Zannee’s Blog at BargainsLA.com

I have been asked my opinion on Direct Buy more than a few times now. I called them several months back to try to get the scoop. I got the brochure and a follow up call to set an appointment which was a total pushy sales ploy. I ended up declining.

I have since spoken to actual Direct Buy clients and read reviews and opinions on the web.

Direct Buy is a deceptive business. They won’t tell you about the contract or costs until after you’ve signed up for an in person presentation/ sales pitch meeting. They do seriously pressure you to join. There is no thinking it over, which you have the legal right to do. You have sign up while you’re there. They will not let the wife attend the meeting without the husband or visa versa. It costs $5900 to join and $200 a year for 10 years.

All of the above issues should make you think twice about Direct Buy. But the more info you have the better so here’s more:

Every Direct Buy location is a Franchise. At Direct Buy you are limited to their choices of vendors/ manufacturers. Though they have reasonable selection of vendors, if you have eclectic / artistic / designer tastes, you probably won’t find much through them and get your money’s worth from the membership.

The retail markup in home improvement and home furnishings varies widely from 15%-300%. The term “wholesale/ manufacturer direct” can be deceptive when you’re comparing pricing if you don’t know the companies actual cost. Direct Buy does some minimal marking up by charges additional handling fees and they also don’t guarantee the price quoted on a product, so you may end up paying more than the initial quote…and you’ll still have labor costs, delivery and taxes bringing the costs up so any actual savings disappear.

Southern California is home to 1000’s of importers, manufacturers, wholesalers, jobbers and discounters where you can buy directly and save a lot of money without joining a club.

But, because of their deceptive tactics, I don’t recommend them. Remember they are in business to make money and are running very expensive radio ad campaigns to generate income. If you Google Direct Buy you’ll find plenty of links to complaints.

Yes, smart shoppers can buy manufacturer direct without the middleman and without Direct Buy.

This morning I had two choices. One was to drive down to the OC and do some research as well as hit the Vermani Collezioni sale. The other choice was to hit Marshall’s. I am on their mailing list and got an e-mail notice about a huge shipment of Free People scheduled to arrive on 5/24.

Hmmm, I was just down in the OC last week, gas is super expensive and well, Marshall’s (Montrose location) is walking distance. So I figured I hit Marshall’s since both my daughter and I totally dig the Free People line. If I didn’t find anything then I should still have enough time to go down to the OC.

What a joke! There were exactly two pieces of Free People in the entire store at 10am. Their staff was in the middle of unloading racks of junior clothes. I kept waiting and waiting for the Free People to show up.

While I waited I checked out the handbags and almost bought a Dooney & Burk large hobo bag in cream for $199 instead of $350. It was really too big so I ended up passing. I also handled a couple of nice Maxx bags and a new Spanish designer bag that was well priced for well tanned leather but the interior lining was ultra cheap.

I checked the junior area again at 10:30am for the Free People line. They did unload some Von Dutch and other junior lines though…. But no Free People. I sifted through the new Von Dutch which I had already seen at the Von Dutch Sale. Been there, done that.

Killed a little more time by checking out the shoes and sauntering through the lingerie department. I went back to the junior department at 11am to see if there was anything new. Nope, nothing…. I‘d been duped.

So this dedicated e-mail I got was a bunch of bull. It was an enticement to lure me in the store without Marshall’s coming through on their promise. Nice job Marshall’s. Next time I won’t bother. Personally, I hate being lied to.

A busy, overwhelming family week had me buzzing around this last weekend to catch up on things.

One errand had me run up to Ross Dress for Less to replace a set of sheeting that got torn in the wash. Ross consistently has the best pricing on overstock sheet sets and though the selection can be limited, I always find good deals.

I found one I liked and it was a good deal at $28 for 400TC 100% cotton Sateen sheet set. I bought it and headed home to make up the bed… only then did I find the set had a stain on the bottom sheet. Drats, I had to take it back.

Here’s where trying to save money can be a real pain in the ass.

Since I wrote a check, Ross would only give me a store credit… okay I can live with that. But this set was a one time deal and I couldn’t find another set I liked with the same quality level at the same price. So I settled for a100% cotton set in a 220 TC at $26. A good buy, but the thread count wasn’t as high as I normally like. I couldn’t find anything I liked at a higher thread count either. So when I checked out, I gave them my credit slip and thought that because the difference is soo small, I get a couple bucks back in change.

Nope. They don’t give anything back when you write a check, only store credit. Period!
I actually stood there astonished at their tightwad mentality and said rather loudly so everyone within ear shot heard, “You’re kidding …You’re not going to give me my $2 bucks back?”

I might have made a bigger issue out of it if I hadn’t taken my daughter along with me and caught her pleading eyes saying, “Please don’t make a scene.”

The other problem with shopping Ross for bed linens is that they tape up the zipper on the plastic packaging on sheet sets, so you can’t unzip it and get a better look at the fabric.

So now I have a near useless Ross store credit for $2. Let’s see, that will be me a sleeve on a blouse… Gee do they sell sleeves?