Stewart-MacDonald Subscription

Jerryc41

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I have to decide quickly if I want to renew my $30 subscription, which gives me free delivery. If I place four orders, I come out ahead. Will I place four more orders in the next twelve months? Well, will I? Someone has to make a decision for me. :D :D :D

I'm going to their website to see if there is anything I might want. I have two sets of wood arriving any day now.
 
Well the only MacDonald's I know is spelled differently and Stewart is my wife's cousin....so I say no......I don't get much from either of them. I do a little leather work now and then......Tandy has a benefits program you can pay and sign up for. I've done it now and then, but only when I know I'm going to need to do a large purchase and then a few follow ups with a year. Amazon Prime is the only way to go with that company.

I'll look up Stewart-MacDonald and see who they are.

OH Stewmac.....I knew who they were.......have never bought from them.....
 
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Well the only MacDonald's I know is spelled differently and Stewart is my wife's cousin....so I say no......I don't get much from either of them. I do a little leather work now and then......Tandy has a benefits program you can pay and sign up for. I've done it now and then, but only when I know I'm going to need to do a large purchase and then a few follow ups with a year. Amazon Prime is the only way to go with that company.

I'll look up Stewart-MacDonald and see who they are.

OH Stewmac.....I knew who they were.......have never bought from them.....

:D

I looked through what they're offering, and I haven't found anything I should buy yet. :(
 
How many orders did you place this past year?

The real question, since whether you will get your value is which situation suits you better? First is if you want to order something, you cringe because you did not have membership and have to pay shipping. This discourages buying. The other is you look for ways to spend your money there and feel good when you buy something as you already paid for the shipping.

Then you reassess in a year.
 
If you are going to continue to modify and experiment with your ukes this year, then most likely it will pay for itself. You're almost certain to place 2 or 3 orders this year, so you'll only lose $10 if you don't buy more often.

I think you should do it. And if you find you don't buy enough this year, then drop it next.
 
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If you are going to continue to modify and experiment with your ukes this year, then most likely it will pay for itself. You're almost certain to place 2 or 3 orders this year, so you'll only lose $10 if you don't buy more often.

I think you should do it. And if you find you don't but enough this year, then drop it next.

Thanks. This is what I suspected. I should continue subscribing, and I should also drop it. :D

I have two sets of uke wood arriving today.
 
I have to decide quickly if I want to renew my $30 subscription, which gives me free delivery. If I place four orders, I come out ahead. Will I place four more orders in the next twelve months? Well, will I? Someone has to make a decision for me. :D :D :D

No, Jerry. you WILL NOT place four orders.

More than four, sure, but NOT four.

-Kurt​
 
No, Jerry. you WILL NOT place four orders.

More than four, sure, but NOT four.

-Kurt​

I placed nine orders in the past twelve months, but I'm not renewing my membership unless I see things I think I must have. One problem with S-M is their very high prices on many items. I have a total of four sets of wood, so I have enough to keep me busy for a while.
 
Shipping is the problem with Stew-Mac, they have lots nice stuff, but shipping doubles the price sometimes...
 
Well I mentioned this earlier in another thread......but I would consider a StewMax subscription sort of a gateway drug. Cutting out the (or rather pre-paying) the shipping costs would just enable the purchase of more tools that I want but probably don't need.
 
Well I mentioned this earlier in another thread......but I would consider a StewMax subscription sort of a gateway drug. Cutting out the (or rather pre-paying) the shipping costs would just enable the purchase of more tools that I want but probably don't need.

Exactly right! In the last few days of my subscription, I found myself looking for things to buy, eventually picking out two sets of wood.
 
I have to decide quickly if I want to renew my $30 subscription, which gives me free delivery. If I place four orders, I come out ahead. Will I place four more orders in the next twelve months? Well, will I? Someone has to make a decision for me. :D :D :D

I'm going to their website to see if there is anything I might want. I have two sets of wood arriving any day now.

Nothing is for nothing and loyalty programs, which is what this is, are intended to serve the supplier rather than the customer. In your position I’d save my immediate payment of $30 and pay postage on actual orders (of which you don’t expect many) as and when I place them. Of course not being sort of tied to any loyalty program means you can shop around and seek the best prices.

The coming year will bring many changes to the retail market. If we have a depression - which I think likely - then many companies will offer free shipping, etc. I suggest that you free yourself from loyalty programs, free yourself from enticements and consider each purchase separately.
 
I am very susceptible to spending money so I make a conscious effort to avoid enabling marketing tricks, which these subscriptions are. You will spend a hundred dollars more to save twelve dollars shipping. Or on the other side of the coin, without the subscription you won't spend a hundred dollars because you don't want to pay the twelve dollars shipping. But that is just me. I'm a money spender if I'm not careful about it. I've not bought a ton of stuff that I didn't really want that badly but I got caught up in the moment, because of shipping.
 
I am very susceptible to spending money so I make a conscious effort to avoid enabling marketing tricks, which these subscriptions are. You will spend a hundred dollars more to save twelve dollars shipping. Or on the other side of the coin, without the subscription you won't spend a hundred dollars because you don't want to pay the twelve dollars shipping. But that is just me. I'm a money spender if I'm not careful about it. I've not bought a ton of stuff that I didn't really want that badly but I got caught up in the moment, because of shipping.

One "good" think about S-W is that their prices are rather high, so I'm never tempted to pay $50 for something I can get for $5.00. On the other hand, they do have reasonably-priced things that no one else has. I got four sets of ukulele wood from them for under $25 each. With any luck, I'll be posting pictures of my creations here.
 
Well, I didn't last long. My StewMac membership ended a couple of days ago, and I renewed it today. I ordered ten strips of kerfing, which would have cost $10 in shipping. By paying about $40, I got free shipping! Whoopee! If I place four more orders, I'll come out ahead, and I know there are more items I will "need." :D
 
Well, I didn't last long. My StewMac membership ended a couple of days ago, and I renewed it today. I ordered ten strips of kerfing, which would have cost $10 in shipping. By paying about $40, I got free shipping! Whoopee! If I place four more orders, I'll come out ahead, and I know there are more items I will "need." :D

I think that you will come out ahead. ;)
 
Well, I didn't last long. My StewMac membership ended a couple of days ago, and I renewed it today. I ordered ten strips of kerfing, which would have cost $10 in shipping. By paying about $40, I got free shipping! Whoopee! If I place four more orders, I'll come out ahead, and I know there are more items I will "need." :D

I tol' ja...
 
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