It's Been Awhile/Dilemma!

Hey Everybody!

It's been awhile since we've talked. Sorry about that! I have been juggling everything to the best of my ability and just haven't gotten to blog much.

We've been analyzing and re-thinking a lot of what we do around here and why we do it...I think that's always a good thing to do...otherwise, we get into the habit of just doing things because it's what we do, not because it even makes sense anymore.

(Maybe you should consider starting a "stop-doing" list. Eh?)

Anywhoo...we are nearing the dreaded Perky Puppy Summer Slump. It's that time of year that causes us great anxiety. "Why?" you ask. Well, I'm glad you asked. I'll tell you why:

Every summer, the puppy business sinks like a rock. Just completely tanks. Apparently, most people are camping, swimming, boating, fishing, vacationing, cook out, etc. They really aren't looking at adding a new puppy to their life. So, we spend everything we made during the winter to stay open during the summer. So basically, we eat hamburgers in the winter (which we are always glad to see coming), and we eat beanee-weenees all summer. That's just no fun.

AND to top it off, it's crazy at Play N Stay, there are barely enough of us to keep it all covered without killing ourselves, and we keep trying to make it look like we still have a thriving puppy store, even when it's the bad season.

For a few years, before we had staff and Play N Stay, we just enjoyed the summer and sold puppies to the few people who called. That's been tougher in recent years, since we have staff who depend on their paychecks.

2 years ago, we tried keeping everything going without blinking. BAD IDEA.

Last year, we tried to go to "Open By Appointment Only". A better idea, but feeding, cleaning, and playing with the puppies everyday (even just 10 or 12), and keeping them all current on vaccinations was still expensive, since we were often next door at Play N Stay and had to "pay someone to be us" here with the puppies.

So...what should we do this year?

That's the dilemma.

Options:
Option #1: Close TPP for the summer, doing only special order puppies. Reopen mid-fall. Move all staff to Play N Stay for the summer, since we need extra help there. There are several successful businesses that operate this way. (Most extreme examples of seasonal businesses-Jamboree in the Hills or the Famous Houston's Chicken)
Option #2: Close TPP for the summer, carry a small number of select breeds (less than 6). Integrate them into Play N Stay's population. Hours on those puppies by appointment only. Pros: Still selling puppies...staff have to be there anyway. Cons: During the summer, it's hectic at PNS...don't need more work.

So-what do you think? What would you do if you were us? Can you think of something we haven't thought of? We want to hear from you. Email us at jessica@theperkypuppy.com

Thanks in advance. Well be making a decision soon! We'll keep you posted!