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March 2016
Springing Forward
Elizabeth Parker
An early Easter and an early spring! Aren’t we the lucky ones this year!
Indeed, the buds are already falling on the skimpy remains of the snow; the weeping willows are changing their fronds to yellow–a sure sign that the sap is rising; and the maple syrup is flowing. Oh, how sweet it is! For me, though, the biggest treat of all is hearing and seeing the geese as I travel through the John Abbot Campus. What a delight!
This has been an unusual winter for the Thrift Shops for Nova: for whatever reason, our donations have been a bit slower than I remember, and throughout February we had to rely on our previously stored inventory. Thanks to the sorters who so diligently packed and stored away last year’s excess seasonal donations, we were able to get through this dismal period and keep up with offerings for our valued customers. We’re very grateful to all those involved.
Unfortunately, this winter give us other challenges too. We had to deal with Hydro power outages, a couple of freezing-rain and snow storm sessions, and the resulting unwelcome shop closings. We were not spared in the health department either: an unbelievable number of us were either ill ourselves or dealing with tending unwell family members. Still we managed to operate, although sometimes with less than half the shift. Even our dedicated scheduler, manages to soldier on (with her broken wrist and elbow) and keep the schedules up to date. Everyone has pulled together to make things work. Well done. We did it.
Remarkably sales have not faltered, and we are actually ahead of last year with our financial donations to Nova West Island. To add to this positive note, our first 50% sale was a smashing success! Reducing our inventory, particularly of clothing, is a much welcome tonic during spring clean up. And, of course, it allows us to make room for the beautiful, light and bright colours of the new season.
In other good news, we wish to welcome back our wonderful Bargain Alley crew! We missed you and were all happy to see the doors open again on the 15th of March.
Now we anticipate the return of our snow birds. Hurry back soon! We need you to relieve our weary souls.
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November 2015
Challenging Times and Holiday Greetings
Elizabeth Parker
With the holiday season fast approaching, this is a hectic and sometimes stressful time of the year for everyone, including the Thrift Shops for Nova West Island.Indeed, just as the flu bugs are threatening us in the air, our snow birds are flying away–perhaps to escape influenza as much as to avoid the snow. We have replacement volunteers to find; new cash registers to learn to master; power outages, and forced early closures to deal with. What are we to do!Though I am doing as much as I can, sometimes I feel that the solution is for me to just do more. Then maybe the daily operations of the store would run smoothly and all would be well with our world.However, we all know that that is not the case. In fact, I agree with many of you who say that what I really need to do is delegate. So, here I am, trying to do just that.
I’m asking you to help out, wherever and whenever you can, by mastering and helping to harmonize our daily functions. Please attend our training sessions and learn all about the new cash registers and the opening and closing procedures for both shifts. In these and all other areas of our operation, your support is vital. It is an ongoing task for all of us; let’s do it together. We must keep this wonderful business up and running.
Thank you for your invaluable help in this endeavour.
I wish you all a wonderfully safe, healthy and happy holiday, and all the very best in 2016.
