News We are classified as?

That's the problem with this industry. It defies classification. We do design so we're service. We make things so we're manufacturing. But we aren't heavy industry. We do installation so we're trade but we're not construction. We have occasional non-business customers so we're retail. But we don't resell products we buy in quantity at wholesale, so we're not. And sometimes we sell things at wholesale to retailers. But we're not a wholesale business.

 

new jerey sys we are sign budiness/commercial printers i believe
i would try to call myself a manufacturer given the choice
would not be retail

 

I think of retail as a place I can go buy pre-made goods. Grab off the shelf and pay. Most likely 95% of your business is service. In WI I've closed my "retail" doors but continued to work for essential businesses such as lettering construction vehicles, etc. I told most of the little "personal" type stuff they have to wait until my doors can actually open.

 

Yes it does. You are doing work for an essential business you are essential. Not for Joe Blow that wants a 4x4 sticker or Cindy who wants a wall decal for her living room. That's how most of the shops in my area are operating. They are actually stating it on FB..."Open for our Essential Business Customers". I've been turning down small personal jobs until "Phase 1" of our Badger Plan. My door is locked, I advertise electronic orders only. I have a vehicle drop off zone sign outside with a contactless key drop box. I also have a small garage area with a sign that I'm putting orders in for contactless pickup. I haven't seen a customer since this started lol I feel like if you make a good faith effort at being as contactless as possible the police will leave you alone - and the citizens won't snitch you out.

 

Here in British Columbia, if you provide goods and/or services to essential businesses, then you are an essential business.

Of course, the shutdown orders are different for every province here, like they are for every state in the US.

 

You are a public communications service
And if they don't believe that, kindly point them in the direction of your closest retailer that is now rife with all sorts of signs and floor graphics.


JB

 

I've got just about every local government department logo on file from police cruisers to garbage trucks along with Homeland security and an end roll of magnetic material. I can be any classification I want to be, at least for a little while.

 

I'd like to think of any sign company, big or small, as communications with elements of service & manufacturing.
Providing essential services to essential services, such as education/medical/government/food/transportation/gunshows, that cannot provide their essential services without your service...makes you essential.

....besides, you can't re-open the economy without an OPEN-sign. m'right?!? #LiberateMySqueegee!

 

We're labeled as light industrial and we're in the advertising and marketing industry. I don't exactly care if we're essential or not, but nearly all I've done this past 5 weeks is signs for restaurants, local gov, and now retail stores that are about to open. All of it has been directional and instruction signage regarding conducting safe business practices with that establishment. So that seems pretty essential. I've done a few birthday banners and grad banners, and you could even argue that those are essential cause it's a morale booster. Anyone from the military knows how important morale is!

 

We have police monitoring the bridges between the two provinces i do business in (Québec and Ontario)
I spoke with two different officers about my classification.
I told them i do parking signage (Handicap and Fire Routes for example).
I also do apartment building signage (emergency exits, stairwell identification etc...)
They did not know what to answer me. Told me to go on and have a good day.

Of course i do all kinds of signage but i think if you don't have high traffic to your place of business and can respect distancing guidelines in your shop you should be ok.
For our business it's pretty much up to the discretion of the officer and the situation he/she observes at the moment.

 

Its the letter of the law vs the spirit of the law. Dont try to change the spirit of the law for your own benefit. Several sign shops are not sign shops, they are a reseller of others work and at best an office depot type. We create all of our product and are semi busy with businesses that had a budget and are taking the time for their business improvement and clean up their image . From within with material orders.They want to be ready for the retail stuff when it opens up . I was shocked, when I was in Texas last week and saw a "sign company" with 6 employees cleaning bird poop off if a truck stop sign.

 

I didn't really read the article, but it looks like based on the headline of this article in an ISA email I received Monday, sign shops are considered critical infrastructure/essential business?

https://www.signs.org/newsroom/industry-designated-as-critical-infrastructure