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Dear Valued Members:

On 9/1 parts of the Northeast were impacted from the effects of Hurricane Ida. This resulted in severe flooding in the Pennsylvania area where our main fulfillment center is located and FedEx had to cancel their scheduled pickup from us. Further, the team in Lebanon, PA had to leave work early to seek safety and care for their family.  Today, we are receiving reports of power outages in many residential neighborhoods and are short-staffed due to employees having to deal with how this storm has impacted them. Some key staff are without power while others are running on generators.

We will continue processing orders as best we can and will no this afternoon whether we can expect a carrier pick-up. Our facility remains secure with no apparent impact and we will be monitoring closely. Our thoughts are with our staff and we wish them a speedy a speedy recovery during this difficult time.

One of the many pitfalls of being an authorized supplier in natural grocery products is having to be wedged between a brand's request to constrain sales and our members' demand for those products. Just recently Lakanto presented us with this challenge and has constrained sales of liquid sweetener across its entire network.

What does this mean for you?

Lakanto liquid sweeteners are currently constrained. Constrained means the manufacturer is experiencing issues and directing its network of distrubors to withhold release of the product due to the amount of time it will take for them to get back up to speed. As frustrating as it may be to run the risk of overselling, you can only imagine the awkward position we are put in by having the inventory on hand and not being able to release it due to a directive by the brand.

Outlook

We believe that selling groceries online is here to stay for the long term. As such, we will live to make another sale but we cannot jeopardize our relationships with the brands we carry. If you are marketing Lakanto's line of liquid sweetener, please exercise sound judgment as there is no indication of when the constraints will be lifted but we trust they'll be lifted shortly.

How to avoid these issues

Brands don't deliberately impose constraints, they don't plan them and they would prefer to avoid them. However, they happen and its a fact of life. Its difficult to get ahead of constraints due to their unpredictable nature. However, here are a few strategies that could help get you ahead of the competition:

• Pre-order inventory: wait for line drives or other promotions and pre-order inventory based on your store's demand. You do not need to physically stock the inventory. GreenDropShip can store it and segregate it for you. The result is you take advantage of deep discounts and proft heavily due to possible constraint issues.
• Market substitutes. All is not lost if Lakanto liquid sweeteners are constrained. Other liquid sweeteners exist on the market and consumers will find substitutes in the face of a shortage.
• Invite your customers to be asked to be notified when the item is available. It will give you an indication of what they are interested in and help you to better define your audience.

Due to record high temperatures sweeping the U.S. we have temporarily suspended Frozen and Refrigerated shipments until further notice. Chocolate orders are still being shipped and we expect no disruptions in chocolate shipments.