Old And Cranky issue for the day. I'm annoyed by the offer of a "Holiday Gift For You" from King...

M

michael-in-phoenix

Well-known member
...Arthur Flour.

I don't think one should have to spend $100 in order to receive a "Holiday Gift". Is that REALLY a GIFT??

Sorry. I'm irritable today.

Michael

 
I love King Arthur products, but I have grown more & more

annoyed with them for various reasons. Used to love the recipes in their catalogs but it seems like they now just look for ways to load them up with multiple "special" (read expensive & unnecessary) ingredients. There prices on a lot of things are astronomical and the shipping to Texas is too.

 
Totally agree. Shipping charges are becoming outrageous as well.

I always look at many options to check shipping prices and compare. I will also send companies a note explaining why I didn't buy XXXX with them because of their exorbitant shipping prices. I'm sure most of them could care less, but if more people started doing this, they would care a lot more... I've also renotiated shipping rates with companies successfully a few times.

Went to buy a book from an independent seller, but when I saw the $20 shipping fee, I went straight to Amazon for free shipping.

 
Absolutely. this is a big deal right now in Canada as we buy so many products online

from the US. And we're really getting ripped off. I can order something that is free shipping in the US. So here I am 5 miles from the border and shipping is $300. It's not about actual physical moving, nor is it about taxes and duty, because that's separate. But they do because they can. Some economists are warning that it's not a smart move since Canadians are a huge and financially sound online market for the US and they know they're getting a bum deal.

Clearly there is enough profit in the selling price to justify a huge contribution toward delivery costs but not if the buyer is Canadian. Humph. No contriubtion at all.

I ended up getting that thing shipped for nothing, including no duty and taxes because I created a cogent argument.

I have one old order that was almost fraudulent in terms of shipping charges. It's on my list to write about.

So be happy that you can take advantage of a free shipping day. Those days just don't extend that extra 5 miles.

I do write Richard. I, too, think it's important.

Oh grumble grumble.

I need a Nanaimo bar.

 
Sorta NFRC: I can usually find a free-shipping (or 10-15% off) coupon for most retailers by Googling

The most frequent site (at least for clothing retailers) that pops up is retailmenot.com, and their codes tend to work. 10% might not offset the cost of shipping, but, in general, if I spend 5-10 minutes hunting around for coupons, I can usually find something that knocks a few dollars off.

I'm aware that I'm not on any sort of ethical high ground, here.

 
Oh, bother, I forgot about the curse of the percentage sign. Anywho, repeated inside >>

The short (and less than ethical, probably) version:

Retailmenot.com doesn't require any subscription or other info and usually has free-shipping codes (or other current discount codes) for many online retailers. There's a 10% one for King Arthur right now, but I haven't tried it and it probably doesn't offset shipping entirely. But in general, I don't place an order without spending 5-10 minutes hunting down and trying a bunch of these codes. (I've tried it only for clothing sites, though.)

 
oh the pain of exhorbitant shipping costs----I know it well and refuse to pay anymore.

especially when the company insists that we are not "continental" US. last time I checked, we were still connected to the continent by way of Cananda, but still, the continent.

 
Indeed. That used to be my parents in Phoenix. But then it was also so much fun shopping

in person there I had little need for a PO box. I miss shopping in the US and Canadian retailers still haven't figured out how to run a real sale.

I'm an online shopping newbie, not living in a gargantuan city any longer.

 
I will take a hide from your venting....

.... I absolutely hate when food magazines publish that two page section of "cool stuff for your kitchen" or something rather. It never fails, they are all some artsy piece of pottery that costs $750, or some gadget designed by a Norwegian artist, that will open a bottle of wine while playing Mozart in the background, for just $375. Shipping not included, of course.

for once I would like to have an issue with real interesting things that are affordable, useful, and unique. It cannot be that hard!

(venting mode off)

 
My soloution to a lot of these charges is paying the yearly fee at Amazon

and getting free 2 day shipping all year plus no state tax here. (so far, keep your fingers crossed) Amazon has almost everything if you look around. I just bought a large TV from them and it was at my door step in a day and a half. No lugging it home from the store, into the house etc. I have bought scales recently, bug spray, not to mention the usual books and music. Look there first. Good prices too. A win, win for me, and no, I don't work there or know anyone who does smileys/smile.gif

 
But " A Holiday Reward for Spending, Shipping Not Included" doesn't have the same ring to it.

 
and to those of you on ebay, what's with all the "handling" charges?

these people act like they're running a Lord & Taylor or something. When this started happening, I developed the following system:

If I see something I want to purchase, I decide how much I'm going to spend, estimate the weight, and look up the shipping charges with the USPS.

I then contact the seller and state that I'm interested in bidding on their item, and that ***MY*** terms to make a purchase (purchasing and being a customer is not having terms of surrender being dictated to you by a seller) is that I only pay for actual shipping charges. I ask them if they accept my terms and a potential customer for their item.

If they respond no, then I thank them and tell them that I will not bid on their item. If they say yes, then I have a written agreement that I hold them to if I win the auction.

The majority of the time, the seller agrees to charge actual shipping rates without a "handling" fee and I generally save $5-10 dollars from the "advertised" shipping rate.

 
Erin, I do that too and see absolutely no "ethical" issues...

Just did it yesterday before I booked my NYC apartment on airbnb.

BTW, I found a fabulous place on the 32nd floor in midtown with a view up Broadway, through Columbus Circle, and on up into the UWS. Fabulous location at a great price.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top