BIG deliveries update for February/March deliveries - Yep it's the BIG one! - published 27th Feb 2023
Worryingly I only had to stretch this image by 20% lol.
BIG deliveries update for February/March deliveries!
Yep it's the BIG one!
New format
Following feedback from all of you guys I’ve changed the format of this update, so hopefully it’s a bit easier to follow and gives a bit more detail.
When is my order coming?
So when your order is ready for delivery or collection we will email you to let you know, and offer you the first available date. To book that delivery slot you need to reply to the booking email by the cut off point in it. We try to give as much notice as we can, but, sometimes spare packing slots become available at short notice. If you haven’t seen or been able to reply to the email in time, then don’t worry just let us know you couldn’t reply in time and we will then offer you the next available date. Often we already know the next available date and can offer you another date usually the following week. For large orders, or particularly delicate species, we may prefer to hand deliver your order ourselves, this may mean waiting until the next hand delivery run to your area, so we may have to let you know the next available date nearer the time.
Is everything coming?
Generally we try to wait until all your items are in stock, but, if you’ve ordered quite a few types of things and more than half of them are in stock, rather than wait until everything is in stock we may send you what is already here and ready to go. For new customers this can seem a strange way of doing things, but, there are two main reasons why we do this:
1- We don’t want your whole order being held up waiting for everything to arrive. We know you’d like your things as quickly as possible, so we want to get as many of them as we can to you as quickly as possible.
2- We need the space. It’s not so bad with inverts and corals, but, large numbers of fish being here uses up a lot of space. We have 4 fish systems and each batch of fish are placed into their own system for quarantine. So if 2 or 3 of the systems are filled up with stuff waiting to go out it starts reducing how many shipments we can get in as we don’t have enough empty systems to quarantine things.
How will I know what is coming?
Once we have packed your box we will email you and let you know either what is coming, or, what is not coming. We try to send these emails out on the day we pack and before your box arrives, but, sometimes we email the next day instead if there are a lot of emails to send. The reason we wait until we’ve packed your box is because then we know exactly what is in it.
When will any remaining items come?
Just as with your first delivery, we will email you when all or most of your items are ready to go, and the procedure is the same as with your first delivery. If we split your delivery into several chunks like this we don’t charge extra for the extra deliveries.
Are we nearly there yet?
When it is ready we will let you know. Up until that point it’s impossible to pin down exact dates. Sometimes shipments get delayed or cancelled. Sometimes items that are expected to be in that delivery aren’t in there. Sometimes we get more of something than we were expecting, or, the person ahead of you in the queue may change their mind and want to swap what they ordered for something else, so it’s almost impossible to be certain. However, what is certain is that when it is ready to go, or most of it is ready to go we will let you know. If you do not want to wait until we email you then let us know, and we will cancel and refund your order. We are happy to do this at any point from when you order up until the day before we pack your items, as obviously we can’t cancel it if it’s already left the building. Please note the UK banking system whilst very good at taking money out of your bank instantly, are nowhere near as quick at putting it back again. If you paid by Lloyds or Barclays debit cards refunds typically take 7 days, but, can be longer. All other banks, especially smaller ones, and all credit cards take longer. Whilst the money leaves our account the day you request a refund, it can take up to 28 days for your bank to assign it to your account. This is due to how the UK banking system works and not something we have any control over.
I haven’t had an email yet to arrange my delivery?
First of all check the email address on your order is correct, and also check your spam and junk folders. If your email address is correct, and we haven’t emailed you yet then your order isn’t ready yet, but, we will let you know when it is ready. Rest assured we will let you know when it is ready, so there is no need to email us to check. If at any point you decide it’s taking too long let us know and we’ll cancel and refund it for you. We want to spend as much of our time as possible looking after the animals and packing and sending out orders, not spending it replying to emails asking if it’s ready yet. If it is ready we let you know, and if we haven’t let you know then no it’s not ready. Replying to emails is very time consuming (typically it takes me 2-8 hours of typing per day just replying to emails alone). After doing some research on this recently I discovered that just 10% of our customers account for over 50% of the time used up replying to emails. As this is using up a lot of my time, and slowing up getting out orders to the 90% of people that are happy to wait patiently. This isn’t a good use of my time, and is very unfair on the 90% of people that are happy to wait patiently. To solve this problem this is the system we are trialling:
1- When your order is ready we will email you to let you know.
2- If we haven’t emailed you yet, then it’s not ready yet.
3- If at any point you decide you’re not happy to wait let us know and we will cancel and refund it for you.
4- If at any point we decide you’re not happy to wait we will cancel and refund it for you. This may seem harsh, but, I’m not prepared to let the 2% least patient people cause delays in getting out the orders to the other 98% of people, it’s a huge waste of time replying to multiple “is my order ready yet?/when will my order be ready?” emails, and not fair on everyone else.
I’m collecting!
The same procedure applies to collections. when it’s ready we’ll let you know and arrange when you can pop in to pick it up.
My order says collecting, but, I want it delivered!
If your order says collection, but, you want it delivered, if your order is over £60 we will do this for free. If your order is under £60 there is a £12 fee, email us for details. If it is under £60 and only dry goods (eg Coral Food 99 etc) then we can post that free. It’s only orders under £60 with fish, inverts or corals on them that there is a delivery charge.
New orders (placed from 15th Feb onwards orders 10606+)
The vast majority of orders from 15th Feb onwards will be delivered within 14-30 days from when the order was placed.
Middle aged orders (placed 1st Feb to 14th Feb orders 10500 to 10605)
Most of these orders have already been delivered, the vast majority of them will be delivered within 30 days from when they were ordered. At a rough guess only around 2% of the orders from 1st Feb to 14th Feb will take longer than 30 days for delivery, and only around 0.5% of them may take longer than 40 days. It’s been a battle but, we’ve managed to keep these 106 orders (orders 10500 to 10605) pretty much on track.
Older orders (placed in December and Jan orders 8817 to 10499)
There was a huge amount of orders placed in December and January, and some items on those orders have been delayed. This is the current state of play as of right now:
During December and January a total of 1,682 orders were placed.
993 of those 1682 orders have now been fully completed.
412 of those 1682 orders have been mostly completed.
277 of those 1682 orders have not been completed yet.
186 of the 277 orders that have not been completed yet are orders with only 1 item on the order.
91 of the 277 orders that have not been completed yet are orders for more than 1 item.
243 of those 277 orders have been delayed due to delays in one of the following items:
Flame angels - still delayed, best guess 14-25 days
Clams - we may have solved it, hopefully within the next 14 days
Tangs - only about 30 more fish required now, should all be within 21 days or less
Wrasses - around a dozen fish required, hopefully 10-21 days to clear all orders
Pea Green coral gobies - recommend swapping to green or yellow coral gobies or having a credit or refund
Valentini dwarf puffers - we still need 40 or so, they are arriving nearly every week, but, only in batches of 4-12 at a time
Firefish - we’ve had 470 Firefish in since 5th Jan, still need another 70 or so.
Goby & Pistol shrimp pairs - waiting on about 40 pairs, best guess 10-21 days at most
Some colours of Torch corals - about 20 heads short, fingers crossed this week, if not the following week
LA Laker Zoas - only 7 orders, I just can’t find any anywhere, I’ll keep trying
Pod boost - delayed at customs (again), hopefully within 12 days now
Coral Poppers - also delayed at customs, hopefully here within 12 days, in the same shipment as Pod boost.
Other items - there are a few other items causing delays, only affecting about 20 people in total. Mostly 8 people waiting for Yellow dwarf sea cucumbers, 1 person waiting for a Debelius lobster, 2 people waiting for snake pipefish, 1 order for Garden eels, 1 order for a White dwarf moray, etc.
We are doing as much as we can to clear up these older orders as fast as we can. I think I’ve spoken to pretty much all of you individually at some point and rest assured we are giving these orders priority for delivery spots as the items arrive. Of course if at any point you’d rather have a credit note to choose something else, or cancel your order it’s not a problem just let us know.
The 20 veterans (orders 8816 or before)
There are also 21 people with items outstanding from before then they are: Tony A, Louis W/Ashley N, Zain B, Andrew C, Haroon H, Paula T, Alex L, Matt B, Kristian H, Neil C, Kim H, Ricardo N, Joao B, Trevor S, Mike S, Ian P, Gordon W, Frederico S, Clynton S, Simon J, and Anthony B. There was 29 people on this list 7 days ago so I am making good progress on clearing up these oldest orders, mostly by scouring every source I can think of to track down the few specific items to clear up these orders, even if it means it costs me more to buy it than we sold it to you for! Hopefully I should be able to get this list down from 20 people to less than 10 by the end of this week! I’m getting there guys!
I’m really pleased with the things I’ve had!
If you’re happy with the items you’ve had so far then please leave us a Google review it really helps us out a lot! If you’ve had any problems with any items then email me at jamesgoodchild@live.com and we can usually sort something out for you.*
*I do try my best to resolve any problems, and generally the more polite someone is, the more generous the solution will be. I do have zero tolerance however for rudeness and threats.
More information about deliveries & collections
DELIVERIES, COLLECTIONS, ADDRESS, AND OPENING TIMES
Can I add delivery to my order?
Yes you can. if your new order is also over £60 it qualifies for free delivery anyway, and so does any order that is dry goods only, just select collection and email us to ask for it to be delivered (we tend to spot them, but, occasionally we miss one). If it’s under £60 and is livestock then select “collection” and email us with the new order number, and the order number which you’d like it attached to.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Collections
If your order is to be collected we will email you to arrange delivery. This is typically days or a few weeks after ordering. See the lead time banner for more details. once your order is ready we will email you to arrange a time to visit store. Entry is only permitted by prearranged appointment. We do not do any in store sales.
jamesgoodchild@live.com
Or use the contact us form HERE
Address:
Salty Revolution,
94D Hampstead Avenue,
Mildenhall,
Bury Saint Edmunds,
Suffolk,
IP28 7AS
Email: jamesgoodchild@live.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaltyRevolution
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesgoodchildofficial/
Text only I get far too many calls and voicemails to answer/listen to them: 07854 514744
If using a SatNav set the address as Delmore at 94 Hampstead Avenue and we are located in the yard behind the blue and white building. If you set your SatNav to our address or postcode it may try to take you on a shortcut through the military base which U.S Military aren’t very keen on.
STANDARD DELIVERIES
If your order is for delivery, this covers the cost of a standard delivery. See the banner at the top of most pages for expected lead times on new orders. If you have already placed an order, then check the latest delivery update for more information. As soon as your order is ready to send we will contact you to arrange delivery. Please only contact us if it is essential to do so, because replying to enquiries uses up time we could spend on packing orders.
Standard deliveries on Wednesdays and Thursdays
Most Standard deliveries are sent by Royal Mail special delivery service for arrival on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Standard delivery on Tuesdays and Fridays
We can sometimes post for arrival on Tuesdays and Fridays, but, we do not post for arrival on Tuesdays and Fridays every week. If you would like a Tuesday or Friday arrival we can usually do this, but, it may mean waiting an extra week or two.
HAND DELIVERY SERVICE
Hand delivery service on any day or time
We can hand deliver orders on evenings and weekends upon request. We will then pack your order and drive to you with it at a time convenient for you. There may be an additional charge for this service, see Special Deliveries below.
SPECIAL DELIVERIES
If you would like a special delivery these can be arranged for most of the UK. Special deliveries can usually be arranged for any day of the week, and any time, of your choosing. However, this service is quite costly to cover, so additional fees are applicable compared to a standard delivery, and are priced individually. As a rough guide;
COST
For orders under £500 Special deliveries are charged at the rates below.
For orders £500 to £1,000 Special deliveries are charged at half the rates below.
For orders over £1,000 Special deliveries are done as a free service.
LOCAL
Suffolk £50, East Anglia £100, inside M25 £100.
NATIONAL
Most of England and South Wales £150, except; Cornwall, Devon, or North of York £200, Scotland £250.
The Salty Revolution packing system
Hi everyone,
Just to let you all know that all 150 delivery slots for this week are now full. We have enough stuff in stock to cover about another 60 orders, but, our limiting factor this week was not stock, but, the amount of time available to pack a pol box. This is how we go about packing your orders:
Final admin before packing
On average it takes around 5 minutes of admin on checking emails in case of last minute address changes etc, allocating stock, updating the web side etc, per order.
Picking for the box
Each item we pack whether it’s a frag, or snails, etc has a predetermined bag size for that species, and a limit on how many of that species can go into 1 bag before it requires either a 2nd bag, or upgrade to a larger bag. Each bag contains a specified amount of water for that bag size to create the ideal ratio of air to water. the more experienced packers are pretty good at judging it by eye, but, that takes a lot of practice, so we also use measuring jugs to ensure the bag is between the minimum and maximum amount of water for the ideal ratio. Once the animals are in the bags they then go to the packing table. On the packing table the person that picked the order then checks they have got everything and ticks it off on the invoice. The box containing the unsealed bags then has the lid put on, and the paperwork on top and then is slid across to the person sealing the boxes. Usually each person picking has their own dedicated person sealing their boxes, unless Michael is in because when he is on sealing he can keep pace with two people picking and both handing to him to seal, although in fairness keeping pace with two pickers does make him break a sweat a bit lol.
Over to the box sealer
Once it gets to the person sealing the box the first thing they do is lift off the lid and check that each bag corresponds with what the picker had ticked as picked on the paperwork. The sealer works independently to the picker, as two people working separately are unlikely to both make the same error. We found by doing it this way it vastly reduces picking errors down to less than 1 in 200 items picked!
Once the sealer has checked the bags they then total up in their head what the weight should be for the total of all the bags of each size, and this gives them a minimum total weight for the box and a maximum total weight. the box is then weighed to check it is the expected weight. This is not just to double check the air to water ratio, but, is because a box weighing less than expected might have an item missing, eg, dry goods or something, whilst a box that is too heavy may have had an extra bag sneak in somehow, or, there may be an item in the box that should be in the box, but, wasn’t ticked on the paperwork.
Four checks so far
With the picker checking the items as they pick them, then checking again the whole box contents before giving it to the sealer, then the sealer checking again, and then a final check on the scales that the weight is the expected weight, it means that our accuracy rate on packing is usually exceptionally good.
Sealing the box
With all the animals inside the box, and having had multiple checks for their health, numbers, correct type, and the total weight of the box, it’s then time to seal it. This then varies depending on the weather.
In normal weather
Under normal conditions we then wrap a heatpack in kitchen roll, this enables even air distribution to the heat pack so it works more effectively. Instead of using the standard fish heat packs which heat to 40c, we use the ones designed for reptiles which heat to 60c. Partly because this keeps the boxes warmer for longer, but, mostly not for that reason. In testing we found that no matter what brand of fish heatpacks we bought anywhere from 1 in 100 to 5 in 100 failed early and did not maintain temperature for as long as they should do.. Now we tried solving this by adding more heat packs, but, if they’re from the same batch, especially if picked from consecutive packs then if one failed the other may well do too. But, the biggest problem is that for the heatpacks to generate heat they use air. So if too many are in the box they can use up the available air around the bags and then stop working due to a lack of air supply. The reptile ones are far more reliable with a fail rate of less than 1 in 200. Not only are the reptile ones 2-10 times less likely to fail, they rarely fail due the first half of the journey, so even though the packs are usually cooling down by the time the box gets to it’s destination, even if faulty they would still have operated at full power for most of the journey.
Next the lid is taped down, the address label added, the weight is often written on the box and the paperwork too, so if there are a lot of boxes we can do a final check before departure that the weight on the box matches the weight on the paperwork, and both addresses match. This is a good way of ensuring the wrong box label doesn’t go onto the wrong box. If the addresses don’t match, or the weights down match then, the box is opened up and checked again. Out of over 7,000 boxes sent out only twice has a box gone to the wrong address. Luckily both times the two boxes had similar postcodes and so were only a few miles apart and so it was easy to arrange a box swap to take place at destination. This is actually a lower error rate than Amazon manage with their computerised system.
Cold weather packing
In colder weather once the procedure is slightly different. Then the heatpack goes in, the lid goes on, and the label is added, but the lid is not sealed. Then just before final departure the lid is taken off and the heatpack is replaced with a fresh one just before departure, and then the lid is sealed. This is so in colder weather the heatpacks are all at full life expectancy before leaving the building, as boxes packed earlier that day may already have used 5 or more hours of their life up before leaving. This is actually done because the box will get much colder in cold weather, this is done because cold icy roads can lead to longer transportation times. For some remote locations in cold weather we also line the boxes with bubble wrap or foil insulating blankets. We also use boxes that are generally 22mm-23mm thick polystyrene rather than the usual 20mm boxes. For delicate species we use much thicker boxes with a cavity wall inside the polystyrene.
Warm weather packing
If the weather is very warm then we use lower power heat packs, or, if warm enough no heat packs at all, so as to prevent the box getting too warm during it’s journey.
Off it goes
Then off the box goes on it’s journey to you!
That’s quite a lot of things!
On average an experienced picking team can pick and pack a small box with one bag in around 3 minutes start to finish (plus admin time). On the very largest orders 9often up to 50-60 bags in 1-3 boxes it can take a team of two up to 1 hour to pack a single delivery. That’s still pretty quick at around 1 bag per minute! Considering the number of steps involved that takes a team a lot of experience to be that quick,. With typically up to 400 different species/types of animal in stock at any one time, and some of those being in as many as 7 different size options remembering the names and locations of as many as 800 different items to choose from is pretty hard, especially as quite a few of the species, colours, and locations, change from one week to the next.
It’s a lot of work!
As you can see quite a lot of steps involving many repeat checks are made during the packing of each box. Remembering every step, and the locations and names of all the animals is a lot to learn. But, remember that’s just what’s involved in packing one box. On a typical day one packing team of two people may pack anywhere from 15-30 boxes back to back often with barely a break over a 4-6 packing session. On one of the days the week before last with 2 pickers and Michael on sealing on his own they managed to pack 72 boxes in just 6 hours. We usually pack two days a week, but, depending on weather, staffing, and hand delivery runs etc, we sometimes pack as many as 6 days a week. Even at this pace over the course of a week we can rarely pack more than 150 boxes in a week, especially if there are a lot of large orders.
(This is the point at which James starts going off topic)
From memory the most we have ever packed in one week was 212 boxes, but, that was during a large frag sale and so a lot of the boxes were only 1 or 2 frags each, under normal conditions I think the record stands at 182 boxes a week. Remember of course it isn’t the only work we have to do as there is also all the other work involved in deboxing the animals on arrival, fragging corals, caring for the animals, admin, promo, plus all the usual jobs of running a business. With just me and 4 part time people to help you can see why I’m usually working 120-140 hours a week! You can also see why sometimes we get a bit behind on emails etc, as on busy days with lots of emails back and forth booking deliveries etc like today we may have over 300 people contact us a day!
It’s pretty much 24/7 (characteristic goth whinging starts here)
You can see now why often our emails and blog posts are sent at all hours of the day and night as we pretty much work round the clock to try and do the best we can to reply to everyone, and even more importantly ensure the animals come first at all times.
Whilst I admit we don’t always get things right, we do always try to (mostly).
We’re going to be busy!
Inevitably with so many boxes going out each week there will be times when we get behind on emails etc, I know this can be frustrating waiting for a reply, but, please try to give us a little extra time.
Our first and foremost priority is animal care
(animals are always first)
Our first priority is always the animals, then after that we concentrate on packing orders, and dealing with emails and messages from people regarding the orders we are packing that day. Next we prioritise emails and messages from people with orders already booked to go out that week. After that we then deal with messages with an order number in the title of the email or first line of the message, as they clearly have pending orders and the information might be critical to the care of an animal that they already have, then we deal with remaining messages etc.
(off he goes again :D)
Some days just dealing with the animal care, order packing, and all the messages regarding deliveries that day, can keep us tied up for sometimes 12-18 hours at a time dealing with most urgent matters, which is why sometimes it can be 24 hours or more before we clear all of the most urgent message categories and then can clear all messages and emails.
If you do need to contact us then if you put your order number in the title of the email or first line of the message then you will get a reply quicker as we can see you are an existing customer and will be given priority over general enquiries.
Getting the deliveries out each week
As you can probably see our most limiting factor on how many orders we can pack and get out Monday to Thursday is time, there are only so many hours in a day, and most days during the week we are flat out 10am to 8pm just on animal care, booking deliveries and packing deliveries. After a hectic 10+ hours I then have all the other stuff to catch up on. I have very little free time Monday to Thursday. Most days I start work at 8am, and work until 6am for 4 days straight, and tbh on a Friday (unsurprisngly) I tend to be a bit less lively!
How you can help us help you (this would actually really help)
If you do need to contact us and it’s not urgent, eg a question about an animal you are thinking of getting in a few weeks time, or, a question about delivery of something that isn’t due to arrive for a few weeks if you could save your question until the weekend, or, put NON-URGENT in the title or first line it would really help me out a lot. The more free time I have Monday to Thursday the more time I have for packing, the more orders can be sent out, and the quicker it will be your turn for delivery. I appreciate everyone likes to know what is happening with their order, but, the more time I have free Monday to Thursday to concentrate on deliveries, the faster everybody gets everything, and that’s something we all want to see happen.
We will email you
We will email you when your order is ready. Please resist the temptation to send us “Are we nearly there yet?/How long will my order be?” emails. It won’t make your order come any quicker, clogs up our inbox, takes away time we could be spending on sending out orders, etc.
1- When your order is ready we will email you to let you know.
2- If we haven’t emailed you yet, then it’s not ready yet.
3- If at any point you decide you’re not happy to wait let us know and we will cancel and refund it for you.
4- If at any point we decide you’re not happy to wait we will cancel and refund it for you. This may seem harsh, but, I’m not prepared to let the 2% least patient people cause delays in getting out the orders to the other 98% of people, it’s a huge waste of time replying to multiple “is my order ready yet?/when will my order be ready?” emails, and not fair on everyone else.
James Goodchild
Salty Revolution, the UK’s largest online marine shop (possibly also with the largest online marine shop owner looking at the graphic lol).
Viva La Revolucion!
El Presidente.