goatcrapp wrote:I'm optimistic. Before i cry foul - I think to all the times woot has had ***CHANGE*** and how we'd all get up in a huff about it, and somehow, woot remained very attentive to the community we've created and it was all okay.
This isn't just kissing up because i ordered some blanks and would LOVE for woot to consider mostly DARK COLORS FOR ME... :D
Okay, maybe a little - but it's also what i genuinely feel. Woot has created something unique over the past few years, and they are very cognizant of this. For instance, i've bought every random shirt (x3) for the past 3+ years, and they still have a perfect record of NO DUPES. Someone somewhere is paying attention to that, to us, to the community.
So - i'll remain optimistic. Woot knows what it has here, and hasn't been the type of company to risk that by letting quality suffer in the past, so why should they now?
Mostly, I feel the same way here. Woot has been a decently quality company in the past and their staffers are great when it comes to interacting with the community members--whether long timers or those brand new to the site. I think that they are well aware of our concerns about the change, but might be a little surprised at how vocal and concerned we are about the possibility of losing a quality, homegrown manufacturer like AA.
As such, I don't think that they take this decision lightly. For people decrying them as "simply wanting to line their wallets" or "screwing the customer for profit" I think that you've lost perspective more than woot has. Sorry if what follows is a bit long, but here goes:
The Netflix comparison holds no water here. We got a response from Joel that same evening. It may have only been a brief response to let us know that a more detailed response was coming later in the week, but the woot staff was on top of things rather than a perfunctory, "Because we can" letter from Jason Toon. Woot started offering an assortment of long sleeve tees and hoodies (even totes and posters) at the beginning of the year, thereby increasing--at least in my opinion--the quality of services offered. They didn't reduce shirt output and brush off our concerns.
I hate that they might be going to a non-US supplier, but that decision can't have been easy to make either. I think that Kevlar hit it on the head with his comments about the basic needs of the company. The economy isn't that great right now. Heck, in the last six months we've had Borders go out of business (much to my sorrow) and Hostess file for bankruptcy just to name a couple of the more recognizable companies that have fallen under hard times. I'm not sure that woot is having a hard time financially, but I am sure that if they aren't, they don't want to end up there.
Furthermore, Woot may have been bought by Amazon, but they are still fairly autonomous as near I can tell. Which in turn means that they have to keep themselves "alive" under their own power. I think that woot boasts something like 200 employees. Total. It's just plain disappointing when people start tossing around "the man" type language when we're still talking about a relatively small business here. I've never gotten the impression that Toon and Rutledge have private money bins that they go swimming through on the weekend. Please don't buy that hype. Given the community interaction, and word of mouth sales that woot likely relies on, why, in hard economic times, would they make decisions that would possibly alienate their base but not offer a quick and upbeat solution? Or at least benifits with the change, such as the much longed for long sleeved tees and hoodies?
I am hoping that they go back to AA blanks when the economy improves and that perhaps, in the mean time, that they find another American textile company. I'll stick with woot to see what's happening. Losing AA might sadden me, but after a night's sleep, and a bit of mulling, I come back to the basic thought that "patience is a virtue." So, I wait patiently to see what follows, and I am hoping for the best.
