Tuesday, March 12, 2013

My Emotional Rollercoaster...Deliveries

Hello again,

I mentioned before that The Delicious Food Co make mini salad pots/salad bowls & preservative free & spelt sandwiches for the retail trade...We do lots of other stuff, but one thing at a time...as I said before I hope  we are going to be friends dear reader, and I'd like you to get to know me slowly..one product range & skill at a time.

I know it's only Tuesday but its been a tough week so far. Last week was slow for sales in the shops and Monday was a disaster for returns, shop after shop giving me baskets of unsold product. That happens sometimes, no logical explanation other than it was exceptionally cold.

 The trouble is that it's MY brand that hasn't sold. It feels personal, all those deep rooted rejection issues, crawling to the surface.....was it the "Herbed Chickpea Salad" they rejected...or was it ME....my gorgeous funny brand of lovely produce made with such care & love.

I gotta get a handle on this....

The day of a food producer starts with deliveries. I start my day in SPAR Merrion Row, it's a lovely posh SPAR, black shiny marble floor, gold logo...ambitious owner...busy, busy, busy. I have a great position there two shelves in the front fridge, always sell well there. Next it's off to Mount St (another shiny SPAR) where we sell well. It's as I head off to Barrow St, that the nerves start to kick in...as I unload the van with my box of salads & head for the store, my heart starts pumping...boom, boom, boom faster, faster...I enter, take a deep breathe & confront my fear....yes, yes, yes...my shelf is empty, I've sold well. This is one of those stores that performs erratically. They are an all or nothing crowd in Barrow St...I blame Google all that free food.

And so it continues Fresh Grand Canal, unload van, head for the store....deep breaths...remember that stuff I read about mindfulness, live in the moment....enter the store...be confident, smile at everyone...this one's not so easy, cos I gotta get past the coffee dock, head high & prepare myself....and there I am, The Delicious Food Co, proud as punch, almost sold out...my shelves waiting to be replenished ...which I do..with all the love of a mother, in the front row of a toddler & tiara competition watching her offspring moulded by her, crowned ....queen of the shelves..

I deliver to 15 shops every day (& growing)...so my emotional roller coaster needs managing.
Mindfulness that's what I'll do...live in the moment...accept rejection if & when it happens...lift one of those unsold salad pots, feel it, absorb the sounds of the store, breathe in, breathe out, slowly, live in that moment of rejection & replenish with new stock,then... hop in my van & leg it to my next store which will be better.

Shirley x





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