[xtypo_dropcap]D[/xtypo_dropcap]uring the holiday gift “hunting” season (it is like a wild hunting expedition, isn’t it?) is when I especially thank the shopping fairies who sprinkled their magic dust and invented the concept of cable television shopping channels.
Picture sitting in the comfort of your home, with slippers on, fire ablaze, a hot cup of something in hand, and your wireless laptop ready to take action when something you want shows up on the screen. There are no long lines to have to wait in, no crowded fitting rooms, no aggressive drivers to contend with in the parking lot, no screaming babies and cranky people. Now THAT is what I call a Merry Christmas!
For years I just skipped over these television channels, thinking they only sold junk that I didn’t need. Au contraire! In this article I would like to share some 411 about these cable shopping channels (I mean QVC and HSN) and outline what I think are some of the pluses and minuses regarding this way of shopping.
The Pluses
Big Names, Big Deals: When I stepped into this television retail world, I could not believe how many big names were involved in it, and how many more continue to join. I really thought that their stuff was all no-name brands. While these channels do all have some of their own brands, top premier names are the majority.
For instance, there’s Isaac Mizrahi, Badgley Mischka, Bob Mackie, Louis Dell’Olio, and Liz Claiborne New York for fashion. You can find Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, and Todd English for cookware. There’s Colin Cowie (love him!) for home décor and other entertaining party stuff. Kansas City Steaks, Junior’s Cheesecake, David’s Cookies, and Harry London Chocolates cover some of your food needs. Oh, and there is Bose, Dell, Toshiba, LG, Nintendo Wii, and Sony for electronics.
There are so many other categories I could spend all day outlining them: like jewelry (love ya Judith Ripka and Robert Lee Morris), beauty products (Lancome, Adrien Arpel, Mally Roncal, Laura Geller are among my girls), and fitness stuff (Tony Little is the main dude). The list is almost endless, so I won’t go on.
However, in addition to these big names and popular well-known brands, there are often special deals and bundled offers brought to consumers only through these channels—things like sample kits to try a group of products for newcomers, supersizes for people who already know and love the products, and deeper discounts than stores will offer.
Honest Product Reviews, No Censorship: I think what I appreciate most out of shopping this way is that there are honest product reviews from consumers posted online. I do all my television shopping via the Internet, so before I buy something, I see how many stars a product has received and read some of the reviews. These people are honest, and they don’t hold back!
They will give commentary on things like quality of fabric, cut, sizing, colors, and so on. Some even come back after a year or two of owning something and comment on how it has held up (or not). It has helped me out tremendously time and again, and I have also made a few review contributions myself.
Callers on the live program are usually big fans of the brand being featured, so they tend to only say nice things. Based on my experience, I have agreed 95 percent of the time with what the overall consensus of the reviews has been. Go online and see for yourself the real deal on the products. Stores simply do not offer this, and I have personally experienced some store websites censoring their reviews.
Interaction With Designers: The last time you went to the mall, or bought from normal store websites, have you been able to hold a personal dialogue with the designer of the item and give your own opinion about things like cut, sizing, ideas, requests, and the like?
Well thanks to the world of blogging, this type of virtual face-to-face contact with the actual creators and designers of the products is possible. I was so impressed to hear the designers on live TV admit that consumers wanted longer lengths (or petites), more colors, more cotton and less spandex, less bling, more bling, and on and on.
Designers say they do read the reviews of their products and answer bloggers. At last, consumers get a chance to voice their opinions in a constructive way to get products to better suit their needs and make us all more satisfied with the final results. How innovative and wonderful!
Flexible Payment Options: Many of the products sold, especially the bigger ticket items like electronics, offer some type of installment payment plan (if you desire), or you can opt to pay the whole enchilada in one shot. It works like reverse layaway. Pay the first installment this month, get your stuff immediately, and then finish payment in subsequent monthly installments.
Sometimes on the live TV broadcasts, you hear elderly people or those with tight budgets just thanking the hosts for the flexible payment options, which you will never get at malls or stores.
No-Hassle Return Process: Have you ever purchased from a store online and then had to practically beg, or write a term paper about why you want to return the product? Well I have; and because of this, I have vowed never to shop at those sites since.
Some stores are REALLY difficult about this. Not QVC and HSN. I must say that I have found it to be such a pleasure to be able to return things like undergarments (don’t worry, they indicate they don’t resell them), makeup, and earrings—which are usually NOT returnable in stores.
You get about 30 days to try stuff on and do a test drive or two before making your final decision to keep it or not. Convenient peel-off shipping labels make your repackaging really easy.
Canceling Orders: The TV shopping websites give you a chance to cancel your order within a period of time after you place it. All the store websites do NOT give you this option. So, if you regret ordering the thingamajig 20 minutes after you clicked your order confirmation, you can usually cancel it.
The Minuses
I Spent How Much Today? When I sometimes watch and buy multiple items in one day, somehow I just seem to lose track of myself and how much I am spending. The websites do have a summary of all the orders you have placed, but they do not keep any kind of a running total for you.
I have found it easy to overspend and have had to cancel orders to get back on track. My advice is to keep a little piece of paper and a calculator going just to remind yourself of the TOTAL you are spending, especially if you plan a marathon session for a few hours. It may shock you to see the number, and make you think twice before placing your order.
Lots of Returns Equals Lots of Shipping Costs: OK, I admit I am the queen of returns. But, when it’s costing you an average of $4 to $9 to return a package, this can add up. I have never really done an analysis to see how much I have spent on shipping, but I know it must be quite a bit.
However, if you buy carefully, read the online reviews first, and only order things you really, really, really like, chances are that your returns will be more limited and the cost won’t be too big. We can’t forget that all of this convenience (and no long lines for the register) comes at a price. This is precisely that price.
I hope my article has helped to inform others who have never shopped via the television shopping channels to have a better understanding of what it is (and isn’t), and perhaps you will consider giving it a try in the future.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
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