Start new deals at some time other than midnight
3It's not exactly fair now that deals are selling out to start them at a time when the West Coast is awake and the East Coast has gone to bed. By the time those of us on the East get up many of the deals are gone. I propose starting them at 4AM Eastern time. That way those on the West need to stay up a bit later and those on the East need to get up a bit earlier to snag the low volume items.
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I proposed this a few months ago when the last Fuku brought the site down. No traction.
Change the name of the site to "Sold Out." That's the only button I ever see.
It's all relative anyway...you're just complaining because you lack the commitment needed to get in on these deals. The deal release time has not stopped the thousands of other people on the east coast from making purchases, so chill the fuck out. Either commit to the deals and reap possible benefits, or quit your bitching and shut the fuck up. This horse has been beaten to death, reborn from its ashes, and then beaten to death again.
@studerc are you an asshole in person too, or do you just play one on the internet?
@larryg there have already been several threads on this topic. This horse has indeed been beaten to death.
Woot rolled over at 10 PM Pacific, meh made it easier on everyone by pulling it back an hour to 9. If that's still not good enough for you start your own e-commerce site with a 6 PM rollover time and steal all the East coast customers.
@larryg I'm actually a really nice person, lots of people on here could easily attest to that. I appreciate the personal attack though, thanks for that. To return the favor here is one for you :)....@larryg, you are not nice.
@studerc
I still love you, @studerc, don't let the bad name calling man get to you.
@DaveInSoCal why not start it at 10pm Eastern or would that spoil west coast dinner?
@studerc @larryg HEY HEY HEY ... first @larryg BE NICE... second @studerc STOP DOING MY JOB! Third... @larryg Life is not fair. To win at life you have to work at it, sacrifice and practice. There will be no handouts here!
@unixrab Is it crazy, that in the beginning when you began your vendetta, I was upset. Like, "chill dude, is it really worth the battle?". But now, you're still crazy, but I mildly respect your right to be crazy because you take the time to make decently valid arguments, almost like an art form if you will. You're still ridiculous and you make many outlandish statements, but you are becoming a meh.com staple. Well done.
@larryg
but deals already start at midnight and 11PM and 10PM and 9PM...
Oh also FYI the Kickstarter supporters are very resistant to change and quite dickish about it.
@neuromancer No, we just know how the game is played. We've been conditioned to like it whether we actually do or not...
@neuromancer I think meh needs to offer another kickstarter since I missed the first one - its just not fair.
@ilovereality I was around for the Kickstarter. You didn't miss much.
@neuromancer With the bold exception of perhaps the easiest fukubukuro to acquire, $1 exclusive Meh Kickstarter shirts, several games and free prizes. So ASIDE from that, yup nothing.
@studerc Best Fuku ever! Brand new iPad mini, speaker dock!
BTW, speaker docks rock. I have proof.
Yep this site is getting a little ridiculous............I agree with mattwarren. I am rapidly becoming disenchanted.
Woot used to start at 1am ET. Those were the days.
This again? really? @Snapster - are these the 170k customers you were bragging about?
Be nice @RedHot or Snapster will take away your K icon and make you just like everyone else.
I'm not going to make the "it's not fair" point, because that's kind of silly. The point of this business is to sell out quickly...which is what is happening. Good for them!
But, there is something to be said about return customers being consistently frustrated by their experience that I think is worth considering. It can only happen so many times before the fun of the experience starts to morph into discouragement. For Meh, which is probably the most fun shopping place on the internet, I think it's a valid point.
The misunderstanding is not so much that people on the East Coast (like myself) are just missing out on products. It's the fact that we're missing out on the fun because the time is prohibitive for those of us with demanding schedules, families, or both.
Some people are whining, but I hope my point is coming across differently. I think folks just feel a little bit left out because the party starts at a time that's MUCH more difficult for some than others. And you can only miss out on a party so many times before you just give up altogether. And I don't think that's what Meh is about.
That's where I hope Meh takes these often poorly constructed complaints to heart. There's some folks that are just bummed that they missed out on a product. But a lot of us are bummed because we really want to be able to join in on the fun but can't for very practical reasons.
If I was throwing a party and saw that there was a group of folks that really wanted to come and tried, but were consistently frustrated, I think I'd consider changing it so that it's convenient for everyone.
I think if the deals broke at noon eastern, this whole "civil war" as it's been called would be a moot (woot?) point. When there's no practical problem like the time-zone issue to discourage people from coming, then the "snooze you lose" and "whining" arguments are perfectly justified. It would be convenient for everyone at that time and everyone would at least have a chance to join in on the fun.
Those are just my thoughts. I tried to be polite and thoughtful and hope others will do likewise in response. No need to be rude. I love Meh and everything they're doing and wish them all the best!
@goaliemelvin You did make some nice points. Couple things, first and foremost, it's an ecommerce website, CLEARLY, meh is getting business and to be fair, it doesn't matter where it comes from. In the end its all about commitment. I'm a teacher, I had a professional development meeting at 7am this morning and with 2nd semester coming up I'm also in charge of scheduling students. At the same time, when the new product drops, there I am. I want the product and am willing to make the personal sacrifice to get it. So there's that. Secondly, if you drop the product at noon. People are still going to complain, it's still not fair. Lunch can range from 10:30 to 1:30 in a lot of jobs. Not to mention the account of the time zone differences we are talking hours and hours. People are working and have actual professional commitments during the day. The end results, no matter what happens, people are going to complain. Why try and fix something if it really isn't broken.
@goaliemelvin Cogent and articulate point. I wonder how long before someone with a K badge comes by to crap on it.
@goaliemelvin oh looks like i should have hit refresh before posting.
@studerc this 100% - it's always going to suck for somebody and any attempts at optimization are on a local level. also I'm not a kickstarterer and I live on the east coast so I hereby absolve you of east-coastism.
@Lotsofgoats Nothing that you or your other account have said has addressed the fact that the status quo is likely to discourage and alienate a large subset of potential Meh customers. While there are plenty of Meh fanatics to buy up all the small quantity deals, i suspect it's the bigger ticket items that actually keep the lights on at the offices down Texas.
@neuromancer haaaaaaahahahaha "your other account" that shit is priceless
@neuromancer Do you get tired of being wrong? Or do you just get a sick pleasure out of being wrong. It's kinda funny to watch you bitch and complain while other members are actually productive and make good points.
@goaliemelvin I agree 100%. If I look at my purchases which started in August, I see that they were all made in the am when either I was getting ready for work, or at the office. I am on the east coast and find it an inconvenience to be up ar 12. I got lucky on a couple deals because either I got up to pee at the right time, or I was up sick one night so I got in on a deal. I was also a paying VMP member all these months. And, I tend to only get one or two items a month, so meh doesn't lose on my shipping costs. This is a customer that meh would want to keep. But I am east coast, and since christmas see a lot of sold out signs. I want meh to succeed, we all do. I want the deals to continue and be fair to all buyers, but with the latest trend, I fear that meh will lose buyers as well as paying VMP members. After all I won't be keeping VMP just to be able to buy a speaker dock or an Ooma and then see sold out at all the good stuff. I too have tried to open conversations on this but I usually get labeled a whiner or a complainer. This IS an experiment. This IS working by selling out everyday. But it is NOT fair to all.
@goaliemelvin I think you have a good under standing of ecommerce and your points would be valid had they been posted anywhere other than meh.com. there seems to be a common misunderstanding of what exactly Meh is and that misunderstanding seems to be held by those customers susceptible to being "alienated" as @neuromancer suggests and also the same ones preventing @derek17j from buying meh junk with his morning coffee. Meh completely understands the points you made and would (probably) agree that they are (mostly) valid. They just don't care. It was made clear six months ago that Meh was not for everyone and not everyone who came would stay.
@derek17j et al....
what is this continual "FAIR" delusion????
@neuromancer If @studerc's rational, level-headed response is what amounts to 'crapping on' something... then count me in for a few of those turds...
@unixrab I am just saying that the brains at meh need to look at keeping things fair for the entire country. In the last year, I made more purchases at meh then I did at woot. I joined woot 10 years ago, so I know how things work. Honestly I don't check woot regularly, and haven't in years. Why? Because a good item is sold out before I can purchase because I happen to live on the East Coast and miss out. The meh experiment 'claims' to be different, but it is following the same path. Before long people will stop checking and will instead look elsewhere.
@derek17j Sales alone do not drive success. Think about this... everytime they offer a Fuku... it sells out instantly... now what's being sold on the site for 23 more hours? NOTHING. It's just a big fat advertisement sign. This isn't woot. I buy more from woot than I do here, but the woot ethos IS reborn here. The true deal-a-day model lives. THAT is the part that you are missing (among other things). The Fuku is bait. It's a teaser.... a door-buster.... a black-friday sale! I don't get up for black-friday sales. They are great deals, no doubt! But it's not my priority. Am I mad that they don't fairly distribute tickets to the black friday sale?? NO! That's idiotic. Sales are a big PART of success, but it's not everything. Advertising, word-of-mouth, competition, buyer rivalry and member camaraderie in the forums, they ALL are a part of the deal-a-day model. I suspect that for every one whiner that eventually leaves meh.com mad... the frenzy of the Fuku and the ethos of meh.com will attract JUST THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS to the site. You probably aren't one. I'm barely one....maybe. When the whiners leave... there's more room for the other 168,999 (of the 170,000) meh.com patrons to participate in the fun game that is Fuku. (double entendre?) who knows:
@unixrab Black friday is different in that most people dont have to get up for work the next day. It is tough to compare meh to that. This aside, I want meh to succeed and from the deal sites I follow, after the new year, the general consensus is that meh is getting old and quick.
@derek17j who do you think staffs all those hospitals, police stations, and retail stores that are open on that Saturday?
@goaliemelvin The one lesson I have learned in life is that there is no one single answer that will be best for everybody. No time that is picked will be ideal for everybody 100%.. A case could be made for the one that optimized the "ideality" across the population, but I don't think that's going to happen. So, carry on. BTW, west coast citizen, but currently on the east coast and willing to stay up to play the game.
Purchasing the items that I want to buy on Meh has become more difficult over time. The last four products I wanted to buy were sold out. OK, two of those products I woke up too late to buy, at about 1 AM and 4 AM Eastern time. That was inconvenient to try and make the midnight hour for purchasing but I did try later and they were gone, fair enough. But the third time I was there by 12:05 or 12:10 AM and it was already sold out with only about 100 sold (if i recall correctly). That wasn't a sale with much depth in the product. The fourth time was last night and I was ready to purchase the Fukubukuro, refreshing the site at midnight exactly, and of course the site went down from the traffic spike while I was trying to log in to complete my purchase. I tried for over an hour to complete the purchase and wasn't able to get it to go through. I don't know how I can get here any faster than to be here at midnight and I still haven't been able to buy the products I want. My question to Meh is.... how can this work better in the future so that people who are ready to buy can actually make the purchase?
@donnameh Yea, the people that are ready to buy already made the purchases before you. I see you've got the commitment, which is great btw, but the second part sometimes is just blind luck. They sold just over 1100 fukubukuros last night and at minimum I bet at least 20,000 people were attempting to get them.
@studerc So you're saying that essentially the ability to purchase comes down to "commitment" which is something within my control, and to "blind luck" which is something totally not within my control. OK, I get the vibe that says it's cool or whatever to insult potential buyers who don't have enough "commitment" (sometimes it's not commitment but the inability due to offline commitments to be able to be there at that second), sad to say but as a buyer who signed up many months ago, that's what I see developing in the forums, a general criticism for people who aren't able to be there at the designated hour for their time zone, and also criticism of anyone who wants to suggest other methods of ensuring more people can purchase the deals. It is also unfathomable to me that it is acceptable to criticize potential buyers for not having the "blind luck" to be able to get the purchase to go through. If anyone here can control "blind luck" I want you to take a trip to Vegas with me because you have an ability no one else in the world has. So criticizing the buyers who weren't "lucky" where is that coming from and why is that supposed to be a successful ecommerce strategy to get me to try and purchase again?
@donnameh You're not being criticized... to many, it boils down to the thrill of the chase, which is what made the Bag of Crap at Woot so appealing. People keep coming back hoping that the next deal is a great deal and one they can get their hands on before anybody else. Sure there are gonna be some causalities along the way, however in the end, this is how a one deal a day site works. Sometimes you just miss out, you brush yourself off and you come back the next day to try again.
@donnameh @studerc isn't critisizing anyone's "blind luck", but that is most definitely what is. This is a server problem. You see the same thing at places like target and walmart on black friday. there isn't an easy/affordable fix to support that much traffic. Please read my response to the comment above yours to get a better understanding of what Meh is. They like it this way. if you don't they'll tell you the same thing I will. Leave.
@RedHot I did read your comment. I also have a good understanding of ecommerce. Whether we disagree or not, unless you own Meh.com you have no right to tell any other registered member to "Leave". I'm registered here I buy here and I have the same value to Meh as you do. I just may have different opinions at times from you and there is no Meh rule against that. BTW yes I understand that it is a server problem. I also understand that people who are affected by the server problem can't make purchases that help keep Meh in business. That's the facts.
@donnameh but if they sell all they have (continuously), better servers and more customers aren't going to help.
@donnameh ...well technically, as free Americans, we do have the freedom of speech, guaranteed to us via the 1st amendment, we can choose to say whatever we wish as long as we do not directly use that right to infringe on other's rights. Thus, I for instance, could tell you that if you don't like it, just leave. You on the other hand can totally decide to ignore my comment, hell you can even exercise your own right and tell me that I should leave. Ahhh, freedom.
@studerc At least you got my point that RedHot doesn't speak for Meh.com as far as I could tell. Good one on ya! Plus I get your point about free speech. So, say for example, you say to me, theoretically of course, that I don't like it, just leave! And theoretically I could freely respond, that would be an example of free speech that insults your paying buyers that keep the site in business and insulting your buyers is a foolish ecommerce strategy for the long term. So perhaps it is true it is ok around here to insult paying buyers in the forums for the sin of wanting to purchase stuff from Meh, which was one of my earlier points. Let freedom of speech ring hey hey hey.
@donnameh I think it's important not to conflate a normal sale and a fukubukuro sale. The former just requires showing up at the prescribed time. The latter is the one that additionally requires a lot of luck. The time of day it goes up for sale is immaterial. At woot, the BOC could go up for sale at any hour of the day and the result would be very similar to last night.
@studerc Our speech is not protected by the First Amendment on this forum. The terms of what we are allowed to say here are dictated by the folks who run the place. We enjoy the fact that our hosts are pretty lenient. They only exercise the delete command when things get way out of hand (e.g. calling a female mehrican the 'C' word) or are blantly spam (e.g. won't you buy my lovely kitchens). I don't disagree with you about any of your other points. I'm just a little sensitive about that one. Carry on.
One item a day until it sells out (or doesn't).
Starting at Midnight Eastern.
You snooze - you may lose.
Thems the rules - you don't like them - there are many many MANY other sites that offer single and multiple deals at various hours during the day. I would suggest you direct your attention to those.
Why people think this site should change is beyond me.
@ilovereality Nice.
@ilovereality Oh we do pay attention to many sites. You speak the truth, this is one of many sites, and my overall purchasing reflects that. Believe it. And yet... I do believe that there are reasons why the site might want to change.... the way I see it, Meh's continued viability (which is surely of interest to them) depends on the quantity of items purchased by buyers, including serious long term buyers like me. If there was some original way, say something dreamed up as an experiment in the infamous Meh.com Labs, that more people could purchase more product and it helped ensure Meh.com's long term viability, it just might be a good idea to try it. See? no insults of buyers or of the site, or blind defense of the status quo.... maybe, just maybe, progress might be good. Ask the scientists in the Meh.com Labs.
@ilovereality Because we want meh to succeed just like you do. Repeated sellouts in an hour or less, WILL cause potential customers to stop checking and they WILL look to other sites.
@donnameh first off lets puts some quotes around that term "scientist". that's better. You seem to be overlooking the fact that something very similar was done before (Woot.com) with the same "problems". Thats site is still running today even though it kinda sucks because Amazon bought it. thats great for us because now @snapster has lots of money to blow on Meh! anyway, Woot went through almost the same problems. There will be some growth and expansion but immediate turn around and validation for your concerns isn't a satisfaction you're going to be given.
@RedHot And who are you to determine the amount of time it will take or not take to see some progress or response or anything else? Do you work for Meh. com?
@donnameh So would you like it if Meh became Woot v2.0 in less that a year? Should they start selling multiple items and even shirts? Then should they sell out to a eccentric billionaire who looks at Meh like some item on a menu? I just don't get it. If you like what Woot became then visit Woot. Let Meh be Meh.....
@donnameh wants change and he wants it NOW! (you should stomp your foot so they know you mean business)
@ilovereality Just so long as it doesn't become woot 3.0 AMIRITE!? @snapster
@donnameh you should read https://meh.com/forum/topics/fukubukuro-will-never-be-fair then you can come back and tell me how right I am, no need to apologize, I'm used to being right.
Because no other hour has the same ring to it as mehdnight.
@juststephen haven't heard that one yet. bravo.
@unixrab Yes, I agree that you have been a big disappointment. You didn't have to point it out to us though, I think we already knew.
I just don't understand why this is being said on a fuku deal day.
@darksaber99999 Butt hurt, soo much butt hurt. Perhaps we should consider making "participation fukubukuros", you know so that even when you lose, you're still a winner. It's just getting sad.
The OP at 8pm after a long day of shaking his fist at kids on the lawn.
My local donut store opens up at 6AM. All of the good donuts are sold out by the time I wake up. I think the donut store should wait to open until I go to work, so I can have a good donut. That is all.
@lichme ^This.
@lichme And how long before you and others like you stop visiting said local donut store for a store that has good donuts. When sales and customers drop off, the local store will probably adjust its business model to better cater to the majority.
@derek17j But the donut shop is still getting business because the other donuts are still selling out. As the business continues to grow, they begin to offer more larger quantities of products to accommodate the need. Sure the REALLY good donuts still sell out super quick, but there are still other donuts that you can get in on.
@studerc But noooo, the local donut shop shouldn't change, things are great just the way they are!! If you don't get a good donut FU, go elsewhere. We are not going to change for a damm customer.
@lichme Now I want a donut! shakes fist DAMN YOU LICH!!!
@derek17j Donut shops don't change and they're still doing just fine.
@derek17j the K badges believe their business is enough to sustain the site. That's why they chase out everyone who disagrees or suggests change. They might be right, but i doubt it.
@derek17j logic fail. If they sell out their entire stock by 8AM their business model is fine. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean that there aren't enough people who like it that way for it to be a success. See?
@Headly the stuff they sell out on, the 1000 fukus or the 7$ knives, i doubt are profitable enough to keep the lights on on their own.
@Headly It is a poor business model if you are selling 1000 knives to 170000 customers. Hopefully the quantities increase with time, we'll see.
@neuromancer "the K badges" LMAO! hey @studerc @ceagee @thumperchick @capguncowboy this is "the black triangles" all over I love it
@derek17j No, it's not.
@RedHot Awesome, can we get some "Q" threads going again...aww, memories.
@RedHot
@RedHot My heart just skipped a beat. I miss the old days... @dave @snapster @shawn can we get a special forum for Kickstarters?
@RedHot Q▲ mmm, sweet, sweet elitism. ▲Q
I have an alarm set on my phone that tells me to check meh every night a minute before it refreshes. Go to sleep, wake up for meh, go back to sleep. That or keep bitching when the majority don't have a problem.
If meh sells stuff at a time when more people would actually try to get it, then that lessens your chance of actually getting it. Stop being stupid.
Meh starts their deals in the middle of the afternoon at 3pm Korea time. You think they care about us entitled Americans? Stop being racist against Koreans.
maybe it bothers you all more than it should?
They should make the start time of tomorrows deal the last 3 digits of the Dow Jones closing (modulo time of course) for the previous day. Over a long time period the start time of the deals would make everyone happy.
Everyone should be happy. That's free speech!
@spacezorro ahem .... " make everyone happy"
@unixrab It would also make everyone sad. heh heh heh
@unixrab