been exact, which would be subject to the invoice changing. This is not a case of me being dishonest in sales but a simple oversight. I have done my very best to inform customers when this happens and I'll be honest, there's been a few times it's slipped my attention to detail and I've been very good about exchanging the item or issuing a refund if that happens, however I do try to catch this prior to shipping. Please note that invoices are subject to change if we have oversold or there are defects in the material.

Invoices must be paid within a certain time frame:

I have tried to give ample time for customers to take care of invoices. It used to be 24 hours but on items that have had several comments, it has evolved into a 3-5 day process and slowed things up significantly. I changed the time frame to 12 HOURS. I try my best to get invoices issued ASAP but depending on how busy the day is, I may not get around to it right away. I kindly ask that the invoice be paid within the 12 hour time frame given. If the invoices have been issued at night, I do try and give a little extra time considering most are sleeping half of that 12 hours. If you've commented on an item during a POP UP SALE, I encourage you to check your inbox regularly for an invoice to arrive. I do also try and comment on FB when I've distributed invoices.

**If the sale takes place in the evening, I try and get invoices out the following morning.

**If the sale takes place during the day, I try and get the invoices out by the end of the night.

***Invoices for the Black Friday POP UP SALE will be issued sometime Saturday, November 24th. There is no set time.

Invoices will not be revised upon customer's request, with the exception of it being my error:

This has happened a few times and I made an exception because it was not something that was in the rules and it was the first time it had happened, but I want to cover this prior to this sale because it did create a halt in production. If you are not sure about an item in a POP UP SALE PLEASE do not comment. We issue invoices to those that comment and if you're not sure about it, then the chances are you're not going to take care of the invoice, which means that it's a waste of time for me to distribute an invoice and also PayPal fees accrue. There are several others that want these items and it's not fair to casually comment with no intent of following through. If you're on a budget during a sale, please keep that in mind when you're commenting. I understand that sometimes you're a little surprised upon seeing the "damage", especially when you've commented on several items but to go in and revise invoices because you did not budget correctly or you've changed your mind really does take a lot of extra time. If the invoice consists of errors on my part, I will be more than happy to revise the invoice. Comment with caution.

Shipping is combined:

I'm often asked this question by newcomers to these sales. YES, shipping is combined on multiple items.

POP UP SALES items are FINAL SALE:

I'll be honest, mistakes have happened during these sales. Items have been shipped incorrectly, defects, missing items, etc. The sales are very big and with dozens of invoices coming in and going out, oversights are going to happen. I do try and correct these and prevent them from happening. If I'm responsible for shipping the incorrect item(s), the item is defected, or the item is delayed and it's not been shipped yet, I will issue a refund. However, if you do receive the correct item and there are no defects, there are no refunds issued. These items are at a very great bargain price. If we were to offer refunds and exchanges on a whim, it would be pointless, to be honest with you. If the item is a skirt or other item, exceptions can be made however it is subject to my decision.

About my infinity scarves:

My infinity scarves come in different sizes. If you happen to purchase more than one and try and measure them up, chances are they may not be the exact size. This is normal and the nature of handmade items. They're not cookie cutter scarves. Fabric dimensions are different and I do measure scarves on the weight of the fabric. If it's a heavy knit, The scarf will not be as big as more lightweight scarves simply because nobody likes to wear a blanket around their neck. Lightweight scarves are bigger because they're lightweight and nobody likes to wear a string around their neck as a scarf. There's no need to be alarmed if this happens, as it's completely normal for them to be different sizes.

Shipping Turnaround:

I do include the shipping turnaround in invoices, which is normally 5-7 BUSINESS DAYS (not including holidays/weekends) after the invoice is taken care of. 

What's going to be in the Black Friday SALE?

Infinity Scarves (men, women, and children)

Skirts (READY TO SHIP)

Miscellaneous READY TO SHIP items that are in stock.

What's going to be in the Cyber Monday sale and how is it different than the Black Friday sale?

My Cyber Monday sale is on my etsy shop and website on Cyber Monday, which falls on November 26th this year. The sale will go live at 8 AM (PST) and last until 11:59 PM (PST). I will provide a coupon code via social media and also on my website and etsy shop announcement. This coupon code is applied at checkout. This year we are providing 40%-60% OFF items and FREE SHIPPING. This does include items that you would not find in a POP UP SALE, such as our current Fall Collection, headbands, bow ties, little girls leggings, etc. 

PLEASE NOTE:

Clothing (women and children's) is NOT GUARANTEED to arrive by Christmas as our Christmas deadline was November 19th. Accessories (headbands, scarves, bow ties, pocket squares, shoe clips, etc.) WILL BE GUARANTEED to arrive by Christmas. We will do our very best to try and get items out in time to receive by Christmas but again, it's not guaranteed as I am short staffed, my production manager will be going out of the country for the holiday season and I currently have a lot to tie up before my December 31st closing.  

I hope I have communicated details with you as clearly as possible. I'm very excited about these two sales as we have some great items to offer at bargain prices. The rest of the holiday season is a great time to stay close to our etsy shop, website and social media outlets, as I'm clearing out all inventory, including fabric. My heart is so full with how wonderful my customers have been the last 3 years. This truly has been the adventure of a lifetime and I'm so blessed. I pray you and yours has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. God bless you!

Charity

xoxo