Hostess Rewards - SU and FSJ
 

I was aware that Stampin Up was reducing their hostess rewards levels, but all the demos kept on saying not to judge the program before it was officially released.

Well, I actually checked the Stampin Up catalog just to be certain I understand their new Hostess Rewards program and be sure I'm not missing something.

So, for a $150 order, from SU, I get $10 in Hostess dollars.

For the same amount of purchase from Fun Stampers Journey. I get $20 in journey dollars, an additional item for each $50 I spend (or 3 additional special items for a $150 order), and an Artist Trading Stamp. Have I got that right?

Gosh! It doesn't seem like a terribly difficult purchasing decision for me. I understand brand loyalty to a point, but I wonder if Stampin Up might not want to re-think the rather meager benefits allowances they now give to their customers, particularly in view of the fact that many of the stamps, tools and consumables seem to be a bit lower priced from FSJ.

I have not tried any of the FSJ products yet, but I understand that the quality from both companies is comparable, Can any of you who actually have tried them and are not demos for FSJ (or SU) indicate if you have honestly found this to be true? Thanks!

PS (I'm just a customer I do not "sell" for either of these companies.)

Not quite correct.
You get 10% for any order placed with a value from $150.00 to 299.99.
So a $150 order = $ 15.00 Hostess credits.
12% for any order with a value from $ 300 - 449.99
14% for any order with a value form 445 to 599.99
and for a value of $ 600 or more it's 16%

Thanks, I see you are right, it would be $15.

I have used SU products for years (was a demo, but not any more) and just recently ordered cardstock, DSP and an ink pad from FSJ to compare. I am very happy with the quality of FSJ. I have not yet ordered any of their stamps, so cannot comment on those. I will however be ordering some in the not too distant future!

Customer rewards are not the primary factor in my purchasing decision, since most of the time, I don't order enough of anything to qualify.

But for me, personally, I haven't seen a single thing in the FSJ catalog (what I can load of it before it kills my browser) that would prompt me to track down a coach and order, no matter what their reward program is.

I agree, and the decrease in Hostess dollars won't stop me from purchasing products I use regularly and love. SU has been in business for many years while others come and go. I wish they'd make additional polymer stamps throughout the year.

Some further details on my observations...
Cardstock - I really like that FSJ DP has 4 sheets of each design. Since I use my supplies for my card club each month, I love that. I also like that FSJ is carrying single color 12x12 packs in all the colors.

Ink pads - I really like the new SU ink pads, and just this past year replaced all my old ones with the new pads. The FSJ are more similar to the old linen pads from SU. I haven't yet stamped some solid stamps to compare coverage.

Yes, you have that right.
Karen S

I'm not sure rewards make my decisions on craft buying. Yes, I am a SU demo. But I buy other products from other companies as well. For example: I love Lawn Fawn. I buy their stamps and dies because I love the images, and they have no rewards program.
I feel like the rewards program for any company is a bonus but not a drive to buy, for me.

I too am driven to purchase from a company to buy from them. I usually go for images. You see I was going to join FSJ, but did not. I used to purchase all of my cardstock from SU until I found PTI. SO I guess will I buy from everyone no matter what the rewards are.


Just my two cents.

My only suggestion would be for SU to lower the minimum for a demo to remain active. My demo nearly didn't make it this quarter, but we all spent a little more so she slid in just slightly over it. I don't really care much about rewards because I don't spend enough to get anything most times, but I do love their products.

That was awesome that you could help her out so she could make it. I think that their minimum is kind of high too. That is why I never signed up with them, because I knew I could not make it. :(

Ditto to this. The image designs are very generic to me.

I agree. The Hostess dollars were once a consideration for me, but now I have so much stuff, I only order things I love, and my orders are smaller.

I just placed an SU order and was considering a $150 order. However, with shipping and tax on top, it did not make sense to order a bunch of extra stuff to build up to $150. I ended up just ordering my "must haves" for around $70 with no hostess dollars.

Just to add to the original post. FSJ has a GWP (gift with purchase)- for every $50 you spend you can choose one FREE item. There are ats stamps, embellies, mini dies. The catalog is 220 page and a large file. It seems some are having trouble loading it to their computers. If I knew how to condense it i would. I was able to download it and have sent it via email to some people. Some are able to open it, some are not. As for the quarterly minimums, FSJ is $150/ quarter.

Exactly...I'm the same way. I just order what I love and intend on using right away. It doesn't make sense for me to tack on extra stuff that I like and that I want to use at some point. I have a room full of boxes in storage with stuff I liked that I want to use at some point. lol

I would look at the new Inspiration book and Catalog. Your opinion might change after seeing it. It' truly is amazing and awesome.

So even though I'm a demo and only buy SU (for more reasons than just being a demo) I like to look at other companies for inspiration. I can't get the FSJ or Amuse catalogs to load AT ALL. I also can't get the shop button on FSJ to work just to look around. What's the deal? I'm not looking to buy and I'm frustrated. I'd be super frustrated if I really wanted something….am I doing something wrong?

I have sent a message to the FSJ home office. Some can view it. Some can't. Hopefully they can figure it out soon.

Glad it's not just me.

Nope. They are working with the programmers. They file is so large. Once I heard it's been "fixed". I will let you know.

It's not just you;)

If that's your shopping site that's not allowed per the SCS terms of service. Your post may be deleted by the mods for being promotional. Might want to read the TOS if you haven't. Just wanted to let you know in case you didn't or in case your post disappears and you don't know why :-)

Minders, if you haven't already, try using a different web browser.
I know my employers (NOT FSJ!) website does not work properly with certain web browsers. They are aware of it, but there is no quick, short-term fix for it.

I had no problem loading the FSJ catalog even in my phone. I had a lot of products on my wish list. My problem is the customer service. I called the toll-free number and left a message in the voice mail and did not get a response. I also emailed the site to ask about a coach who lives closest to me. Nobody replied at this point. The minimum is doable and I was tempted to switch since I am my best customer at this point. Now I am concerned because what if I actually have problems with my order. Who am I supposed to get in touch with? If I sign up as a coach, the fact there there is a lack of response from the website is concerning to me.

I am sorry you haven't received a response from them - with the release of the new catalog, right now, they are getting calls and communication like crazy, and are doing their best to keep up. However - it is not typical to not get a response within a day. Trust me, they have the BEST customer service that you will ever find (in my opinion).

If it's a local Coach you are looking for, there is a Coach locator feature on the website. With the new site design its a bit hidden at the moment (I have let them know it should be easier to find), to find a Coach: click on Become a Coach, scroll down a tiny bit and click into the Become a Coach green banner. At that point a pop up box will appear and you can put in your zip code to find a coach near you.

I hope this helps :-)

I can get the Amuse catalog to load just fine. FSJ though, forget it. It's just impossible.

I did finally get the amuse catalog. I always love their samples, they have cute stuff!

It breaks my heart to hear that some are still having a difficult time opening our online catalog. The Journey station crew is fully aware of the issue and they are working hard on fixing it. They are working through their programers to possibly move the catalog to another location and/or lower the resolution to allow everyone to access it. It is a HUGE catalog with about 220 pages. Please, please be patient...I promise FSJ is doing all they can to fix this.

My apologies, I want to make a correction to the above and my instructions: After you click into the Green banner "Become a Coach" then you hit the "Let us help you find a coach" button. The next screen will have a State drop down menu.

*Please note, a rotating random coach shows up on initial page with the title "any State, any City". This info changes when you actually chose a State. This random coach appearing has caused some confusion and the coach info WILL change when you select your State. :)

I use Mozilla Firefox and the catty loads fine on my computer. I don't try to view it on my iPad.

Can't wait to hear when this is fixed. Have tried a couple of times to open it with no luck. It sounds amazing. I am a sucker for stamps with coordinating dies.
Cindy

I think it must be because it's too big because I have both the new SU cataloge and Amuse Studio downloaded on my iPad right now and I can view them just fine. The FSJ cataloge gets to a certain point in the download and then an error message comes on and it tries again...never able to accomplish the download...it's a tablet world now folks...so make it happen. Oh yes,I have had the privilege of seeing it on my son's computer twice...but I need it on my own tablet,so I can look at it as much as I want...

Hostess Benefit Shipping
 

As some of you may know, our new website was charging a separate shipping charge on the hostess items... well, there is good news.

Effective June 24, the hostess award order will no longer incur a separate shipping charge, with some exceptions. Items that are either oversized or especially heavy will continue to be charged the standard shipping rate, based off the full retail price. These items include:

Journey Grand Die Cutting Machine, the punch cartridges, the large steel rule dies (House, Matchbox & Milk Carton), and when it launches, the Journey Platinum machine.

If you have additional questions please reach out to the Journey Crew or a coach near yo

FYI: the annual online catalog has been moved so it can be downloaded and viewed by everyone now. The file was so big it was causing issues for some to open it.

Yay! Works great on my tablet!

And it has flip pages!

I just got my hard copy of the catty spiral bound at Office Depot for $3!

I just submitted an SU order for a friend and me, and topped the $300 mark for rewards. This will cover me for the year, except for some items I may want from a smaller occasions catalog featuring holiday items. What really bothered me was the shipping/handling fee (I know, 10%) but then the PA 6% state tax on both product and shipping. That was 1/6 of my total product price order. This product order helped our demo for this 3rd quarter. I think about the gas I spend going to LSS which are at least 20 miles away each part of the trip, and wouldn't have these products. I like the SU products so I bite the proverbial bullet for the extras. Too bad those extras don't help my demo! Can't wait to play! Also stocked up on the grid paper pads this time... Diane

Anything helps your demo, really. I mean, I'll take any order I can get how no matter how small!

And yeah, the tax on shipping stinks. I too, live in a taxable state. Boo! Enjoy your goodies! I'm so excited to see the holiday catalog!