Like many companies, we felt a lot of uncertainty earlier in the year, that has now given way to a very busy 4th quarter. I’m thankful that many stores we work with are getting busy and ordering our socks. Unfortunately, we are now running out of many sock styles that would normally be available this time of year, and we'd like to take this opportunity to let you know what’s going on.
Why are we running low on inventory?
- We usually knit all year long to build up enough inventory for a busy holiday season because our high-quality socks take time to craft. This year, we slowed down our summer production based on the market forecasts so as to not overproduce.
- Thankfully, many of our customers have recovered stronger than expected and we are selling way more socks than anticipated (which is a good thing!)
- In order to maintain safe working conditions, our reduced staffing has affected the speed at which we process orders.
- Our supply chain has been experiencing delays due to Covid, making it harder to get the high-quality, raw materials we need to make our products.
What are we doing now to fix this?
Our small-but-mighty team is working as quickly as possible to process and fulfill every order we receive, as we know how important this time of year is to small businesses. Because Solmate owns the knitting mill in North Carolina, we are now pulling out all the stops to get product out the door to your store. Our team is literally working around the clock to produce more inventory.
Here are a few changes we’re making to help manage your expectations about your order:
- Reducing our required minimum order amount from $150 down to $100
- Updating our expected order processing / shipping times on the website to give you a better idea of when to expect your order (~7-10 business days)
- In some cases, we are shipping orders incomplete so you can have some of the products you ordered faster and backordering the remainder; all backorders will receive free shipping.
- The processing time for new applications on our website has been updated to give you a better idea of when to expect your application approval (~7-10 business days)
Please note:
- The fastest way to receive your order is to place it online, which will reflect accurate inventory and easy processing. Orders placed via paper order form, fax or email require more manual work on the backend to input and do not always reflect the most accurate inventory available.
We are constantly working to improve our ordering process and are grateful for the understanding our partners have and for the support you all continue to show us.