Corporate Bigwigs and Their Ideas

[guywithashovel]

This morning, a student came into the library asking me about a card he had received from the college. He recently had a birthday, and the college had sent him a birthday card. Inside the birthday card was a code he could use at the school's online store to select a gift for himself. Apparently, this is something new that the college just started doing, because neither one of us, as well as all the people I asked, had ever heard of the college doing such a thing. This college has almost thirty campuses throughout several states, so most of that kind of planning is done at the main campus.

So anyway, I helped him get into the online store via our web site, and after looking around, he picked out a hooded sweatshirt. I selected it for him and started to go through the checkout process, just like I would on any other online store. However, after entering in the code on his card, it was still asking us to enter in a credit card number. Since no one else on campus knew anything about this, I emailed the person who manages the online store, and the student said he'd come back later to see what that person's response was.

A while later, I got a reply from the online store manager. Turns out, this student still needed to enter in a credit card number for shipping and handing.

Let me get this straight. The college is now going to send birthday cards to students inviting them to select a gift from the online store, but they still have to pay for shipping? What kind of "gift" is that? What if someone got you a gift and asked you to pay to have it shipped? If the college keeps doing this, we're going to have a lot of pissy students. That isn't something we need, since my campus is still new and small and is focusing on retaining students. Plus, we have a handful of students here who just live to bitch about something. You know the type: no matter how good things are going, they will find something to scowl and grumble about. They do a good enough job on their own of finding things to piss and moan about. We dont' need to give them legitimate gripes.

[Ipecac Drano]

It's no different than winning a prize on a game show. You have to pay taxes on the gifts and most likely have to pay to get them shipped to your home.

A few years back, there was a big stink when guests on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" were given free Pontiac G6s and then found out that they had to pay the tax on them. It's been that way for years. As for shipping, all they had to do is pick up their car at their hometown Pontiac dealer.

In short: there is no such thing as a free lunch.

[guywithashovel]

To me, winning a prize or getting a free promo and paying shipping seem to be a little different from this. In both of those cases, the person sought out the entity giving the prize or promo.

The shipping for the sweatshirt we found would have been $6.95. Depending on how much you make, that may or may not be hefty price. Though even if it is cheap, to me that just seems to be all the more contrary on part of those who thought of this. They're willing to give the students a free item on their birthday, but they aren't willing to throw in another few bucks for shipping? And to consider another example, what if your SO ordered you something on your birthday but asked you to pay for the shipping?

Don't get me wrong. I would love it if the students had nothing to gripe about, but I just can't fathom this being a good way to do this.

[Ipecac Drano]

To me, winning a prize or getting a free promo and paying shipping seem to be a little different from this. In both of those cases, the person sought out the entity giving the prize or promo.

It doesn't matter who sought who. It's a promotion, just like game shows and Oprah.

The shipping for the sweatshirt we found would have been $6.95. Depending on how much you make, that may or may not be hefty price. Though even if it is cheap, to me that just seems to be all the more contrary on part of those who thought of this. They're willing to give the students a free item on their birthday, but they aren't willing to throw in another few bucks for shipping? And to consider another example, what if your SO ordered you something on your birthday but asked you to pay for the shipping?

An SO is different than a faceless corporation or university.

Don't get me wrong. I would love it if the students had nothing to gripe about, but I just can't fathom this being a good way to do this.

As I had mentioned before, nothing is free. It's all about promoting business. BTW, what was printed on the sweatshirt?

[Rageaholic]

I see what the OP is getting at. If they're willing to eat the lost revenue from the gifts, they might as well pay the extra couple of dollars for the shipping and handling. Otherwise, this "gift" is going to cause nothing but problems for some customers and employees who have to deal with them.

[Ipecac Drano]

I see what the OP is getting at. If they're willing to eat the lost revenue from the gifts, they might as well pay the extra couple of dollars for the shipping and handling. Otherwise, this "gift" is going to cause nothing but problems for some customers and employees who have to deal with them.

I, too, see what they are getting at; but it shouldn't come as a surprise to them. From the company's perspective, better it's guywithshovel's problem and not their's.

It's a simple concept called a "loss lead" where it doesn't cost that much to make or promote an item. But by the company paying for shipping and/or tax, it would increase the loss for the company which would cut into their profits.

Also, the cost of shipping is going to vary from recipient to recipient.

[IDrinkaRum]

As my mother has always told me: If you have to pay money for any part of a "free" promotion, it's NOT FREE!

I'm with guywithashovel. If a company is going to go through the process of giving a free something or other to a person, they really should pay for the shipping and handling too.

Eggo products usually have promos where you send in X amount of box tops & you receive something (like a collector's plate of the Starship Enterprise) without paying for anything put the eggo's and the $0.44 (or whatever the postage is nowadays) to mail the envelope. But if the promo says "pay s&h" I pass it up as it's not worth it.

If I were the student in this case, I'd turn down the privelege of getting a free gift for my birthday, and I would write a letter to them complaining about it.

[Ipecac Drano]

As my mother has always told me: If you have to pay money for any part of a "free" promotion, it's NOT FREE!

There are two ways of looking at it, and that is neither.

1. As mentioned before, you can't get something for nothing.

2. It is free, but the shipping isn't; nor does the giver collect on it.

I'm with guywithashovel. If a company is going to go through the process of giving a free something or other to a person, they really should pay for the shipping and handling too.

I think that bottled water should be free, but who am I?

Eggo products usually have promos where you send in X amount of box tops & you receive something (like a collector's plate of the Starship Enterprise) without paying for anything put the eggo's and the $0.44 (or whatever the postage is nowadays) to mail the envelope. But if the promo says "pay s&h" I pass it up as it's not worth it.

Holy crap! You had to pay 44¢ to get that plate? Are you out of your mind? What were you... *mppphhh*

Sorry, but I was with guywithshovel on that one...

If I were the student in this case, I'd turn down the privelege of getting a free gift for my birthday, and I would write a letter to them complaining about it.

Careful: you gotta pay to send that letter!

[guywithashovel]

As I had mentioned before, nothing is free. It's all about promoting business. BTW, what was printed on the sweatshirt?

It had a logo on the front containing the name of the school.

As for the "no free lunch" thing, you're right. But what that means is that whenever something is given for free, someone somewhere is paying for it. For instance, by giving students a free item from the store for their birthday, the school would actually be paying for it by giving away the free item, even though the student technically gets it for free. However, in this case, the students really aren't getting it for free since they will have to pay for the shipping.

[Ipecac Drano]

It had a logo on the front containing the name of the school.

There ya go. The reason why you got it for free is that you are now promoting the school at little cost to them.

However, in this case, the students really aren't getting it for free since they will have to pay for the shipping.

I don't know why you're not getting that there are two entities at work: your school and the shipping company. The shirt, courtesy of your school, is free of charge. The shipping, which goes to another entity, is not.

Also, you keep overlooking the fact that an institution that gives you things as a promotion are not the same thing as a friend or relative who gives you things because they know and like you.

[Andara Bledin]

I'm with Ipecac Drano on this one.

I actually would have been very surprised had shipping been included in such a deal, since that would leave everybody with absolutely zero incentive to ever actually buy anything from the online store, which is what the promotion is all about. To promote the buying of goods.

After all, if you're already paying for shipping, why not get a few more things and consolidate...

I mean, really. You're getting, what, $35 off your purchase and instead of enjoying that you're complaining that it's not enough?

^-.-^