IRK 1.02: Prepay the day before for an unknown item at 75% off!
11Let’s say, in addition to IRKs, Meh brings in a new promotion to make things even more complicatedly, super fantastically, fun! Being that this is the internet, I know what I’m proposing has most assuredly been tried, but nobody can do it, like Mixmaster Meh can do it.
Here we go! I’m lucky enough to check Meh on a particular time on a Tuesday for example, and I’m offered the opportunity to sign up to buy and pay for the next days item at 75% off the next day’s Meh price. Limited to 100, 500, 1000 customers, whatever, I’ll let the bean counters at Meh sort that out.
While no longer a VMP(and I do suggest they allow a few VMPs first access), curiosity kills me on a daily basis and I would definitely buy into this.
I’m only paying 25% of what the other suckers are paying full price for on Meh the next day. I could literally get a “Bluetooth, power bank, Covid Mask In One” at 75% off the next day’s Meh sucker price. I win!!!
Blah, blah, with the details. Like maybe you only have to commit $50 or so at most for the 75% off deal, but I’m still buying. (Pro Tip: The first item offered under this new deal system should be “A Juicer”).
What do you guys think: Yes? No? Or all in for a mere 25%?
- 22 comments, 53 replies
- Comment
100% or 25% of nothing is still nothing. I’m in if it were offered to me. Over 20 IRks hasn’t taught me a thing.
@Felton10 I don’t think you are buying an IRK. Just the next day’s item.
@bdb @Felton10 That’s correct. You are not buying an IRK, just the next day’s item at a locked in “super savings” price. As I mentioned below, this is an idea in flux. I need something more than an IRK. Something to keep me coming back more to the site. It may not be for everyone, but the chance to get something at 75% off the regular Meh price would too much for me to pass up.
@Felton10 What the irks have taught you is that you love irks with bubble wrap! (snicker)
@bdb @elfunkman I was saying that as the same type of person who would buy an IRK box not knowing what is in it, that I would buy an upcoming deal at a large discount not knowing whether I wanted or needed it.
@Kidsandliz Does that mean I am weird that I get more excited about the bubble wrap in the IRK than the other crap in it.
I should be thinking about taxes now, but with all the different colors of bubble wrap swirling around in my head, there is no room for anything but bubble wrap thoughts.
@Felton10 I understand from Walter, and you have already admitted your wife, both agree you are bubble wrap weird. Are you “accounting” for each popped and unpopped air bubble?
@Kidsandliz My obsession with bubble wrap and posting about it has already confirmed what my already knows about me from having been married 49 years.
If I started “accounting” for popped and unpopped air bubbles, I would never get any tax returns done.
@Felton10 you mean the bubble job would be too taxing?
@Kidsandliz At my age only have a limited amount of brain cells to devote to any one thing. And today alone-you with different color bubble wrap and the state of Maryland just decided not to tax unemployment compensation depending on how much you earned and their haven’t told you how to reflect that on the return and therefore my tax program can’t be updated for the change. Too many new things to deal with in one day. Might have to let Walter handle the bubble wrap issue.
@Felton10 cool for the unemployed. Not so cool for up though. I’d presume your program will issue an update ASAP? Tell Walter he has a popping good job to do today on your behalf.
@Kidsandliz My hope is that they will tell us what line to put the adjustment on the MD subtraction form rather than redo the form which would require an update to the tax software and hence the tax program. Will all these changes coming so close to the April 15th deadline, there is not a whole lot of time to make changes to the form and then for the tax software people to make their changes also. Typical.
@Felton10 @Kidsandliz Your government at work. Typical.
@Kidsandliz @phendrick It gets worse-the stimulus law exempts the first 10,200 of unemployment compensation (MD is unlimited) and Maryland extended the filing due date to 7/15 so now the easiest returns can’t be finished until the tax forms are updated.
@Felton10 @phendrick yeah I read about that. I manually did my taxes taking that into account so I could figure out how much estimated payment I needed to give the state so I wouldn’t have to pay a penalty if I had to file fed taxes late. Makes no sense to file and then have to file an amended form (have a refund coming).
I also found the form you have to fill out (feds) if you got unemployment and on line 7 you report how much you paid back. Since it just had you write that in on the “dotted line” I’m hoping an electronic tax form has that capability. I think the odds are high I will get flagged.
Also discovered the standard deduction folks can only claim cash donations up to $300 and not donation of stuff. That is going to hurt car donations and expensive stuff donations just as the last tax set of changes hurt charity cash donations (eg tey went down). Stupid not to think of the unintended consequences of that.
@Kidsandliz @phendrick Its still too early to know how the federal is going to handle this. Maryland did the correct thing by extending both the filing and due date to pay any taxes. This is a real shit show for anyone who has clients who got unemployment in 2020. Some of my easier returns now can’t be finished as the forms don’t allow it.
@Felton10
You, sir, are a genius.
/giphy bubble wrap
@f00l You have to put priorities on the things that are most important in your life.
@Kidsandliz @phendrick A client of mine who is reporter up in DC just e-mailed me this:
“I was on a conference call for reporters with four IRS and Treasury officials yesterday and the unemployment break came up…and they had no answers at all”
@Felton10 @phendrick Why am I not surprised. Sigh. Hopefully those questions will prompt them into action - although I am not counting on that.
Good thing I am owed a refund regardless so I can file late without penalty, although I’d like that money sooner rather than later. And I can estimate my state taxes and make an estimated payment on time so I am not penalized when I can finally file my federal taxes (this state requires you to include your federal taxes when you file and you can’t file state without the federal).
@Kidsandliz @phendrick “Good thing I am owed a refund regardless so I can file late without penalty”
Not exactly true.
Per IRS topic 653 “If your return is over 60 days late, there’s also a minimum penalty for late filing; it’s the lesser of $435 (for tax returns required to be filed in 2021) or 100 percent of the tax owed”
@Felton10 @phendrick YIKES!! I just filed 2017 and googled and presuming what I saw multiple places it right, fortunately for me it doesn’t appear that rule was in effect for that tax year.
I guess if they don’t get their shit together over the tax change I’ll have to file for an extension to avoid the penalty.
@Felton10 @phendrick PS (edit ended up taking me too long and said forbidden).
I just read topic 653 and I think it looks like that only applies to if you owe taxes, not if you don’t owe any taxes and instead are getting a refund. At least that is how I read it since the first sentence in that bullet point is:
“If you owe tax and don’t file on time, there’s also a penalty for not filing on time.” blah blah blah and then your copy/paste. That is why I read that to only apply to if you owe money.
If I am wrong have they just changed those rules recently? As I said in my other message I filed late for 2017 and turbo tax didn’t add a penalty to my return.
Thanks, by the way, for the free help you are giving us!!!
@Kidsandliz @phendrick “If you file your return more than 60 days after the due date or extended due date, the minimum penalty is the smaller of $135 or 100 percent of the unpaid tax”-rule in 2017.
But yeah-they have bigger fish to fry so I wouldn’t be looking for a bridge to jump off of just yet. You can always ask for a penalty abatement if they send you a notice.
Couple of year ago they decided to charge statutory amount for filing late for various form where no taxes were due or owed-like 1040s with refunds and 1120s and 1065s. When the use the term minimum penalty or x% of the taxes owed-it is pretty clear that it is either or since no exceptions are listed.
@Kidsandliz @phendrick Don’t think statutory penalties would be added or computed by tax prep software.
@Kidsandliz @phendrick Well, you might be right although I have seen some late filers get penalties who had their refunds reduced by penalties.
Just saw this “Remember, if a refund is due, no penalty is charged on the late return filed by a taxpayer.” from https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-highlights-higher-penalties-for-some-tax-returns-filed-after-sept-14.
Although it does seem to be inconsistent with the minimum penalty and what I have seen.
@Felton10 @phendrick Well nice to know the IRS only has one set of rules on a given topic (sarcasm). At least if I get dinged for my 2017 return I can use what you just posted against them.
I like it! I don’t think I would buy one, but it would be fun.
Perhaps it is randomly offered to people as they load the home page. Eh, then you just have bots hammering the home page. But something random. Ooh. How about you need to be logged in, and it is a random chance the first time you load the home page each day?
@bdb I love it! I never claimed my initial concept was anywhere near perfect, acceptable, or even comprehensible. But your twist gives me a reason to check the site more than once a day, which has to be music to the ears of those pesky Meh money making types. Great idea!
@elfunkman
methinks you may have missed something there…
@elfunkman
But I do like the idea, esp if still allowed to have ‘free shpping’ for VMP etc.
@chienfou Yeah, more of just a concept at this point. For example, asking people to shell out $50 for anything sight unseen, might create more ill will and issues then Meh is looking for. I’d probably lower the max to around and $1 to $15 range. This is supposed to just be fun, not an investment opportunity.
Wouldn’t that disclose the price of the next day’s item?
If they do it by “selling” a 75% off discount code, then there’s challenges with people remembering their unique code for the next day.
That would still work, though instead of some kind of pre-order or flat price pre-order.
@mike808 I guess I would want people to feel lucky to have this opportunity, but they would have to prepay the day before. Lots of details would need to be worked out, but so long as it adds a little fun, without being overly complicated, I think it could work.
I might be interested if you show me the discount price and the general category, i.e. kitchen, electronics, see through refrigerator food storage containers…
@miko1 I like this addition to the idea
@miko1 I hear ya, but I wanna see all the compulsive risk takers come out and roll the dice (and no need for anyone to use the “g” word on this concept. you wanna get your “g” on, you make the 1206 mile drive, almost due west from Carrollton to that city of sin). That’s also why, I think I mentioned to someone else, the maximum amount of the prepayment needs to be brought down to the $0 to $15 range.
After we all lost our teeth due to the toothbrush fiasco, Meh doesn’t need to go around creating any more ill will or bad press by fleecing people for $50. But, I think, no matter how undesirable the 75% off offering, most of us can show some gum and bear it, for at most $15.
@elfunkman
You have something against local sin+illegal gambling? Or legal gambling and other sin in OK?
For legal gambling, Vegas is great, but Red River is quicker.
@f00l No.
It seems like an interesting idea, but I can’t see how meh would profit. Most likely items would be sold at a loss to make it happen.
@RiotDemon or they just come out of the irk to be pile.
@RiotDemon Understood, but I’m not expecting Meh to take a loss(or a significant one), and quite the opposite possibly.
My general idea would be that, for example, at some point during the current day’s Meh, or on it’s twitter feed, or whatever they decide, an option appears for only, say 250 people, to purchase the next day’s item at 75% to 85% off. I’ll let Meh do the math.
But I, and I think others as bored as me, would be curious, at least initially, to see what those 250 people got themselves into. Now, would the possible increase in traffic and possible increase in sales off-set the discount they are giving to the lucky people who got the pre-paid discount… who knows? That’s what those high paid corporate types at Meh, sitting in their plush Carrollton, TX, ivory tower offices get paid to figure out.
@elfunkman @RiotDemon After all, this site is still an “experiment”, isn’t it?
@phendrick @RiotDemon Yes. It is and ongoing experiment and we are the happiest guinea pigs on earth! I’m not going to do the math for Meh, but I don’t think even on their margins, they couldn’t handle 75% off to 100 people. Especially since I think it would bring a slight increase in traffic and sales.
I would probably but more often if I could get 75% off of anything lol
@dagreatqing But if I understand you correctly, you could get 75% off of the item Meh is already selling for 75% off! These are the kinds of savings which no man or machine can figure out with our current technological limitations. Needless to say the saving would be “adequate”. (I’m not the marketing guy here).
I like the idea and I think people would do this. A twist I picture is it being available to those who purchased and item the day before — maybe 25 people could potentially buy the next day @ 75% off if their order number is drawn or randomly selected at checkout offering it as an add on to the current order. Irktriguing!
@railek Interesting… and it might work better for Meh.
But, I want people to be living for the moment, buying like no one (especially their significant other) is watching, saying, “last of my meager savings, I’ve found a new home for you!”. I want to see people laughing and crying(oh, the crying could be joyous) when someone realizes that despite being one of the lucky few who snagged a, pre-paid, non-refundable 75% off the next day’s item, they are in fact stuck with that “Bluetooth, Power Bank, Covid Mask in One!” See, it’s all about fun!
I’m a sucker for a deal. Count me in!
@heyaleta Sucker? You sound like an investment genius to me!
I’m still new to this world of Meh and like two of the three items (third on the way)…so I am in.
@ShandaSunshine That’s the spirit! The world needs more people like you.
Oh why not, we all need more shit we don’t need right. It’s the mystery that gets us.
@Star2236 Yes. Yes. Yes. 1000000x yes. Thanks for your support!
Interesting idea. However, I think something like 33% off makes more sense. I feel 75% is far too much off.
@MrMark
@MrMark I ask you not to focus on the percentage, but rather being given the chance to be one of the lucky 100 to get 75% off the next day item max 15%. Maybe it’s not for everyone, but I think there are enough of us who would toss down up to 3 $5 bills and see what dreams my come…
Here is version 1.021
I have zero affiliation with Meh, so they can do the math on what they think the extra traffic and sales is worth to them vs. giving 75% off to 100 people.
I’m almost 100% sure that 100 people would “Prepay for Next Day” in order to get 75% off whatever it is at a maximum $15 risk.
I’m also pretty sure that there might be a slight increase in traffic to see what those 100 lucky souls prepaid for, and would lead to just enough additional sales volume to make this work.
Feedback very much encouraged on 1.02. Thanks!
I could also appreciate a randomly occuring:
“buy this mystery item for, say, $10. This item is guaranteed to not be worth exactly $10. It might be worth more, or might be worth less”.
@f00l Yes! I think we are finding some common ground and the idea is coming together. Although, somehow I still want to see the item that a few lucky people got for $10, sold to the rest of us suckers at the full Meh price. I’m not sure if a few dollars savings on a $10 item is really enough to gin up enough interest to make this work.
I think your concept, as written mirrors what some shady daily deals sites have tried in the past with little customer satisfaction.
Same time, @f00l, I think you make the point that there are no guarantees with this. What anything in this life is worth to someone is very subjective.
My hope would be, Meh, being Meh, would find someway to make those lucky 100 people happy without alienating the rest of us.
Meh, and I’m ready for the incoming attacks, really does care about customer satisfaction and service. I don’t see any reason to believe they wouldn’t ensure those lucky 100 wouldn’t be taken care of, otherwise the whole thing is a bust for them.
Ok, @f00l, I’m going to think more about your idea and yes, I know this an Arbys.
As long as there’s a guarantee that no pearls
will be involved, it would be fun to try.
@lordbowen As a VMP I would think you would know better than to make such a comment, unless you are playing 3D chess and secretly want all the pearls they have at a crazy discount.
You may soon find pallets of Pearlconia Necklaces at your doorstep if you are not careful.
But to your point, 100% agreed, absolutely no pearls.
Sounds like a scam.
@EvilTuna And yet I can’t help but notice you’ve maintained your VMP membership…
@elfunkman sigh You are very observant. I am still torn because of the mehrathons & irks.
@elfunkman @EvilTuna Long Live VMP!
I like the idea. The good people at Meh along with Irk & Glen (of course) could figure out the details. It’s similar to the fun of the Instant Regret Kit - but with a new spin. I like the surprise of it all… count me in.
@Lou88 This is the kind of positive energy we need to get this done! I don’t know your politics, please don’t tell me (seriously), but if you ever run for public office you’ve got my vote!
It’s just a little fun that will cost 100 lucky people $0 to $15 to enjoy. And then the rest of us get to check in the next day and see what these lucky Mehers ending up getting for their $7.77. 5 Power banks? 500 Masks? Speakers? Perhaps in addition to the item, the lucky few will get something of incredible intrinsic value.
Imagine the envy of your fellow Mehers when they find out you received #001 of a 100 limited edition autographed Glen photos. Priceless…
No fucking way. In the first 18-24 months of Meh, sure, perhaps. But the last several years? No fucking way.
The hoard closet already runneth over and the desirability index of Meh deals, as with of me, and the passing of years has declined.
@RedOak Ok. I hear what you are saying & and I’m going to put you down as a “Maybe”.
Yup
Yes!!!
I’m in. Maybe make it a once a week option to keep the thrill intact.
Or various price points on various days? I’d be willing to cough up upwards of $50 on occasion…all in good fun. It’s not like I am spending it on travel or concert tickets these days.