March 31, 2021.
Spring is on! We all want to skate after being cooped up all winter. HAMMER had to pivot fast when the pandemic started: First we thought it was all over -- In-Store Hammer was closed. But we focused on shipping, eventually getting some employees back and later starting Curbside Pickups. Because our shop is located in an essentially unventilated basement, we employed a skeleton crew working apart to keep everyone safe. One person basically had to do everything, from packing orders and assembling boards, to serving Pickup customers and receiving shipments, while answering a lot of phone calls. It was a challenge. During the most recent lockdown, we discontinued Pickups in order to do our part to discourage people from travelling around to get non-essential goods.
Now it is spring 2021. People are cautiously hopeful. We have restarted Curbside Pickups. BUT THE INSIDE OF OUR SHOP REMAINS CLOSED. It looks like a mini packing warehouse! On a regular day in a regular world, it is a small shop in a basement, with little ventilation, except when the back door is open. So until there is a major change in the Covid situation, we are CLOSED for In-Store Shopping. For some people, that in itself is hard to understand. We feel it is the responsible decision to keep everyone safe right now.
People are accustomed to same day shipping from massive online companies. And pickup orders at some box stores might be ready in the time it takes to drive to the store. We will never have the set-up to meet those kinds of turnarounds on orders. We have one person ( a knowledgeable skater) at a time packing orders safely. So in busier times (like Spring now), orders will take a couple of days longer to go out. Pickups will still almost always be ready within 48 hours or sooner. Although we are trying to make it as quick as possible to pick up an order or ship it out, it is not always simple: many customers want their boards gripped or assembled, and many orders include multiple specific parts or items. We check the components on every board before it ships, and we pride ourselves on not sending out anything that is not up to par.
Ok... "Boohoo!" you say, "I want my board now and I don't care about your problems!" and up to a point, we get it. But please understand that we have a lot of orders to deal with. Skateboarding is popular! We try to accommodate special situations, but we can't bump your order ahead of everyone else. (The old Last-Minute-Birthday-Shuffle routine again!) We accommodate exchanges, but we can't repeatedly bring out multiple safety gear items for you to try on in the parking lot. We will not bring out decks so you can look at the concave or the colour of the top sheet. We aren't using cash. Orders must be put through online. (But we are working on some options to make things smoother in future! We are constantly trying to get more efficient and organized for faster turnarounds.)
Check our website for Shipping Info, which will answer the basic questions about Shipping and Pickup Guidelines. Check our Beginner Guide online, which should answer most questions about choosing a board. If you have a more technical question, e-mail us at hammertoronto@ca.inter.net You can call 416-698-0005 between noon and 5pm EST. (There is no option for leaving a message.) but we get a lot of calls for order pickups, so please be patient. Sorry, but messages on Instagram, Facebook and through our Google page will usually not get a quick answer. E-mailing us is WAY better.
PLEASE HAVE THE COURTESY TO WEAR A MASK WHEN PICKING UP YOUR ORDER.
We are here to serve you and we are happily trying to get your gear out as quickly as possible, but it is still a challenging task. We love skateboarding. None of us signed on for the current situation. So please have some patience and consideration, and we will try to do the same. Thanks for your support. Let's all hang in there. We will do our best to get what you need asap for a great spring of skating!
