I think we all do. :rolleyes: Which is why there is a company for everyone, but not all companies are for everyone.

Perfectly said.

If you like the company's images enough, you'll adapt to the way they sell them-- mounted, umnounted, clear, red rubber, singly, in sets, whatever.

I swore up and down I'd never even try any sort of clear stamps. Too messy, too much bother I thought. Lasted only until a company came out with stamps I had to have no matter what. ;)

ITA.

I hear you sister and I love wood mounted stamps...go SU!!!!

This is exactly what I was going to write!! :-D
I love SU stamps. I have also found that I love lots of other companies and buy all types of stamps now. I have clear, rubber unmounted, and mostly wood mounted. If I love it and have to have it, I get it!
This seems like a strange thing to be getting sort of heated about, doesn't it?:confused:
To each his own........

Nope, I really won't!! If they don't adapt to what I want I will find another company who has great images who will give me what I want. SU got used to being king of the mountain, so to speak, for a very long time. Things are a-changing :). There are many, many competitors out there who are really up and coming. I am currently on design teams for other companies who are putting out some really cool things. 2 of them have not yet released anything to the public until all the bugs are worked out and they know that they will hit the ground running. Paper Trey is a good example of how that works.

oy vey.

I don't quite see who is getting heated, myself. :confused: People expressing differing opinions in a thread doesn't necessarily constitute yelling and screaming. I don't see drama, negativity, or pot-stirring, just mature conversation for the most part. I'm not picking on you or your comment here; just wanted to speak up mostly because I've seen other SCSrs completely dismiss honest discourse as drama, etc. when it is not the case.

That's the wisest thing that I have read in a long time! I like that I have a choice of a company that still sells their sets in "soon to be mounted on wood" sets! I don't think it would be worth my time to go over to CTMH and petition for them to make me red rubber sets identical to their polymer ones just because I don't care for the polymer. I've found images that I like and a way to stamp that works for me. As long as I'm not the only oddball that still likes the wood with my stamps, SU! should be OK for a while. (and if they ditched the wood, there would go a lot of the variety and options that we currently enjoy in the stamping industry. I'd hate it if every company were the same...)

[quote=ikimoI wonder, does the example of TAC offering an option of mounted or UM and then quickly finding the demand for the higher price wood mount disappear frighten some of the wood mount fans here? Kathy[/quote]

At one time TAC offered both Unmounted & Wood mounted Rubber stamps.
Example of Unmounted vs. wood mounted Rubber stamps
Same set of stamps
Unmounted: Set of 10 stamps cost $19.95

Wood mounted: Set of 10 stamps cost $39.95

Totally a big jump in prices for the wood mounted stamps.

The main reason for going totally unmounted was because They were not selling as many wood mounted sets.


I started out with wood mounted stamps when I first starting stamping..But I a friend share with me the unmounted stamps and I came to love them..

I buy both wood mounted and unmounted Rubber stamps.
And I love Creating with rubber stamp no matter if they are unmounted or woodmounted!



The bottom line here......Everyone is going to purchase what they love!


If SU wants to offer both wood mounted and umounted rubber stamps. That's going to have to start with Shelly.

If you are interested in getting SU to start offering both wood mounted & unmounted Why not contact the Home Office by writing a letter.
Voicing your opinion here is going do much in the way of getting SU to change their ways!

We can sit here and write back and forth about what we like and don't like. But is that going to change things??

Maybe heated wasn't the word to use.........
Just that it seems to be a strange thing (to me) to feel so passionately about. KWIM? If people do not want to buy wood mounted stamps....then don't and vice versa. I just buy what I like and am inspired by, no matter what type they are.
I'm fairly sure that no amount of honest discourse is going to change anyone's mind if they already have it set one way or the other......kwim?

As long as it wouldn't affect what I pay for my wood-mounted stamps, I wouldn't mind at all if they offered unmounted.

For me personally, I don't want unmounted for two reasons.
(1) I simply like the wood mounted stamps, I like the feel of the wood in my hand, and I like mounting them just once and being done with it.
(2) (Some of you will laugh at this one) If I didn't have all those wood blocks, I'd have a lot more space for more stamps that I definitely DO NOT need! Nosireebob, I have more stamps than I use as it is. I don't need room for more stamps. Having all those wood blocks take up space helps keep my stamp-buying habit under control.
lol, hope some of you get a chuckle out of this (we need a little levity here...)

Good for you. It seems like you'll have a lot of companies to choose from who will offer you what you want. Then you can move on from SU and their high prices and wood mounts and sets you only like a few stamps out of.

I really appreciate your response, and I understand what you mean about wondering what the point of discussing a seeming non-issue is. I do find discussions like these very helpful in refining my opinions and attitudes, and realising why I think or do the things I do rather than just taking them for granted without question.

I think it is very easy for folks to describe why they prefer this way or that way of doing things by slamming the way they don't choose as being idiotic and stupid (I know it can be that way for me), but maybe after talking about it folks can get beyond that attitude and find it helpful in other areas of their lives too. I have definitely developed a better understanding of the WM adherents and I feel I'm better off for it as a person. There are a lot of other issues where I don't really understand the other side's view, and getting to that understanding somewhat with something seemingly as trivial as WM and UM stamping may help me achieve that connection to the other side with other issues too.

Plus, it can be fun to talk about all the details of stamping and hearing other opinions and ways of thinking. :) Lord knows my DH doesn't have much of an interest in the benefits of wood mounts, so I can't really rap with him about it too much.

Sorry to be so long-winded!!! I just find talking with others to be very interesting and enjoyable!!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanstamping2 The main reason for going totally unmounted was because They were not selling as many wood mounted sets.

Yes, that was my point in asking the question about why so many people feel so strongly against the idea of SU offering an option.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanstamping2 The bottom line here......Everyone is going to purchase what they love!

Agreed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanstamping2 If SU wants to offer both wood mounted and umounted rubber stamps. That's going to have to start with Shelly.

Yes, but that decision is not made by Shelly's personal choice alone, she has to base the decision on what is best for her company if market share declines and that is driven by customers. It's a two way street.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanstamping2 If you are interested in getting SU to start offering both wood mounted & unmounted Why not contact the Home Office by writing a letter.

I did write a letter, and then opened up this conversation on another thread because I think there are lots of people interested in talking about it. Sometimes people think they are the only ones with an opinion, and then here we are and there are lots of people on both sides of this discusssion, plus some are on the fence. I was really surprised that people against the option idea are very passionate about it and was wondering why. I'm glad they respond with other viewpoints and it helps me to understand more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanstamping2 Voicing your opinion here is going do much in the way of getting SU to change their ways! We can sit here and write back and forth about what we like and don't like. But is that going to change things??

I'm assuming you meant to say that voicing my opinion here is not going to do much to get SU to change their ways. I agree, and yes I know that the discussion doesn't change things. But this forum is a place for stamping people to discuss different ideas in the stamping world. It's just a way for people to get a handle on what the latest trends are. I sort of see it like discussing anything else that is new, such as the different options in die cut machines - Cuttlebugs, Sizzix, Cricut, etc.

Um, when you use the big font, it kind comes across as yelling or anger. Correct me if I'm wrong.

~ Kathy

I guess because I really love some of SU's images and wish they would give me an option. I do not like throwing away good wood. I do not like paying for good wood. SU lost a huge chunk of what I normally spend with SU over the last year. I think it will continue to be less. I have been an SU customer for years and years. If it doesn't bother them to lose me and many of my friends then I guess it doesn't bother them. Particularly when the new sets coming out are so pricey and I have to work hard for my money, I have to set boundaries if they are not going to cater to me and those like me. Their choice and my choice, but once they lose people to other companies they might not see them again a few years down the line if thing start to lag and they wonder if the train went right by them. I think they need to listen and it does not feel like they are and certainly a large number of their demos who stand to make more off the higher percentages may find that they sell less sets to people like me. I am not heated, and I am not whining. I am just presenting one side of this and it sure seems like many people are right there with me. At this moment on the poll, 75 % of us would like the option. Just an option, that's all.

ROFL ! Now when I look at all the room in my stamp drawer, it looks like I don't really have that many stamps, noooooo....., and room for more, yessssss...., you know where that leads. Excited about what will be in the new catalog.

~ Kathy

Mahloumel... ma belle.... Your comments are wonderfully thoughtful and well written. Enjoying the chat.

~ Kathy

I did not mean higher percentages, I meant higher prices on the newer sets coming out.

You are correct about the 75%, however, I doubt that SU is going to change their whole company structure based on the opinions of 210 people who frequent the SCS forums...KWIM;)

Yep, it's just a way to see what people here in SCS are thinking. We get it. It's like a poll on which die cut option you like. Just for chatting. ;)

~ Kathy

*wink* I bet those companies don't take a bit of notice what happens here, like the scallop punch rage and such.

My hubby just said he didn't think almost 300 SCSrs answering a poll in one hour really represent much at all in the stamping world.

This is where I am with SU. I am a HUGE SU fan! I am finding other places to buy the unmounted stamps I need due to space limitations, but I'm sure someone new to stamping fills my void as an SU customer. It just seems a shame though that SU is losing several thousands of dollars worth of business a year from me (not to mention how this affects my demo), how many more are there like me? Add it up - it is significant!

After reading many of the comments about SU, I was thinking of the changing situation in the automotive world. Ford Motor, Chrysler and General Motors were the big guys a few years ago. They didn't listen to their customers comments or complaints and refused to change cause they always did it that way and if you didn't like their cars you didn't have to buy them. That attitude is showing up in their financial statements with hugh losses and they are having a very difficult time getting back the customers they lost to foreign competition who did listen and built what people were asking them for. Of course this doesn't compare to the hobby of stamping since everyone has to have a car, but it's a good lesson in paying attention to what customers are saying about what they want to buy.

I just barely saw this thread and I have read the first page and now this page. I am just going to put my 2 cents in for what it is worth. On the first page someone posted that there would not be enough room on the pick line to offer this option. I happen to work at the Manufacturing Facility which is 4.5 hours away from the DC. Stamp sets would be packaged by work order. If there is a work order for unmounted then that is what would get packaged. The work is done based on need.Back when the company first started we offered foam mounted and wood mounted. We were smaller and had less room then we do now and we were still able to offer our demos that option. We are a larger facility in both locations and trust me if we did make the decision to offer this it could be done in the space we have now.
I am also posting to let you know that someone who works for them is listening.

He's probably right! LoL!

Very cool. Thanks for posting your firsthand knowledge!

Thank you so much! I hope you show this thread to the folks in marketing.

Cheryl, let them know that we want to be heard. Thanks so much for posting and dispelling the oft repeated myths.

I PM'd you ...

Hi Cheryl,

Are you talking about the space on the pick line at the manufacturing facility or the distribution center??

Last year when I took the tour of the distribution center, we were told that there is only so much space on the pick lines for items and that was why the jumbo cartridges did not come in all of the SU colors.

Thanks for the insight.:p

Actually, my very first set of blocks weren't acrylic but GLASS, if you can believe it. Talk about HEAVY!! And I have little hands, too...so the big ones were extremely awkward to use. My biggest glass block was 8x8...sheesh!

Back then, the main place to get um rubber was at rubber stamp conventions. Stores didn't carry them, and most were adamant that they'd never carry them. I had one store here that was willing to try selling them...they sold Sonlight Stamps along with the big blocks. Sadly, they went under (the LSS) about 9 years ago or so.

Getting back to conventions, though....you ain't seen nothin' 'til you've seen a rubber pit. There would be a HUGE thing, like a small swimming pool, full of um's. Gals were usually 10-deep trying to get into the pit. Standard attire for going to conventions included a pocket mirror to help you read um sentiment stamps, since there was no index to read what it said. (YOU try reading backwards when you've got 75 crazy women climbing up your butt trying to take your place!!)

I think it's wonderful that there are so many places now to get um's. Many folks can try them without real risk because the acrylics particularly are so inexpensive to make.

So why is it that, with so many to choose from, WHY is it that some folks are spending so much energy complaining about one company's type of selling stamps, when they could be just as easily stamping away with any number of stamps from other companies? I don't get it......if WM stamps aren't your thing, just buy your stamps elsewhere. I don't see anybody demanding that CTMH go back to rubber, or Paper Trey offer the option of rubber as well as polymer.

I like Paper Trey's images. I really, really DON'T like polymer stamps, though. I bought the stamps from them though. I decided I could live with how they offered their merchandise. I didn't see any need to start 6,000 polls and threads asking people to demand that they offer rubber too. Quite frankly, it's just none of my business how they run their company. If I really couldn't stand the polymer that much, I'd just move on to a different company.

I am talking about both facilities. You are right there is only so much room,but we used to do everything in Kanab. We had about 30000 sq. feet to work in. The facility in Riverton is 300,000 sq.feet and the new facility in Kanab is 80,000. My point in telling you this is that it can be done if we went with that option. I am not saying that what they told you is wrong. I am saying that if they already have the room for a STAMP SET then does it matter if it is unmounted or with wood( which takes up more room on the pick line)?

I understand that but if SU offered both wood mounts and unmounted, wouldn't that require twice as much space since there would need to be a spot for each type of set?

Thanks again:p

Kathy,
No! I am not angry or yelling. I hit the font size by mistake and as you know once it hit's the forums there is nothing one can do about it.
And NO I wasn't aiming this post at you. But to other's.
I was just thinking if everyone that has strong feeling about SU going unmounted, Then they should write a letter to Shelly or the Home office and voice their opinion there.

Cause really there isn't much we can do about it here on SCS....Other than voice our opinion.

I understand that you have worked on the pick line and have heard how it works explained to you. You are right there would need to be a space for both but like I said if we used to do it in a smaller space don't you think we can do it in a bigger space? Also since Kanab just built a much bigger facility maybe just maybe they could also do something in kanab and not just riverton. I am not attacking you I am just wanting people to see the whole picture. We have not been a company for almost 20 years because we do not know how to manufacture and distribute to our customers needs or wants.

Betsy - I love those conventions - mirror in hand :)

Kathy - NEVER ever say NEVER, lol.

One thing I've noticed in all my local stores, they are cutting the wood mounts and only carry clear stamps. Cord Camera Scrap is exclusive clear, Archivers, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby are mostly clear, and the 2 independents are only clear and foam.

I like the cheaper price of just the rubber. When I go to conventions, I come out with bags of rubber! It's so nice to buy a stamp for..well a buck, slap it on a block and away you go.

Now, all that said - SU can do what they want. I have the room as I said, and I'll continue to buy their wood mounts. I'm lazy - if it comes as a wood mount, I don't unmount it, etc... but if they offered the option, I'd buy unmounted in a minute.

I love SU - but I also like the other trends - like the scalloped punches, the glaze pens, etc... those are things that I think a catalogue based company misses out on, but it's ok b/c there are other stores, etc.. to fill the gap. Darn I need scalloped punches....I still haven't bought them.

It wouldn't really matter to me. I'd be happy with the option to purchase both. Years ago the gave the option for foam or wood and the foam was cheaper. I don't know anything about the ease of the old foam ones since I don't have any. I noticed it looking thru some old catty's.

Yes, a letter should be written by those who feel strongly, and many have already written.

But surely you aren't suggesting we let it die because it's only SCS? I mean, the whole point of the forums is to beat the horse to death! Oh wait, that's only in CE. ROFL

But seriously - the more people chat about it here, the more they can form an opinion, perhaps decide to write a letter when they never would have thought to before.

I think it's great to have great big long honkin' threads about stuff.

I do like it to be civil. I'm not fond of reading posts that bash a company or imply ill motives, when that's really uncalled for. It's a legitimate question and I think can and should be discussed without that.