Hi all ,
so my question is this … anyone else considering shutting their shop for a while ? and what would prompt that decision from your point of view.
Catching it/ suspecting you have it ? - well that would mean a pause on deliveries for at least 14 days, more if you live in a house hold with others and they get it some time after you.
Vulnerable people dependent upon you ?
I’m very much in the frame of mins of " make decisions as if you were at risk of passing it on rather being afraid of catching it"
I must add - from what I have read the risk of passing it on via my parcel surfaces is negligible, but passing it on to the vital staff at my local shop Post Office is quite possible. I don;t want to go there more than I have to.
Also a factor is will Delivery staff have more important things to deliver ? let’s face it people CAN cope without a lampshade or mouse for a while lol !
Loss of income - well yes but I can manage that. ( but that is not a minor loss for some) .
I am not closing atm. Have altered my stock that everything can be sent in a pip box. I use postal scales already and buy and print the postage online. Do not have to go to the PO but just put in a post box. Think it is important to trade for as long as I can. Have had loads of emails from suppliers stating that their b & m shops will be closed but online still going.
I’ll be staying open provided that I don’t display any symptoms. I live near a royal mail depot so have the option to buy postage online and take packages there thus limiting the number of people I come into contact with.
I know a number of shops have shut for now as they are run by people who are in the vulnerable category or live with someone in the vulnerable category and don’t want to risk it.
I will also be staying open for the time being unless I display symptoms or someone close to me does (crossing fingers and toes that it doesn’t happen) and following good hygiene practice which I did anyway before this kicked off.
I’m staying open at the moment but thinking of extending the 3 day postage time to 5 days to reduce the trips to the post office. My husband is classed as vulnerable having type 2 diabetes and having had a heart attack just a few months ago. He is currently working from home to reduce the risk.
If lots of shops shut can Folksy survive for long?
I’ve been contemplating that today. I will leave it open for now. If I get an order, I will email the customer to let them know that I ship perhaps once or twice a week. And I will work on custom orders only if I have the yarn already. I don’t know how yarn shops etc will be operating. I am only going to shops for groceries.
I am planning to keep my shop open for the time being. I will probably change all my shipping to UK only just to make things easier. If I feel Is have to self isolate at any time I will put my shop in holiday mode while that is in force and cancel any orders I cant fulfil. At the moment I still have to visit the PO for work reasons anyway so could always take my parcels then. I dont generally sell much at this time of year anyway so it wont make a lot of difference to me either way but hopefully by keeping my shop going it is supporting Folksy a bit allowing it to continue for those who rely on it for an income.
Well I am a plus seller and lurk at the bottom end of best sellers so if I have a couple of months off they have had a fair bit upto now .
But sadly everyone loses from this situation
I have put my shop in holiday mode for now.
I am in my 70’s and without a car, so if I had any sales, I would have to get the bus to the post office and I really don’t want to get on a bus at the moment…in the mean time, I am making baby clothes for the predicted baby boom in December x
My shop is staying open. I have a post office locally that I can walk to. I am in the vunerable group that have asthma so am very much aware but trying not to get over anxious and panicky. We cook fresh every day but the local supermarket is getting low on all kinds of supplies so not sure how things will unwind.
I will be staying open unless my post office closes… it’s local, a mile away and a smail village shop . As long as she is open I will be. I have every expectation of good stocks of suncatchers by the end of this…We are staying home, not socialising as both in the vulnerable category I can always make more glass if I get bored and if my ‘stock’ boxes get full I’ll make some for the garden.
I’m currently staying with my brother to keep him company so have put a closed shop notice up for this week, I very much would like to keep my shop open. But because I have a vulnerable family member I’m wondering whether to avoid the post office all together and just post my stuff with a stamp through a local post box (most of my items are small). For now I’m probably going to use this time to create new animal drawings, as well as trial/test new product ideas ~
I will be keeping my shop open, even though my husband is at the “vulnerable” stage, as he has leukemia, so he will be self isolating, but I will be social distancing. We have a post box at the end of our street, a few houses away, and because I design and print Greeting Cards, I never need to go to the Post Office. This gives me the time now to concentrate on perhaps making gift tags and wrapping paper (maybe).
SallyAnn xxx
I’m staying open all the while the post office is open and my household is symptom free. I’m in the risk category myself due to my health issues but I’m still having to work otherwise I don’t get paid.
I was going to shut my shop, but will now stay open for as long as possible as my kindly neighbour has offered to take any parcels I have to the post office for me. It’s a quiet time for selling for me so probably wont have many parcel to send, and I’ll email the customer to let them know I’ll only be posting twice a week for the time being.
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