CoVid-19 Update
Posted by Gemma Kidd on
Hi everyone,
First of all I want to start by saying that I hope everyone is keeping safe and well. If you are on lockdown and self-isolating I hope you aren't going too stir crazy. If you are a key worker, still working through all of this then you have my upmost respect, and gratitude and I want to thank you all so much for everything that you are doing.
I'm one of those people who has been tracking this since the first news of the virus started coming out of China in early January. I'm the person that everyone laughed at for over reacting, for saying things would get bad here in the UK, for saying we would end up on lockdown. But even I, knowing this was coming, could not prepare myself for how surreal this would all feel. It's like we are living in a movie. Imagine if someone said to you in January, or even February, which seems like so long ago now, "In a few weeks from now the world would be at a standstill. We will be confined to our homes. Schools will have stopped indefinitely. Half of the economy will have shutdown, most of us won't have to go to work!" You'd think they were crazy, that nothing like that could ever happen to us, in this day and age. But it has happened. And it's amazing how quickly we have all adapted to the new norm.
Now, obviously my business, this website, sells gifts and books. We exist to make people happy. You send a gift to someone to celebrate them and their achievements, or their wedding, or their birthday. You let them know how much they mean to you on Mother's Day, or Father's Day or Valentine's Day, with a gift. And while there may not be much cause for celebration right now, I think people, more than ever, need to that you care and that you are thinking of them.
Birthday parties (my own included) all over the world have been cancelled. As have weddings and anniversary parties. Mother's Day was spent on video call, instead of mum's favourite restaurant. Father's Day probably will be too.
So, while our business isn't essential, by any means, in the way that grocery stores are, I think that the people we love, particularly the vulnerable, need to know during this time of isolation, that we are thinking of them, that we didn't forget their birthday, that we miss them! It is essential that we keep our loved ones spirits up. It's essential that we show them that we care.
With all that said, Little Gem Moments, is open and is business as (mostly) usual. We are working closely with suppliers and working from home to make sure all social distancing and safety measures are strictly adhered to. Any products that are not available during the lockdown have been removed from sale. While the social distancing measures are in place, staffing at our suppliers has been reduced, meaning that production times on some items may have increased. Rather that manually go through each and every product on our website to adjust the stated lead times for each item, please consider adding 1-2 working days to the stated lead time for each item. Likewise, deliveries of items may take slightly longer than usual. I have temporarily removed the Tracked 24 option from our shipping options, as these can no longer be guaranteed. Express shipping is still available however and will be quicker that standard shipping.
We are pressing ahead and working hard at home to list loads of wonderful new product ranges in time for Father's Day. As always we can be reached via all social media channels or via email info@littlegemmoments.co.uk
Please, more than ever, stay home and stay safe and look after yourself, both physically and mentally.
We will get through this!
Lots of love to you all,
Gemma x