Products Report - August 2025

What’s Going on with Products?

I wanted to take a moment to share some updates and thoughts about our product situation.

We all love our ABATE gear - T-shirts, hats, and hoodies as the night gets cooler. But right now, we’re facing some challenges. Without someone officially managing our product inventory, merchandise cannot be available for sale out in the regions.

That said, we’ve opened the product trailer a couple of times this year for large events. The next time the trailer will be open for sales is at the State Meeting in October, where we plan to continue to reduce our current inventory.

What’s next?

We’re exploring the possibility of setting up an online store. This would allow members to:

· Select approved products and logos

· Add your region (e.g., on a sleeve)

· Purchase online and have items shipped directly to you

We’re also considering a bulk order option where regions can order multiple items, pay online, and potentially pick them up locally at the printer’s location (once that’s set).

Why online?

Holding inventory—whether in the trailer or sitting in storage—ties up funds. It’s frustrating when we’re out of certain sizes or products, and waiting for restocks is not ideal. We've also run into problems with lost items, late sales reporting, and damaged goods.

Going online gives us more control, flexibility, and reduces overhead like trailer storage, insurance, and the need for a tow vehicle. Many other SMROs have already made this switch successfully.

Special shirts like Lobby Day and Summer Hummer will continue to be pre-order only, as they have been in recent years.

If you have any comments or questions, feel free to reach out to me.

Thanks,

John