How much has the supply chain issues messed with business?
Was July 2020-july 2021 good for mercatalyst because everyone was shopping online or not so good because people were saving money? (Yes I realize I quantified the data analysis with attributes that you can’t confirm, so i guess I’m just curious if there was a significant enough change to note and if was positive or negative)
Also what is the significance of Glen and the flask?
@mbersiam Tricky question.
We’ve seen supply chain issues, sure. But we also help solve supply chain issues, so we see both sides.
2020 was an interesting year. People were definitely shopping online more, and we did see some of that, but I’m not totally sure how it contributed to the bottom line, so to speak.
Just a question I’ve been curious for awhile: How come the amount of mehrathon’s have decreased drastically this year compared to how many were run last year?
@nonlion Hard to pinpoint one real reason. Not really a calculated “we’re going to do less” as I understand it. More just a change in vibe to keep things from getting stale.
@FreePasta I didn’t ask for statements though.
But I’ll answer it like it was a question. I remember the day I heard we were going to buy the TrackRs. It was a fun deal. I also remember the first time holding one. We played with them in the office for like 2 days straight.
@ChadP@kdemo I would. I’ve got a bunch of them that I don’t know what to do with. Still debating tearing them apart for the batteries…but only have a couple of things which take that type of battery. So then I have to figure out what to do with the rest of the them.
@Outer78 ugh, Im lost in past orders and emails but now I dont think I’ve lost my mind in believing it is the 9th. Being Friday and the weekend makes more sense. I’m completely lost this week
@Outer78 i believe the 8th is technically “Day Zero” but it’s all one big birthday, and yes, they probably don’t want to work on the weekend to throw us a “party?”
Why haven’t the Irks ever been renamed as once planned? The name was going to rotate through our ‘winning’ suggestions. I’m still waiting to order my Wundertüte!
@ChadP I don’t think so in that thread but I distinctly recall it being said that it would happen. Unfortunately looking for the right thread is akin to using the search function on Amazon.
Unfortunately looking for the right thread is akin to using the search function on Amazon.
AMZ has no search function. They have an AI honey-badger simulator that picks stuff to return as results based on its Mood Score. And their AI is utter crap.
AMZ has no search function. They have an AI honey-badger simulator that picks stuff to return as results based on its Mood Score. And their AI is utter crap.
My thoughts: their AI is not crap. It’s works very well … for Amazon.
It seems to me that the place “Amazon search” (so-called) really misses is when it doesn’t return results anywhere close to what the customer is looking for, and the customer gives up and buys whatever elsewhere.
I get this sometimes when I can’t figure out what wording would work, or when Amz tosses too much sheer unrelated garbage into the results.
What I usually see is “Amz search” returning results favorable to Amazon’s purposes. And they give results, knowing that the customer who messes with search will likely finally give up and buy something kinda close to whatever might work, in the end.
I would be happy to see Amz search offer to exclude terms, or have such as “only search product titles” options, similar to EBay.
But that’s extra code for them, extra server load on the refined searches, snd people are buying anyway.
I suspect their search is highly tuned to generate the highest volume of buys, and that they deliberately code to generate results with an awareness of levels of customer frustration and other behavioral factors that lead to likely purchases.
Incidentally, someone I know recently caught them doing differential pricing again (buying a router; logged-in vs private-mode pricing ). The price diff was a hefty %.
I assume they do price-games fairly often. I don’t check every time for this price-juggling, I do check re proposed expensive purchases.
Ok I have a real question this time. What has been your favorite deal/event over the years? I know there have been some good shenanigans in the past (Pastadrop, Schrödinger’s toothbrush club, IRKathon). In a similar vein what has been your favorite purchase from meh?
@a5meiser This is the purchase that I use the most:
It’s literally 3 inches away from me right now. I use it daily.
Toothbrush club was weird behind the scenes. Lots of do we don’t we moments in terms of community content. Lots of work. The end result of content and swag was fun.
Pastadrop was fun from the idea all the way through to the end.
Irkathon and the coupon idea was a neat concept. I watched that one mostly from the sidelines.
@ChadP@Kyeh Let’s just say that we don’t talk about Glen after a certain incident with the Members Only 9-pack of Men’s briefs sale. He’s still away on a “sabbatical” for PTSD.
@sammydog01 TLDR shirts on demand is a different process. We like that we’re screen printing our shirts for now. I don’t see a current plan in place to move to a print on demand/digital environment.
@sammydog01 They went all DTG since mid-2016; since then, they’ve added many more machines (Kornit Avalanche) and are printed at multiple Amazon facilities for quicker fulfillment. That adds a lot more variables to the outcome of good versus not-so-good.
With that said, the reason why Woot needed the back catalog is because the older designs were under exclusive terms; once a design was cast out from the reckoning (now called the Top 20), it could not be purchased unless they offered a reprint at a later date. Newer designs and Mediocritee are non-exclusive, so artists are not locked into any one site and may sell the designs elsewhere.
Given that there are a number of other print-on-demand sites, I don’t see the need for Mediocritee to do such themselves.
@ChadP@mike808
Corollary: Is there a non-infuriating reason why the IRK “deals” stay posted for so long, when it’s a cinch that they were going to sell out in ten seconds?
@ChadP@mike808 Perhaps I misstated my question; is there a Really Good Reason (aside from “Nya-nya-you-didn’t-get-one”) why the IRK listings in a Mehrahon remain posted for as much as 30 minutes when they will have been sold out from (at the latest) the 30-second mark onward?
@mike808
I have the fragrant suspicion that this hypothesis may be just close enough to a fit for the unseen evidence that said evidence will remain unseen.
@ChadP@sammydog01@sunnysideup22 I miss the games, though. I couldn’t play any of them last year because we still had almost no internet signal, and now that we have actual decent service, there’s nothing happening for this year’s party. I has a sad.
@ChadP@Pony@sammydog01@sunnysideup22@tinamarie1974
This is exactly what I came here to say tonight! I was actually thinking that there’s going to be another mehrathon over the weekend, but NO! I’m going back to one of my favorites… Expectations definitely lead to resentments!! Ugh so darn MEH…! Always!
So, right now, there are mini mushrooms for sale. The previous item was pretty paperweights/mystical energy pyramid thingies that do some conspiracy something thingie…We’ve had assorted animals masks, various animals in cars/on wheels. Was there like an employee contest where you all competed to find the weirdest thing to sell? Or was it like an incentive thing where the highest performing employees got to pick what they wanted to sell during the mehrathon? Can you peel back the curtain a little and give us some insight into the thought process here?
What factors go into the time limits for Mehrathons? Is it a fixed schedule and the products are randomly placed? Does it involve the quantity of the products offered? Something else?
Happy belated birthday meh! Are you still answering questions? Can I ask more than one question? Is any of my code still in production? Any regrets on the name change to Mercatalyst? Does anyone miss me ?
I’d ask how you are @ChadP but I can talk to you any time .
Are there any speaker docks left?
@narfcake We were weirdly just talking about the original JBL speaker docks. I have one. Does that count as being left?
@ChadP Yes, it counts. They were such a major part of meh’s growth in prior years.
@ChadP @narfcake Does it count if we have one still “left”?
Is there a plan to have Irk rehabilitated so he can start making more videos?
Maybe the additional $5 per Irk can go towards his “medical bills”
@tinamarie1974 I actually like this idea. Donate to save Irk. I’m going to try to figure that out.
@ChadP
/giphy awesome
POPSOCKETS! COURT DOCKETS! FOLK ROCK HITS! AWESOME!
@ChadP @tinamarie1974 I’ll donate!
@ChadP @sammydog01 I bet a lot of people would.
Think how much money they would make if they gave an IRK PLUSHIE with every donation!!! Sorry I’m trying every angle I can think of
/giphy no shame
@ChadP @tinamarie1974 Maybe an all @matthew-athon, with extra proceeds going towards funding new videos?
@ChadP @tinamarie1974 I made some Irk plushies once. I should have kept one (even though they sucked).
How much has the supply chain issues messed with business?
Was July 2020-july 2021 good for mercatalyst because everyone was shopping online or not so good because people were saving money? (Yes I realize I quantified the data analysis with attributes that you can’t confirm, so i guess I’m just curious if there was a significant enough change to note and if was positive or negative)
Also what is the significance of Glen and the flask?
@mbersiam Tricky question.
We’ve seen supply chain issues, sure. But we also help solve supply chain issues, so we see both sides.
2020 was an interesting year. People were definitely shopping online more, and we did see some of that, but I’m not totally sure how it contributed to the bottom line, so to speak.
Glen is OG
Flash is OG
Also, any plans for the much anticipated, but always elusive IRK PLUSHIES!!!
@tinamarie1974 No formal plans. As much as I wish there were.
@ChadP can I have today off?
@Targaryen HR will be speaking with you soon.
@ChadP
@Targaryen
Now we know why you were hiding out back.
Just a question I’ve been curious for awhile: How come the amount of mehrathon’s have decreased drastically this year compared to how many were run last year?
@nonlion Hard to pinpoint one real reason. Not really a calculated “we’re going to do less” as I understand it. More just a change in vibe to keep things from getting stale.
@ChadP @nonlion But uh… not having mehrathons tends to make things more stale.
Have you ever thought about sharing acquisition cost with your customers?
@lehigh Sure, we’ve thought about it.
Any candy corn left?
@candiedisilvio1 We were weirdly just talking about the original candy corn. I have one. Does that count as being left?
Here’s my question:
Why?
@FreePasta
Do you still have a beard?
@medz I do.
@ChadP thanks for the verification. I thought that was you…
Do you still wear your Mallrats t shirt?
@kdemo it ripped. and my wife had a baby. so. it doesn’t fit. but we’re working on that!
@ChadP - Awww. It will look adorable on the baby.
Epic congratulations!!
@ChadP @kdemo Wow, congrats!
Free IRKs for everybody?
@FreePasta Not everyone. Just you. Just this one time.
@ChadP @FreePasta That’s nice…FreePasta you will have to share with us what you get.
@ChadP
Oh. Oh my. Thanks.
@ChadP @FreePasta Are we sure that this was not supposed to be a political demand by the Mehvolutionary Cuisinartista Front?
Not a question, but a statement:
Trackr Pixels…
@FreePasta I didn’t ask for statements though.
But I’ll answer it like it was a question. I remember the day I heard we were going to buy the TrackRs. It was a fun deal. I also remember the first time holding one. We played with them in the office for like 2 days straight.
Now I wish they would go away.
@ChadP - I think the going away part is working out just fine.
(Not that I’d know personally.)
@ChadP @kdemo I would. I’ve got a bunch of them that I don’t know what to do with. Still debating tearing them apart for the batteries…but only have a couple of things which take that type of battery. So then I have to figure out what to do with the rest of the them.
@ChadP @gt0163c @kdemo Recent reports put the dead-battery rate at well over 90%, so recovery does not seem likely to be worthwhile…
How many thousands of Schrodingers Toothbrush Club coins are left?
@FreePasta A handful, I think.
@ChadP @FreePasta A handful of thousands, or a handful of coins…?
Can meh create a physical IRK coin?
@hammi99 Can we? I guess. Will we? To be seen.
@ChadP Yes it needs to happen although not for the reasons @hammi99 wants on the goat thread.
Any good excuses I could use when my boss catches me watching the Meh-rathon?
@tnhillbillygal That it’s 2022 and monitoring employees so closely lowers performance.
@ChadP
/giphy how low can you go
@ChadP @tnhillbillygal
With minimum wages comes minimum performance.
Has meh mastered time travel? Isn’t your bday on the 9th? Or have I just lost my mind the last couple years?
Edit - pretty sure ive lost my mind
@Outer78 No.
@djslack @Outer78 I. Uhhhh. I’m off for the weekend.
@ChadP Oops, I ninja deleted. Now you have mastered time travel as you answer my post above my post.
Original post: My hope is that they have upgraded to “birthday weekend” status.
@Outer78 ugh, Im lost in past orders and emails but now I dont think I’ve lost my mind in believing it is the 9th. Being Friday and the weekend makes more sense. I’m completely lost this week
@Outer78 i believe the 8th is technically “Day Zero” but it’s all one big birthday, and yes, they probably don’t want to work on the weekend to throw us a “party?”
/giphy party?
Is this thread a ploy to see if people will ask for IRKs? If so, can I get one? If not, well… meh
/8ball will I get an irk?
Ask again later
Why haven’t the Irks ever been renamed as once planned? The name was going to rotate through our ‘winning’ suggestions. I’m still waiting to order my Wundertüte!
https://meh.com/forum/topics/rename-the-fuko
@cinoclav Does it say somewhere in there that it’s going to rotate?
@ChadP I don’t think so in that thread but I distinctly recall it being said that it would happen. Unfortunately looking for the right thread is akin to using the search function on Amazon.
@ChadP @cinoclav
AMZ has no search function. They have an AI honey-badger simulator that picks stuff to return as results based on its Mood Score. And their AI is utter crap.
@ChadP @cinoclav @werehatrack
My thoughts: their AI is not crap. It’s works very well … for Amazon.
It seems to me that the place “Amazon search” (so-called) really misses is when it doesn’t return results anywhere close to what the customer is looking for, and the customer gives up and buys whatever elsewhere.
I get this sometimes when I can’t figure out what wording would work, or when Amz tosses too much sheer unrelated garbage into the results.
What I usually see is “Amz search” returning results favorable to Amazon’s purposes. And they give results, knowing that the customer who messes with search will likely finally give up and buy something kinda close to whatever might work, in the end.
I would be happy to see Amz search offer to exclude terms, or have such as “only search product titles” options, similar to EBay.
But that’s extra code for them, extra server load on the refined searches, snd people are buying anyway.
I suspect their search is highly tuned to generate the highest volume of buys, and that they deliberately code to generate results with an awareness of levels of customer frustration and other behavioral factors that lead to likely purchases.
Incidentally, someone I know recently caught them doing differential pricing again (buying a router; logged-in vs private-mode pricing ). The price diff was a hefty %.
I assume they do price-games fairly often. I don’t check every time for this price-juggling, I do check re proposed expensive purchases.
How seriously has a future “pasta-drop” type experiment been considered?
I’m wishing for random candy.
@j2 The CS team considers it almost weekly. I’m not sure that counts though.
@j2 I am wishing for random Trader Joe’s chocolate candy.
@j2 @Kidsandliz
Knifedrop!
Speakerdrop!
@blaineg @Kidsandliz mic drop?
@blaineg @j2 @Kidsandliz
Remember panty drop?
https://meh.com/forum/topics/end-of-may-irk-reveal#60c674d2f60135001bce65d5
Can I have a birthday irk for my birthday tomorrow? Also I thought I shared a birthday with meh, but maybe I’m off by a day…
Hey you said ask anything!
I asked and it came up but I missed it. Damn.
/giphy birthday weekend
@a5meiser I can’t give away all my secrets.
@a5meiser
looks like we share a birthday…
@chienfou Woo-hoo birthday twin!
/giphy happy birthday
Ok I have a real question this time. What has been your favorite deal/event over the years? I know there have been some good shenanigans in the past (Pastadrop, Schrödinger’s toothbrush club, IRKathon). In a similar vein what has been your favorite purchase from meh?
@a5meiser This is the purchase that I use the most:
It’s literally 3 inches away from me right now. I use it daily.
Toothbrush club was weird behind the scenes. Lots of do we don’t we moments in terms of community content. Lots of work. The end result of content and swag was fun.
Pastadrop was fun from the idea all the way through to the end.
Irkathon and the coupon idea was a neat concept. I watched that one mostly from the sidelines.
Do you keep in touch with any ex-flask people?
@sammydog01 I do with a couple. Time and distance are tricky, though.
Do you have any amazing Bezos stories?
@dandudeus I have a Zuckerberg story.
@ChadP @dandudeus
Are you going to share it?
@ChadP Yes, please!
If you could have one wish, what would it be?
@tinamarie1974 Uh. Equality. No more school shootings. More Irk videos. That kinda stuff.
@ChadP
@ChadP @tinamarie1974
Who do you like better - Irk or Glen?
@Kyeh Irk. Got to meet him in person a couple times.
@ChadP
Yay! I’m team Irk all the way.
@ChadP @Kyeh Let’s just say that we don’t talk about Glen after a certain incident with the Members Only 9-pack of Men’s briefs sale. He’s still away on a “sabbatical” for PTSD.
@ChadP @mike808
Glen’s just jealous.
@ChadP @Kyeh OH MY GOD THEY DISSED GLEN!!!
Are you ever going to do old t-shirt designs on demand like Woot? There are a few I would buy. Or is that why Woot’s quality is so shit lately?
@sammydog01 TLDR shirts on demand is a different process. We like that we’re screen printing our shirts for now. I don’t see a current plan in place to move to a print on demand/digital environment.
@sammydog01 They went all DTG since mid-2016; since then, they’ve added many more machines (Kornit Avalanche) and are printed at multiple Amazon facilities for quicker fulfillment. That adds a lot more variables to the outcome of good versus not-so-good.
With that said, the reason why Woot needed the back catalog is because the older designs were under exclusive terms; once a design was cast out from the reckoning (now called the Top 20), it could not be purchased unless they offered a reprint at a later date. Newer designs and Mediocritee are non-exclusive, so artists are not locked into any one site and may sell the designs elsewhere.
Given that there are a number of other print-on-demand sites, I don’t see the need for Mediocritee to do such themselves.
@ChadP I like that too, along with using blanks that fit and don’t double as sandpaper.
Do you ever miss your Leaf?
@medz Nope. It was great, but the new ones are so much better. And the Ford is great.
@ChadP @medz Isn’t the leaf more traditional than the Ford for covering your junk?
What percentage of staff has stuck it out since the beginning?
Is the brick and mortar location working as planned?
Anything new with Project Precipice?
Will I be fast enough to purchase an IRK after work (presuming there is a sale)?
@speediedelivery Stuck it out is a weird way to put it in the case of a job. Lots of folks have moved on to bigger and better things.
That said, as far as I know, there are maybe 8-15 people from the pre-Meh hires left.
Brick and Mortar is neat. It’s working as planned, sure.
No clue.
No.
“Lots of folks have moved on to bigger and better things.”
/giphy self-burn
@ChadP Just meant the many changes and length of time. Many of the forum visible flasks have moved along.
I thought I was all set for the member hour. Good click through, no pictures and it declined my touch on the but it button
What’s your favorite part of the job?
@rm9116 I get to work with a lot of good people and my job is basically just to talk to them all day. It’s rewarding.
Is there a reason Meh stops taking customer’s money by not moving on to the next item after the current one sells out?
@mike808 Cause the timer don’t care bout no money.
@ChadP @mike808
Corollary: Is there a non-infuriating reason why the IRK “deals” stay posted for so long, when it’s a cinch that they were going to sell out in ten seconds?
@ChadP @mike808 Perhaps I misstated my question; is there a Really Good Reason (aside from “Nya-nya-you-didn’t-get-one”) why the IRK listings in a Mehrahon remain posted for as much as 30 minutes when they will have been sold out from (at the latest) the 30-second mark onward?
@ChadP @werehatrack
It gives time for all of the IT staff to snicker at all the fuming in the forums by folks who got their Instant Regret for free.
@mike808
I have the fragrant suspicion that this hypothesis may be just close enough to a fit for the unseen evidence that said evidence will remain unseen.
favorite green vegetable?
@er1c Asparagus. Then Broccoli.
@ChadP how do you cook your asparagus?
@ChadP @er1c FYI: Liking broccoli means you are missing at least one gene for tasting “bitter”.
@er1c Just beyond raw. Blanched very quickly so it’s cooked, but very crisp.
Also like grilling very hot for like 90 seconds.
@ChadP @er1c
How do you cook broccoli?
Apart from Meh, your wife, and you kid(s), what do you get excited about lately?
@Limewater Music. Air Conditioning.
@ChadP @Limewater Everyone in Texas is excited about air conditioning these days. We’ve entered the “stupid hot” phase of the summer.
What is your favorite dance move?
@eggsterminate Have had to conversations this week about the moonwalk and how it’s incredibly simple to explain and difficult to master.
Would it be correct that there are no games this year for Meh’s birthday?
@sunnysideup22 I guess you could say we’re taking it easy.
@ChadP @sunnysideup22 No one should have to work too hard on their birthday.
@ChadP @sammydog01 @sunnysideup22 I miss the games, though. I couldn’t play any of them last year because we still had almost no internet signal, and now that we have actual decent service, there’s nothing happening for this year’s party. I has a sad.
@ChadP @Pony @sammydog01 @sunnysideup22 me too! I actually took the day off work so I wouldnt be distracted. Oh well
@ChadP @Pony @sammydog01 @sunnysideup22 @tinamarie1974
so darn MEH…! 
Always! 
This is exactly what I came here to say tonight! I was actually thinking that there’s going to be another mehrathon over the weekend, but NO! I’m going back to one of my favorites… Expectations definitely lead to resentments!! Ugh
Which Pokémon is your favorite?
@pepper114 Charizard
No special treats? I have been a good boi most of the day
@CharlieDoggo Come back next week.
@ChadP thatbis a LONG time to be good
@CharlieDoggo Please ask your human to give you some extra belly rubs and ear scritches (if you like those things) from me for being such a good boi.
@gt0163c oh thank you! Belly rubs are my FAVORITE!!
/giphy belly rub
And there went an IRK while I was reading this.
I wonder if there are any IRK hidden in side deal
@aaee Not that I have seen… but then again they could be crafty about it.
@aaee @Kidsandliz
I’m still searching, thought it was maybe going to be a weekend kind of thing.
Which site is best - Meh, Casemates, MonrningSave, Side Deal, Mediocritee, etc? And why?
@poids mediocritee because I help pick the shirts.
@poids @riskybryzness I like YouTube. It’s my favorite site.
@ChadP Wow.
I saw the new IRK video! Any clues to what’s in store 7/9? How much juice cleanse will he drink?
EDIT - I’m a dork.
@mattpekarek what new video? Link please
@tinamarie1974
This may have been a re-upload of the original Meh launch from back in the day. Or maybe it’s a cryptic hint for tomorrow. Or maybe I need a nap.
@mattpekarek Well…last year there was two days of celebration soooooo…
@mattpekarek oh, thanks!!! That is an original video. Before my time.
@mattpekarek @tinamarie1974 thanks for the trip down memory lane.
If you had a dollar for every dollar you had, how many dollars would you have?
@frankthehobo twice as many dollars. Unless you had zero, then you would still have zero dollars
So, right now, there are mini mushrooms for sale. The previous item was pretty paperweights/mystical energy pyramid thingies that do some conspiracy something thingie…We’ve had assorted animals masks, various animals in cars/on wheels. Was there like an employee contest where you all competed to find the weirdest thing to sell? Or was it like an incentive thing where the highest performing employees got to pick what they wanted to sell during the mehrathon? Can you peel back the curtain a little and give us some insight into the thought process here?
@gt0163c we just have a solid line on weird shit.
@ChadP @gt0163c
I thought perhaps your buyers had a ‘shroom binge of their own.
Can we get some meh bandanas or maybe a keffiyeh? I’m thinking purple
with a mischievous Irk print.
What do you think of the Jan 6 hearings?
@medz what uhhhhhh. What are we doing here?
@ChadP
/giphy stirring-pot
What factors go into the time limits for Mehrathons? Is it a fixed schedule and the products are randomly placed? Does it involve the quantity of the products offered? Something else?
@JT954 little bit of both.
Second the cotton/nylon/spandex bandanas, especially in bulk for the dog, and my head!
Also, round TUITs!
@ongware I think we did this one year and no one bought them.
@ChadP @ongware
What… how could it be that absolutely nobody got a round tuit?
Has Irk gotten cuter or am I just realizing he was cute all along?
@lordbowen there will be no irk thirst traps.
Why do I get the funny feeling that some of that stuff was the result of an inebriated cruise down Harry Hines one Saturday afternoon?
Happy belated birthday meh! Are you still answering questions? Can I ask more than one question? Is any of my code still in production? Any regrets on the name change to Mercatalyst? Does anyone miss me
?
I’d ask how you are @ChadP but I can talk to you any time
.
@katylava I miss you.
@katylava it’s true.
I personally deleted all your code.
And yes, you are missed.
@katylava I use the rainbow llama I think you made as my slack status most of the time. Does that count?
@Thumperchick it is my most important legacy
@ChadP i’m glad it was you and not a software engineer
Bath?
@curtise jfc.
Why no more “oh shit” reports? While I am not an IT geek they were entertaining none the less.
@Kidsandliz truthfully, hasn’t been a need. Internally? Different story. I wrote one this week.
@ChadP Ooohhh ooohhhhhh we are nosy… (snicker; grin).