Sad news… I received an email from As Ever yesterday, informing me that my two jars of apricot jam were not being sent and I would be getting a full refund. At a later date, As Ever will send me a free jar of jam/spread. When I posted the message on Twitter, it turned out that many people had gotten the same email. Almost all of us were ordering jam in the first few minutes of the product-drop as well, so it clearly wasn’t “first come, first serve.” This feels like a major snafu – this isn’t just a handful of orders not being filled, there was clearly some kind of major screwup with inventory. So what’s going on? Well, the Daily Beast’s Royalist claims that Meghan is switching suppliers??
Meghan Markle is changing the white label supplier that makes her As Ever-branded jam, tea, and flower sprinkles after her online store was blighted by empty shelves. Her products, including jams, flower sprinkles, and honey, have been available for a grand total of less than two hours in the three months since they first went on sale in April. To put it another way, over the course of three months, shelves have been fully stocked for just 0.01 percent of the time.
The first As Ever drop sold out in less than an hour on April 2. Following the rush, Markle told consumers she had “exponentially increased” supply for the next batch to avoid repeat disappointment. Yet on June 20, the restocked items—including jams, a crêpe mix, and the famous flower petals—sold out in less than an hour again. Her team tried to put a positive spin on the situation with an Instagram post: “Cheers, dears! Wishing you a wonderful weekend! You’ve certainly made ours wonderful. We sold out … again!”
But behind the upbeat tone, the repetition is starting to hint at a lack of control, especially relevant given Markle’s launch of her latest product, a Napa Valley rosé, on July 1. Another sell-out scenario could risk tipping the brand from buzzy exclusivity into operational embarrassment.
A telling line in a Daily Mail report this week suggests that Markle and her partners at Netflix are aware of the risk: “A source close to Meghan confirmed to the Daily Mail that Republic of Tea makes her As Ever raspberry spread, but said the supplier was changing.”
The formulation “a source close to” is often use by media to reference an official or company source speaking on background and strongly suggests Markle and her team at Netflix are looking to leave Republic of Tea, the white-label manufacturer responsible for several As Ever items—including a $28 orange blossom honey and the now-sold-out raspberry spread.
The rapid sell-outs suggest As Ever is either struggling to manage its logistics, which risks undermining customer confidence. Without transparency on volumes or restock timelines, the impression is that the brand is still not ready for sustained demand. Now, all eyes are on the rosé launch. If the wine vanishes in minutes or triggers complaints about website crashes and unfulfilled orders, it may do more than dent the brand’s image. It could raise broader questions about whether As Ever will ever be ready for the commercial scale its popularity demands.
Real talk: Meghan’s products were always going to sell out. She always had so many fans and so much support, and thousands of people (if not tens of thousands of people) want to buy her products. I’m just so irritated! I wish she would have switched suppliers months ago when it was clear that there was a really high demand for the jam and honey in particular. I understand that it’s a new business and there are growing pains, but that As Ever email was like a gut punch!
As for all of the drama of “Why isn’t Meghan making jam IN HER HOME, LIKE SHE PROMISED,” people continue to be idiots about all of it and the British media is still trying to make it into a thing. A reporter talked GB News off the ledge about it yesterday and it’s going viral.
'This isn't a gotcha moment, it's industry standard!'
Broadcast Journalism Ellen Coughlan reacts to criticism of Meghan Markle for her crafted 'at home' jam which is made in a factory 2,000 miles from her kitchen. pic.twitter.com/fkh75giqVU
— GB News (@GBNEWS) June 30, 2025
Photos courtesy of As Ever’s IG.
I also got the email about the spread; I am sad but happy for the real queen of the UK, Princess Meghan Sussex.
As far as gbnews is concerned, something is truly broken in the Uk, really really broken! Who knew they were so many insecure people in that country!
It really is broken. They make up absurd lies that she was going to make it in her kitchen and she’s not so she’s a fake? They are truly deranged. There has been lots of karma over there but I want the big ones to fall.
Lots of insecure and RACIST people in the USA too – too bothered that a black woman is showing up the less than mediocrity of the white supremacist klan of the UK, and they they hate seeing and knowing that. I have discovered lots of Democrats who are twisting themselves into a pretzel to justify Karen and obliterating Meghan – Democrats turning MAGA FOR Karen and her slumlord husband to protect their less than mediocrity selves being put into question by Meghan and Harry’s obvious superiority over those two estranged couple.
If I couldn’t get the delicious spread, at least there was this delicious beat-down by Ellen Coughlan. And I love how she brought up the Windsors – she had that man stuttering and sputtering by the end.
It was perfect. The way he cried about it not being made near her and she said yeah that’s standard practice and cited that the RF doesn’t make their jam in Windsor either. And then he thought he was really doing something with the carbon footprint and she countered that actually the Windsor jam is sold just as much to Americans in a whole other country and why aren’t you talking about that carbon footprint. Fair is fair.
She’s great! Wish she brought up Willy and his carbon footprint with his chopper taxis. He’s the “sanctimonious” one. When did Meghan ever discuss her carbon footprint?
And when he asked “Are you working for Meghan?”
“No, I’m a journalist and I’m fair and the coverage towards her has been very biased.” 👏👏👏
Suck that GBN. She won’t be invited again! 😂
I think it’s hard to find a supplier that can produce both quality and quantity.
I also got the email. At first, I didn’t realize I was charged for the jam because I watched two get plucked out of my cart visibly right before I hit pay. That was frustrating. Now it says replacements will be sent at no charge and a refund was issued. If that is the case, that is a positive. I just hope they come during summer? And if the orange blossom honey will also become available?
I also want her to succeed. The communication is not really clear, a lot of unknowns… Hopefully that gets buttoned up instead of people having to guess on a blog lol.
On a positive note, I received my shipment of shortbread cookies, sprinkles, crêpes, and tea very quickly and all of the packaging is great. Perfect for summer birthday gifts (& home).
GB News is a tiny cable news network that has some of the lowest viewer rates in the country. Compared to Fox News, which is the American equivalent of GB News (i.e. very right wing) which is one of the most watched news channels in America and is the top rated cable channel in the USA.
To put it into context, only about 1% of the UK watch GB News, but 12% of the USA watch Fox News.
I don’t think they’re interested in facts
I got the email yesterday too
I received an email too and I was hoping this wouldn’t be a big deal because this is a new company and I’m giving As ever grace. A refund and free jam when they have it ready is a very nice compromise for the mistake.
Same here. My flower sprinkles are on the way…my apricot spread, alas, is not 🥺 I do appreciate the promise of a free jar though when it’s restocked.
I am hoping the wine drop today also comes with the raspberry spread or maybe some other product that pairs well with her rose.
@SussexWatcher, same. (TBH I wasn’t that excited about the apricot so I don’t mind the delay, but I want her to succeed so I ordered two jars anyway!)
I got the email too sadly, but what was especially weird to me is that I also got an email 3 days ago saying they had shipped my items, including the jam, and that they would arrive by Saturday. So one of those emails is inaccurate! I guess I’ll find out by the weekend which one is correct!
I agree their compensation offer was super generous – I’m sure we’ve all ordered products from other companies before only for them to later realize they oversold.
Usually you get a choice of a refund, or to pick a different item, not a refund AND your desired item (now free) later on. That’s pretty impressive customer service.
Also, all this selling-out-is-bad-for-business BS…. do they not understand how exclusive products work? Have they never seen the lines for fancy sneaker drops, waitlists for handbags, for Pete’s sake what people will do to get one of those ugly Labubu dolls?!
The stuff they spew in the name of their hatred of Meghan just makes them sound so uninformed about the world.
UPDATE: Alas, the no-jam email was correct.
My package just arrived with crepe and shortbread mixes, but no jam, despite the out-for-delivery email saying the apricot spread was in there, AND the packing slip saying it was, too.
I wonder if that’s part of why they were so generous about offering both refunds AND replacement spread later? Because saying it’s coming right up to and including package delivery and then it not being in the package *could* be a big issue for many people.
But this is clearly not Meghan’s fault personally, and probably not any one person’s – there seem to be technology and/or communication issues at a couple different points in the ordering & fulfillment processes, which as many others have noted, really isn’t so rare for a brand new company that already had to scale up way sooner than anticipated on their second-ever drop. It’s just most new companies don’t have this level of obsessive scrutiny from people eager to see them fail.
I hope the As Ever team gets it fixed easily enough and isn’t too upset /hard on themselves, because again, this can’t be uncommon at this still-brand-new stage.
Well said. I can’t imagine starting a business under this level of global scrutiny.
I unfortunately received the same email regarding my order for the apricot spread and I ordered as soon as the site opened. I’m really bummed ☹️
I was NOT expecting that email, for sure! I got my first order in at 8:01, for Crepes, Sprinkles, and Spread. The crepes and the sprinkles came, but no spread. Waiting, waiting…..hooray! Get a notice of PARTIAL fulfillment for the 2nd order (8:02): 2 jars of honey, but alas, *still* no spread! Then yesterday, the “Letter of Doom” that a lot of us got. I was *so* disappointed. I get that demand was high, but wow…even an order made if the first 2 min. couldn’t be filled. Sigh….
Yes, a free spread will be nice. In the meantime, I have less than 1 tsp left of my raspberry spread to tide me over till restock. ALAS!!
However… I DO have a sneaky suspicion that with the drop of the rosé today, the strawberry and possibly blueberry spreads will be offered. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯…. Just a hunch. Hope I’m right!
Yep. I got the email re: the apricot spread, too. So, I’m still getting the flower sprinkles, but this is a major disappointment.
Same to both. No jam, and I ordered in the first few minutes. Very disappointed. Now also worried about the wine drop.
I was curious about how fast things would sell out so I kept checking the site and that jam was listed as available for four more hours. I can only imagine the volume of free jam she has to send out. Not a great start, unfortunately. She needs better people around her.
what time does the wine go live? I thought it was 10 am EST, but I guess not?
Never mind, I see its 11. Okay, I’m ready!
@becks1: Succeeded w/the 3-bottle minimum. Now hoping not to get the dreaded ‘oops’ email. Hope you had good luck too.
I did manage to get three bottles!! Fingers crossed. I see it has now sold out.
Score! Three bottles of wine, at least. I love a crisp rosé in the summer, and I’m fond of Napa wines, so I’m optimistic I’m going to like this one. If so, I’ll try to reorder a larger quantity someday. 🤞
WOW. Her last drop landed at like noon my time so I figured the same for the wine…nope! Already sold out. That is disappointing.
@Becks, the wine sold out already? Yay for Meghan! (I didn’t love that the least expensive option was three bottles, but whatever, I’m glad I got my order in!)
I think As Ever should reduce the limit from 6 to 2 so more people can get items. Apparently people are also reselling the items on Ebay. It would seem they still don’t know how many items to sell. I just think it’s funny that after accusing using the scarcity tactic to sell out now the press is attacking her for selling out too quickly.
Oh yeah, they’re switching tactics real quick. It’s a whole new storyline for them.
Yeah. There are a lot of people buying 6 or more (using different IP address) and then bragging about it
I saw that on twitter and it was really annoying me.
Big agree. There should be a smaller limit. I am sorry to say but if you are going to manufacture in small batches and worry about not enough people getting to enjoy your products, then some sort of buffer needs to be put in. I adore Meghan and her products but this is becoming like some sort of Video Game/ playing card thing. I remember in the 2010’s Nintendo was releasing their Amiibos for the first time and people were stabbing each other at game stop to get one. Computers were crashing and store allocation was so limited they would only get 1 or 2 at a time. People were traveling all over states just to find one.
It created a sense of “this is a great product, but you can’t buy it.”
Now, I am in NO way comparing Meghan to Nintendo obviously and yes, small stores and small businesses have a right to do what they want and obviously Meghan is loved and her stuff was always going to sell out…
I am just saying….maybe stock the shelves so it sells out in 6 hours instead of 15 minutes? 🙂
It just seems they have been very conservative with their ordering of stock and hopefully she orders more the next round! fingers crossed!
She actually had 10 times more this time around. Her stuff just sells like crazy. And yes, there are people that will trick the system and use different IP addresses to get more. Her wine sold out in under an hour. She is experiencing the “Meghan effect” with her brand.
I got my order yesterday, and no apricot spread. I got the email also. I do appreciate she is making it right with a refund and free future replacement. I would have been fine with just the refund.
But happy I got my flower sprinkles, cookies and crepe mix. I will be having crepes for breakfast this 4th of July holiday!
One of my best friends started his own company more than 20 years ago with venture capital money and he’s still successfully running it. He told me that the hardest thing to do as an entrepreneur is manage growth. Even with skilled experts advising you, partners and investors every step of the way, it’s on you and your best judgment as to when to expand, when to pull back, by how much etc… it’s intuition and art as much as the numbers. And Meghan is jus getting started!
Also, I imagine that she couldn’t switch suppliers after only the first drop because of contract issues. Now that there’s been two drops and less than satisfactory delivery it’s different, hence the leak (well done again Nathalie Mains). Now the team and the COO has their work cut out for them but it doesn’t sound insurmountable. Sounds like teething problems and it’s only because of the spotlight on everything Meghan does that we:re even hearing about it
The contract issue is a fair point too
This isn’t a case of the catering company I use for our company’s holiday party sucked so we won’t use them next year. You have to give a company a chance to correct the error before you will have the mechanisms to be able to break a contract.
So I think if you approach them after the first drop didn’t go well, tell them to increase production and they still can’t fulfill it that was probably enough. Super disappointed for the people that thought that they were getting it. But like I said this seems like normal growing pain stuff for businesses it’s just that it’s Meghan so the focus on it is pretty extreme from fans and the detractors alike.
I mean, love to Meghan but it’s just jam. If the buying experience is too stressful right now I’d just wait till later in the year once the kinks are worked out.
Agree. If I was Nathalie Maines, I’d have advised “which is a bigger negative for your reputation: so much demand you’re having trouble fulfilling all the orders, or loads of unwanted products sitting on shelves? I think the latter. So let’s go with what we’ve got and keep adjusting, and make a special effort with the customer emails and promises for future shipping. With you as the face of the company we’ll be fine, and I’ve got you.”
For that reason I’m fairly sure the leak was from Meghan’s team, because they do appear to have learned lessons from the Spotify communications debacle and refused this time to take the hit for their supplier Republic of Tea. ROT was already outed by the DM so no great harm done, while not coming out with any official statement so as to avoid looking petty and to maintain business relationships. Classic PR to support overall business goals, well done
I think the customer service is good getting a refund and a free jam/spread that’s pretty good. Sad that it will take some time. As for making jam at home GTFO for that bit of negative nonsense.
I love Meghan and am on her side 99% of the time. But this is amateur hour and incredibly frustrating. She knew from the first launch that not being able to fulfill orders was a problem. As Ever is not a mom and pop shop with minimal resources; it’s the company of a woman with means/resources and with the backing of Netflix, for crying out loud. She should’ve learned from her honey mistake on the first drop and been prepared this go around. Not being able to fill your orders twice in two drops is beyond embarrassing. I ordered two jams and got the email, not automatically, but ONLY AFTER I emailed them to follow up on the order that was supposed to already be in my hands! So I let them know I will not be ordering from them again. I’ve seen enough.
PS: Please don’t come at me. Like I said, I love her. However, it’s not a cult; I can judge my shopping experience with As Ever the same way I would any other new but fully backed company.
Seems like everyone who didn’t get the spread got the automated email so lm sure you would have got it anyway whether you emailed or not. As people further up this thread have said she probably couldn’t change supplier after just one drop due to contract issues but can now after problems with the second drop. The ‘don’t come at me’ is a bit odd. You are free to take your business anywhere you want but seems you want to be able to criticise Meghan but don’t want any negative feedback about any comments you make. People are free to agree and disagree. Personally I think this is problem but not one that can’t be fixed.
She said “dont come at me” because she knows how people on this site can get about Meghan. Even the responses to her are very “well I STILL SUPPORT MEGHAN!” Someone can support Meghan without wanting to deal with this.
Well, I’m the one who wrote I’m supportive of Meghan so I was gonna keep trying for the jam. Not in all caps or with an exclamation, but sure, lol. Also said of course not everyone has to keep buying the jams. And especially since I’m about to be battling it out for the rose’, it will hopefully result in more chances for me, hehehe. Now if I get an order confirmation for my rose and then no rose, well, then I’ll be taking some deep breaths. It’s going to be coming from different production sites so hopefully that won’t be the case. Not that I’m trying get a whole case, just a bottle or two. My dad jokes are joking today. Either way, hopefully the asever team will be more diligent this go-round, especially after the apricot snafu.
@Jais its not just you, its kind of the tone of a lot of comments in this post, that people who are disappointed or maybe not interested in the products when there’s so much uncertainty aren’t “true” supporters.
Gosh, I sure hope you’re right @Julia! I haven’t received the automated email. At least not yet. I also haven’t received a response to the email that I sent them yesterday morning asking for an update regarding my order. And all I ordered was the apricot spread. This one bites, since I had already imagined exactly which cheese I was going to pair it with. It feels unlikely, but I hope I eventually at least get an email too — since that seems like my best chance for getting the apricot spread. Sigh.
I wouldn’t be so quick to make that judgment after just the first launch and one restock. 6-12 months in will be a better gauge. I also think the same issues we’re complaining about, they are very cognizant of and they actually are working on solving them. Growing too fast can also be detrimental. But if you’re totally over it, that’s fine too.
So what I’m getting is that I will not have to be in line fighting with you over the rose today😂. Works for me. I’m supportive of Meghan so I’m definitely willing to try again for the jam and be patient as the kinks are worked out. But of course not everyone has to.
I am with you, Jais. What I got from the email is I am now getting free apricot spread. No complaints from me.
Right? I love Meghan and now I’m getting me some free jam. Was bummed for sure but meh it’s a win-win really. I’m getting refunded for my jam which will help me pay for the shipping of my wine, lol. Plus free jam later at some point.
I don’t think anyone is going to come for you for deciding how to spend the money that you earned. Or at least I would hope not. I would suggest though if you’re still interested maybe just wait for a few more product launches, and if you don’t hear any issues with fulfillment then order again?
I do get the frustration especially to have to wait and think that you’re getting something, but I do think the hyper fixation on Meghan and the attention on her makes things that occur with a lot of businesses seem like it’s isolated only to her and it isn’t. I’ve gotten these emails from Live Nation about tickets, movie theaters during the Marvel heyday, booksellers, etsy, New York & company, etc.
Super frustrating I get it, to think that you lucked out get all excited for something and then find out you aren’t getting it. I would wait until the demand goes down before trying again. If you want.
Its definitely not isolated to Meghan but people are talking about it re: Meghan because she’s the one we’re trying to buy from in this instance. (but I’ll say I’ve been shopping online for decades and this has only happened to me once before.) If this was a post about people not getting their Athleta sale orders then we would be talking about Athleta.
@Becks1 I think I’m just more sanguine about it because I literally just had this happen to me twice earlier this year with Cowboy Carter and Kendrick Lamar and Sza concert tickets.
Where I had tickets in the queue four times for Cowboy Carter just to try to purchase and be told that they were gone. I got so frustrated with Kendrick that I just eventually left the line, and came back like 3 weeks later and was able to get good tickets. So I think I’ve just exhausted my frustration about stuff not being available for incredibly popular people this year. Sucks but it is what it is.
@Dee2 see I expect that to happen with concert tickets so while I would find it frustrating, it wouldnt upset me so much. I also don’t buy concert tickets to popular concerts lol besides Springsteen, but my husband handles that. But to me this is more like you were in the queue, bought the tickets, and then a week later got an email saying “whoops sorry, no tickets for you.”
At the end of the day this is just jam, and I’ll live and others will live and I’ll find different apricot jam somewhere else (bc now I really do want apricot jam) and keep doling out my miserly portions of my raspberry spread. But it’s still annoying.
@Becks1 see for me the frustration was finding a good seat with good views where I can get all the seats together, then getting to the queue and then getting basically ” gotcha” . I should outsource like you LOL.
But I get it. One of my favorite movies Harlem Nights has an entire bit with Della Reese complaining about getting her mouth all ready for something she’s been waiting to eat, just to realize that she can’t have it. So I understand how you feel. Hope the Rose drop goes well for you!
Even more basic, every single time I place an online grocery order something that’s meant to be in stock isn’t. This is a massive company been around forever. Every time. It’s happened with clothes too. Even cosmetics.
It’s a speciality product, it’s not every day necessities. I’d be fine if I ordered spread and some snafu meant it couldn’t be fulfilled. It’s not life and death. I bet Meghan is mortified!
🙄🙄 of course its not life and death. but people are allowed to be disappointed and annoyed over it.
I totally respect this point of view, but for me it’s about supporting her through thick and thin. I can get jam anywhere.
I can’t reply to Julia or Becks1 directly, so here it is:
@Julia: Why would I want any chance to criticize Meghan? Where would you even get that from? I literally said I love and support her, all the time. But I set a timer, took time in the middle of my hectic healthcare job to make this order exactly when it dropped, frantically purchased, and got a tracking number saying my order was on the way. So it was incredibly unpleasant and frustrating to me to get this email and learn about this issue, that already happened once before and they could and should have better prepared for this time around. I don’t believe she couldn’t switch suppliers after one unfulfilled drop (honey); any company that doesn’t fulfill their end of the bargain can be terminated. And if not, she could’ve paid the supplier money to terminate the contract earlier (I owe my own company and have some experience in this; though not claiming to be the expert). That’s simply no excuse, to ME. Mind you, Meghan and As Ever surely aren’t crying that they lost my business. But I’m critiquing MY experience as I lived it and choosing to take MY money elsewhere. I still love and support Meghan, just not in this. I’m not doing this clown show again and that’s okay.
@Becks1: You are absolutely on the money. Thank you so much for having my – stranger’s – back. I don’t mean any hate, but I’m allowed to express my frustration. Unlike the British media’s, mine is at least based in reality (that of my experience).
Ah that sucks. I wondered about that when so many people were saying they hadn’t gotten shipping confirmation yesterday, when I know that a bunch of people( including myself) got their fulfilled orders last week. That is growing pains though for a new business, especially one with a demand that apparently is greatly outpacing their projections.
Good on them for immediately switching their suppliers though if after two drops they can’t keep up. I mean this is three and a half months of products being available so they’re reacting pretty quickly. I saw someone else mention maybe them offering pre-orders as well to get a better read on demand before the drop. That would be a good idea too, especially with some limitation around it.
Either way, I hope people are patient and I’m glad that she’s seeing so much success.
I get that new business will have growing pains, and that the demand for this product was huge. I imagine that so many orders concentrated in such a very short period of time may have overwhelmed kill-switch protocols that would have stopped taking new orders at a certain point. What I do wish, though, is that at some point, when — or even before— some of you were getting your packages, and others were getting emails offering free gift spreads whenever they do become available, I had at least gotten an email early on, alerting me to the possibility of fulfillment difficulties.
I also think that doing pre-orders would be a great solution, especially while they get a better sense of ongoing demand. They can either halt the preorders at a certain point, or adjust the supply of products.
I wish she do pre-orders too, but I think one of the issues is that some people said they purposely ordered stuff and then cancelled (derangers) so I wonder if some of that is fallout from that mess. People on TikTok were posting in comments on the one podcast they hope she liked her sales and were being sarcastic. I wonder if some mess happened because of that.
The British media is bizarre. Except for them and the haters, nobody believes Meghan is making all of the products in her home. She’s selling nationally not at the local farmer’s market. Besides one of her videos was shown in the factory. Trying to create a gotcha moment is laughable.
I’m sure the jam is good, but maybe take your refund and buy from a local jam maker who doesn’t have 4 million followers? It’s just hard for me to root for already rich people to get more rich right now.
100%.
I agree. Being supportive is one thing, but there are too many options out there for me to just shrug my shoulders and say, oh, well. This is not a company that I have great faith in, especially one that is backed by major sponsors. I’ll go back to the farmer’s markets and spend my hard earned dollars where it’s truly needed.
Honestly? This is so right on. I cheer the Sussex success at every turn! I hope the rose drop goes well – and I feel like there are GREAT options for gorgeous jam that support small businesses (all of which have women owners!)
https://bearclawkitchen.com/products/just-jam
https://arnettfarms.com/product/apricot-jam/
https://stellastable.com/products/next-level-apricot-jam
She’s not going to be rich forever if she does not make income she’s in a different place to Beyonce someone like Beyonce does not have to work again. Meghan and Harry do not have that money for security for the rest of their lives and Kids no way not even close. You don’t have to support them fanicially but come on she needs to do something. They are richer than I will ever be or dream of but I don’t have their bills
She and Harry have a net worth of $60 million dollars. They would only need change their lifestyles a teeny bit and yes, that amount of money means that you would be rich forever. It would take the average-salaried US adult 1500 years to make that much money.
Nobody knows what their net worth is, so how do you? Google? Please! Celebrity net worth? 🤣🤣🤣🤣. That research sounds like the British tabs version of research.
I mean, some numbers for business deals (like advances and Netflix contracts) have been highly publicized. Even if the $60 million isn’t accurate, they have tens of millions of dollars. I don’t know in what world that’s not rich. Not to mention, no one HAS to be rich at all, let alone forever. That’s not a guarantee or a necessity for anyone.
Speculated about ISN’T publicised. Nothing was official it was tabloid nonsense. Not the same thing. Deals are usually % upfront anyway. So no, we don’t know.
You talk like she and Harry are living paycheck to paycheck. That’s silly. They don’t just have their deals with companies like Netflix. They also likely have stock investments. Talking about them as if they could become destitute at all, let alone any time soon, when regardless of their politics they are not the income bracket that’s going to be suffering is just too much.
They have advisers about the best investments to make. I doubt they will go broke
Well you do not have to buy Meghan’s products, but myself. and lots of other people will still continue buying from As Ever whatever they are selling.
Yeah, so far I passed on stuff since I like to buy local (spread, jam, honey) to support our local farmers. The other stuff I was lukewarm on so going to wait.
But I want this particular jam. If I wanted a different jam nothing is stopping me from getting it. You think none of the products you buy aren’t owned by people way richer than Meghan? You can be disappointed without being sanctimonious. It’s just jam. Actually spread.
*raises hand* I got the email about the apricot spread. I’m really annoyed. One of the things that annoys me is that I got my package with my three teas and no spread- but it was listed on the shipping confirmation email and on the packing list with a note that order was fulfilled. But it clearly wasn’t, so that’s annoying and disappointing. I emailed immediately and did not get a direct response, just that generic email several hours later saying I would get a new one at no cost when they’re back in stock.
And while that’s nice and above and beyond – when will that be? considering the raspberry has NEVER come back in stock, why should I assume the apricot will be?
This doesn’t feel like the product just sold out, it feels like something broke down with the supplier. but I don’t know. There’s no way anyone “close to” As Ever spoke to the DM – so the DM knows nothing about her supplier plans etc.
Am I trying for the rose today? Yes, obviously.
But this feels like an unnecessarily stressful way to buy jam and wine.
Same here Becks1! I got my email after I emailed asking where’s the spread? Like you, my packing slip showed that the apricot spread was included in the order, it was not. I get that it can take time to get inventory stocked correctly, As Ever really needs to get it right next time or people are going to start getting discouraged.
Yup, exactly. I’m going to try for the rose today like I said so maybe the As Ever team doesn’t care, bc they know that. They know when the raspberry spread is available again I’ll try for that. But that’s a bad takeaway – that the company doesnt care if people are disappointed and discouraged. I’m trying for the rose because I am a big Meghan supporter, but that can only carry the company so far if these issues keep occurring. I can support Meghan in other ways.
I was also annoyed last night. I started to get a bad feeling over the weekend when I saw that other people had gotten their orders last week, but mine was still sitting at “Confirmed.” I ordered 3 jars of the spread and one jar of honey. The honey shipped yesterday. I’ve ordered in competitive drops before, but this was the first time I’ve gotten an order through that didn’t exist. She should probably limit the jam/spreads/etc to 1 per customer next time.
Did anyone who ordered the spread (without keepsake packaging) after the first 5 minutes actually get their order? I’m wondering if it sold out literally within a minute or if the traffic caused the ordering system to go haywire and cause even larger mayhem. I have no idea how that works on the other side.
Sorry to all who didn’t get their jam! To answer your question, I am one who did get the apricot jam as ordered. I put my order in close to the opening time but not within 5 minutes (I was waiting to see if the raspberry spread would become available and then decided to go with the apricot when I saw the honey sell out).
The issue seems isolated to the apricot spread so something happened there. If Meghan’s team scans the comments, they should provide a reason for it. Not junk from a biased British outlet. They should also provide a timeline shortly about the expected timeline for the new batch.
The article saying things being sold out is an operational embarrassment is just British stupidity. Selling out is not an embarrassment. The issues being raised here relate to thinking you did get the order but finding out later that you didn’t. That is what will annoy customers.
All of this can be fixed. The problem here is that any growing pains in a start up end up being visible on a global scale because Meghan’s visibility is just that high.
I did email them back and ask when it would be restocked and they said they do not have an estimated date at this time. so honestly I’m not really banking on getting it, which I think is a better attitude for me bc then if it is available and I get a free jar I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
I have the same attitude Becks1. I’m also not banking on getting it anytime soon or ever. I’ll probably forget about it and the something will show up, and it will, indeed, be a nice surprise.
Also, I agree with every comment you’ve made on this page. We’re all her fans here. Being disappointed with how these drops have been going is okay, and we will all get over it. I feel like people commenting on the disappointment as too extreme a response doesn’t help Meghan at all.
The idea that Meghan should be making it herself in her own kitchen is ridiculous, if the factory can’t keep up with demand how is Meghan supposed to do so.
Most new companies get to have these growing pains in the early bit without worldwide press on them. It will get worked out. Sorry to all who missed out but you will get your spread in the end. Good luck to all who are going for the wine!
Just remember when these issues are all taken care of we can all enjoy her fruit spreads every day..
My apricot jam arrived safely. So some did go out.
Sorry to everyone who didn’t get theirs.
It’s so disingenuous from the British “media”. No one can do real numbers making stuff at home. That’s Etsy stuff- which I love, but the Duchess’ buyer/fan base is way too large.
The apricot jam delicious, though the raspberry is still my favorite.
The raspberry jam is the only thing listed as coming soon. Hope it restocks before I finish my jar.
I got the flower sprinkles and cookies 3 days after I ordered. So super fast. But I kept checking for the spread on my asever account and it kept just saying unfulfilled with no tracking number. But I was still hopeful! But alas, no, I’m jammless. I do think something had to have gone wonky for so many to have gotten that email. I know some did for the first drop honey but this seems like more. So I’m bummed. And the email was lovely but I wish I could have gotten it sooner bc it’s been over a week of some serious anticipation. But oh well. I’m hopeful Meghan and the asever team figure it out and trust they will. Hopefully sooner rather than later bc I want to try the apricot jam and I want to order bottles of the raspberry. I thought about emailing and saying listen I’ll take a free apricot but if the raspberry comes out again first I’ll just take that instead thank u
@Jais — I’m with you, all the way. What you wrote here is pretty much how I feel, point by point.
Sigh.
I’m definitely bummed. I kept holding out hope that it was coming soon. I would have liked to have known sooner that I wouldn’t be getting the apricot bc I was checking every day. But I feel hope that at some point the logistics will get worked out, and at the end of the day, I’m getting a jar for free one day. Someday.
I make my own jam. it’s pretty easy and satisfying to do. If you’re worried about your carbon footprint I’d suggest having a go. Having said that if she ever sells in the UK. I will definitely buy it. Three cheers for the Irish journalist speaking truth to the GB idiot.
I got the crepe mix. Cookie mix and tea. I did not get apricot spread
I’ve seen this issues with bigger more established companies. Last year a company that I frequently purchase workout clothes and shorts had this huge sale. Well there was a delay I think of almost two weeks of me getting my order. I got an email apologizing for the delay saying they did not anticipate the demand (it was something like that). I say all that to say that I don’t think it’s too unusual but of course it’s a scandal because it’s Meghan.
Right?! I’ve had it happen with Old Navy!
Yeah, some of these comments seem a little silly. I’m disappointed, but it’s just jam. And within a relatively short space of time (IMO) I’ve already got a refund coming plus a promise of a future free product, a good move on the part of customer service. What’s unusual, and to some extent, counterproductive, for this new company, is the massive amount of free publicity because of the insane global media focus on anything Meghan. That could swamp whatever optimistic predictions they had for the jam supply the second time around. (Maybe allowing people to buy as many as 6 items wasn’t a good idea.). Judging by the people here, I’m wondering if there’s an issue apart from just running out of stock. Has the manufacturer failed to deliver, and the DB is correct about a change in supplier? Did the computer system fail to cut off orders once the supply was exhausted (I was still able to place a – successful – jam order 25 minutes in but it seems like many people who got “sorry” emails got in very early)? I suspect we’ll hear more details in the near future. I would be interested in a more predictable timeline of restocking and new introductions, but hopefully that will come with time.
It sounds like they may end up losing customers, at least in the short term, but then maybe I’ll have better luck next time!
What do you mean it’s silly? It’s only jam? No, no, no, no, no!!! It’s the monarchy destroying effect of this particular jam that makes it worthwhile and causes people to go into gasping spasms over the horror of not getting their orders fulfilled!!! 🙄
Didn’t get anything from the first two sales, which I chalk up to my not being quick enough. So made sure I created an account last night, to get a jump on wine today. Which proved pointless when they shifted over to a new ‘wine.asever’ website for alcohol sales. Maybe I’ll get those 3 bottles of wine I ordered this morning. Maybe not. No crisis either way. Glad to see Meg’s biz is doing well. Not glad to see people getting all personal and hurt because they can’t buy stuff.
Good question. I added a single jar of $9 jar of spread into my cart the second it went live and headed straight to check out, but they weren’t able to fulfill my order. Not sure how they’re prioritizing who gets their order fulled first.
I also got the email. Disappointed because the apricot was the only thing I really wanted. I ordered other items just out of curiosity and also to get free shipping.
It was kind of fun and exciting to join in the Meghan shopping frenzy, but I don’t think I’ll bother for a third time. This just isn’t the way I like to shop. I never buy celebrity items or stand in line waiting for a store to open. But I wish Meghan all the best and if I ever get the apricot spread, I’m sure it will be delicious.
Yes I only ordered for the jam as well.
I’m really puzzled because my order indicated that all products shipped.
That’s the thing that really annoyed me – my order indicated all products shipped, it was listed on the packing slip in the box – but wasn’t there. had I gotten the notification that it was unavailable BEFORE my box arrived, I think I would be less disappointed. I was unpacking it looking for the apricot spread and there was nothing.
Yes, I had the same – that the entire order had shipped. And actually, it wasn’t the entire order because I had also ordered the crepe mix, but that got dropped off the notification and the payment amount was changed. But ok, because I didn’t care about that, really. I’m feeling that when I finally receive the order, the package will be empty. Lol
Ok, this is weird. I just got an email saying my order will be delivered today and it includes the apricot spread. I’ll let you all know what’s actually in the box when it comes.
Its showing as available again on the website, which is weird.
Omg, I can’t stop laughing. Such an adventure – like Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail. I haven’t had this much excitement in my life in some time.
I’m just having to laugh about it too. It really is an adventure. I get that some people will get discouraged. I’m not there yet but talk to me in 30m after the rose drop, lol. Presumably, the production woes will get sorted at some point but it might mean that Meghan will have to do a little more hustle to get back those customers. My biggest thing is I don’t want to get an order confirmation and then another email saying I’m really not actually getting the wine. But hey maybe they’ll refund me and then guarantee me a free wine too. That wouldn’t actually be the worst.
edit- oh, it’s pricey for me. Minimum of 3 bottles. $30 each. Sigh.
Alright, paid for the 3 bottles which was a lot for me. I’d love it if one day it sells in the stores and I can buy one at a time.
Clothing catalogs run out of stock. Sometimes they run out of specific colors and sizes. And these are very long established companies
Yep. Woman Within (which has been around forever) sells my all-time fav cargo pants in plenty of colors. But when they came out with a sky blue, it kept selling out for a good six months before I finally got a pair—which is strange, because you would think they had enough to meet demand right off the bat.
Literally the year it debuted Ford Motors ran out of Broncos. Like the entire inventory sold out- think it was 2022, and it costs a hell of a lot more than a jar of jam.
I got 3 jars of the apricot spread – it’s delicious, but the honey is phenomenal.
Packaging to taste, it was well done!
Sorry about your order.
this is just mean lol.
I agree. 🙂
But I did see several other people online yesterday praising the As Ever apricot spread – and some inexplicably combined it with the honey on their toasts! Fingers crossed that the goodness will reach everyone who missed out this time, despite coming so tantalisingly close.
This really is an epic failure to read the room. Or just mean.
Nah, I’m glad for all the people that got the jam. Jealous? A little, sure.
I got the same email about the apricot spread. I also received notification that my two boxes of shortbread cookie mix and one box of crepe mix are on the way.
I also managed to order 3 bottles of Rose after I got back from a DR.’s appt. I’ll keep you posted how that goes.
I got an email yesterday, too. I had sent one to them, asking for a shipping update, since it had been ten days since my order, and that was their reply. It sounds like it was a big fuck up, but hopefully they’ll make it right.
This is what happened to me with the honey on the first drop. I was on the site even before it went live and checked out within two minutes, but I got a note saying that they had sold out, but that they would send me something else ahead of the new drop as well as a free product. I just arrived home from a short trip and a box was here with both items. I also arrived home with a cold and a sore throat and can tell you that the honey cured that sucker in about one minute.
I got the email too. I only ordered one jar and did so within the first few minutes so I am disappointed but I’m hoping it won’t take too long to get the order once they figure this stuff out.
I only ordered apricot jam since I got everything offered last time. Got my message yesterday. Annoying their fulfillment center apparently can’t count and communicate “out of stock” fast enough but as others have said, the same has happened with much more established companies (just happened to me with Adidas, actually). Hoping for rose today!
Also got the email last night but I’m stoked for free jam. Meghan needs a better jam plan (that’s a Monica from Friends reference).
I got a shipment notification for my order and was so excited. And then yesterday got the email that my jam didn’t ship and I would be refunded. Bummer. But my tea was delivered yesterday. I just wish they had sent the email in a more timely manner, I literally got it the same day my order was delivered.
Call me paranoid and suspicious, but a snafu on this scale, after the Daily Mail’s persistent HUNT to track down her suppliers, suggests sabotage somewhere along the supply chain? It is clear that they scaled up massively, and anticipated fulfilling the orders which they accepted, so whatever went wrong must have gone wrong in a major way.
And there’s this: Republic of Tea was identified as being the producer of (some of) the teas, but how/when did they become identified as the producer of the spreads? If I were in M’s position, with an international target on my back and people being very willing to do *everything* in their power to make me fail (yes, including sabotage), and discovered that staff on a contracted company were leaking like that, I’d ditch them too.
It is more possible it was an issue with website (miscounting the remaining quantity because of the high traffic), not directly with the inventory.
I wondered about this possibility also, commented above, and interesting that people are saying they received packages with the jam listed on the order slip when it wasn’t in the package.
Yes @Sevenblue I’ve been thinking the same. Why are we blaming the supplier when the website for whatever reason clearly allowed people to buy more inventory than was available?
Now it does seem likely that As Ever will have to switch to a supplier that can produce more inventory, faster, but that’s a separate issue.
Goop had similar issues.
I don’t think anyone wants to emulate Goop as a business model.
@Elle, lots of brands have inventory issues. Why are you comparing a food brand to GOOP? Are you a tabloid reader?
It sounds like the oder placement cap was not sufficiently synched with the inventory.
Understandable if there are hundreds of thusands of people trying to order all within an hour….even in the first few minutes
The SW might have been setup to synch on the hour (for ex) so by then more people had ordered than there was spread available….
I made two separate orders and received one last week. I was able to make the crepes and I have to say that they smelled amazing as I was making them and they tasted great with the fig spread I already had. I actually made myself another small plate of them because they were so good. I was looking forward to getting my order of the apricot spread to try with the crepes but my husband read the email to me yesterday that my order wasn’t coming and that I would receive a refund and a free jar once it’s back in restock. Of course I was disappointed but I’m an adult and I’m not going to place higher expectations for Meghan’s growing business to not go through the same growing pains as any other business. My life doesn’t fall apart or end if I didn’t receive her apricot spread when I hoped to receive it. Obviously, something went wrong somewhere and it wasn’t something done intentionally to me or anyone else, so I’m not going to overreact as if it was intentional or more traumatic than it actually is. Life happens, she’s human and businesses don’t always get it perfectly right all of the time so life will go on and eventually I will get the product I wanted. The reactions from the UK media is always a head scratcher because no one but them and anyone hateful like them would think that Meghan was making her products in their home. I’m glad the lady set him straight and pointed out the absurdity in his thinking.
Agree, with those who think along these lines.
It could be website inventory numbers could not keep up or a supplier. Switching suppliers AFTER giving the original supplier another go is common sense, no one just up and leaves after 1 time. Within weeks? If meghan did and the launch also struggled, but with quality, bc of the time it takes to source quality the microscope wouk be awful for her business. So many resources go into choosing a supplier and getting another one lined up in that the timeframe suggests As Ever, were convinced by the supplier the supplier could go the distance for them. They can’t or won’t. Can meghan be blamed for this? No, it’s tracking your business for demand after demand shows up. What other business opens their doors to this much demand. Does anyone here think they could do it better. Bc if so put your resume in to As Ever.
the thing everyone adores about Meghan is she is savvy but generous and kind, she is not a sucker. Thus assume the best. No one can be ‘blamed’ for supply chain issues bc its not magic, its foresight, hardwork and listening to the supplier explain themselves. And gauging numbers based on newsletter sign ups. The supplier is in the same country as the business originates. So hagging on the supplier is also too much. How many apricot trees have to produce to meet demand? Meghan needs her suppliers to care about quality like meghan does. Meaghan’s is an increibly challenging supply to keep up with.
However, I suspect As Ever may have to branch out to have MANY quality suppliers, like 18 or more for jam – as quality AND quantity is NOT commonplace. Anyone here think the Windsor have this “problem”. That business is not pushing the orchards to work harder, or producers to quadruple their physical operations, in 3 weeks, to meet demand.
So here’s some advice for savvy entrepreneurs, plant trees, or go into business as a quality jam manufacturer. Meghan is gonna make your business successful. And she needs people to supply her supply chain. The demand is here. No one had on their bingo card orchards and quality jam producers were gonna get the Sussex sparkle and skyrocket. If she can’t source enough in her own country she may have to outsource to other countries.
(Also maybe people could be gloating about not getting jam). You can’t get jam bc you created the environment for Meghan to sparkle. Like its pretty awesome in its way. But I’m not here to sour on people who rightly want to feel their feelings. I just disagree.
Meghan and team also took accountability and are going above the base courtesy. Offering a free jar for trouble is not a common big business practice, it is over and above. But ina my opinion also incredibly common sense to do so. I’m also pretty sure Meghan would have preferred giving everyone 3 free jars to make it up to them, but her team was probably, um let’s settle on 1. Cuz orchards may need a minute.
I didn’t get an email yet but I got my delivery yesterday and there was no apricot preserve in my package. I sent an email.
I love how the British media makes this enormous fuss over how FAR AWAY things are TRANSPORTED. Okay, island people. Clearly they have zero conception of just how large the United States is. No, you cannot simply find a supplier who can handle massive quantities in your town. Products are shipped. Birds sing. The sun rises. The earth is round.
Yeah, you’d think the country that invented the Industrial Revolution would have a grip on this. Imagine the waste and logistics if you had to build a factory next to every fruit farm and then try to truck those small amounts of jars all over the place.
“Without transparency on volumes or restock timelines, the impression is that the brand is still not ready for sustained demand”
😂
Guess what rats? None of your business. Hers is a private business and you have no entitlement or control over her.
The reason they want “transparency on volumes” is that they want to be able to write thousands of articles guesstimating how much money she is making. That’s all. That’s also why they keep claiming that the products sold out because of “extremely small, limited batches” and so on. Pocket-watching the black princess, as usual, while turning a blind eye to the taxpayer-funded royal grifters in the UK.
The fact is that Meghan quite likely already made millions from the first launch alone and more on the second, even though the company will have to refund some people and give them free replacement items. And the rats who are always harassing her don’t want to admit that.
They’ll do the same thing with the wine.
Count me in as someone who got the dreaded email. I ordered my spread, flower sprinkles, crepe and cookie mixes within 10 minutes of the launch. Still no word on the rest of the order.
I was getting antsy and emailed them about whether my preserve order (confirmed) didn’t actually go through. So when I got the email saying it would be refunded, I didn’t realize most people got the same message! Disappointment, yes, but if we all get a free jar that’s a really nice (and costly) gesture on their part. I kind of feel sorry for Meghan, she’s got a lot of balls in the air all at once and is trying to scale up something originally suited for a farmer’s market to a national (eventually international) BEAST, with a lot of people salivating and pouncing the minute she drops. It takes time to even formulate a company response – it’s all new territory, all learn as you go. She must feel pulled in 9000 directions – the stress! But I think she’s really smart and has amazing taste so I believe in her, no matter what. It’s going to eventually find its sea legs. I was going to pounce on the rosé but now I don’t think so – I hope it’s great and it will sell out in a minute but I’m on the east coast and don’t feel like paying for whatever it will take to keep bottles from heating up in transit. They don’t need my measly order, ha ha, so I’m not worried about compromising her support in the least. By the way, the lemon ginger tea is so good, and we loved the cookie mix (which I scored 1st time) – I used Plugra salted butter and I’m not sorry.
Okay, I’m laughing bc I made the cookies with my niece last week and I am definitely a slice and bake cookie baker so this was slightly more complex. I had to find a mixer since I was visiting and what I found looked like it had seen better days. And then we used SALTED butter but realized it said use unsalted. Oh well. And then I don’t think we melted it or softened it enough before adding the mix. And then my niece was putting a lot a lot of flour everywhere before we even started rolling it. Later, we were cutting pieces at different widths. A mess. There was a lot of laughter though.
I got my apricot spread. I ordered the keepsake packaging. I wonder if that makes a difference? Also, the apricot spread is the consistency of a sauce, which is not what the consistency is in the promo photos. I wonder if there’s a quality control issue with the supplier. It’s delicious, but definitely not what I expected and thinner/runnier than the raspberry spread.
I had also ordered the keepsake, so no.
My background is in retail and another industry that releases a certain number of items at a specified time. Based on my experience I suspect the issue was created by the vendor and their inventory system.
Most likely there was either a human error in setting the quantity available for the apricot spread (you would be shocked how easily this can happen even in a multi-million dollar BIG company) or the website was overwhelmed by demand and an error let people order units that never actually existed. When the latter happens you can end up with “ghost” orders that are not immediately visible to someone who is looking at the reporting.
I was not the person building the sites so I cannot tell you any of the technical reasons for this. I was, however, the person sitting next to them monitoring the sales while on zoom with the key stakeholders (think Meghan and executives from Netflix). When something went wrong, I was the person who had to figure out how the hell we were gonna fix it.
The reason it took so long for everyone to get the email is most likely because it took a while for the issue to even become apparent. It is possible the issue was not realized until the warehouse started fulfilling orders. Once the issue was identified there were a whole bunch of meetings to determine what the heck to do. Then you have get everyone to align on the messaging before the email can go to customers. In this case it probably took longer because getting sign off from everyone to give away this number of free units to make it right had to be a tough sell. My guess is that Meghan’s team dug their heels in and refused to budge on that. I have NEVER seen a brand refund but promise to fulfill units at this level. It’s truly shocking.
Just like everyone else I got the email about the apricot spread yesterday. I had already started to suspect something was amiss. Given the scale of this I can promise you there was at least one person, if not more, who was crying in the bathroom or the stairwell at the office over this snafu. Ask me how I know. I have a lot of compassion for everyone involved because the last week has been miserable for them.
And for those who are upset that this is happening when As Ever is backed by a company the size of Netflix, I can assure you this happens to big conglomerates all the time. The difference is those releases are not under the microscope that literally everything Meghan touches is scrutinized with.
Personally, I think they handled this the best way they could. I am impressed with the decision to fulfill orders at a later time for free. That decision will cost them a lot of money but is an investment in protecting the brand. While it is an excellent decision from a customer service standpoint, I can assure you I have been in many meetings where my customer experience recommendations lost out to the bottom line. They are making smart decisions when dealing with issues.
Thanks so much for this perspective. And I can totally see Meghan insisting on the free order fulfillment.
THANK YOU! This is so helpful. Explanations like this go a long way in easing irritation over the silence between the order and the dreaded email of yesterday. I assume that the crying in the stairwell was even worse since this has happened on both drops.
How long do you think it will take for these drops to get straightened out?
This is much more plausible explanation than “change of supplier”. It makes sense that the surge of demand would have essentially crashed the system.
Thank you @Ohhey for your detailed explanation of what might be going on behind the curtain. Very much appreciated!
Really excellent and informative piece. Thank you for all the behind-the-scenes details.
It’s jam. It’s not the end of the world.
The lunatics acting like Meghan ever said she was going to be making the jam in her own kitchen as so disingenuous, I’m losing my mind. If that were the case, she’d be operating under a cottage license and could legally only sell direct to consumer *in California,* no shipping across state lines. Because that is the actual law!!
Yeah mine was missing from my order and I got the email as well.
The rose is live but too rich for my bank account right now. Get get it!
no shipping to Utah as I suspected…we have lots of nice rose’ choices at the state liquor stores, but somehow that doesn’t have the same beautiful curated experience attached! lol. Also suspected a high price point plus shipping. Will hold out for raspberry spread to return!
Yeah, I am a sparkling rose person so just passed on it.
I really want that Rose’ but I’m not prepared to drop $90 on it right now.
I am disappointed about the wine. I just went on to buy a bottle and the minimum is 3 for $90 plus $20 shipping. I would have loved to get one to try and also to support her business but 3 bottles is too pricey for me today and I don’t know if I would like the wine. I would love for it to be more easier to support her business!
agreed — $90 for a product I know and love, sure — $90 for an unknown is too much in the current age of uncertainty.
I’m eager to hear how the wine drop goes. Given the expense of shipping, I can get why the minimum order is 3 bottles — but it would have been nice to know that up front, especially when trying something new.
So, I got the 3 pack. It’s scheduled to come July 9th, so I’ll be able to try it next week.
Me too – I think they *ship* the 9th. Wish they could have done this in time for 4th of July!
Much pleasanter experience than the last two drops. But did have one snafu – it wouldn’t accept Apple Pay (and just used that for something else this morning so don’t think it was on Apple Pay side). But I was able to use a different payment method.
I had the same issue with Apple Pay. I immediately switched to PayPal, but I was nervous! I had to remind myself it is only wine. I don’t drink, but my wife likes rose. I hope she likes this one. I will gift the others. I didn’t order the apricot spread, but I am sorry to everyone that did not receive their order. I did receive the honey this time and it is divine.
I couldn’t get it through ApplePay either so just entered the credit card details.
It’s scheduled to begin shipping on July 9, so it will arrive a few days later.
No trouble ordering 3 bottles of rose . 30 bucks a bottle is a little higher than I like to pay for something to drink with the gals on the deck but will be able to taste test it! Also yesterday I scored 4.99 per cans of Underwood Pink Bubbles so my rose purchases have evened out and I am set for summer.
Same…..its more than I usually spend on wine (I’m a cheap wine drinker lmao) but I’m willing to give it a try. If I like it I’ll save the second two bottles for special occasions lol.
Right? Rose wine is a great accompaniment to holiday meals (turkey) and it looks like a pretty bottle so might make a nice gift.
Got three bottles, because that was the minimum. I had planned to buy two in case I didn’t like one I could just gift it. Pricing was about what I expected. In line with other wineries that I’ve ordered from online, like Round Pond in Napa and Grape Creek in Texas. Expected the shipping cost as well because they have to ship in the refrigerated truck. For those who couldn’t get it or didn’t want to spend that much I’ll keep you posted.
I figured that the shipping cost is getting somewhat paid for by my jam refund so hey. And then I’m still getting a free jam at some point too. So woo-hoo.
I’m….not even mad about it? Like they could have just said “sorry heres your refund!” but instead are giving free jam away? So I have to wait a bit longer, a bummer but now I’m getting it for free so like….thats more than what most companies would do. And if they didn’t do that- god forbid- the vbitrol and hate would be off the charts. Like…wheres this energy for amazon or walmart or target?
Exactly. My slight disappointment turned all the way around with the free jam promise.
We also can’t forget that the inhumane decisions happening in D.C. regarding immigrants who harvest ALL produce is going to CONSTANTLY negatively effect her inventory and unfortunately her pricing…I would rather wait for her artisans experience than hope for the inventory amount & speed of Smuckers et al 😉
I am pretty disappointed that my apricot spread didn’t arrive. I ordered within one (1) minute of the drop, and the honey was snatched out of my cart! I missed out on the raspberry spread but consoled myself that I would get it next time, only for it not to be offered. What gives me confidence that the apricot will be available at the next drop? As much as I would like to support her efforts, this sort of f*ck up would not be acceptable with any other vendor. I will not be spending $90 + $20 shipping for three bottles of wine, which I am not sure I would like.
I missed the raspberry spread by a few minutes, but I think my luck is turning, because I’ve received my two jars of apricot spread (and a jar of honey)… and just placed my order for three bottles of rose!
My birthday is this month, so I’m saving it all to give myself a special treat that day (all these salty British tears are the appetizer).
Lucky you! My birthday month is in August so I’m justifying the rose’ for that occasion.
I got the same email. Sigh. I did get the wine today though. For now.
And the wine is sold out!
Good for Meghan!!
Even with the three-bottle minimum, it sold out within the hour. Stay thirsty, Salt Island!
Woohoo! Congrats, Meghan!!
Trying to figure out how Jason the Knife screwed up the supply of apricot spread to fulfill Will’s hopes of tarnishing Megan. Or maybe it was the DM?
I got one of my jams in the keepsake box but my 2nd order was cancelled. The demand for this is insane and the more people hear about how fast it sells out, it seems to amplify. I suspect this will be the pattern for the first year. I don’t know if people remember the Obamacare rollout but this is not that. It’s a hiccup and inconvenience but hopefully they will get the numbers right and volume correct, but honestly, logic does not apply when it comes to Meghan Sussex. The amount of emotion around this brand is something else. Prople like that news anchor spiraling because her goods are made in a factory and shipped nationwide. Now the wine is sold out.
Meghan has these high priced PR people that should have been on the ball releasing a statement. The UK tabloids are going to eat her alive over this, it is just the misstep they’ve been waiting for.
A statement about what? I’m sure that Meghan will do an IG thanking her customers and there will be a press release about how it sold out so quickly which is a success narrative. I don’t see any downside or reason to be defensive? That said, the autumn WLM and launch/delivery of new products needs to go without a hitch. I’m sure she’s got this.
My only comment without tasting it is according to reports, it’s 14.5 % alcohol which is HIGH for a summer sipper or rose….you’d usually see that for a full-bodied Syrah. 12.5% is the norm. It must have been a big effort for the producer to raise the level of alcohol that high for a rose to balance it out
I get wines regularly from Sonoma, which is the valley next to Napa, and it is very rare to get bottles under 13.5% alcohol. I checked my wine club shipments on a lark and most are 14.5%- this is Russian River and Dry Creek Valley area of Sonoma, including Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blancs . Apparently the higher alcohol content is partly due of the terroir of Napa/ Sonoma. Looking forward to try the As Ever wine. I think wine is way more subjective than jams so it may not please everyone’s taste.
The press is already attacking Meghan’s business putting out a statement is not going to change anything.
The UK tabloids have been horrible to Meghan since day one so F them. They have found Z-list celebrities to lie about Meghan and used her relatives against her. As far as people being ” disappointed” about the ordering process, just wait a while for the frenzy to die down. Kinda like when a new restaurant opens in town? Maybe you dont go the first week? Anyway, I wonder if the worker shortage in the agricultural industry here in the US is impacting Meghan’s business. I think we are all going to be feeling the effects at some point.
Why is everything a panic? This isn’t unique to her brand either. It sucks but they’re addressing it. The tabloids do this over everything, whether it’s AsEver or wearing a red dress.
Oh no, the tabloids are gonna write a negative story about Meghan and her brand?? How is she gonna handle it? Girl, be serious. She breaths and they are writing an article about climate change and how it is Meghan’s fault.
I just bought a shampoo dispenser and it started leaking day one. I sent an email to the seller, they are sending me a new one. Nobody got hurt and I am still a satisfied customer. That is just business.
I don’t see this as a misstep.
And the rosé is sold OUT 🙌🏾 happy for Meghan and her business 🫰🏾🫰🏾
I got my email.
Great update! I’ll keep my hopes up for a bit.
The way this stuff is selling out so quickly, throwing their supply off even when they increase, they may want to do the spreads and honey as pre-order/waitlist to gauge demand. Then they’d have a solid idea of how much they need to stock to avoid issues like this, even if it’s something that happens throughout the industry. The fact is, she garners massive demand beyond what is typical, so it’s not like other companies/retailers. And capping the max number to 3 jars or less really needs to be a thing because scalpers are having a field day with this on sites like ebay.
There is also nothing wrong with people being upset and rethinking whether they’d want to do this again given these hiccups, even if they support her 100%. These items may not break the bank for a lot of people but they’re still not cheap. And especially now with *waves hand at the state of the country* money is going to get even more tight for a lot of people, and no matter how much everyone on here supports them and loves seeing them thrive, Meghan and Harry are not who are going to suffer financially. Some perspective is healthy.
@MrsBanjo
In Meghan’s case, a preliminary list is a bad idea. Royal bots, British media, have raided such a list. They are just waiting for such an opportunity to destroy/disrupt/sabotage Meghan.
MrsBanjo, that’s a fantastic idea as long as they are paying up front for the items before being placed on that list – to avoid sabotage, as others have mentioned, but I had rather got the impression that they did precisely that – I am pretty certain that they were flooded with signups when the As Ever website went live and they used this to gauge demand, in addition to their other research. They would also have used social media engagement to do the same. But remember, that based on their research, they increased inventory /scaled up massively and STILL sold out everything in a very short time.
And I too, agree that moving from a cap of 2 items to a whopping 6 was a big leap. They should have kept the limit to a maximum of two or allowed no more than 4 items per purchaser. But I do agree that 3 would also have been a good number.
In any event, as someone recently wrote, Meghan can be in NO doubt that she moves products, despite all the negativity, all the noise as she calls it: she is experiencing the Meghan effect herself and that is great.
I’m bummed about my apricot spread (at least flower sprinkles are shipping). Really hope they’re able to iron out the wrinkles sooner than later. I (like a lot of us) have the energy to support her and would like to do that by actually buying products!
I am pleased with the quick turnaround between ordering and product’s arrival. My order of the apricot spread was canceled and I got a refund. But the crepe mix, cookie mix, and the tea arrived very fast.
Watching this all go down from across the ocean. “gut punch”? It’s just jam / spread. The hand wringing and tears is truly baffling (not talking about those who are taking it in stride). Some of y’all need real problems in your life.
I didn’t order any of the jam, honey, crepe or cookie mix. I love baking and all that jazz and can make them just fine on my own. My little local gourmet grocery store sells dried flowers and now they can’t keep them in stock. I see all of this as the normal fits and starts of a highly anticipated start up. Hopefully the consistent demand they are seeing helps them forecast better and negotiate with suppliers. Huge plug for making your own fruit spread- it’s soooo easy and is now my go to for sweetening greek yogurt. I was on that Rosè drop this morning and got my three bottles. Hoping I actually got them though? Also $30 for a bottle of wine seems super reasonable to me for a Napa brand but I looove wine. Told my girls to get their drinking shoes on if it actually arrives. If it doesn’t, I really won’t be heartbroken about it.
I’m a fan but this is bad business and it’s a bad look. We have to start being honest about how this roll out has not been good. To not admit this seems like we are just as bad as the derangers on the other end who can never admit when their favs are wrong.
@LS
You speak authoritatively as if you were an expert in this industry, unfortunately what you say sounds like a complete layman.
I don’t think any company has had such a “harvest disaster” as As ever. They could have attributed the first frenzy to the premiere, that it was something new, but they increased production many times over, and everything sold out immediately, only not in 40 minutes, but in 4 hours. They have no idea where the limit of demand is, because when it’s sold out, they stop ordering. No manufacturing company/production line (especially if you care about the quality of the ingredients)
that also has other obligations is able to immediately increase production, not to mention ingredients, by 500-1000%, and these are their numbers. Meghan puts on a blouse or a handbag, and a store with an extensive production network that has been around for years is unable to fulfill the orders, because within an hour it received 15,000 offers to buy this model of handbag. The demand for Meghan merchandise is so huge that no one knows where it will end and preliminary/estimated bookings are not the answer because I assure you the British rats would sabotage it.
Don’t want it, don’t buy it, but don’t write nonsense.
Thank you so much for this comment. It’s like everyone has become an instant expert on product lines and inventory. They fail to grasp Meghan’s REALITY. The business hiccups are not unique, but the demand for all things Meghan, even from her biggest critics, is astronomical, and this cannot be overlooked.
Bad business would be if they ignored the people saying they didn’t get the order and not provide a refund much less a free product.
No manufacturing process ever runs perfectly all the time. Anyone who thinks it does has never worked a job in any manufacturing industry ever. It happens in auto plants, food processing plants all the time.
The key is to respond to it quickly and trouble shoot to fix the issue.
Expecting perfection is stupidity.
Some of y’all have not been apart of bug launches for brands and you can tell.
I remember Kim struggling with inventory for awhile, then there was Hailey Bieber whose products were so hot they kept taking 6 months to stock.
Another brand I just ordered from sold out so fast that it took 3 weeks to fulfill the order.
You know what the difference is? The British media isn’t nipping at their heels claiming a sell out is bad for business and harassing everyone involved in each part of their businesses. They get to figure it out in peace without judgment from the masses.
Meanwhile poor Meghan is experience normal business issues and it’s getting thousands of articles critiquing every direction she moves.
Smh.
Not only did the British/other media not criticize them for selling out, but they declared it a spectacular commercial success!!
I double-checked the Republic of Tea’s website just to make sure, but as their name suggests, they make tea. Just tea, not fruit spreads. They’ll also sell you tea-making & -drinking items, but they’re totally a tea company. Where’d we get the idea they’re the makers of As Ever’s fruit spreads?
THANK you! I’ve been wondering the same thing.
Shockingly, the DM. From the article: A telling line in a Daily Mail report this week suggests that Markle and her partners at Netflix are aware of the risk: “A source close to Meghan confirmed to the Daily Mail that Republic of Tea makes her As Ever raspberry spread, but said the supplier was changing.” I actually have no idea who makes what one way or another. Could be they produce jams for other companies idk? But ummm…I wouldn’t trust any sources that speak to the DM and claim to be close to Meghan. They printed her letter and she won her case against them. Harry has an upcoming case against them. So that source cannot be that close to Meghan, please.
“Where’d we get the idea [Republic of Tea] are the makers of As Ever’s fruit spreads?” — From the lies of DailyFail of course. As regurgitated by the DailyBoast: “A telling line in a Daily Mail report…“A source close to Meghan confirmed to the Daily Mail that Republic of Tea makes her As Ever raspberry spread, but said the supplier was changing.””
As if anyone within any of Meghan’s expanding concentric circles of influence would talk to DailyFail. Puuuhleeeeze.
@KIRK
I don’t know who makes Meghan’s signature teas, but The Republic of Tea is a manufacturer that deals exclusively with teas, and the company’s policies and principles fit perfectly with what Meghan promotes.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Republic_of_Tea
These “sources close to Meghan” are probably that retired Daily Mail, who lives in or near Montecito reporter who recently wrote that HM never visits the city, that no one knows who they are, that no one likes them, and that they don’t do anything in the city at all. I don’t even know if this guy is writing this filth, or if the British rats are making it up themselves, they just write that it’s from “sources close to M”, for which he gets a few pennies.
I compare it a bit with an organic supermarket round the corner. The things are not from huge factories but from smaller producers who don’t make millions of one product but thousands. I’m happy to wait until the products come to Europe and then I’m happy to share them. At my small organic supermarket I sometimes wait weeks for a product. I don’t think that’s a bad thing