After the Storm

After much shoveling, salting, and snowblowing, things are "winter normal" here in the Northeast. That means the sidewalks are icy, parking spaces are being saved with chairs, orange cones, trash barrels, and other garage items, and commerce is again on the move.

If you placed an order with us for Valentine's Day delivery, rest assured that it's on its way on time. Thanks to everyone who made this a very happy Valentines Day for us. Orders have been closed since noon, and we had a very good couple of weeks.

Things quiet down now until Easter, unless you folks decide to keep us busy by ordering lots and lots of King Cakes. With all the beads and doubloons these cakes come with, it's like getting Mardi Gras in a box, and the cakes themselves are terrific. You could also comfort your Olympic sorrows with some Olympic Mini Cookies. It's been a tough couple of days for the Americans. First Michelle Kwan drops out, then Bode Miller finishes fourth in Men's Downhill and Apollo Ahno fails to make the finals in the 1500-meter Short Track. Word today is that Women's Luge was plagued by crashes. I'm hoping that everyone's fortunes improve as the Games progress.

Whenever we hit a slow time over here, we take a look at the site and see what's working and what's not. We also review the customer requests we receive to see what else we should be offering. One year ago, when we were one of a handful of sites dedicated to bakery products, it was a matter of keeping up with the Joneses. Now, with more companies jumping into the space, setting ourselves apart from the competition becomes more important each day.

To that end, we've got some exciting developments planned in the coming weeks, based around one of my guiding philosophies of customer service, namely, "Never say 'No' to a customer." That, of course, is an impossible goal, but by the 20th request for a particular product or service, it's time to start finding a solution.

I've found two that should make you very happy. Look for details later this week.

And if you're not of a mind to wish that February 14th was just another day, have a Happy Valentine's Day. For those who dread the day, take comfort in knowing that the clutter of hearts and pink will be swept from the stores for another year on Wednesday.