are we having a busy Christmas?

[markw]

It seems to get later and the expectation that they can have it tommorrow is growing. This week has been very busy - but I look at my books and realise that I will have to stop taking Christmas orders very soon.
Why is it that customers come in with complicated jobs and almost invariably say " I should have brought this in weeks ago" I resist the temptation to agree and realise that I shall have a few late nights running up to Christmas, thankfull that it became busy in the end.

[Merlin]

Likewise Mark. This week has been hectic and like you. "But I need it by the end of the week, so that I can post it to....... where ever. "
When they are told that the Post Office will not take picture frames with Glass in.. I get.. "Well if its wrapped, then they do not know".
I reply with "If it gets broken in transit, will you try and claim then?
"But of course I will" they quickly come back with..

Some people just do not listen. But hey, The customer is always right and as long as the till rings with a sale, I can then go out and do my shopping. Late night of course.

[Framing Norah]

There does seem to be more of a buzz about this year, which is good to see, last year was so flat.

Its a real challenge to maintain standards under the pressure of this sudden massive increase in workload.

[SquareFrames]

Hi Folks,

Sorry I havent been around for a while, its been the same here, hectic, liken it to a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat, they can just keep coming. I am also in agreement withn FN, its hard to keep up with high standards with constant pressure, but we endeavour to do our best under extreme circumstances. I have also heard from other framers here, that things have been slow, even slower than usual at this time of year, so it could be geographical. We made a consious decision this year not to book any students or courses in December, and thankfully it paid off, otherwise I dont think we could have coped.

When did others decide to stop bring in for Christmas? We had a cut off point of yesterday at 5pm, as we are mostly well ahead and up tp date, 18 hour days for 5-6 weeks put paid to that. We have also been taking in orders for January, so a good start to the 2006 period is ahead, anyone doing the same?

One beef I have like most on here, is the reframing of other unprofessional framers work, and although very busy, December has been no exception. I had 2 pieces in to reframe, and they were collectbale newspapers, depicting George Best. The framer in question had decided in his own wisdom to float the papers using Conservation Corners, and had used Conservation mountboard, to surround the objects. The thing was after taking them apart, the Conservation board used to attach the Conservation Corners to was Arqadia's, Artique Raven (black to those unwashed)......and personally I could nothing wrong with the job, everything was perfect....EXCEPT.....the raven board was 'apparently' not on the clients wish list,......apparently the original framer used his own initiative and had decided to float the newspapers onto the black background as it looked good....which in all honesty it did....but NOT what the client had ordered........ALL his memorabilia is framed or floated on an Ivory background and the original framer hadnt bothered to listen and had done it his own way.......I want to name and shame this framer, but am not sure whether John will lock the posting out, but what the heck.......who was the STUPID framer.......?????????????????????????


You guessed it .....ME....imagine having to reframe / remount my own work.....god did I feel embarrassed.....Anyhow....

Happy Christmas to all, and a very peaceful and prosperous New Year


Steven

[markw]

Steven - I would always recomend backing newsprint with a dark colour - it stops the print on the reverse side of the newsprint showing through and therfore gives a much better, more readable presentation - most customers when shown the effect of using different boards opt for dark.

Christmas was late this year - I stopped taking framing orders last weekend - but I will frame prints from stock untill Christmas eve. I seem to get at least one urgent - must have this for Christmas - order waiting to be picked up. Last year I had an irrate customer waiting for my return because I hadnt been open when she called at 6pm on Christmas Eve.

[SquareFrames]

Hi Markw,

Like you, I would always use a dark colour, especially black for newspapers, but 'apparently' I should have known that this particular client has all his memorabilia backed with either Ivory or cream...ish. But how and ever, he went away perfectly satisfied when he collected the rebacked items on Thursday.

Yesterday (the 23rd) I framed the last 5 or 6 items, and had finished well before mid morning (early start again, just incase), and decided to do bugger all the rest of the day except deal with the customers, giving my wife a hand out for a change. Today Christmas Eve, I have been here from just after 6am, to tidy up, catch up on some less important emails, and wait on a early customer who had asked me if it was possible to be in early for her, and basically put the time into 2:30pm when I will shut the door behind me on my way home. Anything that is not collected by then will have to wait until 3rd January, I have no intention of waiting, they all were left with distinct information before hand. Having said that, there isnt too much left to be collected, and some of it could wait until the New Year.

Have a good Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Steven

PS,

I am away for MORE CAFFFINE

[RobinC]

I have been reading some of these posts with envy! We took our last framing order in for Xmas at 4.15pm on Xmas Eve. We were then back at work on Boxing Day, open at 11.00am for the January Sale. We are situated in a city centre, and every shop around us opens all hours and our customers expect it. We had a quieter Christmas Eve this year than the previous year, and it was all pain in the neck jobs - replacing mounts, using cheap moulding etc. 2004 Christmas Eve was belting, busy with customers spending money on expensive limited editions - just what we like! Christmas trade overall was OK, a bit better than 2004 but not by as much as we had hoped - still nothing to worry about! It annoys me when customers call a couple of days before Christmas looking for a specific print, one that if they had called a week earlier we could have got for them, but by them leaving it late we lost the sale.

I am finding that we seem to spend more time chasing up deliveries from our suppliers than we used to. Perhaps its a result of Giclee printing allowing the publishers to keep lower stocks and print to order so we have to wait.

We are back to normal now, taking all week to do the same amount of business as in one day in the week before Christmas.

Happy New Year to all

[V-Nail]

Steven, now that you have been named and shamed.... did you charge the customer for this error?

Was the customer happy or was it a pleasent smile and a thanks when he collected it the first time?

Thanks
Drew

[kev@frames]

Better than last Christmas. the customers seemed ridiculously organised this year with hardly any lasty minute rush jobs.... apart from one for 11 frames 45 minutes before we shut.
he got them

[Merlin]

Hi Kev.
Just got back from a week away and noticed your inputs.
Just down the road from you in Helston. will pop in some time and have a chat!! Likewise if you are in this area then pop in as well..

[kev@frames]

will do! we are in penzance btw.

[SquareFrames]

Hi V Nail,

Did you notice I named and shamed myself? With regard the customer, he as always had a smile on his face, I do quite a lot of memorabilia framing for him each year. He did say though that: that because of the vast amount I frame for him, I should have known what colour the background should have been and was told not to think, just do! He took it all in good spirits, paid me, drank my coffee, then called me an idiot (or words to that affect), left the shop and collected the items the following day.

Steven

Anyone still as busy as they were in December? Its manic here...thank god!, but boy is it hard to get into the same working 'swing' as in December...but building up slowly

[V-Nail]

Hi Steven,
I did notice that you put yourself forward and good on you. I was just trying to understand what the outcome was and who took the hit for the money.

Thanks again

Drew

[SquareFrames]

Hi Drew,

The cost of 2 extra pieces of Ivory mountboard, we stood that, the Black board we had originally used for the background, was able to be used for other jobs, so no one lost out, especially me...hahahahaha. With very careful use (and patience) of a scapel I was able to remove the 4 pieces of conservation mounting corners from each board, and you'd have thought the black board was brand new.

Steven