I’m going to lay out some instructions to blog contributers and customers. I realize that not everyone will read this or know about it, but it’s the fastest way I know to get some information out there.

I am going to have to prioritize my time. The situation is beyond critical. I can afford about 30 seconds for each person and too many persons are demanding far more time then that. This is unfortunate, but due to growing panic, it’s probably not going to change anytime soon.

Therefore, priorities are in order and what I need / expect.

Website

a) No more phone orders. If you want to order, please order through the shopping cart.  Our cart gives you live shipping quotes (if any) and will automatically compute all charges.

b) No more phone calls unless it’s a dire emergency. Call volume has been extreme as callers have discovered. Either they can’t get through or we’re constantly interrupted with a stream of callers.  Update: Our phone number was changed in October 2008, we’ve gotten tired to death of the telemarketers running up on phone bill.  This number is available for customers only now.
c) Do not ask for a free catalog sent through the mail, it’s on the website as a download ONLY. I will not send you a printed catalog. If you do not have Internet access, figure something out.

d) No more order changes, or appending items to your order, the canneries have stopped this practice and so have we. This takes up a huge amount of time to unravel and redo.  Please get it right the first time. Do your homework, figure out what you need and get it in all at once. Trust me — you’ll be glad you did, prices continue to climb every couple of months now.

e) New order minimums are $250 per order, we are the largest specialty supplier of bulk foods in the industry, and we are focused on helping people with serious preparations.

f) Do NOT bug me about your order — I cannot make the canneries go any faster, they are badly overwhelmed and it’s getting much worse. I post realistic estimates, not something you’ll find very often. They are doing a fantastic job under critical conditions. They will do everything they can to get their orders out the door, but they are still pouring in way too fast. Trouble makers and problem customers WILL have their orders simply canceled and refunded. There IS such a thing as a “bad customer” list at every cannery, don’t get your name placed on it.

If your order is overdue (beyond the published ship times at the TIME you ordered), I do not mind questions and inquiries regarding this.  We want your order to be filled on time too.

g) READ the shipping times page. It is constantly being updated, adding about one additional week of delay time for every day that goes by, until such time as we think we are far enough out that we can meet our time estimates. If you do not wish to read it, DO NOT ORDER. If you are impatient - DO NOT ORDER. During Y2K, our ship times hit 10 months, so we’re nowhere near that yet, but I fully expect that to happen sometime this year.

h) Email your questions. I do answer email, this also provides a written history of your question and my answer, which is now critical so I can keep track of everything. I cannot possibly remember all the details I’ve tried to cover via the phone and can’t do the phone anymore anyway. If you won’t use or read your email, then don’t bother me.

Keep your emails pertinent — long drawn out emails are barely scanned for information. I can handle about 100 - 500 emails a day, and I’ve reached that limit already.

i) READ the information on the website — that’s why it’s there. The FAQ page and all of the Information Pages are published for your assistance. Don’t ask me to repeat what’s already there, I’m sorry, but I just find this sort of ridiculous.

j) Blocked phone calls are still a problem.  If you block your calls, then we’re not going to be able to reach you by phone. Check your spam box if you have not heard back from us, I do answer all email that has questions. If it’s just commentary, I deal with the questions / answers first.

k) Food shortages are definitely showing up. Expect that. Nothing at all can be done about it. We will fill as much of your order as we possibly can. Most items are back ordered as required by Alpine Aire, Mountain House and Richmoor (Update: Rainy Day no longer fills any back orders, this policy was stopped in May 2008). Some items cannot be replaced as they disappear from the entire market for the season (or for good). Mushrooms are an example of this, as is Golden 86 wheat and some others. Be glad you are receiving ANY food and you don’t live in India.

l) NOBODY is ordering enough food. Not even close. I am still stunned at the incredible short sightedness I’m seeing here. What “exactly” do you think is going to happen in “one year”? Our world food situation will not magically improve unless we each start growing a portion of our own food, and that isn’t going to happen either. This is exactly what you SHOULD be doing and learning how to do and getting ready to do, but remember that for every one person who plans or tries to do this, about 100,000 - 1,00,000,000 or more people aren’t. They’re going to keep expecting to go to the grocery store and buy whatever they need.

There is no magical bullet to our food crisis. Absolutely NONE AT ALL. Global demand is skyrocketing daily. Food shortages are now happening around the entire world in over 30 countries. It is all interlinked and connected to resource depletion, climate change, economic malfeasance and even biofuel production (among many other factors, such as the bee die-off). Focusing in on any one issue and you fail to see or appreciate the magnitude of the problem. Don’t get mad at me — I’ve been screaming warnings for two years now and I’m hoarse and sick to death of trying to manage sheep who can’t recognize dead grass from green grass.

Your WINDOW is nearly closed already. World events are accelerating at a break-neck speed. Either get with the program or get off the bus.

Blog

a) Comments by blog commentators with links are automatically held for moderation because there is an “http:” in the URL address you included. Leave that out and it will be published without me having to come here and do it manually. Everyone can figure out your link if you exclude that anyway.

b) Blog registration is turned OFF. This has been covered here before. It will NOT be turned on. I don’t have the time to babysit the newcomers and kick off the troublemakers. If you don’t like what’s written here — move on. If you are a fan, enjoy it while you still can. Existing blog members have proven themselves reliable (thank you very much) and can be trusted to contribute, share and assist. That’s the way it’s supposed to work.

c) Blog updates are getting few and far between, depending on my workload. That can’t be helped. What has been said needed to be said (imo) and what else is there? We’re all watching this thing unfold rather rapidly. I am personally moving up my timescale rather dramatically. For example, I thought we’d have 6 month backlogs by fall. Now I think it will happen by summer and this will trigger some really serious panic. We’ll probably see some serious food rationing this year as a result. Panic won’t help anybody, but it sure will make things worse then they already are.