3 minute read

For the last few months we've made every effort to populate our site with great 24 hour deals beginning every Sunday night at 8PM. The response has been incredible, often selling out within a few hours. This is gratifying on several levels, not the least of which is our ability to connect with our customers virtually. Monday Deals specially created to target every taste at every price point.

Unlike most retailers who mark up the price of products and then slash when they have stock they can't move, our natural hand made products are always in small batch production. There are no leftovers. No marked up items to fool you into thinking is a markdown sale. In year's past we would offer a one day 20% OFF Sale before the holidays as a thank you. At this time, 2020 - The Pandemic Edition doesn't allow us that luxury.  To maintain our business we now ship most of our sales. The $7. flat fee is less than 40% of our shipping cost per box. Free shipping on order over $50 is roughly 20% off the entire sale. We don't mind any of it though. We do our part to keep our business and the economy going. We will though have to skip offering store wide sales for the immediate future.

This pandemic continues to blow. Hard. The hospitals are filling up again and while we all have varying views on what constitutes being safe, we are, each of us, trying to find an equilibrium. Calmly carrying on to make the best of what life is currently handing us. While some are opting for travel, most of us are staying put. But that means layoffs at the airlines, aircraft and parts manufacturers, hotels, restaurants, retailers, etc. The dominos are only beginning to fall because the stimulus money being used by Main Street American is drying up. This is not a political statement. It is a stark reality. Let's face it, American retail has been slowly dying for a very long time now. The internet is the mall of the future. The pandemic only serves to shine a light on this fact, and to hasten the inevitable changes. Is more stimulus money going to be the answer? No one really know for sure. Only guesses, (mostly by talking hairdos that almost never come up with viable solutions). So Sarah and I continue to wake up each day and happily come to work. To continue to find new ways in which to engage our customers. To build our business outside these four wall. To grow. To survive. To thrive. To be self-sustaining. To be grateful.

Last night the streets of Philadelphia were filled with revelers. Folks who were celebrating democracy in action. Regardless of personal political views, we live in an amazing country that allows many different types of people and personalities an opportunity to run the show. Whatever side you fall upon, let's celebrate that. For it is our diversity and the promise of opportunity to all that defines the American experience.

By now most of you have stopped reading, but if you're still here.. thank you. While we would love to shout about what you might buy from us, perhaps this year we could encourage you to make a greater positive impact in the local community. Spend a little less on swag this holiday and donate to those in need. The local food pantries, elder care centers and churches that are doing real work for those most at risk. This year duross & langel will be donating a percentage of our holiday sales to Mama Tee Community Fridge Fundraiser to feed folks who are food insecure. We encourage you to see the good works these folks are doing. If you can help, please reach out to them. If you are in need (as we all may be from time to time), don't hesitate to reach out for assistance. We are all in this life together.

Steve

When I was younger, I was a small child. Skinny, slower, shorter than the other boys. While I was hoping to grow to six feet tall, I maxed out at five-seven. I wanted broad shoulder and guns to blow out the armholes in my tee shirts. I wanted to be the smartest person in the room. Oh well.. luckily I learned to manage my expectations early in life. Of course, I still believe in myself and my abilities, that if I put my mind and energy into it, I can achieve many things. Just not everything I think I want exactly when I want it. Sometimes life has a way of altering our course.

This Covid world has existed for a little over eight months, from the initial public response and lockdown, to the present morass. The world has changed. We have changed. Our business has changed. While many people are crying out for things to return to normal, the future, however you envision it, is still a way off. The changes we've made for this year (18 months?) are structured to keep a steady course for running our business when things are good, like now, or in case things get rough. So far so good. The store as you may have known it is effectively gone. Our expanded production has enveloped some of the space while the rest is taken up with shipping. Online sales, both shipping and pickup, now account for 90% of our business. Good thing we are adapting because according to many forecast analysts, it is estimated that 95% of all purchases will be made online by 2040.

One of the reasons I prefer to shop online is due to a trend of bad customer service in stores and shops. I believe we do a great job of customer service at duross & langel. I believe Sarah and Allison do an exceptional job, as do our associates. But not every place I go seems to care about me as a customer, which is why I prefer to fill a cart online. I can manage my expectations about what I am receiving by limiting the disappointing experiences. Which is why we've always aimed to make your experience with D+L about relationships, ingredients, and creating a good feeling as you walk out the door. We want both your online and in-store experiences to be great.

As a business we have come far in these last eight months. We've learned a great deal about change. We know what we want from our future, and somehow it bears little resemblance to our past. This year has taught us to strive for a leaner, lighter enterprise. Keep expectations manageable. Don't panic. Don't over-react. Not a day goes by without someone expressing their disappointment that they cannot come inside and smell everything. We get it. Truly. It is disappointing that Covid 19 has created a situation where we cannot put things out for people to smell or touch. And change is difficult, especially when new things create a certain level of anxiety. Anxiety makes us all a little pissed off sometimes. Who would agree that 2020 has been an incredibly stressful year?

Personally, I get through the bad days living in my fantasy world. I would also like to be lying on a beach in Mexico right now. I have the vouchers and hotel points left over from last spring when everything got cancelled. I still have a job. Food. A home. I am so much luckier than a lot of people. Since I have immune compromised people within my circle, eighteen months of staying put, having things delivered and being mindful is a fairly easy undertaking. I also have a kick-ass beach plan for celebrating once a vaccine has been widely distributed. As for returning to normal? I don't know. I think that ship might have sailed. The world will have moved on and something better might take the place of the old normal. But that's life right? Embrace change and adapt or become obsolete. Whatever comes next, I dream about an amazing future filled with endless possibilities, and I am grateful for the past, the present, and for what good things might still lie ahead.

If you come by to shop at the window or pickup an online order, you can begin to view the new store we are building in the front area of the old store. It will grow and change over the next six or seven months so that when we open our doors again, you may enjoy a whole new shopping experience