Is Nancy's Closing for Good as Merrill Takes Over PC Products?

[Chozengirl]

I am pissed!!! I love Nancy's and I think Merrill is way too overpriced. It just went from bad to worse. I was excited about the posability of getting a new clothing vendor, but not I am so mad. I can barely type. I think we need to start a petition to keep Nancy. They are priced so reasonably and I just can't think of how much I will be paying for something so similar. Ugh!!

I am gonna go sulk now, that I got this out!

I totally COMPLETELY and utterly agree w/ you.
This is REDICULOUS!
Merrill is WAY OVERPRICED!!!

 

[Kitchen2u]

Which e-mail address do we use for this reason


~

I chose Merrill ~ since my email were the concerns I have with them being the ONLY provider.

I guess I should send another choosing Nancy's...to KEEP them!

Ginny

 

[pkd09]

Since Merrill will be our only vendor, doesn't this constitute a monopoly? We all like choices. If HO wants all of our business cards the same, just say so. It does make us all more recognizable and uniform. But the postcards that Nancy's supplies is a personal choice in our business' and aren't we in the business for ourselves? Maybe Nancy's will still supply postcards that will still be useable for us. I know they just can't use the logo but we all know there are ways around that. Other companies do it. Merrill better make lots of changes. First is price ... second is tiimely shipping ... third is cost of shipping. I don't want to make any snap decisions right now until I see what they have to offer/say at conference. I have always been told (in my personal life and business life) DO NOT PUT ALL YOUR EGGS INTO ONE BASKET!!! Looks like HO IS putting all the eggs into one basket. Hope it doesn't turn around to bite them "you know where".

 

[pamperedalf]

Still Mad are you??Okay finially got a hold of my Director, she thinks that Nancy's will still sell us post cards, stickers, everything she has w/o the Pampered Chef Name. Because Pampered Chef can not tell them to sell to us because it doesn't have a name & other DS can use these materials as well. I will be happy if I can still get post cards and stickers.

Anyways I need good verbage to send to HO. I don't want to send a buch of I'm pissed.... which I am, but would like to appear a little more professional.

 

[whiteyteresa]

Sorry that I explain myself good enough but what e-mail address at HO should a use to voice my concerns and wishes to

 

[Pampered Laura]

I just spoke to Nancy.... click here.

 

[mommyhugz1978]

I want to send them an email as well... this is stupid!!

 

[dannyzmom]

I just sent an email...I sure hope they listen...

 

[Lisa/ChefBear]

So much for "Your business Your Way"How can it be my business my way, when they've just taken the best choice I had away???

I'm working on composing my email and trying not to flame, but I'm so mad!!

Lisa

 

[Pampered Laura]

Feel free to copy my email (edit of course) :
I am writing this letter in hopes to change the Home Office’s mind regarding the decision to not renew Nancy's contract.

My entire team as well as hundreds of other Consultants relies specifically on Nancy’s Artworks for our host coaching & encouragement postcards.

I am heartbroken over losing such a great homespun business to associate with for my business’ use. It's been a real concern that The Pampered Chef Home Office was going "too commercial", and especially with the insane prices/shipping charges of Merrill Corporation, I am really shocked and discouraged at this news.

We, Pampered Chef Consultants in the field, DO NOT want Nancy's Artworks to go away.

Those of us who have been using Nancy's postcards and materials for YEARS do not like this decision one bit! My customers and hosts compliment me all the time on using Nancy's postcards. So please...reconsider!!

Thank you
Laura Wells
Independent Sales Director, TX
#469594

 

[mommyhugz1978]

I sent a copy of your letter Laura.. edited of course.......

 

[tiffanypc05]

You know what, my feelings on this is if they want to change completely over to merrill then they need to raise our comission SO that we CAN afford the products. This is ridiculous. I know that Home Interiors as only Merrill and it sucks worse than ours does. I will be sending them an e-mail as well. Just my 2 cents.

 

[AJPratt]

As I posted in another thread about this:

Its a shame about this because Nancy's is a company like this once was: built by one woman. I still think this is a great company, but I took some heat a little while back for making the comment, "You can tell Doris isn't in charge any more." about another issue. Please know, that I'm not trying to upset anyone by bringing it up. And, I'm not saying Doris was perfect or was always right, but you could at least respect her decisions because it was her business, that she built from the ground, up. I just think when a company is run by someone other than the person who built it, its rarely better. Case in point: How many times do you hear how some people built a business and then their kids took it over and ran it into the ground? I'm not saying that that's what will happen here, but I can say that there have been lots of changes but not any huge improvements since Doris left.

 

[hoosierchef]

Ok....I'M PISSED!!!!!

I took Laura's email and tweeked it and sent it on. Is there anyway to send emails directly to Doris and others in the company besides going through these general email boxes??

Here is my letter:

I am writing this letter share my disappointment in the decision Pampered Chef has taken regarding the contract with Nancy's Artwork.

Many consultants rely specifically on Nancy’s Artworks for our host coaching & encouragement postcards. She provided us the variety in marketable material at an affordable and reasonable price.

I am heartbroken over losing such a great homespun business to associate with for my business’ use. It has been a real concern that The Pampered Chef Home Office was going "too commercial". Now with an exclusive contract with Merrill, the prices and shipping charges of Merrill will no doubt increase. They are already too high. A MONOPOLY does not create competitive and reasonable pricing.

I am really shocked and discouraged at this news. We, Pampered Chef Consultants in the field, DO NOT want Nancy's Artworks to go away. Those of us who have been using Nancy's postcards and materials for YEARS do not like this decision one bit!

This is very disappointing and I am discouraged at the direction Pampered Chef has taken. I am having second thoughts about my decision in which I recently resigned with this company. I find it increasingly difficult to support a company whose direction is towards the bottom line and not towards it's customers and consultants. At one time, Pampered Chef was a well respected "Family" business. This company is quickly losing all that made it that way.

I am asking that you reconsider your decision. There is plenty of room for two vendors. Please don't disppoint the thousands of consultants you currently have. I forsee a sad and bleak future for Pampered Chef on the horizon.

Thank you
Tammi Duzan
Independent Sales Consultant
Springville, IN
#510081

 

[Pampered Laura]

Send it to:
Your entire upline
Your sales manager
Solution Center
Licensed Vendor Email
Career Solutions

 

[jrstephens]

I just sent one too. Here it is

I am writing this in regard to your no longer allowing Nancy's Artworks to be a licensed dealer.

I personally cannot afford Merrill's prices on their products already. I think it is unhealthy for a company to take away competition and variety of products that a consultant can order. I am in the PC business to make money, not to have to spend all of my commission promoting my business because PC decided to give all merchandising rights to one company. I like to have choices in the things that I can purchase to promote my business.

I do not agree with breaking a relationship with a vendor that has been with a company for many years unless the consultants are not satisfied with what they are getting. The feedback I am receiving from other consultants in NO WAY is against Nancy. Everyone I have talked to is outraged with the change!

I hope that you will take in the view of the consultant's and allow Nancy to continue as a vendor. If not, I hope that you put into Merrill's contract the right to have some control over their prices so that we consultant can afford their items if we are forced to have no other option to choose. Of course, we can choose the option of not ordering from them at all if we are not happy with them.

I have been with PC a little over a year and love the way consultants' opinion are heard and how PC treats their consultants. I hope that you will take our opinion to heart in that matter as well.

 

[jrstephens]

Send it to:
Your entire upline
Your sales manager
Solution Center
Licensed Vendor Email
Career Solutions

I cannot find Career Solutions on CC. Where am I missing it?

 

[Pampered Laura]

[email protected]
[email protected]

I think...

 

[mommyhugz1978]

Your not the only one Jennifer... I cant' find it either!

 

[jrstephens]

[email protected]
[email protected]

I think...

Thanks, Laura. I sent one to the career solutions too now.

 

[mommyhugz1978]

I am sending one too!!

 

[chefcarole]

I am new but I immediately fell in love with Nancy's style when I got her flyer. I guess I'll be placing a big order with Nancy. I feel very sad that a person has lost their livelihood as well. When I was a Creative Memories consultant, they used Merrill too and I didn't like them then either. They are so expensive and slow! Now that they don't have competition for printing, I can't imagine what they will charge. I will send an email to corporate to voice my disappointment in their decision.

 

[AJPratt]

At least we can still order from her! She may not notice a change in sales afterall!

 

[hoosierchef]

I emailed her and told her that I hoped that she would continue to sell to us the items that don't have the PC logo on them. Most of which are the postcards and most of the stickers, which is what I use.

 

[pamperedalf]

I am so happy that we can still order from her. I am sad, upset, mad, HOSTILE that they did this to Nancy. I met her at conference and leadership, and she was the sweetest person. I have sent her 2 emails today, telling her I love her(shh, don't tell DH), and also emails to HO (not that I love them right now, and that they are complete idiots).

What makes me mad is their big thing about the choice is yours, this takes the choice right out of it. Are they insane?

 

[Pampered Laura]

eeek. Stop the presses. I just got a phone call from the Home Office. Apparently the home office has a lurker on the board and/or someone emailed them my post about "who to contact" LOL
She asked me to NOT encourage an email campaign. She did say that personal letters were welcome, and that creative/concrete/constructive ideas were best.

See, I called this morning to lodge a complaint. I asked the best route to take --- email vs. phone. The Solution Center told me "Please don't call, that clogs up our queue"... and that EMAIL was the best route to take in voicing our opinion on this, but apparently that is wrong wrong wrong.

The home office has noted that the field is not happy - but it's not going to change. Here's what we CAN do to move forward and be productive. We need to let the home office know what we DO want, instead of what we don't.

Email through CC>Managing Your Business>Home Office Emails>Licensed Vendors>

Home Office wants to know:
What postcards/supplies you want to see
Designs you like
Styles that would help you
Product categories you'd like to see
Fonts/spacing changes that would make the products better
Prices that would be reasonable

They want CONSTRUCTIVE and CONCRETE ideas... not just complaints. They know we're not happy. She said that there are two sides to the story and that this adjustment was NOT made lightly. She understands that Consultants are acting on passion here, and she wanted us to be aware that this was not a move made overnight.
Legally, she couldnt give me more information than that, but I do believe her in that there's more to the story and that the Home Office has our best interests/marketing in mind.

I did get to express my concerns about Nancy being a woman in business, starting just like Doris did, and that it scared us that they were moving her out. She was really sweet and listened to my concerns (and some of the concerns that you guys have expressed here) and assured me that it was not an easy thing, and that there's more to it than just that.

From what I got from the conversation, I think they have marketing and business ideas to see to, and that it's really not a personal thing between the Home Office and Nancy herself...it's just "time" to move on, I guess.

Soo... I'm jumping on the "Productive Train". Getting my thinking cap on to come up with lots of ideas that I want them to share with Merrill to get what we want out of them. Who's with me?

 

[KellyTheChef]

I just emailed as well! I used Jennifer's letter and changed it up a bit. I also sent it to my Director, and I can't find Darla Oelmann's (my NSED) email address, so I asked my Director for that, too!

I am writing this in regard to your no longer allowing Nancy's Artworks to be a licensed dealer.

I personally cannot afford Merrill's prices on their products already. Their shipping prices are very high, and their turnaround time is rediculous! I think it is unhealthy for a company to take away competition and variety of products that a consultant can order. I am in the PC business to make money, not to have to spend all of my commission promoting my business because PC decided to give all merchandising rights to one company that overprices their products. I was hopeful when we found out VIP would no longer be our vendor that our new vendor would have LOWER PRICES on items and on shipping, NOT MORE!! I like to have choices in the things that I can purchase to promote my business.

I do not agree with breaking a relationship with a vendor that has been with a company for many years unless the consultants are not satisfied with what they are getting. The feedback I am receiving from other consultants in NO WAY is against Nancy. Everyone I have talked to is outraged with the change!

I hope that you will take in the view of the consultant's and allow Nancy to continue as a vendor. If not, I hope that you put into Merrill's contract the right to have some control over their prices so that we consultants can AFFORD their items if we have no other options to choose from. (I realize, of course, we can choose the option of not ordering from them at all if we are not happy with them, but that surely doesn't help my business, nor home office!)

I have been with PC for over 3.5 years, and I have loved the way consultants' opinions are heard and how PC treats their consultants. I hope that you will take our opinion to heart in this matter as well.

 

[DebbieJ]

eeek. Stop the presses. I just got a phone call from the Home Office. Apparently the home office has a lurker on the board and/or someone emailed them my post about "who to contact" LOL
She asked me to NOT encourage an email campaign. She did say that personal letters were welcome, and that creative/concrete/constructive ideas were best.

Yes, the HO has lurkers on the major boards out there, including this one. I've also gotten phone calls after being told by the Solution Center to EMAIL them about some shipping issues (this was before FedEX). I posted to tell everyone to email as well and then my phone was ringing!!

 

[pamperedlinda]

Wow, such sad news. I've bought from Nancy a few times and also bought a huge box-load of her postcards from another consultant. I do like most of her stuff. And, I love that she has such reasonable pricing and that she throws in all kinds of goodies when you order too! She will be missed, hopefully she will continue on and, like some of the other non-specif vendors (Sticking to Business....) we can still purchase from her.

I will reserve judgement on Merril until they actually show us the items and the pricing....I have ordered very little from them, mostly b/c they are too expensive and also b/c I don't really care for what they have.....we'll see.....

 

[pamperedlinda]

Yes, the HO has lurkers on the major boards out there, including this one. I've also gotten phone calls after being told by the Solution Center to EMAIL them about some shipping issues (this was before FedEX). I posted to tell everyone to email as well and then my phone was ringing!!

I would expect that they would have lurkers....they would be crazy not too....can you imaging all of the laughing from the person whose job it is to sit and read these messages all day? I bet it drives their co-workers nuts! either that or they are in a sound-proof room!