If this is your first Salt Co. diary,you'll want to read this fair warningbefore diving in. If you didn't readmy last emailabout our most recent inconvenience, then, sorry, you're going to have to read that first, too.
[Britni] Hi you guys. I mean, dear diary...
Shit is so weird. I don't even know where to start. Which THAT is weird for me, these emails usually write themselves and I often have to hold myself back.. tell myself to stop writing.
But, in the past few days, I have had so many emotions that change by the minute, it has been difficult to pin just one of them down to start writing about. Tonight, I am forcing myself to write this because I know that some of you might be worried about how we are doing and I definitely don't want to leave you hanging.
In my defense for taking a few days before I reported back: there were SO many of you that reached out with well wishes and questions about the moose. I was so touched by the wave of support that followed my last email that I wanted to personally respond to each and every one of them. Turns out, this was no small task. In fact, it is absolutely not fucking sustainable for the future of emails. I gained a new respect for Auntie April and Holly and the energy they put into our customer service. Anyway, it was important to me to respond to every single one of your love mails before I could write this one. Each one meant so much to me.
Thank you all, sincerely.
For the first time in my emailing history, I formally regret the subject that I chose for the last email, "Mr. & Mrs. Salt get COVID". At the time, I did consider changing it because it wasn't entirely "factual"... but it was just so cute and catchy and "open me-y" that I went with it. Before I lose your trust completely, let me line out the facts:
Casey got a call about his exposure on Tuesday and tested that day. After he got that call, I grabbed the kids and we went home to quarantine, where we have been for the last week. We got the call with positive results for his COVID test on Thursday night. Then, it wasn't until Friday morning that I took the kids and the three of us got tested. We had decided to wait a few days because we wanted to be "good and positive" for our test and rule out the risk of a false negative for testing too early. Five days is the recommended wait time between exposure and testing.
SO. All of Salt Co. staff and me and my two kids were tested between Friday and Sunday (some staff weren't exposed until Tuesday and had to wait).
Beginning Saturday (because some folks got the rapid test) results began trickling in. Lani, NEGATIVE (yay), her daughter, negative (booyah). Dan, negative (yesss). Dylan, negative (whoo-hoo). Holly... NEGAITVE (fuck yeah). Monica... nope, nope. double nope on the NO-VID (yaaayyy!). Every single staff person at Salt Co. tested negative, what. a. relief.
They ALL also got their results before me and the kids.. super weird. We were just waiting around for test results and I was beginning to question the fact that they could possiblynotbe positive (in these parts, you get a call if you are positive but have to check your patient portal every 4 seconds to get confirmation that you are negative),
And here is why I regret my subject line of my last email... I had a feeling I didn't have COVID and I said that to many people. "I just feel like I am not going to get it" (even after discovering that Casey was Positive).. but Iwasconvinced that both of my kids were little super spreaders..
nope. All three of us:
NEGATIVE!
I'm sorry.. you mean to tell me that the three of us have been living with Mr. COVID for a week andnoneof us have it?? WTF.
what the fucking fuck.
And since we just assumed we had it, we haven't been trying not to get it from Casey, who, has prepared all of our meals and taken good care ofuswhile we areallhome with a case of the COVID [insert thiscan'tbe real emoji].
Of course I assumed we all had it. Thewhole worldhas it right (or, especially the U.S.)? So here it is in my house and not just one, butthreeof us are negative?
Yes, I know. We still might get it. We still might spread it. Maybe we already had it. What if this. What if that. You have to this. Two more weeks that. Ten days of blah-blah. AAHHHH. We are of course staying in quarantine like we are supposed to, but dang.
It is all just so weird.
After soaking all of this in, here is what I have concluded:
(thank you to the person who sent this ^ to me:)
We can't get tested again unless we have symptoms and as of now, we have to isolate for two weeks after Casey's last day of isolation. In other words, A FUCKINGWHILE.
As of now, we don't have any symptoms, which, is really inconvenient for running a business, but otherwise very, very good news. Casey's symptoms have remained very mild and he's been swapping heaters and shoveling snow off the deck. We're fine. That's the message here. Just confused and cooped up and really god damn grateful for you all, out there supporting us while we are trapped at home having, then not having COVID.
I told you things were about to get weird. But I also sort of alluded to the fact that I have COVID. So.. I realize I am going to have to rebuild my trust in you. I know it will take time but I am committed to making things right between us.
This one really threw me for a loop. It still is really.
The best part of all of this is, Casey didn't spread it to anyone and starting tomorrow, everyone (besides Case and me) will be back at work - very separately with lots of restrictions and no fun allowed whatsoever,but, back to making salt magic happen which relieves a huge amount of stress for me.
Gotta keep that salt, salting to keep the jobs, jobbing.
We will get your orders out just as fast as we can. Thank you to everyone who placed orders or let us know that there is no rush for yours. You all are just so amazing. Not even ONE person has asked for a refund for us taking for FUCKING EVER to get your orders out (we are up to three weeks out at this point [insert horrified emoji]) - I am trying to not let this shave years, and years off of my life from stress - and I am hanging in there, thanks to you all. One Ecommerce compliance lawyer wrote to give me (what I assume was) free advice: I need to let the people know they can cancel their orders at anytime. And it is true! And a good reminder. There's always some legal bullshit to keep in mind. Here it is: Y'all can cancel whenever! There ya go.
We will always do our best to make things right by our customers. Unleeessssss... the customers are assholes, in which case, we will tell them to fuck off but also give them a refund. (Luckily, werarelyexperience anything but super nice awesome customers).
Overall, I am amazed we were only shut down for like 3.5 days. It could have been way, WAY worse. Our whole staff could have been infected and gah. Anyway. We are looking at best case scenario right now and have SO much to be grateful for.
Thank you all so much. Thank you Thank you Thank you. I have lot's more to say but just wanted to get this info out to you. Many folks have asked about gift cards and we are working on them!! :) As well as our new, revised Black Friday, Small Business Saturday & Cyber Monday plan. Yay. We are making shit up as we go. But it is 2:03 AK time and this mama is really tired (no, not a COVID fatigue symptom, I'm just tired).
Night y'all,
Britni
PS. The moose was neatly packed in our freezer for 2 days before we even knew Casey was exposed. So yeah, of course we have been eating it. There were a lot of questions about the moose. I don't feel like I should have to say this, but the exposure I referenced was not from the moose, it was from Casey's moose murdering friend. Glad we are all on the same page now... & oh yea.. FUCK COVID!
It seems criminal to even suggest that you should buy something from our little salt company, not even knowing myself, when you might ever get it... but if you insist, you should use a discount code.. How about 15% off with this code:
NO-VID
In the spirit of staying COVID-less. Offer expires 11-29-20 at 11:59 pm, by which time, hopefully there will be NO-VID in my house. Wishing the same for all of you. xoxo - Brit
