Potty Packs Spotlight

Tell us about the history of your company.

Josh and Marc love the outdoors: hiking, camping, fishing, hunting and any other excuse to be in nature. One day while hiking on a crisp Fall morning, nature called. Unfortunately the roll of toilet paper was left back in the truck, a mile back by the side of the road. We went home with one less sock that day. After that experience we wanted to find a simple to use solution that includes everything necessary for such an emergency. The “Sh!t Kit” was born. Since then we have greatly expanded our product line to take the same approach to other common situations.

 

What products do you offer and what are your top sellers?

 

Potty Packs is a veteran operated business that offers “Made in USA”, “Air Travel Safe”, convenience kits. The top selling products are the “Sh!t Kit”, “First Aid Kit”, “Compressed Towels” and the “Period Pack”. 

 

Are there any new or unique products coming up?

 

Potty Packs just released some new products earlier this year. We are very excited about adding a men’s “Grooming Kit” and a female “Sleep-over Pack”. Each one has unique components that offer Peace of Mind.

 

Why do dealers choose your products over your competitors?

 

Potty Packs is “Made in America” and ships directly from our centrally located facility in Austin, Texas. We are a “Veteran Operated” small business and all of the products are “Air Travel Safe”. Each kit is light-weight and easy to carry. They have small and flexible packaging that easily fits into any back pocket, glove compartment, purse, tackle box or bug-out-bag. The minimum order quantity is extremely low at 10 pieces per SKU. The products sell very well at the impulse buy section and check out counter.

 

What types of stores carry your products and who is the end consumer?

 

Since Potty Packs offers a wide range of different products, they are being carried by many different types of stores. Those include college book stores, convenience stores, department stores, mass market retailers but most importantly outdoors and sporting good stores. Sporting goods is where we got started and where we feel most at home. So, although we have great products for travel and convenience, men and women on an adventure will always be who we think of first.

 

What challenges have you seen recently in your industry and what are you doing to overcome them?

 

One of the biggest challenges of the past few years has been the supply chain disruption. Covid caused many different issues in the industry, such as a high turn-over in workforce. Which in turn made ordering supplies a headache. Certain materials or components were also in much higher demand, or of such low priority that reorder times were increased from an average of 1-2 weeks to 6-8 months in some cases. This is turn made it difficult to predict workflow and how well we could cover spikes in demand by our retail clients. To reduce the negative impact of such issues we added additional suppliers and worked diligently with our retail clients to get more predictive demand forecasting to ensure that we would have the product on our shelves and avoid delays.

 

Another big problem is the workforce. Since Covid it has become a lot more difficult to hire or keep employees. This country is experiencing a massive turn-over in the workforce. Employees are not just changing jobs for higher wages, but something as simple as doing something new, or having an easier commute or better selection of lunch places nearby might have a much bigger impact in their decision making than ever before.

 

What advice do you have for independent retailers facing the same challenges?

 

The best solution at this time is to be open with your suppliers and provide them with realistic order forecasting if possible. Also allow for extra time to process the orders. If orders used to ship in 2-3 days after the order was placed, allow for 7 to 10 days instead.

 

What is your order process and turnaround time for dealers?

Potty Packs has partnered with FAIRE. This online platform allows for quick and easy order placements for retailers clients. For new sign-ups, FAIRE offers $100 of free product AND free shipping for a year. 

 

Regular orders are usually shipped out within 2 business days. Larger orders might require additional time. 

 

Do you have any minimum order requirements, or requirements when choosing a dealer?

The minimum order size is 10 pieces per SKU. Each product is low cost and allows for full keystone markup, or higher. For any new accounts we simply request that you sell it in your own brick and mortar store, own website, subscription boxes, or similar outlets. The only exception is online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart, etc. Our company policy is that we keep strict control over those outlets to ensure correct pricing and avoid competition with our regular retail clients.

 

Anything else you would like to add?

 

Potty Packs offer a wide range of different products. They are all in very attractive and attention-grabbing packaging that sell very well at the impulse buy section of your store. The minimum quantity is so low that it is non-existing. And most importantly, the first time offer with FAIRE allows for risk-free trial by gifting the store $100 of free product AND free shipping. Simply follow this link: pottypacks.faire.com

 

Thank you so much for sharing news of your outstanding company!

Company name: Potty Packs

Company address: 2424 South IH 35, Austin, Texas 78704

Company telephone: (512) 694-3727‬

Name and email of contact person: Joshua Hawley, hawley@pottypacks.com

Company email: sales@pottypacks.com