Post Holiday sales, ehhhh

[stampin stacy]

I tried looking at the "end of year blowout" sales that I'm getting emails for but just can't get excited about any of them. Firstly, really I haven't seen great bargains. The discounts are good don't get me wrong but seem to be the same ol' amount as always. I have yet to get inspired enough to even finish looking through everything at any one site although I have gone back several times to try again and I have tried various sort options but get bored almost immediately, close out and move on.

The fact that I'm in a declutter phase of life may have something to do with it but it's not the only problem. I'm really tired of promises of huge discounts to find that in reality only a couple of items are really discounted that much and sometimes those items are "out of stock". IMO, that is a HUGE insult.


Dear retailers: If you are going to have a 60%, 70%, or 90% off sale then do it. Quit with the empty click and bait promises already, please, I for one am over it. Guess I'll be saving myself some $$ this year.

[Scrapjanny]

I completely agree with you, Stacy. I would have "liked" your post, but I didn't because of the site glitch. I'm so over opening the emails that say "Best Deals of the Year!" - only to find that the discount is ...................... 15% off selected items. Totally underwhelming. Click bait at its best.

[fifiwesfan]

My favorite, from anyone not just the crafting sites is.........."discount up to (insert a high percentage)". You go looking through all the pages of items and find none of the things you want make that amount. And realize maybe only 2 things actually did.

[Sleepymom33]

I’ve always been annoyed by a sale that is only 10 or 15% off. No matter what the item: clothing, furniture, crafts, etc., it just seems so silly to call it a sale when it’s only that amount off. I lit makes me not want to buy at all.

[Catherine773]

I'm bummed about the sales too. I put things in baskets from the sale categories from a handful of companies, but I never ended up hitting the purchase button. There wasn't anything I either wanted enough or felt it was discounted enough to warrant the final cost. AND now the upcoming period of no sales has given me the blues. It's not as exciting checking my email or opening the front door knowing the sales emails won't be there or any fun crafting packages outside my door. Plus it's hard to pay full price for things after weeks of good deals building up to Christmas. The good news is, the holidays always come around again, which means the good sales do too!

[shazsilverwolf]

It's been much the same over here in the UK. To date, all I've bought in sales is 4 embossing folders, which were on sale for 2 for £5.($6.39) according to XE. Two were 6x6, 2 5x7, so decent sizes. I also found many sales were 'up to' 40%-50% off', but agree, it's usually only a couple of items, like fifiwesfan says.

[dini]

I can't help but think that some of these small retailers are moms who started their businesses at their kitchen tables with a dream and a prayer... for any business of any size, a 60-90% discount equals a loss. We all need to be wise with our spending budgets, and I do wait for sales on items I 'need' as well, but if we all wait for deep discounts to support these businesses with our dollars, they will disappear... I don't feel like any business owes me a discount.

[bjeans]

I’m barely looking at sales, because 1) what the heck more do I need, and 2) there will always be another sale in a month, week, tomorrow.

Exceptions: a stash gap that if filled would really make crafting easier or more fun. Or for constantly used consumables.

I don’t have much SU stuff but am considering the $99-for-$175, and looked through the catalogs that just arrived and on line. I was surprised that I had trouble finding anything I liked a lot that wasn’t similar to something I had. Plus entire categories that are lovely for others happen not to be my cuppa.

There’s no magic that tells retailers how fast a product will sell, and if they’re clearing out inventory, they might have 25 left of X, and who knows if 10 or 200 buyers will want it. An LSS employee once told me that items popularized on videos by well known bloggers would sell out instantly, even if the items previously sat on shelves for ages. I don’t think it’s bait and switch (naive?) but do admire Fran’s Frantic Stamper’s method showing how many of each item are left.

YMMV.

[abange58]

And if I didn't need something enough to pay full price for it, do I really need even if it's on sale?

[bjeans]

Exactly. It’s FOMO. For me, any way.

[bjeans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by abange58

And if I didn't need something enough to pay full price for it, do I really need even if it's on sale?

It’s a bit like how many varieties of cereal do I enjoy or need? I’m not tempted if a type we don’t eat is 40% off unless really in the mood to try something different - and that’s rare.

[gregzgurl]

abange58 and dini - you both make very valid points! I think that we're so used to the deep-discount mentality that we don't take that step back to consider either position - the impact on the seller, or the "why do I need this just because it's on sale?" concept. On a related note, one of the questions I'm asking myself as I go through all of my stuff to decide what to keep and what to pass on is, "If you didn't already own this, would you buy it now?" Unless it's a resounding "YES!", then I'm probably safe letting go of it...

[stampin stacy]

Just to clarify I am not saying I won't buy unless it is on sale, I saying I am frustrated with misleading ads and the sales out there are not inspiring me to want anything as a result.

... more importantly; If a company is going to claim deep discounts then those discount should indeed exist. BTW, in my experience small businesses don't usually make that kind of claim but big or small they shouldn't try to trick us onto their site, for me it doesn't work.

[Scrapjanny]

Again, I agree with you, Stacy. I don't expect any discount from any company, and I don't feel that any company owes me a discount at all. But if you're advertising something, be accurate and honest. To be clear, I shop from many small businesses at full price. I support small businesses wholeheartedly. I have a small Etsy shop, and I sometimes offer a small discount, because that's what I'm able to do. But I NEVER advertise it as a deep discount. That would be misleading in my opinion.

[pepperann]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sleepymom33

I’ve always been annoyed by a sale that is only 10 or 15% off. No matter what the item: clothing, furniture, crafts, etc., it just seems so silly to call it a sale when it’s only that amount off. I lit makes me not want to buy at all.

...and the percentage off will barely cover shipping. (If at all) :(

[maryalena]

One of the stamp companies recently advertised 60% off. It was on four really ancient items. I laughed at myself for being such an optimist and even clicking. This same company has a newish set of alpha dies out. They are $99. I guess they are like almost 2” tall. I won’t be buying them although they looked pretty great and four letters cover a card. It was a new high die price for me and I’d have to be using them a ton to justify that. I’ll be waiting for 60% off on those.

[shazsilverwolf]

Maryalena, there are a lot of large Alphabet dies on Amazon, at really good prices. Quite possibly coming from China, but I think a Font is just a font, don't think they can be copyrighted unless it's unique. 5cm equals 2 inches.

[cuteblueshoes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepperann

...and the percentage off will barely cover shipping. (If at all) :(

They pretty much have to offer free shipping or the discount has to more than exceed what they are charging me for shipping. (So free shipping plus a little discount on top of that.)


I had put a bunch of stuff in my scrapbookdotcom cart over the last few months as I was on a spending freeze this fall. I almost pulled the trigger a couple days after Christmas, but the shipping stopped me. When they offered an additional 10% off in the last couple of days, I finally checked out.

[maryalena]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shazsilverwolf

Maryalena, there are a lot of large Alphabet dies on Amazon, at really good prices. Quite possibly coming from China, but I think a Font is just a font, don't think they can be copyrighted unless it's unique. 5cm equals 2 inches.

Wow thanks. I had no idea. One of those sets looks somewhat like the ones I was interested in. The price differences are huge. I’m not averse when it’s not a stolen design.

[TexasGrammy]

Confessions of one with entirely Too. Much. Stampy. Stuff.:

• I like it, and later come back to gaze upon it again? I pay full price.
• I go looking for it after being inspired by items I've seen? I pay full price.
• I like it on sale, put it in my cart yet never return to that cart? I didn't like it enough, and definitely don't need it.
• I do not "wait" for a sale on something I want & know that I'll use. That ends up in disappointment ... which stinks.
• Dina is right on target with her sales vs. profits info.
• Love it? Bless your stampy table by buying it! Or bless your wallet (hubby's wallet?) by skipping it. ;)

[Bohodiva]

The only sale I would be interested in right now is on adhesives: double sided tape and foam tape.
Lately I've been using Elmer's Glue All for matting. it gets the job done just as good as the pricier glues and cost less.

[cjzim]

TexasGrammy - you've just described my purchasing strategy perfectly!

[maryalena]

TexasGrammy described it perfectly for me. In looking at my buying history I find that I tend to actually use stamp sets that match up with a specific cardmaking need like a particular holiday. If I buy a generic floral with no purpose in mind I sometimes end up not using it. I’ve had some success with putting those on a wishlist. By the time a sale rolls around interest has waned. It’s taken a few years of giving away stuff that’s never been used to get to this point. I’d like this to be the year of eliminating buyers’ remorse.

[TexasGrammy]

cjzim .... LOL Glad to have peeps at my table!

Quote:

Originally Posted by maryalena

TexasGrammy described it perfectly for me. In looking at my buying history I find that I tend to actually use stamp sets that match up with a specific cardmaking need like a particular holiday. If I buy a generic floral with no purpose in mind I sometimes end up not using it. I’ve had some success with putting those on a wishlist. By the time a sale rolls around interest has waned. It’s taken a few years of giving away stuff that’s never been used to get to this point. I’d like this to be the year of eliminating buyers’ remorse.

3 Cheers for squeezing out buyer's remorse!!

[gregzgurl]

I'll join you at that table, TexasGrammy and cjzim! I'm going through all of my "remorseful" things as we speak, and certainly do NOT want to collect more!

[maryalena]

Being the new year I guess I’ll have to start my 2018 remorseful things pile. I’d like to have a less “what were you thinking” name for it though.