Why Have a Plan, then?!

For those of you regulars that read our blog, you have come to know that I am a super-planner. I need to plan out just about everything in my life - at least seven days in advance. This goes for groceries, weekend activities, etc. So when my husband and I decided to throw a BBQ over Labor Day for friends that would be in the area, I began planning out the menu - what kind of appetizers should we have; what sort of drinks; how do I want to arrange everything; what needs to be cleaned in our house, etc.

Amanda was nice enough to inform me of a new store selling cupcakes in DC. I immediately thought that I did want to go there AND possibly purchase some cupcakes for the BBQ. I thought that would make a nice dessert option. So I read up on their website about their flavors, pricing and saw that you could place advance orders and even order mini-cupcakes (advance orders only, it says). So I quickly asked what Amanda's schedule was going to be so I could plan on ordering my cupcakes today and giving them an approximate pick-up time for Saturday.

Imagine my surprise when I went to call them and they said they're not taking advance orders at this time. Their excuse was because it was their opening week and they didn't know the demand that would be out there. So my only option was to go to the store and be serviced on a first come/first serve deal. I feel like she just told me I had to camp out for concert tickets.

This is where the business side of me comes out. If you're going to advertise the fact that you can pre-order cupcakes AND you have mini-cupcakes available for pre-order only, then why can't you follow through on that promise? If it is part of your business plan, why can't it be executed from the very start? At the very least, why can't you have a caveat on your website that says orders can be placed starting on MMMDD? The excuse they gave me that they couldn't forecast demand is totally unacceptable (to a business person). I'm actually providing you with a demand - why can't you supply me with it then? It's economics, people. You can't create your supply unless you have a demand - and if I'm handing you a firm demand, why can't you create the supply to meet it? It doesn't make sense to me. And the fact that they couldn't forecast tells me that someone didn't complete their business plan. After all, part of creating a business plan is knowing what your demand is going to be so you know how much you need to supply.

They are certainly not the first cupcake place in town so it's not like they couldn't do some field research to meet the business plan goals and do some forecasting.

So there's one point on the 'Con' side of this new cupcake shop. I wanted to like them - they had a great name and a great location - but we are off to a rough start, my friend.

We'll see if I decide to camp out for concert tickets.