Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa is coming a little early this year--he wants to get started on the after-Christmas sales sooner than in years past.  So open the bag and see what's inside:

• To the little boys and girls who thought 2011 would be worse than 2010--you get coal in your stocking.  That'll teach you to be such pessimists...
• To those who thought Amazon would return to the market--you get a certificate from the Nostradamus Academy of Finer Predictions.  Surprise!  Cue the theme from "Jaws".
• To the reseller community--the 2012 "Guide to Teaching End Users That Suppliers Don't Have Thousands of Pieces of Stuff Just Waiting For You to Buy".  It may serve them well next year.
• To the Reps--Peace on Earth and fewer Unfunded Mandates from your Suppliers.  Maybe THEY could handle Customer Service next year?
• To the Supppliers--a Sam's Wholesale Club-sized jar of Anti-Whine Cream.  Slather it on and realize the reps are still the best way to get your message to the market.  So what if they're not as responsive as your own employees are?  Get over it.  You ever hear of "variable cost"?
• To the Promotional Products Community--the IMRA website address (http://www.imraonline.org/).  Quit crying about how we aren't as responsibe as dedicated promotional products suppliers.  We've got what your clients want, and what most promotional products suppliers would kill for--RECOGNITION. And DESIRABILITY.  We want your business.  Come see us and find out for yourselves.
• To the End User Community--the "2012 Guide to the Supply Chain", or "Why suppliers Don't Have Thousands of Pieces of Stuff Just Waiting For You to Buy".  This is a redundant gift just in case the resellers are too busy crying about how "unresponsive" Suppliers are.
• To IMA--a multi-pack of new members.  Preferably the 1/2 gross size...
• To Congress--a magnifying glass so they can see us before they roll over and crush us without meaing to.  We're here--we just speak more softly than the Big Kids with unlimited lobbying budgets.

And to me--a year where I don't have to know what a pheochromocytoma is--or have to spell "hyperaldosteronism" as many times as I did in 2011. 

Happy Holidays, everyone.  Be of good cheer--Santa's still on the coal/toy fence about some of you...


Pete