CEC Ornie Update and On LNS

Below is where I currently am on the 4 Calling Birds from the CEC series. I didn't stitch much yesterday, and some of the leaves I now noticed will have to be ripped as I stitched them in the wrong color, but, what can I say, that's life, at least stitching life.
I left a comment on Jenna's blog entry yesterday about a minor rant on ordering scissors at an LNS. I'm not going to repeat it, just go over there and read it, if it interests you. Frankly, I worried I had been to harsh, but Jenna took it with an open mind and a good heart.

What y'all probably may not know about me is that I am very close to two LNSes. The Cross Stitch Cupboard in Fort Lauderdale and Always in Stitches in Palm Beach Gardens. I'm quite familiar with the way they operate and I even help out two Saturdays a month at Always in Stitches, so you can say I'm more than just a shopper. Based on the small profitability of selling cross stitch charts and supplies, I admire those who run these shops. The Cupboard, for example, is half LNS, half gift store. The gift store part pretty much allows the cross stitch part to continue. Even with 4 people working there, it's a lot of work. Always in Stitches is pretty much a one person show with a handful of "volunteers" who come in and help.

The point I am trying to make here is that most LNSes are "Mom & Pop" operations that require a lot of work and dedication to keep going. Most of the people running them are the owners and they are very serious about providing good service because it is all too easy to go on Ebay or to an ONS to get the same thing for less. I know there probably are exceptions out there - I've come across one or two in my day as well, but let's not let a few bad apples spoil the bunch.

So, with that in mind, while most of the time these stores are very good at getting things out right away, other times they have good reason to fall behind. It doesn't take much when either you're the only person running things, and/or you only have a couple of other people you count on. Also, a lot of times, they are waiting on other companies (some of which are also small Mom & Pops) to send in what they are going to send out. This happens a lot after Market, as designers/suppliers get swamped with orders. We need to keep in mind that asking them to do something outside of how they normally operate can create a imposition on them. Like us, they have to balance their work lives with their personal lives and you just never know what someone else has on their plate.

The moral of this story is, that considering that airplane restrictions on scissors have been in place for nearly 6 years now, the next time you're at your LNS, if you haven't done so already, please pick up a pair of cheap small scissors for you to take on board. Nowadays, I can't imagine any stitcher not having a pair or two on hand should you suddenly need to jump on a plane. This is my extra pair that live in my nightstand. As you can see, I got it for less than $5. There's another one around here somewhere...Lastly, on a somewhat adjacent topic, TSA screeners at our airports cannot keep the items they confiscate for themselves, no matter how much they may like to. They all have to be turned in and rare is the TSA screener that works by themselves and might be able to fool the camaras (and the guys watching). So, please don't worry that a screener is going to take something because they want it for themselves. Especially stitching stuff. Last time I checked, it's not exactly in high demand.