Victoria's Secret sends promotion postcards about, hmm.. every month to advertise new merchandise. Sometimes it's relatively signification new products, such as a new bra technology, other times it can be seasonal and other times it's just because they want you to get in there and buy more stuff. I can absolutely understand the marketing strategy: get customers in the store to get their freebie, while they're in the store hook 'em on with the promo and/or something they just realized they can't live without. As it turns out, I'm much too smart for this to really work on me.
Putting aside all marketing and product production costs knowledge, as a plain jane customer- I have a beef and Imma tell you my beef. If only I hadn't used my coupon today, I could have recited the restrictions verbatim, but I'll just have to wing it, which shouldn't be a big thing I feel like I've been reading these restrictions all my life. The most consistent and important ones as follows:
FREE Pantie, value of $8.50 (no purchase necessary)
$5 off a bra (limited to select styles) or $15 off 2 bras (cannot be combined with other promotions)
1. not redeemable for cash (well obviously)
2. cannot be combined with any other promotion, expect for VS rewards points (<-- how kind of them)
3. Coupon must be surrendered at time of purchase
4. limit one pantie per customer
5. LIMITED TO SELECT STYLES, while supplies last
I know that they're offering something to me for free, but UGH why! do they only offer the boring styles and colors? I should be thankful that they have at least expanded their color range from the standard selection that limited us to nude, black, white. It is a baby step to include all colors and prints, but a step never the less. If color in print weren't enough, I swear my most nearest VS location purposefully orders lower quantities of size medium just to tork me off. OK- fine, I get it, I can only choose from the limited selection of cheaply produced, basic underpants, that are like, so unsexy, I doubt I could get laid wearing them, but for cripes sake, could you at least carry a decent quantity of my size? I'm not asking for a 6X here, just a flippin' medium.
I can't find an appropriate paragraph for this fact, so I'll just spit it out: the freebie has nothing to do with the hot new merchandise being advertised on the promo coupon. Don't be fooled.
Alright, I'm done being the ungrateful customer pissing and moaning about her free VS panties. Remember how I said I was too smart for to be sucked into purchasing additional merchandise when I show up to retrieve my freebie? Well, it's true, I just show up... act like I might purchase something and the not allow anything to "work out for me"... but while I'm already in there "I might as well pick up a free pair of panties". To be quite honest, I feel like such a schmuck when I do it. Thus the act about buying something instead of b-lining in an out- it's just too obvious and I'm just not that bold.
I've been getting these flippin things for quite a few years now, believe me- after free panties + the semi annual sale pantie binge, I absolutely don't need any more underpants (or bras either, and that's why it was oh so easy to not purchase one.. or even two today). Furthermore, most of the free panties I don't even wear. They typically fall into the B-grade selection of the underpants drawer. Why? Because they're plain old cotton, the style is boring as hell and the cut almost always shows pantie-lines regardless of what size I get or what I'm wearing them under. Unless of course once choose to get the v-string option, and lets be honest, while you might think "you can never have enough v-strings" truly, you really can have enough. I, in fact, have enough v-strings.
By now you have to be wondering what the deal is. If the panties are so subpar and I'm too ungrateful about the free merchandise, why do I even hustle in there retrieve them? I have a few reasons...
1. Because they send me the promo! Something about "free" gets me, it just doesn't always "get" my money. I like making VS follow through on their offer to give me something for free. IF they didn't want me to walk out without spending a dime, than "no purchase necessary" should be omitted from the promo.
2. I just like new panties. Even boring panties that aren't sexy.
3. There is the rare occasion when the selection includes one other style, and that style is actually stylish.
4. Six months ago I ventured in for one of these free pantie hunts. That particular hunt I was also in the market for a new bra, so I purchased the promo bra with the free panties. To my surprise, the woman looked at my heart shaped coupon and said, "You're eligible for any pair of pantie in the entire store, no restriction on color or style". I was like, in. heaven. I probably took 15 minutes to decided what I wanted: uber sexy? awesomely practical? the most expensive pair I can find? I went with the most sexy/expensive pair I could find.. truth be known, I don't wear them all that often. I thought perhaps it was because I used the bra promo. I purchased a bra the following promo, but didn't reach a similar result. I don't' know what it was, but I secretly hope that it happens again.
So *sigh* today, I searched and re-searched each of the 3 qualifying table of panties to find the best option for my freebie. See photo for my final selection. Yes- they look "cute enough", that's because I hunted like a mad woman and compromised the size. Oh yes- they are a large, but heck, maybe the pantie-lines won't be as noticeable.
A quick FYI: If one were to purchase one pair of regular priced panties at VS the lowest priced pantie would be $8.50. I would kill to know exactly how much profit they make on these underwear, particularly basic freebies that run $8.50 apiece. This particular batch was made in India. As of 3/2/10 $8.50 USD is 388 Indian Rupee (Google). What I don't know is how far 388 INR would get someone in India, but someday I will. Enough petty customer banter, back to
business.
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