HoCrap PoCrap
So I get home from my wonderful vacation, check my e-mail, and stumble on to this urgent message from Hocus-Pocus:
Oh crap, I think, I better order the Predator Wallet right away because it'll only cost $525 now!
Then I stop, pause, and realize, Haven't I seen this before?
So I check my e-mail box, where I've been saving all these e-mails for a while and discover - to my horror - this calendar of Hocus Pocus events:
Do you see a pattern here? I have no problem with an online store having a sale from time to time. It's just that Hocus-Pocus' "Final 2 Days" bullshit is pretty much false advertising. As the timeline above shows, Hocus-Pocus is, in fact, rarely NOT involved in a sale.
Hocus-Pocus wants to encourage frenzied buying, in which customers - who don't realize that they have a sale every other week, if not more - buy everything they think they may need in order to take advantage of this "once in a lifetime" sale. It only really works on a customer once or twice, at least until they realize that these sales happen all the time.
But this process of putting on sales once a week or every other week then sending frenzied e-mails the day before the sale end is bullshit because it's pretty clear that they have these sales all the time. An informed magician shouldn't buy into their bullshit, but should take their time and wait a sale or two before hurriedly making their purchase. Don't let Hocus-Pocus' cheap advertising scheme catch you. It's pretty transparent and I think the facts speak for themselves.
So here's my advice: if you're going to buy from Hocus-Pocus, only do it when it's a sale.
And Hocus-Pocus: don't pull this shit on Pagliacci because you will be caught.
Subject: Hocus Pocus Sizzling Summer Event
DON'T FORGET!
FINAL DAYS 25% OFF... ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT... 25% OFF...FINAL 2 DAYS 25% OFF
Oh crap, I think, I better order the Predator Wallet right away because it'll only cost $525 now!
Then I stop, pause, and realize, Haven't I seen this before?
So I check my e-mail box, where I've been saving all these e-mails for a while and discover - to my horror - this calendar of Hocus Pocus events:
June 8th: "Hocus Pocus Days Of Savings Final Days": "Now is your chance to save a full 25% OFF your orders until THIS FRIDAY, JUNE 10th, 2005 AT MIDNIGHT PST!! That's right -- you have only 2 DAYS LEFT TO SHOP AND SAVE!! Save 25% off any items purchased from our online store at www.hocus-pocus.com ***"
June 14th: "Hocus Pocus Hot Dealz Dayz": This SALE ends Thursday, June 16th at Midnight PST, and you can save 25% off any items purchased from our online store!*** You only have TWO DAYS TO SAVE SAVE SAVE!....***Sale absolutely, positively ends on Thursday, June 16th at Midnight PST... No exceptions can be made. Thank you for your understanding."
June 20th: "Hocus Pocus Buy One Get One Event": "2 DAYS ONLY! 48 HOURS ONLY! 2 DAYS ONLY! 48 HOURS ONLY! BUY 1 GET 1 50% OFF SALE!!! BUY 1 GET 1 50% OFF SALE!!!"
[By the way, if you buy to items of equal value (which affords you the greatest discount) "Buy 1, get one 50% off" amounts to - you guessed it - 25% off of each item. Sneaky, huh?]
June 28th: "Hocus Pocus July 4th Extravaganza": "BIG 25% OFF DISCOUNT...BIG 25% OFF DISCOUNT...BIG 25% OFF DISCOUNT...for the next 6 days"
July 3rd: "Hocus Pocus July 4th Extravaganza," second e-mail: "ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BIGGEST, BADDEST SALE IN THE HISTORY OF HOCUS POCUS!"
July 10th: "Hocus Pocus Summer Savings Event": "3 DAYS ONLY 25% OFF...3 DAYS ONLY 25% OFF...3 DAYS ONLY 25% OFF"
July 12th: "Hocus Pocus Summer Savings Event," second e-mail: "DON'T FORGET..THIS SALE ENDS TOMORROW WEDNESDAY THE 13th AT MIDNIGHT!!! 1 DAY LEFT TO SAVE 25% OFF...1 DAY LEFT TO SAVE 25%..."
July 17th: "Hocus Pocus Buy One Get One Event": "2 DAYS ONLY! 48 HOURS ONLY! 2 DAYS ONLY! 48 HOURS ONLY! BUY 1 GET 1 50% OFF SALE!!! BUY 1 GET 1 50% OFF SALE!!!"
July 22nd: "Hocus Pocus Seven Days of Saving": "Now is your chance to save a full 25% OFF your orders until NEXT THURSDAY JULY 28th 2005 AT MIDNIGHT PST!! That's right -- you have 7 BIG DAYS TO SHOP AND SAVE!! Save 25% off any items purchased from our online store at www.hocus-pocus.com ***"
July 26th: "Hocus Pocus Seven Days of Saving," second e-mail: "FINAL 2 DAYS...DON'T FORGET....ANNOUNCING THE HOCUS POCUS SEVEN DAYS OF SAVINGS 25% OFF AND MORE EVENT....DON"T FORGET THIS SALE ENDS THURSDAY JULY 28th AT MIDNIGHT ONLY 2 DA YS LEFT"
Do you see a pattern here? I have no problem with an online store having a sale from time to time. It's just that Hocus-Pocus' "Final 2 Days" bullshit is pretty much false advertising. As the timeline above shows, Hocus-Pocus is, in fact, rarely NOT involved in a sale.
Hocus-Pocus wants to encourage frenzied buying, in which customers - who don't realize that they have a sale every other week, if not more - buy everything they think they may need in order to take advantage of this "once in a lifetime" sale. It only really works on a customer once or twice, at least until they realize that these sales happen all the time.
But this process of putting on sales once a week or every other week then sending frenzied e-mails the day before the sale end is bullshit because it's pretty clear that they have these sales all the time. An informed magician shouldn't buy into their bullshit, but should take their time and wait a sale or two before hurriedly making their purchase. Don't let Hocus-Pocus' cheap advertising scheme catch you. It's pretty transparent and I think the facts speak for themselves.
So here's my advice: if you're going to buy from Hocus-Pocus, only do it when it's a sale.
And Hocus-Pocus: don't pull this shit on Pagliacci because you will be caught.
posted by Pagliacci @ 10:02 AM
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