September 2021 – Take a Seat with Tritter Feefer

Friends conversing with friends about industry trends (1.5-minute read)

This is Tritter Feefer’s third quarterly conversation with you, our industry friends. In our first conversation (March), we invited you to pull up a chair (hopefully one of ours), grab a cup of coffee or glass or wine, and join a dialogue about changes sweeping our industry. We’ve discussed supply chain woes in the spring and the labor shortage earlier this summer.

However, this quarter, we are really interested to hear how you are pivoting to the new normal. First, let’s take a pulse check:

What is the current standard time it takes to get ordered items?

A – 12 weeks

B – 20 weeks

C – At least half year

D – I don’t expect anything in less than a year now.

(Send in your answer – this is our unofficial TF poll. Results will be shared!)

Frankly, we are still a little shell-shocked by what’s become the norm in waiting. We all know the “blame game” – the pandemic, climate change and the supply of wood, especially with a 50% price increase this year alone. But how are you adapting? Our strategy is transparency. We are creating and delivering as quickly as we can without diminishing our commitment to quality. That includes craftmanship as well as sourcing products true to our brand and values while being serious about keeping our delivery promises. It can get tricky balancing all the plates; perhaps better to keep the plates stored (may we suggest the beautiful Pearson Buffet!) than juggling them in the air.

But it’s fall – the most precious family time of the year to gather around the table, something we took for granted until COVID and social distancing gave us the “lost year.” Maybe our industry is scrambling to deliver dream dining spaces in time for Thanksgiving or holiday season. However, as we at Tritter Feefer have been reminded of personally this year, the people around the table making the memories with us are what matter most.

Despite this, we are empathetic when delivery times fall prey to these excessively long lead times. How are you handling commitment and communication when you cannot control external factors? We would love to hear from you and see your one-question non-scientific survey results from above!

Looking forward to fall and the focus on gratitude it brings, which includes gratitude for you, your business, and our friendships.

Read more about lumber prices here: https://businessofhome.com/articles/vietnam-halts-furniture-production-wildfires-send-lumber-prices-back-up-and-more

All the best,

ML, Bill, Rik and the entire Tritter Feefer family

Tritter Feefer – Bespoke in the U.S.A.