posted 04-10-1999 04:35 PM               

You've been downsized, or re-sized, or re-orged or just plain let go.

Did you take a closer look at that platinum flyer advantage status and suddenly realize what it really cost you in hours of your life lost in airports and on planes?

Or in a burst of hypertension lowering inspiration, did you one day walk out and never look back?

Regardless of how you got here. Now you are on your own!

If, like others of us here at the sohodojo, you have chosen to: never again stick out your wrists for those corporate golden handcuffs, never again bojangles to get someone to give you a pay check, not one more week count your days in accrued frequent flyer mileage . . .

From now on, you want only to: do a good job at a fair price, stay small but do better than just get by, wake up excited about the day ahead, discover something in your life that isn't just more stuff to buy. If this describes what you've been thinking. . . .

sohodojo money talks

We'll focus on how to keep track of the constant pulse of a nanocorp -- money coming in, money going out. How to figure out what you need and determine what you don't. How to cut costs, stretch a buck, enjoy more what you buy, buy less what you don't need, find joy in giving of yourself, doing for yourself, being just yourself --- and financially surviving.

Welcome to the sohodojo -- let the exercise begin!

posted 08-04-1999 03:17 PM               

REPEAT BUYS - Comparison shopping at the nano-level

Start first by tracking those items that are repeat buys at your place. You don't care about the occasional buys, only the ones you stock and replace on a regular basis (paper products, staple foods, drinks, etc.). Note which items you generally buy, brand name if you care, size if you want.

When you have a couple of items in mind, jot them down on a 'pocket paper' and put it in your wallet or purse.

Like us you probably tend to visit several different stores over the month to replenish supplies -- warehouse clubs (Sam's, Price Club, CostCo, etc.), discount stores (Wal-Mart or K-Mart, etc.), and maybe two (or three) local supermarkets, or grocery stores.

Note the price charged for your Repeat Buys at each of the stores you frequent. (Calculate price per item from bulk buy opportunities so you can compare prices of apples to apples.)

posted 08-04-1999 03:22 PM               

Example:
#1 - We like half and half in our coffee. A quart of the stuff costs $2.39 at Kroegers, $1.69 at Harris Teeter but only $1.39 at Sam's Club. Looks like warehouse shopping for this item makes sense.

#2 - Paper towels are a staple at our place. A roll of our favorite runs about $1.57 at the discount store but $1.68 at the warehouse club. Hmm, you guessed where we buy paper towels didn't you.

Caveat: You have to keep this all in perspective.

A dear friend glues herself to the Sunday paper, comparing prices on everything she intends to buy in the next week. Then she runs from store to store, armed with her lists and does the weekly shopping. At the end of her "shopping day" she surely has saved a couple of dollars, but she's used a bit of extra gasoline, put wear and tear on her car and totally worn herself out from the stress of running from store to store.

Try This Instead:

• Structure your Shopping List by the several stores you frequent.


• As you begin to run out of a Repeat Buy, list that item under the store where you have found the best price.


• Next time you head for one of those stores, pick up the Repeat Buy while you are there.

posted 08-10-1999 12:45 PM               

Have any of you found co-op or group purchase sites on the Net?

posted 08-11-1999 10:31 AM            

This is sort of a reverse auction model in which, rather than bidding the
price of an item up, the
consumers ban together and make the seller bid on them: If five of us buy
your product will you knock 20% off? If ten, 30%?

In some ways, it's like a farmer's co-op model.

The concept is new...and those I mentioned are just weeks old. The trend
is worth watching, however.

posted 08-12-1999 05:18 PM               

Andreessen has also personally invested in Accompany to publicly show his confidence in and enthusiasm for the group buying model and the Accompany agenda

Andreessen claims that "aggregated buying is the absolute next wave in e-commerce."

Has anyone in the sohodojo community used aggregate buying power to purchase something? What's your assessment of how well it works?

posted 08-17-1999 11:36 AM               

quote:

---

DASH is a new way to save money when you shop online. With DASH, you join a community of shoppers who use group purchasing power to get exclusive deals from retailers. The more people shop with DASH, the stronger our collective buying power becomes.

---

quote:

---

To start saving, you must have the DASHbar software installed on your PC. It downloads in 90 seconds and travels with you while you shop as usual.

---

As you visit affiliated merchant sites DASH

• tracks and records rebates you earn while shopping


• alerts you to better deals


• provides customized shopping information based on your preferences


• rewards you with greater savings for spreading the word about DASH


• makes sure you receive a percentage of all your friends' savings when they shop with DASH

posted 08-17-1999 11:40 AM               

Your DASHbar functions as a “smart” shopping agent, actively searching the Web for shopping information tailored to your personal interests and needs. The more you shop with DASH, the smarter it gets.

I like the idea of rebates on purchases. It's the old REI co-op model as well as others. But if you read the Privacy Policy carefully, you 'll find things that raise some yellow flags.

quote:

---

In the future DASH may also offer you new options of participating in programs that reward you for permitting DASH's partner companies to use some of the personal data held about you by DASH, but you are under no obligation to accept any of these offers.

---

If you become a member, DASH gives you an easy way to request that DASH show you the information about you in DASH's database. DASH will comply within a reasonable time.

Requests for deletion of certain information (such as email or postal address) may require closing the account or converting it to one where payments are donated to charity.

The Privacy Policy is certainly written to sound reassuring, but there is something underlying this model that sits poorly with me.

Information is the new commerce. Once 'elsewhere' gets a whole lot of personal shopping information about you, how carefully will they demure when another 'elsewhere' with lots more money wants to buy that data and use it for 'whatever'?

Am I being too old fashioned to worry about all that personal information on me being 'elsewhere'?

posted 11-20-1999 10:48 AM               

We recently did some price checking on and off line on digital equipment. On the Kodak digital camera we were checking into, the clear winner was an on-line shopping site at buy.com

The camera we were looking at was $750 at Sam's Club (a warehouse store like CostCo or Price Club) $850 at the Kodak site but only $590 at Buy.com. Kodak provided a camera case and an extra chip for storing photos -- but neither justified the much higher price.

posted 09-30-2000 01:17 PM               

We've been using Half.com since March to get rid of "stuff" and to help support the dojo. It wins with us.

Like it's name, Half.com is THE place for selling and buying used books, CDs, videos, DVDs, and games.

We tested out the model and customer services. Both get really high marks from Sohodojo. These folks know how to run a quality on-line service - responsive, efficient, well tuned. They go out of their way with excellent customer support.

Nice features:

• wish list - e-mail notification if someone offers your 'wish' for sale


• seller feedback ratings with comments


• no haggling on the price like an auction model


• seller has access to his/her inventory to change prices to increase buyer interest


• 'consignment' model -- your items are on-line selling without your constant attention


• great selection of items for purchase


• checks show up on time (once or twice a month depending on sales volume)


• affiliate program

Initially, sellers could only sell for half of the retail price (on-line) or less depending on the condition of the item. Since merging with e-Bay, sellers can set their prices as they will. Market supply and demand become the drivers.

Yep! Half.com is a Sohodojo favorite!