# "words that excite the brain."



## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

because i'm great, i pulled this quote from naptime/jay from another thread. 

what are words and phrases that 'excite the brain'? what are some of the common denominators that stimulates the brain into buying?

which of these phrases makes you want to spend more (or do they matter to you):

25% off your fourth purchase

or

buy 3 get the 4th free

?

yes, i know there's a big difference in price between 25% and free, but from an excitement standpoint, which one would you grativate towards?


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## dotcom (Feb 1, 2011)

Neither stand out for me...


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## suthernkumfert (Jun 29, 2010)

ryan barker said:


> because i'm great, i pulled this quote from naptime/jay from another thread.
> 
> what are words and phrases that 'excite the brain'? what are some of the common denominators that stimulates the brain into buying?
> 
> ...


 
ok for me i would go towards the 25% off yuor fourth purchase, and i say this because i would make sure my first 3 purchases were small but my fourth would be hugh and that way i could get 25%off everything i needed. i dont like when i see something that says free there is almost always something to it.


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## greyhorsewoman (Jul 19, 2007)

> ok for me i would go towards the 25% off your fourth purchase, and i say this because i would make sure my first 3 purchases were small but my fourth would be hugh and that way i could get 25%off everything i needed


Generally with offers like this, the small print will say the 25% will apply to the item that costs the LEAST of the four selected. For me, having to buy FOUR of anything to get a discount is a turnoff. Rather 'free shipping' on orders over $XXX or $XX off orders over $XXX. 

Percentages work for closeouts, though. I have some matted artprints that originally sold for $26.95 in my booth. Sales bottomed out and I put them away for a year. Decided to 'close them out.' Put up a sign that said 'originally $26.95, now $10.00 each. Hardly sold a one. Changed sign to '50% off original price' and they started to sell like crazy (which was more than $10.00 each !)


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## suthernkumfert (Jun 29, 2010)

greyhorsewoman said:


> Generally with offers like this, the small print will say the 25% will apply to the item that costs the LEAST of the four selected. For me, having to buy FOUR of anything to get a discount is a turnoff. Rather 'free shipping' on orders over $XXX or $XX off orders over $XXX.
> 
> Percentages work for closeouts, though. I have some matted artprints that originally sold for $26.95 in my booth. Sales bottomed out and I put them away for a year. Decided to 'close them out.' Put up a sign that said 'originally $26.95, now $10.00 each. Hardly sold a one. Changed sign to '50% off original price' and they started to sell like crazy (which was more than $10.00 each !)


lol...yeah you are right about that...free just seems to be a bad word in that free is always made up in another way either higher prices on everything else or process and handling. i mean why should i pay you to get the product i jut bought off the shelf? i understand the shipping but the handling fee is not so good...if you had a store i would not have to pay the handling fee just the cost of the product so why is it you can walk to the back to get me something and not charge me for it but for you to do the same thing over the phone or internet you charge me.


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## LEVELMAN1 (Oct 28, 2011)

I would go towards the latter. If all products were $10 each and I took 25% off the fourth product, I would only save a total of $2.50 1/16th of the total price. If you buy three and get the fourth FREE, you would be saving $10 or 1/4 of the total price.
Although you would be amazed at the people that would not think of that.


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

do the words 'exclusive,' 'one of a kind,' 'brand name,' 'quality,' 'special offer,' or 'lowest prices guaranteed,' do anything for anyone?


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

I can't believe people. They all want something for nothing. 

I found a guy selling an advertising product. He said, broadcast over the radio. Put a sign on your vehicle, and tell people to turn to a radio station listed. He wants $1,000 for it, or lease it for $400 down, and $50 per month. 

You've got to be kidding right. I figured out how to make his kit with a $10 piece of equipment, and vinyl lettering that I already have. In fact, I already had a piece of equipment to blast over the radio. 

Some people just don't think. I hope he didn't spend too much to get into that program.


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## suthernkumfert (Jun 29, 2010)

LEVELMAN1 said:


> I would go towards the latter. If all products were $10 each and I took 25% off the fourth product, I would only save a total of $2.50 1/16th of the total price. If you buy three and get the fourth FREE, you would be saving $10 or 1/4 of the total price.
> Although you would be amazed at the people that would not think of that.


yeah i can see what you say. but when i read the post i took it as the first 3 visits i pay full price and on my 4th visit i get 25% off. so if it is like that then taking the 25% off on your fourth visit you have the chance to save way more than the cost of a shirt...spend $400 on your fourth purchase and save $100. but maybe i mis read the post...lmbo


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

Why not just give them the discount now, and say you get xx savings every time you come or buy.


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

giving them a discount on every purchase isn't a discount, it's regular price, eh? it's just an incentive, and the catch is always 'of equal or lower value.' pizza places seem to be the biggest practitioners of these kinds of schemes. 'buy one large or family size, get a calzone at half price,' or whatever. 

could we assume that the kind of marketing and promotion programmes a large pizza chain does works? that is, can you see an outfit like papa john's just winging it? and running the same style promotions for years? yeah, me, neither. so, where applicable, does it stand to reason that those marketing ideas/promotions might work for us? 

i'm not really looking to get too hung up on the example i provided as much as looking for words and phrases that excites the consumer. for example, it seems that offering a percentage discount is more attractive psychologically than offering something for 'free.' despite the freebie being a much better offer, people are more likely to be attracted to a percentage discount?


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## LEVELMAN1 (Oct 28, 2011)

I understand what you are doing and I have to agree with you, it does seem that a percentage off is more attractive. I also liked "special offer" and "one of a kind". When I see "for this weekend only" or the such, I think "you dang liar"!!!!! Same thing with "going out of business". I once knew of a furniture store that would do that every year. They had trailer loads of new merchandise being brought in every day in the back of the store, claiming to be going out of business!!!


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

Hey to say this, but they work. Just advertising alone works. If people don't know your there, how do they know who to call?


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## Rusty44 (Apr 28, 2008)

A lot of advertising is done with BOGO ... Free isn't mentioned, a percent off isn't mentioned, but everybody gravitates to the BOGO, especially in the grocery stores. They are not always the best deal, but it is a great marketing gimmic. BOGO - Buy One Get One


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## greyhorsewoman (Jul 19, 2007)

The initial price of your product plays into it too. With t-shirts, buying FOUR may be too many (at an average of $20.00) to get any discount. So buy one, 2nd one $xx off makes more sense. With small items (under $5.00) maybe buy 4 get one free is more enticing. 

Right now I have a sliding scale for one of my lines (only at the on site booth sales), $2.00 off 2 shirts, $6.00 off 3 shirts, $12.00 off 4 shirts. That discount will probably increase as my inventory decreases (so actually the fourth shirt is free), in order to close out that line. This works better for me because I offer more than short-sleeved t-shirts, so there are various prices depending on which item they want with with design.


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## nerrry (Nov 14, 2011)

buy 3 get the 4th free works

but think about 10% free for purchases over xxx amount


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## EnMartian (Feb 14, 2008)

I think a lot of these phrases and techniques have been used so much they've kind of lost all meaning. Buy one get one, free shipping, a percentage off, we're so used to seeing them now days that they don't have the same impact they used to have. 

Perception of value plays a part too. If people are very interested in what you have, then a buy one get one offer, or a percentage off may be effective. If they aren't that interested in the product, or just browsing, the same offer may not have any impact.


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## LEVELMAN1 (Oct 28, 2011)

Kristine, I believe that's my problem. Whenever I see anything of the sort, I immediately think they marked it up so they could "lower the price". Same as with BOGO, or 25% off.
You're second part is true also. I believe if they want what you have, it's good quality, decently priced, they're going to buy it. If they don't want it, then there's no sense in trying to "put it on sell", because all you're doing is giving a discount to the ones that were already going to buy it in the first place, henceforth, losing profits. I may be wrong on that one, but that is my belief
Interested in hearing other thoughts on that subject.


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

i would guess that the reason we keep seeing the same promotions are because they are tried and true. i agree that they probably don't have the same impact for experienced, savvy shoppers, wouldn't you say that they're so commonplace as to be expected?

we've reached the tipping point, imo, where consumers *expect* some kind of deal, particularly online, no? i'll ask you more experienced folk: when you go to a large site offering shirts, do they not have some kind of sale, discount or contest going on? and the small guys with five designs who haven't been around for years, who don't have an unsold inventory to dump and designs that have played out, i.e. they have nothing to discount, can not you spot them immediately? 

so, by virtue of having something to discount, does that imply to the online shopper that the business is established, and any store that stays afloat in this economy and in this fiercely competitive sales arena must be doing something right? does this not, almost ironically, instill some kind of confidence in the consumer? 

that's a bit off the point.... 

shop with confidence, compare and save, don't be fooled by lower prices. anything to those?

i agree with the 'sale ends wednesday at 7:38 a.m.' gag. you can throw that schtick against the wall all day long, but it won't stick in my mind. it's like some commercial where they say 'but, wait, there's more ~ the first 50 callers receives not one, but *two* squirrel fryers,' then see the same commercial 8 times that day. 

...or am i over-thinking methods of getting people to buy funny and/or offensive sayings on t-shirts?


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## MiNGLED (Aug 22, 2007)

I guess this depends a lot on the type of T-shirt you are selling. If it's a more generic T-shirt design then offers are more likely to success, depending on the type of offer of course. At the more limited edition/niche end of the market, people will usually buy the design because they want that unique T-shirt.

A while ago, Design By Humans did an offer to sell 3 T-shirts for one low price (sorry, can't remember how much). While I was generally keen on their designs, there was only one which I really wanted and was going to buy anyway. Another design I thought was OK and that was added to the list. As for a third, I ended up choosing one which I wasn't that enthused by but at least I didn't dislike it. So I went for 1 shirt and got 3 (possibly for the price of one, it was a few years ago) but the offer didn't sway me as I was going to order from there anyway. On the other hand, if Gap/Topman/Uniqlo did the same offer, I would actively make an effort to take them up just because I am 'getting a bargain' and wouldn't have gone there otherwise.


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

so, DBH got you to buy three shirts when you would definitely have gotten the specific one you wanted anyway, eh? i call that a successful promotion from their perspective. i wouldn't imagine tons of people go there with the idea, 'i'm going to buy three shirts today, damnit.' but, once they see a promotion is going on and an opportunity to save a few bucks, there's incentive. you say the offer didn't sway you, but it absolutely did, didn't it? i mean, you went for one and got three, lol. sure, it didn't sway you in regards to buying that one shirt you went for, but it swayed you to buy two extra shirts that clearly you wouldn't have gotten without the special offer. 

i agree, the kind of shirt dictates the type of promotion. when you say, though, that unique shirts don't need the same kind of promotions to sell, are you referring more to online? because i can go to the mall and there's no lack of sales going on. while there is far greater diversity online, there's also far more competition, and there certainly doesn't seem to be any lack of sales for someone's designs that have been played out. of course, brand new unique designs will be at that site's top dollar (usually).

that begs another aspect to me: given a brand new hot design, with the right wording can you, nay, *should* you, use that to your advantage by trying to link that buyer to other designs you're wanting to discount anyway? if so, what wording/phrasing works best?


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## MiNGLED (Aug 22, 2007)

ryan barker said:


> so, DBH got you to buy three shirts when you would definitely have gotten the specific one you wanted anyway, eh? i call that a successful promotion from their perspective. i wouldn't imagine tons of people go there with the idea, 'i'm going to buy three shirts today, damnit.' but, once they see a promotion is going on and an opportunity to save a few bucks, there's incentive. you say the offer didn't sway you, but it absolutely did, didn't it? i mean, you went for one and got three, lol. sure, it didn't sway you in regards to buying that one shirt you went for, but it swayed you to buy two extra shirts that clearly you wouldn't have gotten without the special offer.


Perhaps I didn't explain myself correctly. I paid for 1 T-shirt and got another free and another for perhaps only a couple of pounds extra e.g. 3 T-shirts for £20 when they normally sell 1 T-shirt for £17/8. So they effectively gave away 2 T-shirts. Great to get people going to the site (the promotion was emailed out) but not really a money maker for them.


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

ah, gotcha. i thought you had bought three shirts, two of them at a better price. that being the case, i'm not too hep on that promotion at all. but, since i don't the details, maybe it worked out for them, just on the surface that sounds like they were giving too much away.


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## [email protected] (Sep 28, 2009)

people will buy what they want. Starbucks doesn't discount much, the line continues. They just want the best deal. If you never discount, and they want it , they will just buy it. The retailer is the cause of this problem. Any " sale " just says either , product has too much margin , or, Can't give these things away, or...I just joined the herd. Set a fair price, never discount, keep your margin and product percieved value high , make good product...create a following. Price wars always have just losers.


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## Rusty44 (Apr 28, 2008)

I sell at one price and do offer quantity discounts.


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## EnMartian (Feb 14, 2008)

LEVELMAN1 said:


> Kristine, I believe that's my problem. Whenever I see anything of the sort, I immediately think they marked it up so they could "lower the price". Same as with BOGO, or 25% off.
> You're second part is true also. I believe if they want what you have, it's good quality, decently priced, they're going to buy it. If they don't want it, then there's no sense in trying to "put it on sell", because all you're doing is giving a discount to the ones that were already going to buy it in the first place, henceforth, losing profits. I may be wrong on that one, but that is my belief
> Interested in hearing other thoughts on that subject.


Mark,

I think a lot of people tend to think that a 25% off or BOGO deal is made profitable by raising prices first. I'm not sure that's always true, and it may often not be true, but it is a perception that's out there. 

As for sales being a way to lose profits, I'm not sure I agree with that. I think sales can be effective, if they're used correctly. You are right that some people may buy regardless, and that good, quality merchandise may well find a market without a sale, but at the same time, sales and specials can be used to shift the buying cycle, or to prod someone who was an undecided buyer into deciding. It's the job of the person putting on the sale to make sure that the sale makes sense from their financial standpoint. Sellers should also be willing to do the math to make sure they're actually getting a bargain.


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## EnMartian (Feb 14, 2008)

ryan barker said:


> i would guess that the reason we keep seeing the same promotions are because they are tried and true. i agree that they probably don't have the same impact for experienced, savvy shoppers, wouldn't you say that they're so commonplace as to be expected?
> 
> we've reached the tipping point, imo, where consumers *expect* some kind of deal, particularly online, no? i'll ask you more experienced folk: when you go to a large site offering shirts, do they not have some kind of sale, discount or contest going on? and the small guys with five designs who haven't been around for years, who don't have an unsold inventory to dump and designs that have played out, i.e. they have nothing to discount, can not you spot them immediately?
> 
> ...


I think people have been trained to expect sales, which tends to lessen their impact a little, and certainly can impact the buying cycle, if people are waiting for a certain day or date for their percentage off or free shipping coupon or whatever. Some shoppers just except they will get something off or free shipping or something, whether a special is advertised or not. I'll leave it to others to decide whether that's a good thing or not. 

Your reasoning behind sales as a way to establish your viability in the marketplace is an interesting take on the subject. I'm not sure I agree, as I've seen lots of newbies offering sales and specials right out of the gate in an effort to get people to buy. I don't know that sales and specials inspire confidence in consumers either. A lot of companies really step it up on the sales and specials before they go out of business, so I'm not sure it's an indicator that should inspire confidence, but that's just me. 

Honestly, I think the best way to get people to buy is to have a good product, at a price that makes you a reasonable, but not obscene, profit, and to have methods of purchase that work well. Forming relationships helps too. People like to buy from those they trust and with whom they feel a connection. Especially for smaller brands, that's really important.


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

new businesses have 'grand opening sales' all the time. there's a new vending company where i work, and next week they'll be offering discounts and freebies every day as a way to say hello. in this case, though, i agree, starting your brand off with a sale right from the rip may not be the way to go. then again, i think it may depend on the type of product you're offering. 

i think one of the attractions of having a sale is having as many people as possible wear your design. and if you *never* have a sale, does that actually discourage repeat visitors? there are plenty of great designs out there, and all thing being even, isn't more likely that the typical shopper will visit a site that at least might be offering that cool shirt at a discount? 

there's a little diner in town that gives away a free meal on every fifth visit, i think it is. i know i've eaten there before specifically to get my card punched whereas i would have otherwise just have gobbled some wendy's instead. is that kind of promotion effective for shirts? 

i think your 'feeling a connection' comment leads right into all the blogs i see on peoples' sites. i might be the oddball here, but i personally could care less about all that crap, although i have to admit that when the time comes i'll be stuck doing it. sigh. 

what inspires confidence in an online shopper, imo, is a professional looking site, easy to navigate, with great products at a price that fits your market's expectations. things that blast my confidence are phrases such as 'visit my zazzle store!' typos and misspellings shatter my confidence, too, as i expect the same eye for detail to go into my shirt... and if that quality is lacking, i figure the print won't be much better.


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## [email protected] (Sep 28, 2009)

there is a barbecue place across town that I go to ...driving past 5 other barbecue places to get there. I make the special trip for one reason, they have a taste noone else has that I love. Do I care if it is $4 or $5 a sandwich..no...do I care that they aren't on sale , no. What I care about is the taste ( design ), none like it, and that they are friendly. The web is like my town...make something worth driving the distance for, if you do that , the rest doesn't matter. Customers know " sales " are manipulation. Save the energy , invest it better product.


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

all things being the same, people will go with the sale if in fact it is a bargain, don't you agree? while i agree with the spirit of what you're saying, the real world has sales, uses promotions, does marketing, and were it not effective it's hard to imagine businesses wasting the time having them, eh?


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## EnMartian (Feb 14, 2008)

ryan barker said:


> i think one of the attractions of having a sale is having as many people as possible wear your design. and if you *never* have a sale, does that actually discourage repeat visitors? there are plenty of great designs out there, and all thing being even, isn't more likely that the typical shopper will visit a site that at least might be offering that cool shirt at a discount?


I don't think never having a sale will discourage repeat visitors. If they're satisfied with what you have to offer, it probably won't matter to them one way or the other. As to a typical shopper visiting a site that might be offering a cool shirt at a discount, it's the merchandise that will get them there not the sale. If something isn't appealing, it won't get purchased, regardless of what sort of discount is on it. That said, in a competitive marketplace, a discount might provide an edge, however small. 



ryan barker said:


> there's a little diner in town that gives away a free meal on every fifth visit, i think it is. i know i've eaten there before specifically to get my card punched whereas i would have otherwise just have gobbled some wendy's instead. is that kind of promotion effective for shirts?


Buy so many get one free doesn't make as much sense to me when it comes to clothing. For restaurants and stuff, this promotion obviously works. For clothing, it seems a little more dicey. I'm not sure that's the first promotion I would try if I were attempting to sell shirts. 



ryan barker said:


> i think your 'feeling a connection' comment leads right into all the blogs i see on peoples' sites. i might be the oddball here, but i personally could care less about all that crap, although i have to admit that when the time comes i'll be stuck doing it. sigh.


Connections don't have to be made with blogs, although a good one can help in that regard. If you don't care about having a blog, than don't have one, because it probably won't work for you. Try something else, like Facebook or Twitter and make connections that way. The thing about making a connection is it has to be genuine. If you're just doing it because you think you should, people will sense that. 



ryan barker said:


> what inspires confidence in an online shopper, imo, is a professional looking site, easy to navigate, with great products at a price that fits your market's expectations. things that blast my confidence are phrases such as 'visit my zazzle store!' typos and misspellings shatter my confidence, too, as i expect the same eye for detail to go into my shirt... and if that quality is lacking, i figure the print won't be much better.


Totally agree with this. Poorly done websites can hurt a business so much.


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## CannibalSam (Oct 20, 2011)

this could actually be applied to another example as well. What do you think is more effective:

24.99$ or 25$

The way I look at it is that the lower number makes people look longer.


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

lol. hey, i just paid $3.17 9/10ths for a gallon of gas. 

yeah, i think it's just silly, but it's the way of the world and how people are conditioned to see the pricing, imo, so i never will have a round dollar figure. this scam works, too, why else would someone drive fifteen minutes out of their way, wander aimlessly around a giant warehouse and stand in line 20 minutes at wal*mart to literally save two cents?

personally, i feel as if discounts are just another weapon in your marketing arsenal. you either use them effectively or you don't, and those who have tried them and haven't seen results may not be using this tool effectively. just my opinion. those who don't even consider their use, well, those guys may just be clinging stubbornly to their opinion. all that said, i think you have to use these tools judiciously as not to create the wrong impression with the customer.


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## [email protected] (Sep 28, 2009)

just a quick last word...Just because something has " always been done that way " or " always done " doesn't mean to knee jerk do it. Today, everything is being reexamined, and tossed or altered if it doesn't make sense today. like the Yellow Pages...dead. Even in our own industry, nothing is automatic anymore. Actually, if it has been in place a long time ..even more cause to second look it. keystone ..dead, big inventory..dead...


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## ryan barker (Jul 21, 2011)

you're right on that. well, actually, i still get a lot of customer through the yellow pages. if your county still produces them, it's worth exploring as a lot of people use them. of course, people use the online versions all the time. 

'it's always been that way' is never a reason to just do it that way, too, of course. however, if it is a proven method, why ignore it? we are conditioned to view things a certain way, and there's a psychology to it that's just been proven to death. the marketing outlet isn't so much the issue, as those will change as evidenced in the yellow pages and newspaper advertising, as much as tapping into the customer's buying nerve centre and just wailing away at those 'buy me!' buttons. 

not that it's germain to the original question, but i've railed against big inventories from day one. i carry a huge inventory on trophy stock atm only because i had fallen into an amazing deal and bought out a competitor's warehouse for roughly a tenth of the wholesale value. barring something like that, no, we never would think to buy much more than we needed unless we were just a few pieces shy of getting the case price. otherwise i don't think the benefits are worth the risk, not to mention tying up your money in stock that sits on the shelf collecting dust waiting to be bought. 

not to limit myself to just words, but what are some *images* that excite the brain? young, hot models wearing your shirts? what about colours?


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