Waiting for Stampin' Up!

So maybe you've heard, another giant of the scrapbooking industry is having a tough time riding out this economy. This time it's Stampin' Up! According to this news article that appeared in Deseret News on March 20, 2009, Stampin' Up! has experienced a 10% reduction in sales over the last two years and is now anticipating having to lay off some portion of their 500 person workforce - this does not include their 40,000 independent demonstrators.

Now some might say they are just another casualty of this difficult economy, but I say that Stampin' Up! along with it's scrapbooking cousin Creative Memories is suffering from more than a downturn in the economy. They are suffering from an obsolete business model that is finally showing its age. You say, why so grumpy - Stampin' Up! makes great stamps. And you're right they do make great stamps, but they make those stamps way too hard to get. I happen to be waiting right now for a Stampin' Up! order. A month ago, my mom and I went to a Stampin' Up! party mainly to support a good friend and hang out with a few former co-workers. It was their "Sell-a-bration" event and I ordered enough stuff to get a free stamp set. To be honest with you I don't even remember what I ordered, but my Discover card does remember what I paid for it. Meanwhile, our very sweet consultant promised to put the order in right away and said that this time she would not have to deliver it to us (good because she lives in Western Maryland and I live in Northern Virginia - quite a hike), and that the order would be sent directly to my house. That was a month ago. I haven't gotten my order yet, but I'm sure I'll get it soon. Just not when I wanted it. That's the problem with Stampin' Up! and Creative Memories. Your consultant never has what you want on hand and must order your products. And your products can usually never just come to your house, they must go to her first and then you must play phone tag for an extra week until she finally meets you and drops off your order. Meanwhile, you could have gone to your local big box store and bought a scrapbook, paper and supplies and created a scrapbook album in the time it takes to get one overpriced stamp set from Stampin' Up! Scrapbooking has changed, and unfortunately Stampin' Up! and Creative Memories have not changed with it. Today through the internet you can meet and gain inspiration from scrapbookers from all over the world. Stampin' Up! and Creative Memories, despite many changes they have made, seem to be stuck in an alternative universe where all scrapbookers live in the same cul-de-sac and scrapbooking supplies are strange items that can only be obtained from your consultant or demonstrator. I hope they wake up and figure out ways to compete in this market. In the meantime, I'm still waiting for my Stampin' Up! order.