The Store – The Strap Saver

All the Maths!

July 24, 2022/in Manufacturing, Running a Business, Shari, The Store

It’s been an exciting day! I spent my time with pivot tables and counting tiny parts. While it’s not an ideal way to spend a Saturday, I’m so glad that I did… because I almost made a rookie mistake. I was set to order more inventory without truly reviewing the numbers. I can feel all of the Sharks giving me the stink eye for even considering it.

Strap Savers are small.

It’s easy to look at the pile and estimate how many we have! (note to self! idea for giveaway: guess how many Strap Savers in the jar?) It appeared that we might be running low on a few sizes/colors.

But, of course, looks can be deceiving or this wouldn’t be a blog post, would it? And, I had to take into account that, as we will announce soon, we are phasing out the ¾” and 1” regular Strap Savers. (short answer: we feel that the “extra strength” does the job and are only .7mm thicker. That’s half of an American dime, our thinnest coin) It was more than just seeing if what we had was enough.

EXCELlent

I spent some time with a spreadsheet and created tables to look at our numbers first by size, then by color and then strength. And then strength, size and color. And then every other permutation imaginable, to see what worked best to try to forecast sales for the next year. As a person who spends their days sifting through data, part of me wonders why we didn’t do this sooner. The rest of me knows it is because there are just so many other things to do when running a business. As long as we had inventory to sell I could consider this part of the job “done”.

My next step was to start counting. I took a short cut and pulled out a scale. Do you have any idea how many ¼” Strap Savers fit in the palm of your hand? The answer will not surprise you: a LOT! And… I found that we have enough inventory to make it through the year based on the last year of sales with 30% growth.

Plan for the future – act now

I hope that we grow more, obviously. I always have plans, but we’re “living in uncertain times” (trite but true!). If we need to buy more inventory, we always can. It doesn’t take much lead time and we have advanced warning. (Unless, Sophia Vegara decides to tweet about us, then all bets would be off anyway!)

The takeaway is that it frees up our funds for things like direct advertising and partnering with influencers. Yes, I see that will lead me back to needing more inventory, but I can certainly handle that problem. It’s much better than having much more than I need and no path to reaching potential customers.

We even have a nice stock of envelopes, instructions and pink bags! Now I just need to find someone who lives to silk screen tiny logos in small bags. Any takers?

Wait a minute Mister Postman!

October 6, 2021/in Running a Business, Shari, The Store

As some of you may have heard, the United States Post Office is dealing with some new challenges, including slowed delivery due to staffing shortages, a general reduction in services and as of October 3, increased pricing for the holidays.

We rely on the USPS as our only shipping provider. Until recently, they have been both fast and affordable. After a few incidents, we decided that we had to make some adjustments, including additional choices for customers to track their order. We reviewed the offerings at the local post office and decided to make some changes to our shipping options.

Let’s start with the good news – we will be able to continue with our free, first class shipping option. We hate the “shipping surprise” at checkout and are sure you do too! We’ve been able to absorb the small changes to postage over the years and hope to continue to do so.

So, we’re adding another option with tracking, First Class Parcel Service Delivery for $4. As of right now, we’re estimating 4-8 days from our HQ in New Jersey, but we’re going to keep an eye on it and see if we need to adjust it.

We’ve increased the price of Priority Mail to $8, for now. For the second year, the Post Office has introduced “congestion pricing” for the holidays, resulting in an increase in all flat rate priority postage. To compensate for this change, we have adjusted our Priority Mail price. We will reduce it back to $7.50 after the holidays are over. (assuming the Post Office does as well!)

Priority international shipping is now $40. Priority International Shipping increased 5.1% just this past year and we had not updated the price in a few years, so we’ve changed that from $35 to $40.

To summarize, here is a complete list of our shipping options:

In the USA

7-14 days (usually), up to 4 weeks – FREE – Standard First Class Shipping (no tracking)
4-8 days (usually) – $4 – First Class Parcel Service
3-4 days – $8 – Priority Mail
2-3 days – $25 – Priority Express

Domestic orders over $100 will automatically be upgraded to FREE Priority Mail shipping

International

2 weeks (usually), up to 6 weeks – $2 – International First Class Mail (no tracking)
2 weeks – $40 – International Priority Mail

International orders over $50 will be given FREE Standard First Class Shipping

One last note: Shipping options may vary depending on staff availability. We may have global reach, but we’re a small staff. We decided that on the rare occasion that several of us are unavailable, we’d limit the options in checkout. We hope to always offer priority shipping domestically, at a minimum, but if you don’t see the shipping options, this is why. It’s temporary and will update upon our return!

As issues arrive, please know that once we drop your order off at the post office, it’s out of our hands. We’ll do our best to make everything right – by sending your order as quickly as possible and answering your questions in a timely manner – and we are truly doing everything that we can to help you get the custom fit that you deserve.

New Year New Us!

January 27, 2021/in Getting Started, Running a Business, Shari, The Store, What's New

Welcome to our new and improved home!

We thought it was time for a makeover. Our look was, well, so 2016. Everyone deserves a new ‘do after 5 years.

For our redesign, the goal is to help our customers better understand our features and benefits at a glance. The big headline of “Get Shorter Straps Without Sewing” plus icons will hopefully do the trick. (and, they are pretty!)

Saving Straps On the Move

We also wanted to make our site more mobile-friendly, as ~70% of our visits are from a mobile phone. We have new mobile-friendly hero images (just visit us on your phone, if you haven’t already, and you’ll see!), descriptive icons and reviews from our customers. Even our mobile navigation offers a better user experience.

Our shop page, specifically, is now a full product page with more information about buying, using, and exchanging Strap Savers. No more sifting through our FAQ (which is now accordion-style and easier to use) We were also able to include some of our beautiful lifestyle images. We think that this will help to better explain our product.

Getting the word out

We’ve spiffed up our marketing plans as well. A friend has been kind enough to help us build a new adwords campaign – and offered to pitch in on some social media marketing. It’s not just about building a good website but also a great go-to-market strategy. Sure, we’re not exactly brand new but to those that haven’t heard of us, we are!

Personally, I’m looking forward to 2021 for so many reasons – and not just because 2020 was incredibly difficult (understatement, I know). Even though New Years is somewhat arbitrary (isn’t every day the first day of the rest of your life?), but humans love milestones and a fresh start. I’ll buy in to this for all of the right reasons (but none of the icky ones)

I couldn’t have done it without you.

I want to thank everyone who helped to make this happen – Beth, who did all of the beautiful design work. Marc, for all of his tech advice and general support. Courtney for her help with Google Ads and pulling me back from my scorched-earth keyword approach. And, of course, all of the friends of the Strap Saver who helped to test and offered opinions on UX.

From all of us at The Strap Saver, we wish all of you a safe and healthy 2021.

a girl with a computer sitting on a blue chair looking at 5 yellow stars and the text: let us know what you think

Please, Please Tell Me Now!

February 24, 2019/in Friends, Running a Business, Shari, The Store, What's New

In the epic words of Duran Duran:

Please, please tell me now
Is there something I should know?
Is there something I should say?
That would make you come my way

And now you’ll have the opportunity! The Strap Saver is now accepting reviews on Google. To tell us (and everyone else!) how you feel, click here, log in with your Google ID, and speak your mind. We want to hear how you liked your purchase and how happy you are with our customer service. We’re excited to share the feedback that we receive.

We know that nothing is more important than the words of your fellow shopper. While we love the Strap Saver and will mention it to anyone who will listen, we certainly understand that you might not take our word for it. With every new product, there is always hesitation. Sure, we offer a “love it or your money back guarantee” and a generous exchange policy, but that still requires effort.

So…. Rescue a favorite bra? Get the perfect fit from a treasured dress or tank top? Get some extra workouts from a tired sports bra? Extend the life of the perfect bathing suit? Think The Strap Saver is the bees knees? Shout it out! Sharing your experience will help to guide your fellow consumers through the wild world of internet shopping to the safe haven of custom-length straps without sewing. (ok, I might’ve gone a little too far there)

We can’t wait to hear what you have to say, so get your Google id and click here. (although, if you have something you’d rather tell us in private, you can always contact us directly through our website or email us.)

If you don’t have a Google id, It’s easy to sign up for one. Just click here! While we don’t endorse Google products specifically, we do use many of them in the day to day running of the company and like anything that helps us get the word out!.

Red bra on a clothesline with clothespins with hearts on them, text reads fall in love with our sale

Sale Around The World on Valentine’s Day

February 6, 2019/in Bras, Breast Cancer Awareness, Saved Straps, Shari, The Store, What's New

It’s almost Valentine’s Day!

While that marks the start of my favorite season (chocolate bunny), it also means it is time for annual sale! Once again, we’re marking down all of our Strap Savers by 20%. Yes, that still includes our “save $5 for every additional pair” pricing. The first Strap Saver is $12.50 and each additional pair is $8. We still have free first class shipping in the US and $2 anywhere else in the world. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation will still receive 5% of all sales. Woo hoo!

For our international customers, I’ve spent some time doing some serious math. We’re going to cover all of Valentine’s Day, from Auckland, New Zealand to Honolulu, Hawaii! We won’t limit your opportunity to save because you happen to live on the other side of the globe. The sale will actually run 8AM on Wednesday, February 13th to 6AM ET on Friday, February 15th at 5AM ET.

Like last year, we’re not going to require a coupon code to receive the discount. We really hate games with sales. It is simple – you buy, we apply the discount, and you get a custom fit from your favorite strappy clothes.

To recap:

Annual Sale

2/13 6AM ET to 2/15 5AM ET

20% off the entire site (excluding gift certificates)

No coupon required!

Although our sale will technically be 47 hours long, it only happens once a year. Don’t miss your chance to stock up and save. Bathing suit season is in full swing/right around the corner – depending on your hemisphere! Your straps deserve a little love this Valentine’s day.

Buy Now

Woman in a black dress leaning backwards with her arms over hear head, with red streamers coming from behind her, text get a second chance at love with 20% off, all day Feb 21st get 20% off everything on the website

Come Sale Away with Us on February 21st!

February 4, 2018/in Saved Straps, Shari, The Store

NOTE: We’re giving you a second chance at love this year! Our annual sale will be on February 21st this year!

It’s time for our annual sale! If you’ve been a fan of The Strap Saver for a long time, you know the drill. We’re not a fan of price manipulators with gimmicks, but we do love a good deal. We don’t love faux holidays so we’ll give you something real to love – 20% off of the Strap Saver!

We’ve worked hard to improve the sale over the years. First, we required coupon codes. It’s a marketing tactic, so that companies can trace where their advertising is most effective. We’ve decided if we’re going to have a sale, we’re going to make it accessible to all. Second, I don’t think we’ve made sure to cover all time zones although we’ve tried. In the last year, we’ve shipped to 4 continents, so we’re going to cover February 21st around the world, from morning in Auckland to the end of the day in Hawaii. This may mean that some of you get more than one day to shop our sale, but that’s a risk we’re willing to take. Every Kiwi is just as important as every resident of the USA.

This is your chance to STOCK UP AND SAVE. Much like Valentine’s Day, it’s a once a year event. Unlike this Hallmark holiday, once it’s gone, you’ll regret that you didn’t act now!

Don’t forget that you’re shopping for a cause! 5% of your sale goes to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation! Through March 31, 2018, all donations will be matched, included every purchase from this sale, so buy a lot to give a lot!

a person in a hooded shirt leaning over a computer, purple backround with zeros and ones to represent computer code, text reads business owner beware

Fool Me Once

January 28, 2018/in Running a Business, Shari, The Store

Two months ago, I received an email about sending a large order of Strap Savers to Fiji. My business-woman’s heart was excited! My business-woman’s brain was suspicious. We’ve shipped to North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, so the location didn’t bother me, but we don’t normally get orders for thousands of dollars to island nations in the South Pacific. I had a feeling something was off, but I couldn’t figure out what. I decided to follow it to see where it might go.

The request came from a shop owner named Morris George. The email asked if I could ship internationally and would I mind sending them a price list? I directed him to the website and gave offered a wholesale price. I also requested the shop name, claiming that I had friends that traveled to Fiji regularly. This request was ignored. (red flag) I also looked up the name but found nothing. This was not surprising. The request came from a Gmail account.

When I heard back, I was a little surprised to see that Morris’s order was quite large. Although he wanted to pay by check, I insisted on a credit card number. I was waiting to find out where the scam might be, but I was willing to continue for the prospect of selling out! And, then I found it. Morris was willing to pay for everything by credit card, but wanted me to deliver the order personally to his trusted international freight company. I was to contact the shipper, Chris Mason from KFL Freight, and arrange to meet and pay him to bring the product back to Fiji. Crap! Just look up KFL Freight + scam and there are tons of results. (KFL is a real company, according to the internet and even THEY make it clear not to send anything to Fiji)

I told him that I was unable to meet with anyone in person. We don’t have a storefront, so I would not be able to fulfill the request. I was happy to send it to his shipper and he could make arrangements from there. Morris promptly cancelled the order. Umm… ok. That was the last that I heard of Morris or Strap Savers being sent to Fiji. I did not think it was going to pan out, it felt too much like the cashiers check/furniture ad scam from Craigslist about 5 years ago.

I received an email about 4 weeks later that was very similar but this time from Honduras. I stopped it easily by saying “we do not pay meet/pay shippers” and never heard from them again. The same last week, but this time from Newark.

While I expected a lot of pushy sales pitches, I didn’t expect so many outright scams as a business owner. I have since learned that the term “buyer beware” applies as much in business to business as it does in business to consumer sales, no matter who you are in the transaction. It’s one of the reasons that we try to be as transparent as possible about every aspect of The Strap Saver. Please let us know if there’s something you’re not seeing. We don’t want you to feel as if you’re trying to buy a product from a remote location halfway around the world!

GREAT NEWS! For first three months of 2018, donations from The Strap Saver to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation will be matched, up to $5000. This means that we will raise $1.50 for the first Strap Saver in every purchase and $1.00 for each additional Strap Saver. We have a chance to make a big contribution in a short period of time, so let’s get shopping! Offer expires March 31, 2018.

back of a woman who is not wearing a shirt with her thumbs under her tan bra straps pulling them away from her shoulders text reads stopping slippage

Stop Slipping Strap Savers

January 10, 2018/in Saved Straps, Shari, The Store

Occasionally we hear from customers about slipping Strap Savers, usually shortly after we send out their order. Consider that we advertise that they stop clip creep, this is not the intended outcome! First-time installation of Strap Savers can be tricky and it’s easy to make a mistake. (Luckily, though, once most customers understand how to install them, they can easily repeat the process.)

If Strap Savers are slipping, it’s usually because they are installed upside down. This is not the easiest concept to explain across cyberspace, but I’ll give it a try!

If your Strap Savers are slipping, they may be installed upside down, like this:

The loop from the adjuster is hooked through the top/smaller part of the s and the strap runs through the wider/bottom part of the s.

Correct installation:

The loop from the adjuster is hooked through the bottom/wider part of the s and then the other piece of the strap is woven through the bottom/wider part and then the top/narrow part.

For additional instructions, check out our step-by-step installation videos. For customers that are still having trouble, we’re happy to do a video chat and demonstrate it one-on-one. Please contact us.

We have only found a few situations where they do not work – either the straps are too thin or too thick (or wider than 1″). If you have purchased Strap Savers, cannot install them, and this doesn’t solve your issue, let us know. We would like to work with you to troubleshoot and find a solution. If we can’t find one, you can return them for a full refund (minus any priority shipping).

As always, we hope that we you will love The Strap Saver as much as we do!

GREAT NEWS! For first three months of 2018, donations from The Strap Saver to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation will be matched, up to $5000. This means that we will raise $1.50 for the first Strap Saver in every purchase and $1.00 for each additional Strap Saver. We have a chance to make a big contribution in a short period of time, so let’s get shopping! Offer expires March 31, 2018.

Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Choices & a Cure

December 10, 2017/in Breast Cancer Awareness, Friends, Helping the Community, Networking, Running a Business, Shari, The Store

About 2 months ago, Cancer Research UK published a study stating that breast cancer can recur up to 20 years after the initial diagnosis. According to the results, the probability of a metastasis occurring later directly correlates to the size of the original tumors and if cancer was found in the lymph nodes. The researchers were surprised that the cancer could remain dormant for so long.

When my mother was first treated for breast cancer in 1998, we were told by her doctors that 7 years was “cured”. In 2005, I remember having a small celebration via telephone. She was free! According to this new study – and what they found in her 16 years later, she was not. The doctors were making the best decisions that they could with the information that they had at the time.

I don’t know if she would have done anything differently if this study had come out 5 years earlier. My mom was already doing everything that was recommended. She went for her yearly mammograms and performed monthly self-exams. Would she have had more detailed scans? I believe she was part of the trials for tamoxifen but had to stop it due to complications from other medical issues. (which I do not have, should I ever need to try a similar drug therapy) At the time, the doctors just didn’t realize that they should be looking deeper.

Beth and I have decided that we want to do our part. We’re hoping to help overcome the lack of funding for research. Starting in November, The Strap Saver joined forces with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation to help raise awareness and money for research. Stage IV (the stage that takes so many women from us) is underfunded and the BCRF has pledged 30% of their grants (almost $18 million) for advancements in this area. In addition, BCRF has established the Evelyn H. Lauder Founder’s Fund, the first large-scale and largest privately funded multi-year international program dedicated to understanding the biology of metastasis (in addition to funding other important research).

We’re hoping to help be the light in this otherwise dark subject. Five percent of all sales, retail and wholesale, will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. (So, if you haven’t, it’s a great time to pick up some Strap Savers!) If you already have all of the Strap Savers that you need, but love Amazon, go to smile.amazon.com and pick BCRF as your charity. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible items. If you’re like us, you’re shopping there already and the prices are exactly the same so it’s an easy way to help. Maybe next year BCRF will be able to donate more to Stage IV research. We’ll be one step closer to never again losing another person to this awful disease.

We also know that you are trusting us with your money, so we have vetted the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Ninety-one cents of every dollar is donated to research. Charity Navigator gave them an A+ and Charity Watch gave them 4 out of 4 stars. BCRF has the highest rating of any breast cancer charity. In addition, I had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Susan Domcheck, a member of the Scientific Advisory Board, personally. She was my doctor for the DNA study at University of Pennsylvania. She was both capable and kind. From my interactions with her, it’s clear that she wants to make a difference.

Shop with us, shop with Amazon, or donate directly – do whatever you can to help this great organization find a cure.

Does A Stitch In Time Save Anything?

September 24, 2017/in Networking, Running a Business, Saved Straps, Shari, The Store

We’ve often talked about using the dry cleaners to alter straps as an alternative to The Strap Saver. We’ve mentioned how it might be inconvenient or expensive. I decided to go undercover (not really) when I went to my favorite, Ace French Dry Cleaners in Manalapan, to get some pants hemmed and get the answers!

I spoke with Chris, one of the owners. He said that he does get asked to shorten straps and the price and time depends on the garment. If it has an adjuster and the seam is easy to reach, it can cost approximately $8 for both straps. If it doesn’t and/or the seam is harder to find, it’s approximately $12.¹ It can take anywhere from a day to three days, depending on need and the requirements of the job. The prices can vary, of course, depending on the fabric, turnaround time and intricacy of sewing needed. It sounded reasonable to me, considering all that it takes to make a bra. Pulling it apart and putting it back together nicely can’t be easy.

As he and I were chatting, we did a quick compare and contrast.

The Dry Cleaner was better/more cost-effective for:

A one-time adjustment
An event that is happening in just a day or two.
If the bra or bathing suit has very thick or wide straps (wider than 1”)
You can also get your favorite dress altered to fit you perfectly at the same time (Ace saved my favorite formal wear!)

However, The Strap Saver became the winner in other circumstances:

It shortens more than one bra/bathing suit/tank top. The Strap Saver can be moved from bra to bra as needed, daily.
It leaves the strap adjustable, allowing for continued shortening
The stainless steel construction means that it will outlive many bras/bathing suits/etc. It’s a solution that will be around for years to come.
You don’t have to leave your house to get it! (my favorite – it takes me a long time to take stuff there and longer to pick it up…)

Some may think I’m crazy for praising “the competition”. I think it’s about finding the best way give the customer a custom fit. Also, I don’t think we’re exactly the same. It all depends on the need at the time and garment. If your strap issues fall in category 1, find your local seamstress or dry cleaner (If you are in the central NJ area and , I recommend Ace!). If not, might I suggest picking up The Strap Saver to cure your strap woes?

¹Your mileage may vary. Consider that this estimate is from Central New Jersey, halfway between New York City and Philadelphia.