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Changes are afoot at Valleyschwag
Those of you who have followed the progress of Valleyschwag know that we’ve been working towards the right way to mature our business into something a bit more sustainable. We think we’ve found the answer. In the next several days we will unveil the Valleyschwag General Store, where our customers will be able to purchase future issues of our famous schwag bags. And by popular demand, we will be offering some of our most requested schwag items for sale.
This store replaces our subscription service altogether. We will notify people by email when a new issue of Valleyschwag is available, giving them the first opportunity to place an order at the General Store.
We’re confident that this is the best way for us to keep the quality of our schwag high, and give the maximum number of folks access to the items they covet.
Stay tuned for the official unveiling.
UPDATE:
To clarify, each new issue of Valleyschwag will continue to be made up of surprise contents. The primary difference is that they will be released and sold as they become available.
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:17 pm
wow. That was totally out of the blue. I kinda liked the old subscription model. The schwag bag just randomly showed up on my door step and completely made up for a shitty day. I didn’t really have to worry about how and when and it was nice that additional payments were just refunded to my account. I’m not sure if I’ll remember to actually take the time to stop by the store and buy stuff. I’m sad.
:(
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:25 pm
Hmm, yeah, I’m with Karthik. I rather liked the subscription model. When you say customers will have more control over which schwag bags they want, you seem to be implying that we’ll know what’s in them before we order–which is certainly not appealing. A large part of the appeal of Valleyschwag was the novelty of surprise. Never knowing what was coming next was a lot of fun. Otherwise, it just seems like ordering t-shirts from a store. I’m not sure how much I’ll want to utilize this new format.
Anyway, all that said, I’m pretty sure I was still overcharged for a month in PayPal… will that still be rectified automatically or do I have to do something to get that refund?
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:36 pm
Mmm. I agree with the earlier comments too. You’ve just lost the element of fun and suprise that made VS such an irresistable offer. In marketing speak, you’ve just given up your USP! That seems like a crazy, albeit bold, decision to make.
Good luck!
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:50 pm
Fear not, Josh, the schwag bag content will still retain their “element of surprise.” We realize this is a significant portion of the appeal, and we’re committed to continuing in that spirit. However, the logistical issues of continuing this as a subscription service are surprisingly complex.
We’ll write more on how we came to this decision in coming days. Suffice to say, it wasn’t an easy choice. But we’re excited about this next phase of our business. Evolve or die, as they say.
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:59 pm
There’s no longer an element of surprise because you’ve decided to sell the ‘Popular’ schwag bits to everyone. I am sure the decision wasn’t easy to make, but it’s still short and cold. It stings.
I liked the pay-by-month not sure what I am going to get. It made it fun, it made it enjoyable. Now, I probably won’t remember to go to the General Store, even when there is an email. The idea was fun while it lasted, and you’ve pretty much killed the fun and the point.
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:07 pm
Just got an email from Paypal saying “Your subscription to Valleyschwag care package - subscriptionhas been cancelled by Rubyred Labs.”.
So I immediately came here and read that you are “changing” your model. Not very impressed at all. You didn’t even email your subscribers a personal note. Most of them will not read this blog and will be very suprised (like I was) to receive the cancelled subscription email from PayPal.
I dont like the new way you have come up with.
Would have preferred to stay subscribed and only be charged when you sent out a package.
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:07 pm
I know change is hard, but perhaps it makes sense to withold judgement until we actually launch the new version.
Again, our goal is to continue in the spirit that we launched this whimsical business, but do it in a way that is sustainable and focused on quality.
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:08 pm
@ Josh: Yes, we are still running the refundinator and will refund everyone for their extra Paypal deductions. However, you can email me at schwagsupport@gmail.com with your Valleyschwag email address or shipping name and I’ll look into your refund situation.
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:09 pm
I liked the subscription model too. I admit, at first I worried a bit when I payed twice and still received nothing… but when the schwags finally arrived, they were really cool.
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:11 pm
Valleyschwag to open up shop!
In the next several days we will unveil the Valleyschwag General Store, where our customers will be able to purchase future issues of our famous schwag bags. And by popular demand, we will be offering some of our most requested schwag items for sale. T…