Less Stressful

In a PJP first, we ordered a 20 foot storage container to be delivered to our back parking lot in anticipation of the upcoming holidays. We’ve got some massive orders in the coming weeks, plus items for PJP West End are rolling in every day with nowhere to go since that store is a construction site. And look, if I have to have ONE MORE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE SUPPLY CHAIN, I WILL LOSE MY MIND. That there are dozens of ships in the ocean just waiting to dock (port?) in Long Beach and Los Angeles gives me some low-key hives. If I were a shipping boat captain (and I would never be because pirates stress me out), my patience would wear thin. But any bulk ordering I can do to mitigate supply chain issues seems logical in our current global situation, right? (Let’s also acknowledge that I’m a subpar procurement officer in the best of times, so we really don’t need to add to it by tossing in a supply shortage.)

Since we will need around 25,000 tart papers, 18,000 pie boxes, and thousands and thousands of pie tins for use by December 31st, we decided a storage container was the only viable option. We considered a traditional storage rental facility, though that didn’t seem very convenient. So then we discovered a service that delivers a 20 foot unit that is eight feet wide and large enough to stand up in. When I recounted all this to Jeanne, she pitched a fit because "that won’t be big enough”. Typical for Jeanne, she would prefer a semi-truck with half refrigerated and half unrefrigerated storage, with a cozy cab with sleeping quarters for two for when we spend the night baking. And she would like to custom design a logo on the side and add sufficient lighting throughout so that she can easily find what she is looking for in the trailer space. But she would like to return it by Christmas. Goodness.

(Actually, none of what she is looking for exists and therefore, we will be taking the 20x8 unrefrigerated unit. She could still make a cozy sleeping quarters, I suppose.)

I’m not new to The Kroenke Group rodeo, so I knew to ask for permission instead of just hoping they didn’t notice a storage container delivered via semi truck. Our request was approved with the caveat that we pay a $200 rental fee for the parking lot space through the end of the year.

Honestly, I’m a little excited to watch our plan unfold. We’ve been through a lot of crazy scenarios in the last seven years, but this is uncharted territory and that’s really where we shine. So if anything, I guess this whole “we have a storage container that we can stand up in back in our parking lot” phase of PJP will be interesting in the least. And we like interesting.

Also, it is less stressful than being a ship captain.