Per Annum Company Blog | The Forward Thinker

More Mailbag Madness

It's been a while since we last dipped into the Per Annum mailbag, so let's take a moment to see what our customers have been saying about our products and services.  Ready? GO!

Dina from Southington, CT tells us, "I still use the Manhattan diary even though I moved to London in 2001!"  Thus proving our theory that once you get your hands on a City Diary, you can't live without them, no matter where you are!

P.H. from Newton Center, MA showers us with kind words, for which we are very thankful:  "I have been buying your fantastic diaries for years and years.... You make a superb product, you are dilligent and faithful merchants, and I am pleased to buy such a great gift from a class-act company!"

Shauna from NYC can attest to the fact that we take our customers' comments & suggestions seriously: "You fixed everything I wrote to you about over the past 2 years.  It's perfect!"

Lastly, some amazing praise from J.W. from Burbank, CA, who raves, "I love these diaries, absolutely, positively love em.  They are like my little city Bibles.  In NYC, I can look up the movie theaters in an instant before my friends' crackberries even load up the web.  In addition, the Per Annum team was brilliant in including the cross streets which make it so easy to find an address in the book.  No need to call the business for the information because Per Annum provided it.  I've used almost every section.  It's like a security blanket.  I feel a little lost when I forget it at home.  It's like remembering to take your keys.  Per Annum is a key to any city."

Wow!  Not sure we can top that one this time.  But if you think you can, we'd love to hear it, so by all means, drop us a line! :)

City Diaries vs. PDA's

One of the biggest challenges facing a diary company like Per Annum is constant competition from digital calendars, planners, PDA's, and countless other next-generation products & services.  With so many electronic options out there, you'd think that it would be nearly impossible for a paper diary to compete.  But over the years, as these products have become more prevalent, we've found that people are still drawn to good old fashioned pen-and-paper planners for a variety of reasons -- whether they feel more comfortable writing things down in ink, are afraid of power outages/failures, or they just plain like it better.

With that in mind, I'd like to present some comments we've received from customers who have continued to use their City Diaries, either alongside or instead of an electronic device:

A.B. from San Francisco, a longtime Metropolitan Diary user, says, "Even though I now use an iPhone & continue to use an Outlook calendar, I still prefer to have a physical calendar to track appointments.   I like having a physical record of appointmens for personal historical purposes."

Erin M. from Brooklyn agrees: "For personal items, I prefer the paper method."

Michelle from Brooklyn takes it a step further: "It gives me a record -- at my fingertips -- of what I've done every day and night for the past several years.  It doesn't beep, crash, or need to be recharged at night.  I also think there is something charming about using paper."

David Patrick from Coppell, TX, offers a practical (and timely) reason for sticking with his City Diary: "You have to have a calendar with the year printed on it for the IRS, so I was able to very simply keep track of my mileage for auditions and gigs as well as non-receipt expenses. If I ever get audited, all I have to do is confidently deliver that year's paperwork and Diary to the IRS."

Lastly, Edward H. from Montvale, NJ, points out that "If you don't lose the diary, it will be around for a hundred years.  Digital versions will not have the same longevity!"


Thanks to all our customers & fans for proving that the age of the written diary is not over yet!  We believe there can be room in a person's life for both a Diary and a PDA... but if you can only choose one, we say there's nothing quite like pen and paper!

Kind Words From Our Wonderful Customers

As Per Annum prepares to celebrate its 30th Anniversary, it's time again to dip into the mailbag and bask in the glow of some of the nice things people are saying about our products and services!

Let's start with Matthew from New York, NY, who explains how he came to love the Manhattan Diary: "I have used several paper and electronic appointment books and calendars, and I have never seen one this good. The street and transport maps are fantastic!"

Kristina from Chicago likes how her Chicago Diary allows her to become a better samaritan: "I love when tourists stop me in Chicago and ask for directions and I can whip out the map or even phone number of a museum or restaurant to help guide them."

Along similar lines, Rachele from Astoria, NY, admits, "It is discreet enough that if I get disoriented in New York, I can do a quick check to get myself back on track without looking completely clueless."

Meanwhile, Tracey K. from Monterey Park, CA, expresses her joy at how we've expanded our color palette in the past year:  "I have used Manhattan diaries since 1990 and am THRILLED the L.A. diaries now come in COLORS, too!"

Metro Diary user Lizbeth A. from Eastsound, WA agrees: "The bright colors are a great way to locate a calendar in the dark reaches of a handbag!"

Here at Per Annum, we take customer service very seriously and always do our best to to ship orders as quickly as possible -- a fact to which Erin from Stamford, CT can attest: "WOW!  The order has arrived, in less than 24 hours.  I am thrilled.  You are simply amazing!"

Christie J. from Downingtown, PA, a fan of our photo albums and scrapbooks, expands on that sentiment: "I just wanted to let you know that I think your company is doing an excellent job. I have ordered from you many times and have never been dissapointed. Not only do you provide unique products, you personalize and deliver them amazingly fast. Your staff is very helpful and quick. Thank you for providing such an efficient service. Keep up the good work!"

Finally, K.K. from NYC simply says, "You are a great company and that is rare in today's world."

Thanks, everyone, for the kind words, and you can bet that will do our best to keep giving you great products and top-notch service.  And as usual, don't hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments, suggestions, concerns, etc., you may have!

(By the way, don't forget to pre-order your 2010 City Diaries now -- we're offering 20% off plus Free Shipping through 3/31 -- plus, use coupon code BL10 to receive an additional 10% off.  It's our Best Offer Ever!)

More From the Per Annum Mailbag

Okay, folks, it’s time once again to dip into the mailbag and take a look at some of what you, the customers, are saying about Per Annum and our products! As always, we sincerely thank everyone for all the e-mails, customer response cards, phone calls, etc.-- your loyalty and feedback is what has allowed us to keep going for almost 30 years!

First off, Rachelle from Astoria, NY writes to let us know how much she loves our new variety of colors. “I started with red and have decided to work my way through all of the colors offered before returning to one. The addition of orange was a great surprise!”

Thanks, Rachelle -- looks like lots of people felt the same way about Purple and Pink, too! Any thoughts from you readers on what colors should come next?

Through the years, one of the top-rated features of our diaries has been the full-color maps. Take it from David from Sunnyside, NY, who says, “The subway map in the back is the best and quickest reference that I use the most. It's awesome.”

Megan W. from NYC seconds the motion, saying, “It is the perfect size and the maps (subway, bus and street) are the best.”

Gretchen from NYC agrees and takes it a step further: “I LOVE the maps! The size! The pocket! The ribbon!”

Lastly, random high praise from a few more valued customers, because it just feels good:

E.H. from San Francisco says, “I like having so much information at my fingertips without needing a computer or PDA. I can look at maps, find restaurants, library and post office locations, area codes, metric conversion, wind chill. It almost eliminates the need for a computer and is like carrying the yellow pages in your pocket. You've really hit on all the things I need, and I love it.” That’s what we like to hear!

Longtime fan, Tom from Chicago, explains why he has chosen our diaries over others he has tried: “Your diaries are best for me because of the combination of space to write, pocket for personalized fillers and note cards, the wonderfully handy lists up front and the calendars and maps in the back. It's easy to use, looks cool, and I've been buying 'em for many years. Keep it up!” We certainly will!

R.G. from West Hollywood, CA simply says, “I've been using your city diary for three years now -- it's a life saver!” That’s what we’re here for!

And finally, we have John, a big fan from way over in Amsterdam: “I have used and loved your diaries for years, with so much pleasure. I would never call it an organizer – no, no! Your planner has meant so much more to me. And beyond offering a great product, your company has a very keen staff, and they are immensely helpful to their customers. Top rate!”

As the customer service manager, I hope you all won’t mind if I give myself a little pat on the back for that one. :)

You like us... you really like us!

One of the best parts about working in customer service here at Per Annum is getting to hear words of praise from happy customers. Now that we have this blog up and running, I thought it'd be fun to periodically share some of these tidbits with you readers.

Here's one from Janice from Sunnyside, NY, who tells us how she came across the Manhattan Diary and quickly became a fan:

"The colors got me to pick up the planner and look through it at the store. It really makes a difference to young, hip, artistic professionals to not carry around a stockbroker-lookalike, boring planner. The colors really got me in your door. I was going to buy a Moleskin because they're so trendy right now but this is so much better. The one thing that was holding me back was that I didn't think it had an inside pocket. Upon further inspection, I saw that it did, and voila! I was completely sold from that moment on...."

Janice goes on to discuss some of ways in which the Manhattan Diary has come in handy for her:

"I had already used it to find a new movie theater with my grandfather when our movie was sold out. Used it again to locate an arts & crafts store to buy gift supplies. It was actually better than Yahoo Yellow Pages, which stinks at listing art stores in NYC. I have friends in CT and take the train all the time. Having the map of Metro North in a Manhattan planner -- ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!"

Thanks, Janice! It feels good knowing that our diaries and other products are making a difference in people's lives -- and we want to hear more! If you love your City Diaries and want to share your experiences, feel free to drop us a line or post them right here! (And incidentally, if you have a negative experience or criticism, we'd like to hear that, too -- what better way for us to find out what's working and what isn't!)

You Ask, We Listen!

We are fortunate to have a loyal and interested fan base that isn't afraid to express their needs, wants and criticisms about our products. Sometimes we are able to implement these suggestions, and sometimes we are not, for whatever reason -- but we always take them very seriously. Let's take a look at some recent comments.

Denise P. from Brooklyn, NY, believes that, "It would be nice if the maps had a slightly larger font." Indeed, we've gotten several comments along these lines -- fortunately, I have caught a glimpse of our 2009 editions, and it looks like the street names are noticeably bolder than last year, so hopefully everyone will find them easier to read!

Another request comes from Diana G. from Brooklyn, who would like to see "a month view at the beginning of each month, so as to get a better snapshot of the entire month." This viewpoint is echoed by Jennifer P. from Chicago: "Without the month view, it is somewhat difficult to project upcoming events quickly." We have been looking into a way to do this for some time, but due to the way our calendar is laid out, it would be a tough fit. However, notice that at the bottom of every page, there are mini-calendars for the previous, current and next months -- perhaps one solution would be to circle or highlight any upcoming important dates, so you can easily check forward if necessary.

Finally, two opposing viewpoints: Jessica B. from New York City says, "The diary should be a little bigger!" Whereas Mary P. from Washington D.C. says, "I wish it were thinner!"

Sometimes you just can't please everyone! :)