Industry Update

Dear "WTF" Family,

First and foremost - thank you for your business and support of WearTheFund over the past 9+ years. We continue to operationally scale while staying abreast of changes in the wholesale apparel industry and global supply-chain/inventory issues due to the ongoing pandemic. In the midst of the ups and downs, and because of you, we've now generated more than $225,000 for community causes that impact us all, directly or indirectly. 

Our goal is to offer the most seamless experience while giving back to the community with every order. If expectations are unmet, we always strive to make it right. 

Here are a few important updates and policy reminders as we best navigate industry developments and issues in the global supply chain:

Industry News: 

• Tip - Get your orders in early! The global pandemic has created more demand than capacity across all logistics networks. Delays continue to be prevalent due to shortages of containers and ship availability and made worse by port and rail congestion, as well as overtaxed parcel networks.
• While we expect the 4th quarter to be busy throughout, Cyber Monday is expected to be busier than ever this year including supplier delays, so please plan accordingly as we head into the holiday season. 
• We're frequently asked about backordered product ETAs, which we know is frustrating when we can't tell you when something is going to be available. This is due to it either: still being manufactured, stored at a factory waiting for pickup, or at a port waiting for an available shipping vessel. In this case, there is just no accurate ETA info to share. We appreciate your patience! 
• Our suppliers do not anticipate any meaningful improvement with the ongoing inventory supply chain issues until at least mid-2022. In addition, costs continue to increase on many levels as the global supply chain and labor market adjusts to keep things moving. We've received cost increases from multiple suppliers over the past several weeks, which have required us to raise prices on even basic brands. Check with your Client Care rep. for specifics. 
•  
• The labor environment is exceptionally competitive and staffing levels are difficult to predict as new COVID‑19 cases fluctuate in many communities. 
• As COVID‑19 infection rates continue to change around the world, production has been impacted in different countries at different times. Today, shutdowns in Vietnam and Indonesia are especially concerning, and we are also now facing a shortage of yarn as many U.S. yarn vendors are not operating at full capacity due to labor shortages.

This year, we implemented a 3% +/- Breakage Policy that will impact your ordering and exact order quantities. WTF does this mean?

• Many times, our clients need a few more “XYZ” after the job is complete. This is not cost-effective for you or us to reprint.
• “Breakage” can occur no matter what. Most companies in our industry allow for a +/- 5% breakage policy. We’re setting the bar high at 3%, less than half the padding of the industry standard. 
• Note - Images on your device can display differently pertaining to the shade of t-shirt color or final decoration. We can match decoration colors for a fee within 5% accuracy. If you wish to guarantee the shade of your t-shirt, we recommend ordering a blank sample to see before ordering.

Completion Times. We live by client deadlines. At times, we find that the dates originally set may or may not be the actual deadline to have the project completed. We’ve never missed an event, and we’re dedicated to keeping it that way, so here’s the scoop:

• Our typical standard turnaround is 15-20 business days. If you need expedited project completion and/or shipping on a certain date before our standard turnaround, rush services will apply. Like Disney’s FastPass, you have to pay a bit more to cut the line in front of other clients who’ve been waiting on their orders within the 15-20 day window. Plus, we must cover our production team's overtime to rush the order. 

These are challenging times with multiple macro-economic issues impacting our industry concurrently. We're all in this together, and we'll continue to work diligently to serve you. Please stay tuned for further updates. If we haven’t spoken recently, please give me a call with any upcoming needs...or simply to catch-up! Thank you for understanding, and we look forward to hearing from you. 
 

Gratefully,
Sam Lewis, Founder & CEO
sam@wearthefund.com
844-WTF-GIVE

© Wear The Fund LLC 2020