Here's how it went!

Who are the newest memebers of the Robert's Advisory Board? You're lookin' at 'em, baby!

So, my friend Robyn and I met with the President, CFO, Director of Marketing, Director of Merchandise and the American Fork store manager yesterday! I was extremely nervous and was so glad Robyn was by my side. We sat down will all of them and the President basically explained to us a little bit about Robert's past and where they are headed. They are in the process of making some huge and exciting changes! They are switching over to several new systems (one of which features an auto-replenishing system...I clapped when he said this! That basically means that when a certain item is down to a low number of items in stock, it will automatically re-order it for them!), but these new changes are putting a lot of things into a state of chaos until they are all up and running. They are fully aware of it and were looking to us for ideas on how to help their customers "bare with them" during this change. I told them that information is key. Had I known that they are in the process of making some awesome changes and that it has to get worse before it gets better, I would definitely have a different outlook and a lot more patience! I suggested to put up some "under construction" signs and to display a time line as to when the customers can expect certain changes.

After a lengthy conversation about their situation and getting our "valued input" on what they can do to make this easier on the customers, they asked us if we would be willing to be a part of their advisory board. That means that we would stay in contact with them with any of our concerns, we would contribute to their blog that they will be creating, they will look to us when they have new products they are considering and have us "test" them and give them our input. If we find anything out there that we would like to see them carry in their store, we will tell the director of merchandising. I now have all of their emails and phone numbers, and they have left the door of communication wide open!

After accepting the position (we're still unclear whether or not the position is compensated or not...I'd be happy with some free new products!) they then took us for a walk around the scrapbooking department and asked us to express our frustrations, concerns, advice and questions about particular area. As we did, they were jotting down notes and whispering to each other. We felt pretty dang important!:)

They did hold up their end of the bargain and gave me a $100 gift card (that I'll glady split with Robyn...couldn't have done this by myself!) and they gave us each 2 Cricut cartridges! I couldn't have been happier!

So, after walking away from this meeting, here are a few things that I learned that I didn't know before (you may already be aware of some of these things):

* Robert's honors all competitors coupons
* Robert's has a new website, www.robertscrafts.com that you can now order online from
* Robert's offers rainchecks...if they have a sale on an item and they run out of that item, you can get a raincheck to get the item at that price when it comes back in stock
* Robert's has an email mailing list that offers better coupons than you can find in the store
* Robert's should be back on their feet and running better than ever in 45 days. That's when they are hoping to have their new systems up and running and have the majority of their aisles reset with new and exciting products!
* Robert's is separating themselves from Provo Craft. It was a mutual decision and they will still work together, but because they were associated, there were a number of vendors that wouldn't sell to Robert's. Now that they are no longer the same entity, Robert's can start carrying some new vendors!

I was so excited to learn that they are working to fix and improve their store and that I wouldn't show up one day to find that they had gone out of business! I'm just giddy about this new partnership with them and am looking to you guys for any of your concerns that you'd like me to address...I'll gladly be your voice!

More than I bargained for!

So, after my gazillionth time of leaving the local craft store, Robert's, in utter frustration and sending texts to my crafty friend, Robyn, about how much I loathe this store now, I finally decided to send them an email while I was still all fired up. Here's a copy:

"I'm at the breaking point. Over the past several months I have been so incredibly frustrated with your store in American Fork. I have started counting how many times I have left your store frustrated and we are up to 7 times....IN A ROW! I have gone to your store (and only continue to go due to lack of better options nearby) for very basic things, only to leave empty handed. Basic things such as: black cardstock, white cardstock, black ink, brown ink, adhesives that come in disposable cartridges (on two separate occasions), Cricut cutting mats...the list goes on and on. What is going on? What has happened to your store...it didn't used to be this way. I have walked down your aisles of scrapbook paper to notice that there are at least 10 items out of stock...in each aisle!!

I was so excited to learn that Robert's headquarters were moving into the American Fork store because I thought that that would help the store improve. It has done just the opposite...this store is falling apart. I vented to one of your workers tonight about never having what I need and she gave me this explanation, "Well, we're switching vendors and we can only get what they send us when they send it to us." I was talking to her specifically about the Cricut cutting mat. Hmmm...who might be the vendor for the Cricut? Oh, Provo Craft?! What do you even mean that you're "switching vendors"? Isn't Robert's Crafts owned in part by Provo Craft?! I've had it! And so has everyone I know. Anytime your name comes up, people sigh and express nothing but frustration. You better only hope that no competition moves in anytime soon because your American Fork store would go out of business with the way it's currently being run. I have shopped at Robert's for years. Years. And never have I been so disappointed. So, I am begging you to fix this ongoing problem. It really can't be that hard to keep a steady supply of white cardstock. Seriously. If you're going to put all of your adhesives on sale, then make sure you order more BEFORE you put them on sale. That was the explanation I got for you not having any adhesives...and it was over a week after your sale. As you can tell, this situation leaves me just a tad bit frustrated! I've never been a huge fan of Michael's, but in comparison, it's becoming more and more appealing.

If you care at all about customer retention PLEASE try to do something about the continual lack of stock of basic items, at the least. And if the real reason you are having problems is due to the switch in vendors, isn't it possible to at least purchase from the current vendor until the switch is made? If not, then by the time your switch is made and product is in stock it will be too late for a lot of your current customers as they would have already made the switch to another store due to their frustration.

The reason I have taken the time to write this letter is because I have generally enjoyed shopping at Robert's. I am usually doing a papercraft of one sort or another, so I have spent a lot of time (and money) in your store. In the past, Robert's has treated me well. I want to want to shop there. But lately, that is becoming increasingly more difficult."

Well, I about had a heart attack and hyperventilated when I got this response the next day:

"Emily,

Thank you for taking the time to express your disappointment with your recent shopping experiences at Roberts. We agree that those experiences are very frustrating. We don’t want you or any customer walking away from Roberts disappointed and frustrated.

We strive to give the best service and provide products our customers need and want. We are always looking to improve and ask for your help. On behalf Roberts President I would like to invite you to spend some time with our leadership team (President, Directors of Buying, Operations, and Marketing) to provide them with your recent shopping experience feedback. We would also ask for your suggestions to learn how we can better serve you and the rest of our valued customers. For your time, we would give you a $100 Roberts Gift Card.

Our leadership team will be available in the American Fork store this Friday to meet at your convenience. Please contact me on my cell phone at to arrange a time that works best for you. If you have conflicts on Friday, we can discuss another time that works best for you.

"

Eek!! I have to meet with who!? Are you kidding me? That scares the bejeepers out of me. Since Robyn has shared in my frustration and even edited and added to my email, I'm making her go with me. So, I guess, if any of you locals have any frustrations that you'd like me to address, let me know! Now's your chance!

P.S. Amber, I will definitely be informing them of your lame prize! Backstory: My friend, Amber, entered one of their scrapbooking contests. She put a lot of time and I'm sure money into her layout and she won! What did she win? A hodge podge of outdated, random scrapbook items and stuff they were already getting rid of (like the individual stickers that kids tear off of the rolls and don't buy!). We laughed for a long time about that and it's an ongoing joke between us now!

Paige turns 8!!

I realized as I started going back through my pictures and my posts that I really haven't done much all year! So, I am going clear back to January and going to try to play a little bit (or a lotta bit) of catchup!

January 19th, 2009


Holy moly! Paige is already 8! Wasn't it just yesterday that you were a skinny, tiny little baby that my little brother and sister were too scared to hold because you looked so fragile? Wasn't it just yesterday that you were doing the army crawl across our studio apartment floor? Wasn't it just yesterday that you knew all of the names of Snow White's dwarfs? We had little plastic figurines and you knew each one so well that you could name them just by seeing the bottom of their feet! Wasn't it just yesterday that you learned how to ride a bike and started your very first dance class? Wasn't it just yesterday that I got a phone call from your kindergarten teacher requesting that I talk to you about not kissing boys at recess? Sheesh! Where has all the time gone? I know you still have so much more growing up left, but these past eight years have gone by so quickly and have probably been the best eight years of my life! I have thoroughly enjoyed being your mom and am so sorry that you have to be my parenting guinea pig. I remember my dad having many talks with us, mainly as teenagers, about how he and my mom had never been parents before. They didn't have any prior experience raising children and they were learning just as we were. Well, now I know exactly how he felt. I try my best and I am often aware that sometimes my best isn't very good. I am trying and I pray daily for guidance and patience so that I can be the best mom to you. I want nothing but the best for you and want to provide you with opportunities that will allow you to fulfill all of your dreams! Your potential is limitless and I just hope you know how truly loved you are. You are such a special child with such a ginormous spirit! You have been bearing your testimony to us and to your friends since you could talk. Your recollection of scripture stories far surpasses mine. You are so smart and are so eager to learn. You love science and animals and random trivia facts. Reading came very easy for you and you love to do it. Your favorite books are children's encyclopedias. You are loving your dance classes and have greatly improved over the past year. You are such a joy to watch perform and you have your own cute distinctive style. You like to hang out in the back corner or at the end of the line...whether it be in school or at dance. I remember asking you why and your calculated response caught me by surprise. You said, "I like to be towards the end because usually the people that go first don't really know what they are supposed to do yet. If I'm towards the end, I can watch everybody else and then I know what I'm supposed to do." One smart cookie! I have so much to learn from you and love being your mom and friend. You have no idea how excited I am about the upcoming years ahead. I can only hope that we stay close and continue our great relationship! Just be patient with me because it's you that's teaching me how to be a mom. I love you, Paige!

We started off her birthday celebration with her birthday dinner at my parents' house. She had spaghetti and french bread that absolutely has to be accompanied with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip the bread in. She had recently fallen in love with Olive Garden's salad...so much so, in fact, that Santa brought her her very own bottle of Olive Garden's salad dressing. So, we had our re-creation of Olive Garden's salad, olives and all. And, of course, she had to have pickles! For dessert, she requested a chocolate heart birthday cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. I think she had been playing a little too much Cake Mania at the time!


More to follow: Paige's big 8th birthday bash and her baptism!

I'm Back!

I feel like I've been away in some distant land, only to peek in now and again on everyone else, and now I can finally come back to bloggerville! I have been completely computerless for over a month and before that it was hit or miss with my previous monster of a laptop. Don't worry, Robyn, I loved it while it worked and it did it's job well when it did, but then it died a very slow and painful death and it was so frustrating! The main problem was with the stupid power supply. It kept burning up my power cords! Literally. I would sniff around trying to figure out what that burning plastic smell was only to figure out that my cord...the part that goes inside of the computer...is melted into a rubbery, metally mass of nothingness. Either that or the cord would snap off, leaving a bit of it in the computer. I think we were up to 4, possibly 5, on the the power cord count. Not to mention that it was missing F7-F11, numbers 8-0 and the delete key and I'm going to guess "O", "P" and ";" got ousted as well. Thank you, Jack. My poor disc drive would come completely out of the computer when you tried to open it (as in you'd be holding it in your hand...no longer connected to the computer) and the tray that held the disc was cracked so badly that you'd have to try to level it back up as you slid it back it or else it would catch. So, to all of you out there with kids who think that your computer is theirs...beware. It will never be the same! Save it while you still can!

So, my sweet husband, who just bought me a new ring for our 10 year anniversary (YIPEE! I LOVE IT!!) surprised me this month by getting me a laptop! I thought it would be awhile since the ring put us in a bit of a crunch for a short time. In our concerted effort to pay for everything upfront, I didn't even think a new computer would be an option anytime soon and knowing that it was because of me that things were tight, I consciously tried hard not to complain about being computer-less. However, I have the most unselfish, most caring husband in the world. He never ceases to amaze me. That man can figure out how to do just about anything if he puts his mind to it! I love him...a lot! Not because he buys me things, but because he always has the best interest of his family in mind and he constantly is making me feel like the most wonderful, most beautiful woman there ever was, even though it's really him that is the best husband that a woman could ever hope for! I can be a bit scatterbrained and unorganized at times (which is really frustrating to me...I don't mean to be!!) and he helps pick up that slack. You're the best, Austin!! Love you!

Wow, I didn't even see that little shout out coming when I started this post! Gotta give credit where credit is due, though! But now, because I have a working, reliable computer, I will be able to start posting again!! I've thoroughly enjoyed reading all of my friends' blogs, but am excited to start sharing again what we've been up to lately! Hopefully, I'll get all of my pictures transferred over without any problems and we'll be up and running!