45 Days of Christmas

I spent yesterday early morning in a Royal Mail sorting office in Exeter with the BBC Breakfast crew, I was speaking for ‘small-ish e-tailers’.  You know the shot, lots of parcels flying around with a troupe of Royal Mail employees in the background wearing Santa hats…hats off to Royal Mail, they are amazing.  I’ve been through every delivery company over the years, they are a law unto themselves.  When they get it wrong, it’s total disaster and they are all awful, truly awful, at sorting it out.  Royal Mail are the best, by a long way.  Also the most competitive.   I wasn’t allowed to say any of that on breakfast TV as it would have looked like I was a Royal Mail patsy.

Sorry to look like such a smug twat on the frozen thumbnail image :)

So, Christmas 2014.  Double the size of 2013, in every way.  Number of orders, costs, risk on stock.  Reward if we don’t screw up and get it wrong. :)   Big backlash on the “Black Friday” thing.  Saw the nation’s view on C4’s Gogglebox:  “It’s another Americanism, why do we need it?  Asda, Walmart, bugger off”, etc.   Plus of course the pathetic scenes of people getting crushed in the doorways.  Did you know on average 4 people every year get crushed to death in America on Black Friday.  I used to think it was quite quaint to see people sleeping outside Harrods in the 70’s and 80’s to be first in the Sale queue, but it’s become a bit sad now hasn’t it?    I wonder what will happen next year, I think if the big retailers are in tune they might pass, or is it just a relentless drive towards seedy and tragic?  Online it’s different of course.  Oh yes, from our ivory tower we can just about see the scrum below.  Still a healthy dose of tongue in cheek required for it, I’ll have to think of some kind of ironic twist on the whole thing.  Not for now…

Happily all has been good for BAM this Christmas.  We’re doing a weeny bit better than my ambitious guesses, which frankly has amazed me, I always struggle to get my head around the idea that 400 people a day want to order our stuff.  In a way I’ll always be that guy in his garage with a head torch writing on envelopes (Christmas 2006), grateful that anyone wanted to buy anything, about to meet the amazing Nicole to jump start BAM’s progress.

The inevitable Sale to clear the bits and pieces left after the carnage of November and December will begin on Christmas Eve and we’ll clear our decks ready for next spring’s brand new bigger and broader range of Bamboo Clothing that we’ve been working on for the last few months.  I’m even being forced to look at next Autumn already.   Some nonsense about doing everything on time. :)   If you’ve bought from us this Christmas, a huge thank-you.

Happy Christmas!  David X