WELL, we figured out what happened, thanks to Dawn Josephine in Bozeman (who carries our soaps, I might add) who sent us the link to this Yahoo story on foodie gifts.
And how THAT happened, is that our friend and customer Cindy Emch (who is also a very talented musician) works at Yahoo and sent the item to Yahoo Food... they decided to pick it up and VOILA -- not only are we totally out of Bacon Soap, but we've also completely worn Russ down to the ground (sorry honey).
As of now, we only have Outlaw's Breakfast (which includes Coffee Soap or Hair of the Dog Whiskey Soap, a full size bar of Bacon Soap, and a wonderful metal cup). How long will those be in stock? I don't know. I did submit a product return order for a portion of the remainder of them in stock at Amazon so that we could have a chance at fulfilling them ourselves.
This is all part of the business.
As dramatic as it feels in the moment (and seriously, it has been dramatic), it is just how the holidays are in retail.
When I was a digital product manager, I didn't quite have a sense of the tornado of chaos that reigned in November and December. And there's always something unexpected that comes up... The first year, well, it was our first year. Last year, we had WIRED Magazine. This year, it's Yahoo! (granted, we did expect WIRED, but Yahoo! was a total surprise to us).
A couple months ago, we weren't sure if we had made too much bacon. Now, on the 8th of December, we're out. So do we make twice as much next year? Or would we not get another big press mention, and we'd end up with a billion bars and no buyers?
There are no right answers.
What I'm learning about business (and life), is that you just do the best you can do, and don't stress if you fall short. Just stand up, brush yourself off, and keep going.
Which is what we're doing... this weekend is Renegade Craft Fair, and then the last online shopping week before Christmas (though again, we'll be sending stuff out until 12/24), and then... CHRISTMAS! And then ThinkGeek's Archaeology soap order, and then moving to Colfax.
No time to drag feet!
