The Do Unto Others Principle
Organization is not one of my strongest suits. In that regard from time to time I make mistakes. Very recently this happened with my Etsy account. We set up Etsy in the very early days of our company thinking we might use it as a platform (and we still might). As time passed we shifted our focus to our site and the Etsy account entirely slipped my mind. Then last week someone placed an order on Etsy. It had been over a year since anyone had logged on and we missed the order completely. The first I realized we had done so was a week later when the customer reached out asking for tracking information. At that point we had a choice to make. We had not filled the order. I think there are companies that might fudge it in these circumstances “oh it is delayed, not sure what happened, lost in the mail” etc. etc. It has been a goal of mine since we started not to participate in that type of dubious practice. I messaged the buyer and was entirely honest. I apologized and confessed to an oversight on my part. I also issued a refund but promised to send the order anyway. Less than an hour later she had placed an order three times the size of the original on the site. I firmly believe in the fundamental goodness of people. We are not unerring but when we accept responsibility, understand our weaknesses and try to right our mistakes I believe the vast majority of people will offer forgiveness and place value in the upfront acceptance of onus. Or maybe she just really wanted shampoo.
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I have learned so much about so much that I never thought I’d know. The tiny details that would not have crossed my mind in a thousand years have become arenas in which I am well versed. One of those details is the intricacy of labels. From what type of paper to use to what sort of ink and printers are needed the process is specific to the last degree. Printer, ink and paper all look simple however when compared with the absolute art of applying a label by hand. It is not difficult per se but the margin for error is small, and when you are doing something hundreds of times your mind tends to wander. I look forward to the day we automate the process but until then please enjoy our product and forgive the occasional misstep. Generally we stockpile these mishaps and have ended up with quite a pile. If you are feeling great of spirit on your next search for refills use the code “ASKEW” at checkout for 30% off your order of the same great product with a slightly cockeyed label!
When I started this company there were a lot of things I had not anticipated. One of which was the mess. I don’t know if it is because it is something you use to clean that I just never made the connection but gallon upon gallon of shampoo, conditioner, washes, scrubs, it gets everywhere. It is almost as insidious as sand in its desperation to permeate everything. Hours after we’ve cleaned a relatively small spill we will still find a splash lurking ominously on the side of a bottle, waiting to sneak behind a label as it gets put on.
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AuthorWill Drury, founder of Maine Magic Mud. Archives
February 2021
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