DU: I need to eat a plate of crow - The No War Armbands.

[KyndCulture]

Hi gang,
I'll start with the good news. As of right this minute about 65% if them are in the mail or people have them. FINALLY.

But I need to eat a plate of good ole fashioned crow here and apologize to you all for these things taking forever and a moon to get into your hands. When I started this project, I didn't think BIG enough, first mistake :think:. I got WAY WAY WAY more orders than I even imagined. I got literally overwhelmed in every sense of the word. They were very custom and piece work so it took a good 5/6 weeks to even get them in my hands. Ok that all went well. They looked perfect, we're ready to send them out.

UNTIL... The great Post Office spiral into darkness started. So I sit down and address oh I dunno, 300 I think maybe a bit more. Weigh em, and stamp em and stick them in the corner box. Didn't think anything more about it...started to send out 30 - 50 every day, same way...Then I got really sick for a bout 10 days or so and didn't send anymore, thank the great spirit I didn't.

About 2 weeks after I sent the almost 500 out... I hear knock knock knock - looks like a mailcarrier, but there's no bag, no truck, just a car. UH OH...she has ALL OF MY ARMBAND ENVELOPES IN A BOX ....It's the Manager of my post office and she does NOT LOOK HAPPY. (Lemme preface this by saying I live in a tiny town with one post office with 4 employees all gettin up there in age - read shoulda retired) She hands me the box and a bill for a WHOLE LOT OF MONEY...I forget the exact number but it was more than several hundred dollars. I ask, was their postage due? She says, yes but that's not what the bill is for. The bill is for "BULK HAND POSTMARKING" Oh boy.

She explains to me due to the thickness of the envelopes they won't go thru the machine, and even though I paid first class postage, I gotta pay this bulk fee for sending so many out at a time. She left me with the box and the bill and my mouth hanging open.

So I start reading this paperwork she left and steam starts coming out of my ears. I gotta pay an extra 13 cents on top of whatever the first class postage is for the weight of the envelope... Then this bulk fee with is ungodly a lot of money...Well I get my butt up there and ask to see whom ever is in charge to see what if anything we can do about this cause with the new postage I'm already over the price of the bands... Overwhelmed feeling comes back. But this is a worthy cause and I am damned determined to make this work out some how, this protest is completely worth the migraine I got. After speaking with 2 managers for almost an hour, I finally got some satisfaction. If I send out 20 of them every other day, they will look the other way about the bulk fee... WHOO HOO!!! Victory for the peace lovers!

As of today I think about 60 - 65% of them are out there somewhere. I haven't gotten a call from the 2 old biddies er I mean nice elderly ladies at the Post Office and I am getting emails from people who are getting them.

So I'd just like to eat some crow for all the utter bullshit that's gone on in the last 10 weeks and apologize to everyone and reassure you it will be in your hands soon.

Sometimes trying to make a difference kicks you square in your ass hard!

The BETTER news is that this won't happen on future order since we've got the system down now!

http://www.armbandsforpeace.com

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Thanks for all your hard work

I know the armbands will be appreciated.

[KyndCulture]

2. Thanks Aye..

it's been one of those damn "learning experiences" doncha just hate that?

They are really nice looking and now that this is all solved I can get back to work making this protest nationwide. I've been very silent for the past weeks until I was absolutely SURE they were finally getting where they needed to go and weren't coming back to taunt me a second time!

Oh the utter joys of living in hooterville.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

3. Thanks for the update

and at the rate things are going there will be a need for the armbands whenever they arrive.......

[KyndCulture]

4. Only one person got snippy at me.. and I had to laugh.

"by the time I get this the war will be over"

We should all be so lucky!!!!!!!!!

[Redstone]

5. Priority Mail Flat-Rate Envelopes are your friend.

Use them.

Redstone

[KyndCulture]

6. not for the cost..

>>> go back to not thinking scenerio.

[calmblueocean]

7. Just wanted to say

thanks for all your hard work! I've seen how much effort you've put into this over the past few months, and after a setback like that, I think anyone could use a little encouragement. The last few steps of the race are often the hardest. Congratulations on making it to the finish line! :)