TC May Sale starts tomorrow!
I’m just a little bit speechless right now. I’ve been killing myself this week trying to do all the normal sale website prep stuff on top of my real job – I was up past midnight last night – and this morning I logged in to Ravelry to see somebody complaining about the splash page on the site. They were upset that they couldn’t get to the site and order a pair of knitting needles NOW. I’m just flabbergasted. We used to keep the site up and running normally right til the sale began, but inevitably we’d get half a dozen emails the following week from customers who unknowingly bought the day before it started and were bitching that they didn’t get the discount. You really just can’t win. At least this way we cut down on the complaining, and it gives us a full day to test the site and make sure it’s ready. Plus I think it’s kinda fun and builds up a sense of anticipation towards the Sale. What do you guys think?
rachel
May 23, 2008 — 12:50 pm
Jeez, if she was that desperate to buy needles she could have rung the shop or maybe jumped on to Ravelry and asked someone to go get her a pair.
People have no patience these days
Nicole
May 23, 2008 — 1:14 pm
thanks kris! Now I can start planning a trip there next week with a friend. PS re rude cranky customers? you dont work there anymore she can take a flying leap 🙂
RoseRed
May 23, 2008 — 1:33 pm
I saw the comment – I think she was complaining at first but then turned it a bit tongue in cheek after someone called her on it. For me, I would have liked to check out availability of stuff on the web before deciding whether to come in on the weekend (I realise I could have done this earlier in the week and I’m not complaining or anything!!). I wonder if there’s a way of notifying web-shoppers about the sale without actually making the shop pages unavailable? Anyway, it’s not worth worrying about really – as you say, you can’t please everyone!!
Kris
May 23, 2008 — 2:38 pm
Eh, she turned out to be okay, if maybe a little overly-dramatic. 🙂 I gave her the number to call the shop and order them on the phone.
Kris
May 23, 2008 — 2:46 pm
It’s always a tradeoff, RoseRed. Personally I’ve got no problem publicising the date and letting people know, but of course, Albie worries that it will cannibalize normal sales leading up to it. So it’s sort of a compromise. Most of our regular customers know that it’s coming up this time of year, and we send out the postal invites in the week beforehand. We decided to take the site down at the same time we sent out the email just because there are a lot of idiots who’d see it and immediately click through to the site expecting the discounts to be there. It’s safer just to “lock the doors” for a day so people definitely know they need to wait.
That said, there are lots of staff on Ravelry (other than me) and our phone number’s still on the book. I’ve actually had a couple PMs this morning asking if we’ll have certain yarns in the Sale. And for very special people… I’ve even been known to arrange a little sneak peek at the site. (I can’t let you in now though; I’ve still got work to do on it tonight. I will say this though… *cough* JET *cough* MEDEA…
RoseRed
May 23, 2008 — 3:45 pm
you are too funny!!
I was thinking after my last comment that if people don’t put themselves on the mailing list then they shouldn’t complain about buying stuff the week before the sale and not getting a discount. Whingers. Ignore them!!
gemma
May 23, 2008 — 4:59 pm
love the huge notice. impossible to miss.
cheers,
Miss K
May 23, 2008 — 10:34 pm
Hi,
I’ve recently discovered your website.
I admire you knitters,I tried a beginners class and totally sucked,must get some lessons from mum soon.
I’m new to embroidery too and love going to TC to buy beautiful colours of thread but find the range of patterns in there dated,they should stock Sublime Stitching,oh and they didn’t stock carbon transfer paper,which is an essential for tracing patterns.
Kris
May 24, 2008 — 2:27 am
Heh. I’ve actually told Albert to get Sublime Stitching stuff like a dozen times! The problem right now – and it’s a real catch-22 – is that embroidery just isn’t making money. Retailers are reluctant to invest in new stock and designs when the market is tanking, but without fresh ideas, I don’t see how it can pick up. DMC came out with an “embellish your clothes” line a couple years ago that I thought looked nice, but we barely sold any of it. (It didn’t help that the kits were ridiculously expensive, even before we put our markup on them.) Keep your eyes open for Albert the next time you’re in the shop; he’s the guy that runs the place. He’s always happy to talk to customers (when he’s got time). Tell him what you want. If there’s enough demand, he’ll get it. 🙂
hank
May 24, 2008 — 2:35 am
Personally I think it’s a bit of a mistake closing down an e-commerce site that would normally be up year-round… surely that’s going to “cannibalize normal sales” more leading up to the sale?
So long as it’s clearly promoted that there’s a sale coming up (for example having a similar big banner on the home page) I think you it’s a reasonably win/win situation and a better compromise for customers.
I guess I’m just going to have to wait for my needles.
Kris
May 24, 2008 — 9:36 am
Huh. I just realized that the way we do it is the same way as Apple! Must have been where I got the idea. There’s no way Steve Jobs would publicize when new models are coming out, because then nobody would buy in the months leading up to it. And they do take their site down ahead of time when something new is being added. Yeah, the make a small allowance for the bitchers who buy very close to the date, but everybody else knows that you have to do your own homework and decided on your own when to buy.
I can see your point about leaving the site up and letting people know the Sale is coming, Hank, but the shop owner will never go for it. He’s never advertised the date of his sale more than a few days ahead of time (and only then via email or the mailed invite). I wonder if I could convince him to put a big banner on the site (but leave it up) at the same time those notices go out next year. I’m guessing we’d have *no* sales on those days though, whereas normally we’d have at least a few from people (first-timers and those overseas) who aren’t on our loyalty list.