If I buy one ticket can I get another ticket for free for passage on this BOGO hate train?

I actually ranted about this last week when I went to buy shoes at a "bogo" sale expecting a buy one get one free only to find it was buy one get one half off (Although I suppose with $25 shoes its not that big of a deal).

Marketing is still reinventing BOGO.

In grocery there now is "Buy 3, Get 2" and my favorite, "10 for $10". How many people actually buy only 10 or even multiples of 10? Is it really increasing sales over just calling things $1?

bkiaam wrote:I actually ranted about this last week when I went to buy shoes at a "bogo" sale expecting a buy one get one free only to find it was buy one get one half off (Although I suppose with $25 shoes its not that big of a deal).

I also just ranted about this the other day. My purchase was much smaller-- Dairy Queen. Blizzards. The sign out front (the type where they put messages up single letter by single letter) said "BOGO Blizzards", so we swung in just for that. My husband wanted one. I didn't really, but hey, free ice cream. I was incredibly displeased after being told our total that the deal was, in fact, "BOGO1/2". My husband didn't want to push it and just paid anyway, but I was pretty annoyed.

Looks like we are agreed that the BOGOHO scam should be banned -- I see a very successful class-action lawsuit in this. Successful in the court of public opinion, at least. A real court? Not so much.

But if I was king, the advertisement would be required to say, in large print, "You are not getting anything for free. You are merely getting a 25% discount, and you have to buy TWO items to get the discount!"

badorangecat wrote:Looks like we are agreed that the BOGOHO scam should be banned -- I see a very successful class-action lawsuit in this. Successful in the court of public opinion, at least. A real court? Not so much.

But if I was king, the advertisement would be required to say, in large print, "You are not getting anything for free. You are merely getting a 25% discount, and you have to buy TWO items to get the discount!"

Completely agree!!!!

Ben brightens my day. It is a good way to start a Monday.

I like the "Buy One, Get One Free" coupons because if I find two matching coupons I get the two items for free. Really. Works almost every time.

YES! I totally agree, I seriously also just had a rant about this last week, and I'm so glad to see Ben address it.

The local grocery ad was advertising something as BOGO in huge eyecatching can't miss it print, yet in teeny tiny to the point of being microscopically miniscule writing on the bottom said "Buy one get one 50% off". That's just plain deceptive advertising!

badorangecat wrote:Looks like we are agreed that the BOGOHO scam should be banned -- I see a very successful class-action lawsuit in this. Successful in the court of public opinion, at least. A real court? Not so much.

But if I was king, the advertisement would be required to say, in large print, "You are not getting anything for free. You are merely getting a 25% discount, and you have to buy TWO items to get the discount!"

i.e.

YANGAFFYAMG(1/4)DYHBTIGTD

I'm new to WOOT, so this was the first "beetle" video I've seen. I have to say I LOVE this guy! "over-literal"? I don't think so. He just tells the truth.

I love Ben! Hate BOGO or B10G10 or any variation...

Gee, I hope that little cute Ben does not end up stuffed, mounted, and exhibited in the Woot Museum. He is adorable.

skippykj wrote:Marketing is still reinventing BOGO.

In grocery there now is "Buy 3, Get 2" and my favorite, "10 for $10". How many people actually buy only 10 or even multiples of 10? Is it really increasing sales over just calling things $1?

You know, a long time ago I used to shop at a store where the "10 for $10" thing was literal; if you bought 9, you got charged the normal price for each one. I stopped shopping there.

badorangecat wrote:Looks like we are agreed that the BOGOHO scam should be banned -- I see a very successful class-action lawsuit in this. Successful in the court of public opinion, at least. A real court? Not so much.

How's about in a kangaroo court?

You know, I've heard of the BOGOHO deal before, but I thought that was only valid in Nevada.

zingriffy wrote:I'm new to WOOT, so this was the first "beetle" video I've seen. I have to say I LOVE this guy! "over-literal"? I don't think so. He just tells the truth.

If you're new to Ben, make sure to check out his previous videos:

Scandal "Gates"

The Worst-Case Scenario

UFOs

Scotch Tape

Katy Perry's "California Gurls"

skippykj wrote:Marketing is still reinventing BOGO.

In grocery there now is "Buy 3, Get 2" and my favorite, "10 for $10". How many people actually buy only 10 or even multiples of 10? Is it really increasing sales over just calling things $1?

Yes, it gets people to buy more than they normally would.

I have a bone to pick with Ben. Ben the "Over-Literal" Dermestid Beetle begins each video with the claim that he "has a bone to pick" with a stated object of scorn and then does not do so. Yes, I know Dermestid beetles are carrion eaters used to remove flesh from bones, but Ben does not remove the flesh from the bones of his object of scorn. Nor does he use their bones to remove food particles from his mandibles, dig a hole, or play a stringed instrument. All I'm saying Ben is if you claim to be "over-literal" and state that you "have a bone to pick" with something, you should use said thing to pick a bone.

"He's Ben the Over-Literal Dermestid Beetle and he discusses an annoyance with a poorly chosen phrase."

I can't remember when they started calling it "BOGO". I've lived outside the USA for the past 13 years, so I was really confused a couple of years ago when I first heard my mom refer to a buy-one-get-one-half-off sale as "BOGO". Then again, I lived under a rock even when I still lived in the USA, so I wouldn't be surprised if BOGO has been around for a while.

i want a 'ben' shirt :/

Separate from Ben's picking - Is BOGO expected to be said verbally? I can't imagine. Seriously, I hope no one out there says this out loud.

So if it's only abbreviated in written form, why wouldn't it be B1G1? You'd get quite a bit more meaning in exactly the same number of characters.

Justmeleslie wrote:i want a 'ben' shirt :/

I didn't until I saw your post. Now I want one really badly.

I'd never heard the term 'BOGO' until Ben said it today. Suspicious?

It is commonly used in print where I live. Ben would never take literary license.

Put me on the list for a Ben Shirt. NOW