Fresh Bet Bits, Claire Burke Original Memories, Home Fragrance Product Updates and Commentary

I am sad to report that the Claire Burke Original and Apple Jack Warmer Refills have experienced another delay. On December 3rd I spoke with Mark who told me he expected 5000 to arrive at their warehouse within one week. Today I checked with them to find out if our shipments had left the warehouse.

Mark tells me the warmer refills have arrived from Portugal but are now being held by Canadian Customs for inspection. This apparently can take as long as 2 weeks because this is the first time this supplier has imported into Canada. What rotten timing! Now that Claire Burke has shut down their US warehouse to be moved from Upstate NY to Canada, there is no way we can have these to our customers by Christmas.

The new Canadian warehouse will resume shipments on January 2nd. By then, the warmer refills should be in stock. This means we probably will not get these prior to January 7th. UGGHHH…

If we can all muddle along through the last of these shortages in January, hopefully things will improve with Claire Burke as we move into February. Again, our sincere apologies for the delay.

We were all so pleased last Spring when Claire Burke brought back Wisteria. This was a highly requested fragrance from 10 yrs ago that was loved by those who enjoy a spring floral scent.

I have seen this happen before when they bring a fragrance back; often folks just don’t buy it up like they say they will and before you know it, they have dropped the fragrance again. This is what has happened with Wisteria which has now been officially discontinued again.

Sheer Vanilla has been around for 2-3 years and because it wasn’t a vigorous seller, it has also been discontinued.

Mocha Silk is also officially retired now. When I spoke with Mark this week, I inquired about the new Pomegranate Plum that was supposed to be available this Fall. He tells me it will indeed be released for Fall of 2008.

I have attempted to stock up on some of these items. However, the Factory rarely gives us much notice and often these items are already depleted by the time they tell us they are dropping them. So, if you love any of these scents, stock up now because soon they will all be gone!

As we all do more shopping on the internet, you realize what a wonderful convenience it can become with high gas prices and personal time at such a premium. Plus, the other night as we were watching the news, I realized how much safer it is to shop from home vs. driving to the Mall these days. Criminals seem to frequent the malls during the Holiday season preying on distracted shoppers…it’s simply awful.

Anyway, this is just a quick post to let you know that all orders received by December 13th can be shipped via regular UPS or FedEx ground and arrive in time for Christmas. If you live on the West Coast, after the 14th you will need to chose UPS 3-Day Select to be sure your shipment arrives on time.

After Tuesday the 18th, if you live on the East Coast, you should choose UPS 3-day Select. Or, if it’s easier, just call us and we’ll be happy to make sure your package arrives on time.

Remember we are not allowed to air freight any pressurized sprays like TC Aerosols or Claire Burke Vapourri. This DOT restriction also applies to flammables like Lampourri or Greenleaf Diffuser Oils.

TC is a wonderful company to represent. They are constantly creating new products and fragrances to retain their innovative edge. This week they sent us their new Sugar Cookie T-Cell refill, so I am testing it in my kitchen now.

Jerry and Sarah tell me they have now released the following new air freshener refills:

750362 (Microburst 3000), and 750365 (Microburst 9000) Raspberry Green Tea

750363 (Microburst 3000), and 750366 (Microburst 9000) Cucumber Melon

750364 (Microburst 3000), and 750367 (Microburst 9000) Herbal Garden

I will be ordering these soon along with the new Sugar Cookie T-Cell refill. We should have these available on our website for order within the next one to two weeks.

Well, it’s been a real roller coaster ride for the past few months with Claire Burke and Vitabath availability. The Factory has been through a tough 4 months this year; however, things ARE getting better!

This week I called Mark to get the official lowdown on shortages and here is what he tells me:

* Vitabath Gelee gallons are arriving today at the warehouse. We should receive our orders by December 14th.
* Claire Burke Original and Apple Jack Warmer Refills are due this week. We expect to receive our stock by December 17th.
* Original Lampourri Oil will not be available until late January 2008 at best. Apparently there was a crop problem with Patchouli that has caused this delay.
* Apple Jack Simmer Oil will not be available until sometime in January.

In case you missed a previous blog, Claire Burke has discontinued production of all Refresher Oil Sprays. For 2008, standard refresher oil (non-spray format) will now be included only in bagged potpourri. The Factory is already out of Original refresher oil sprays, as are we at Freshbet.

The factory warehouse will be relocating during the last half of December. This means after December 18th, we will not be receiving any shipments until the first week of January. We are looking forward to receiving plug-in warmer refills in Christmas Memories and Oh Christmas Tree scents in early January.

Original and Apple Jack Vapourri 2-pack specials WILL once again be offered this year. Typically these are available in early January; however, this year they should arrive by late January. This is your once a year chance to stock up on Original Vapourri because you get 2 cans for $15.00 - a savings of $5.00. Freshbet has already placed a large order for these so you can be assured we will have them FIRST!

I am also working with Mark regarding Original refresher oils, so stay tuned and cross your fingers!

As always, if you have questions, please be sure to email Bet. I want to once again thank everyone for their incredible patience and graciousness as we all muddle along through these shortages. Personally, I am just grateful that someone bought this fine old company and will be keeping it alive for all of us to enjoy for years to come!

Please know we will be shipping all of your backorders just as soon as our stock arrives. We will be including a FREE sachet for your patience.

The Fresh Bet ladies wish everyone a very wonderful Christmas this year with health, prosperity and safety for all!