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Show Specials??

W

wally pasbrig

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
Joined
Mar 27, 2002
Posts
151
From
South Amana, IA
I note with interest, talk about "Show Specials." The Vegas show next week will be my first show. What types of specials are generally given and what should I look for as I tour the floor? Thanks in advance for saving me dollars .. I hope!
 
Equipment at lower prices than usual. Sometimes you find a great deal.

FREE CANDY!

Moulding, order length in whatever quantitiy the vendor is requiring and save 30-40-50% i.e. get 100' at box price.

FREE CANDY!

Sometimes free shipping for orders placed at the show from many vendors.

FREE CANDY!

Deep discounts on prints and art.

and

FREE CANDY!

In the end, there are usually a couple of good deals that you can find. Just bring your vendor account numbers, check book, and credit cards.

You will find something. If not, there is always the

FREE CANDY!
 
I know of two in specific. Studio will be offering 40% off on quantities of 100' per pattern (they have also had a 5% freight allowance in the past). Design Guild offers 50% with no minimum footage, but with orders over $1000.00 there's free shipping (I got 1300' at the Atlanta show, and saved the $3-400.00 in shipping).

Others in the past have been less 50% from Max* on 40' orders, reduced prices plus rebates on Fletcher Terry machinery, volume discounts on Bainbridge mat board for orders of 25 sheet (5 per each), packaged corner set samples from some of the manufacturers of closed corner frames... Most every supplier has some kind of deal.

*Max will also have some discontinued items at huge discounts if you're into that kind of thing. Watergilded patterns at -70%. Don't know how much will be left by the time the show rolls around, my rep is trying to roll as much as he can before the show.

Some suppliers will sell their show model equipment at heavily reduced pricing just so they won't have to pack it up and ship it. If you are after a particular piece of machinery, it is an opportunity.

Edit: Left out the most important part....FREE CANDY! Thanks FKA HARRY
 
There is a two page double fold handout that lists a ton of specials; some pretty good, some ridiculously lame. I got mine from a mailing from PFM (you know all that stuff you get mailed months before th eshow that we all throw away?)

Also (shameless plug time), when you take any of my classes, I always "cut" a few deals with favorite vendors of mine where you can get a "special" by mentioning my name. The "offer" is tied into one of the points I make in the class

So, you make this "special" buy and then what do you do with that advantage? And, if your answer is that "It allows me to make more margin" then you might be missing a key element of buying well
 
Not to be a cheapo but you could just walk up to every booth and ask for the "Bob Carter" specials. Us males are used to rejection. The odds are actually better that the vendor have a special than you getting the dance in highschool!
 
Originally posted by wpfay:

Some suppliers will sell their show model equipment at heavily reduced pricing just so they won't have to pack it up and ship it. If you are after a particular piece of machinery, it is an opportunity.

Edit: Left out the most important part....FREE CANDY! Thanks FKA HARRY
Click to expand...
I know how one will carry the machinery (maybe a Wizard or 2) back on the plane, but how do you ship all the free candy??
 
There is all that free candy....

I miss the days when Jim Orr wasn't so tight fisted with his almonds....MMMMM.

If you mention Bob Carter AND the Grumble...at Frank's Fabric booth you get a free mini hands on class in fabric wrapping a mat and/or liner.
You can also get enjoy [I'm shameless, shameless I say] my newly released DVD "Fabric Wrapping 101" at a reduced [so low that we are required by the FCC not to reveal how low] price.
thumbsup.gif


How's that for a plug for you class Bob? :D
 
Wht about high enders? Do they offer same size discounts like those mentioned above?
What were APF (Munn), Rhonda Fineman, AMCI, Regency, C&J ant the like doing in their past apparitions at the show?
 
Cornel, the only thing I remember was some reduced pricing on "new" designs the were trying to promote.

There is a page on the WCAF site:

http://www.wcafshow.com/welcome2.asp

that lists specials. And there is a link to a pdf on that page that lists "new products."
 
If you are in the market for a piece of equipment that might be used for demonstration at the show, be sure to contact the exhibitors who might be doing that. Call ahead and make your deal ASAP, as those are usually first-come-first-served opportunities.

A lot of exhibitors offer exceptional deals on show-demo machines, for at least two good reasons: (A) it's now a used machine, no longer saleable as new, and (B) they would really like to avoid paying the outrageous union scale to have that used machine packed up & shipped back to their company.

Even after the cost of contracting the packing & shipping of the purchase from the show to your location, you might save hundreds of extra dollars.
 
Cornel,
Specifically APF/Munn had a package deal on certain sets of corners (as did AMCI). This was a straight purchase, no rebate or coupon. You could cherry-pick and pay a flat $/corner rate (varied from set to set), or you could get the entire set for about 20-25% less than you would have spent for the individual corners. The sets were usually thematically coordinated.

Of course, the deals don't matter if the samples never arrive. Two separate orders for samples placed at Atlanta and Las Vegas were never filled. I've given up on one even though I have reminded the company twice about the order (originally placed in Las Vegas in Jan 2002). The other, placed in Atlanta this last fall, is still "pending"............I'll stop before this turns into a rant.
 
Just yesterday I received a 'mailer' from Lieberman's offering $10 off John Rahnes website class (as I recall it). I'd LOVE to attend that class, but it conflicted with something I really have to attend.

My point is, I wish Lieberman's had mailed that sooner as I (like I imagine most do) sign up for classes early to be sure to get in.

Thanks anyway Lieberman's!
 
Hey Baer-Just goes to show there are specials and there are "Show Specials"

I was looking for my "best" Hawaiian shirt and it seems to have mysteriously disappeared. It happens right before we go to public events. My wife has this (unnatural) fear that I might embarass both of us in large groups

I'm not sure where that comes from

See you soon
 
Sign up early on Monday for drawings. Specialty Soft had a good discount. I'm sure others did as well.

The best free item I came home with was Tru- Vue's red shopping tote bag.

I missed the candy but we offered to share a table with the two peopple behind us in the breakfast line on Sunday morning and it was none other than Mr. Orr. What a delightful person and the almonds are delicious.
 
Ahhhhhh, the Tru-Vue RED TOTE BAG! Oddly enough, I have my two year old Tru-Vue RED TOTE BAG right next to my Samsonite luggage, as we 'speak'.....filling it with essentials for my class #1 by Jim Miller!!
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True story!
 
What I think is fairly telling is that we framers, who are also consumers, are all responding favorably to incentives (discounts, freebies)

Well, why is it that this same "motivator" seems to be so foriegn to our businesses? How come none of us yet has indicated that when a discount is offered by someone we are buying from, we don't accuse them of inflating their regular price to offer a "discount"

Conumers love this stuff and we need to find ways to make it work for us,too
 
Bob, I might have an extra Hawaiian shirt you can borrow... XXL right?

Did you want the Martini, English Motorbikes, Girlie Pin-up (very artsie), or the Pan Am China Clipper landing on Hunama Bay with the Woodies at the Hang Beach Shack?

And did anyone mention the free candy?

As for bags....go early and see if Philip is handing out the white Cambrick Gryphon bags again this year.
thumbsup.gif
 
Sherry Lee,

Sorry you won't be in my Website Desgin Seminar on Tuesday morning - Perhaps next time. I have 60 folks signed up already...but it's one of those courses where a large group actually helps the discussion.

**************

I would be remiss in not mentioning the The Fletcher-Terry specials going on at the WCAF Show....

$50 Rebate valid on the F-100, 2200, 3000, 3100, MatPro 120 or 150 as well as Pneumatic FrameMaster, FlexiMaster and the CornerPro 5500.

$100 Rebate on the purchase of a CornerPro 5600 or 5700 Underpinner.

Then there's the "Grand Daddy" Show Special of all...

At the end of the show, Wednesday afternoon 25 January, The Fletcher-Terry Co. will be giving away a brand new Mat Pro CMC in a drawing. Framers who attend any demonstration during the show are given an entry form for this FREE giveaway.

If you haven't already sat down for a demonstration and filled out an entry at a previous event in the last 6 months, and you're in Las Vegas....make sure you enter!

See you there.

John
 
Um John, I have already won that. Sorry I didn't tell everybody. There is not really any need in registering for it.
 
We just got back from the show this morning, and will be opening the shop in a few. (very tired)

WCAF is a show that we will visit again in the future. It isn't quite as large as Atlanta, but all the players are there (with smaller booths). There's a lot of excitement and activity on the show floor. The educational offerings were great too.

We took advantage of several moulding specials and picked up Baer's new DVD - but that's about it.

Mike
 
It was powerful, energetic and electric. And best of all, got to meet some great Grumblers. Met Mike, and unfortunately, was on my way to teach, and didn't get much time with him. Also met Cliff and we did get to visit and so many others.

Classes were filled, vendors very happy, framers upbeat

If I could offer any suggestion it might be to open the trade show at 10am instead of 11am. That extra hour, for us, would be really helpful

We will definitely be adding an extra full day next year

Way too many people we just didn't get to spend time with and that includes my good buddy, Baer. We bumped into each other, wave across the aisle, but never had that "adult" beverage

Too many good friends, too little time

Jim Miller's lovely wife, Gail and my wife decided that allowing the husbands to set the social schedule was probably not going to happen again

All in all, a great event. No one does it better than the people at PFM
 
Hey, wait a minute, Bob. From what I hear, that should be, "Jim Miller's lovely wife, Gail, and my lovely wife (yours) decided..."

:cool: Rick
 
Hey Rick-I could go on and on about my wife, but tht just would embarass her

All I will say is that Jim and I both moved up the "food chain" when we married
 
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