The official word from CM is things are “business as usual” however as the company has recently filed for bankruptcy this is certainly not the case.
CM recently gained access to a trust that will allow them to (hopefully) continue operations – exactly how long that will be is unknown.
CM has told it’s consultants that our product line will be trimmed. Exactly what will stay and what will go remains a mystery.
CM has been constantly reminding us of it’s mission – that of simple, completed pages that focus on the photos and the words behind them. This along with comments that refer to CM “getting of the scrapbooking roller coaster” lead me to the following conclusions about the future of CM’s product offerings:
*Again – this is my opinion*
CM will continue to offer albums (including Fast 2 Fabulous albums and Picfolios) white Refill Pages and Page Protectors .
I believe the 7-inch Trimmer, Tape Runner and Tape Runner Refills will also be available.
I would imagine support will still be offered for Memory Manager and Storybook Creator Plus including products from the Digital Center. There will not be any more digital freebies in the project center (this is confirmed – as well as for Rewards Club members.) It’s very possible that the amount of new digital artwork and kit releases will be reduced in the near future.
I have heard from a reliable source that CM will be working to help make it easier for people to print their photos on the go – via their mobile devices.
So, where does that leave you – and me?
Hoping for the best but planning for the worst.
CM is a business and as so it’s bottom line is to make money. Yes, a business can also care about it’s employees and customers, and have a wonderful mission – but without money it can’t exist. It is not unreasonable to imagine that CM (or any business – especially one that has filed for bankruptcy 2 times in 5 years) could very possibly shut it’s doors for good with little or no warning.
I’m hoping for the best but believe in proceeding with a bit of caution.
Here are a few ways you can do the same:
- Always use a credit card to purchase products from CM online.
- Use up any product credits and/or Rewards Club credits.
- Purchase any items you need – pages & protectors for existing albums, if you like to have “matching” albums then purchase those now, supporting items for products you currently own (replacement blades and cutting strip for the 12” rotary trimmer, Border Maker cartridges, etc.)
I will still continue to hold all scheduled events and will continue to hold crops and weekend retreats – even if Creative Memories isn’t able to pull out of this. Workshops are a bit iffy – currently I offer these to give you ideas for & help you use your CM products and tools. I’m holding off on scheduling any new workshops until I know what exactly what items CM will be selling.
Thanks for your words of encouragement over the past weeks. I love CM’s albums and tools and hope the best for the company but I also know that it is the people I’ve met as a CM consultant – in person and online – that has really made this a rewarding endeavor ❤
