The popular Nifty Nut House grows but faces a new challenge: frustrated customers

What should be the happiest — and most lucrative — time of the year for Nifty Nut House owner Steve Jahn has turned into the most challenging and frustrating time of this year. The result is something he isn’t used to: upset customers.

“I don’t blame them at all,” Jahn said.

There are several things conspiring against the popular store.

First, the pandemic has caused shipping delays.

“It’s the most difficult on getting products,” Jahn said.

For a number of items, including some popular nuts and chocolate, Jahn has only one supplier to go to.

“A lot of our stuff we can’t get from anybody else.”

His solution for next year is to have everything he needs by early November.

His more immediate problem now is his new website. Jahn said he’s an analogue kind of guy and this year replaced a 12-year-old online ordering system with one that’s supposed to be more user friendly. It’s proven to be anything but due to a couple of glitches.

For starters, when a customer orders a product, the system is supposed to automatically remove the item from the inventory listing. That’s not happening, though, so Jahn’s staff has to enter each online order manually to show that something has been purchased. It’s a lot to keep up with.

“We have sold things that we have not had, and that makes people upset, and I would agree.”

Another issue is that the system is separating orders that are supposed to be shipped together, so customers are being charged double with the extra mail order.

“We don’t choose to gouge anybody. It’s really just a glitch in the software,” Jahn said.

“The customers just see the error and think we’re the bad guys,” he said. “Regardless, it’s my responsibility.”

Compounding the problems is the sheer volume of online business this year.

Online sales have never been a major component of his business, Jahn said.

“It really was immeasurable.”

The Nifty Nut House has been a place people enjoy visiting in person — except, apparently, during a pandemic.

“It’s exceeded our expectations,” Jahn said of website orders. “We have more orders than we can ship, and that’s got a lot of people upset.”

He’s getting about 400 to 500 orders a day. He also has at least 1,000 orders waiting to be shipped.

“For us, that’s a new discipline, and we are way behind on shipping,” Jahn said. “We’re just weak in that department. We’re getting better, but that doesn’t make it any less painful for people. We’re in the woes of growing and understanding.”

On one hand, Jahn said the extra business is “a wonderful problem,” but not when he and his customers are mired in issues surrounding the sales.

Jahn said he wants customers to know that “I share your frustration on my end, and we are doing our best to remedy this or at least perform as we normally have.”

“We do appreciate all their patience and understanding.”

Of course, there are only a few days left in this holiday season.

“I’m just trying to keep the oars in the water (and) keep the boat moving.”