Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 10:49:33 -0800
Reply-To: Jeffrey Earl <jefferrata@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jeffrey Earl <jefferrata@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: REI dividend,
list vendor rebates (was "Smooth sailing to Dallas and back")
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>> Regarding the REI dividend ... ONLY IF! Wouldn't
that be nice! Maybe
some of the list vendors could pick up on the dividend
thing and kick
back about 10% at the end of the year, or send out a
20% discount coupon
once a year. This would be quite innovative and
good for business.
As a customer of both REI and a couple of the more
prominent list vendors, I can say that I'd prefer it
the other way around: I wish the Bus Depot and
Vanagain carried outdoor/camping stuff. These vendors
would undoubtedly offer such items at significantly
better deals than REI does, thereby obviating the need
for any kind of so-called "rebate" on overpriced
merchandise.
It seems every time I visit REI lately, after wading
thru the parking lot full of milling yuppies and their
gleaming SUVs, I finally get inside to find that the
store has once again replaced an entire aisle of
actual camping gear with yet another row of $129
pastel fleece pullovers and chic $30 scarves. I found
so little outdoor equipment at REI last year that my
annual dividend was $1.15.
The Bus Depot extends a 5% discount every day to list
members, and that's on top of the already good prices
offered by them and Vanagain. Ron from the Bus Depot
stated recently that a small portion of his proceeds
goes to such organizations as Doctors Without Borders,
a Breast Cancer Foundation, and others. And I seem to
recall that Ken Wilfy of Vanagain is very active in
his church, so a small portion of your parts purchase
eventually makes its way into the collection plate,
hopefully to help those less fortunate.
Yet both these vendors continue to offer the kind of
stuff we all need to keep our Vanagons running right,
and at what I consider to be very good prices and
service.
Now if only they sold backpacks, hiking boots, and
dehydrated beef stew ...
Jeffrey Earl
1983 diesel Westfalia "Vanasazi"
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