Ricki’s Rant:
When we were going through the quarantine that was mandated at the beginning of the Covid pandemic every retail and restaurant business went into immediate danger of closing. And in the end, 30% of all retail stores in this country did close permanently. And not just small stores. Stores like Lord and Taylor, Century 21, Stein Mart, and Pier 1 are closing or are already closed. Neiman Marcus has filed for bankruptcy and Bed Bath and Beyond, Gap, and Nordstrom are closing hundreds of stores.
For the stores that made it through 2020 they are now experiencing huge supply chain problems. According to the news last week it would take a full year to unpack the containers that are on the docks now and there are over 100 ships in the ports of California and New York waiting to unload their shipments. Also, for some of our vendors the cost of a container that was usually $2600 is now $8,000 and they cannot charge the stores the extra money because prices were set six months ago. So for the stores that made it through 2020, many of them will not survive this shipping disaster and the lack of holiday merchandise.
All this background to say that this holiday season you will need to shop earlier to get gifts for your family and friends before they run out because there will be no reorders. Toys for our children and grandchildren are really in short supply. Candles will be hard to get because there is a world wide glass shortage and our candle makers have told us that thankfully, we are getting our order, but we cannot do a reorder. The factories in China are shutting down sporadically due to a lack of electricity so it is a worst case scenario all the way around.
Here is how we can all help: shop in your neighborhoods. Go to the local hardware stores, go to the local chain stores, go to the local bookstores if you are lucky to have one in your neighborhood. (WE MISS THEM!) Shop local, shop in your neighborhoods, shop small independent stores. When we do that we keep our neighborhoods thriving and safe. We get that it is so easy to shop online but this one time lets all support the businesses that support our neighborhoods. We are forever grateful that you have supported ours through this pandemic!
So speaking of local: a new lingerie store opened in City Center called Claire de Lune. It has gorgeous robes, pajamas and nightgowns made from the same soft luxurious cotton that Planet uses as it is also from Peru. As we were walking to work the other day, pajamas for Washington DC’s best friends, DOGS, were in the window. You can even buy matching outfits because the leftover fabric is used for the dog’s clothing so as not to waste anything. How awesome are these??
