Ang Peregrino Recommends 6: Woot.Com
Woot: One Day, One Deal
URL: http://www.woot.com/
I have a really cool site for you to check out this week. The site is called Woot.Com and has really grown in following. It is an online store and community that focuses on selling cool stuff cheap. It was founded by electronics wholesaler Matt Rutledge and debuted on July 12, 2004. Woot was the pioneer of the “One deal a day” business model on the internet. Woot offers one discounted product each day on its web site. The product is available for 24 hours; it “expires” at midnight (US Central time) and is replaced by a different product the next day.
Every product sold is called a WOOT (which comes from the internet slang W00T– useless trivia: this is Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2007). Woot also stands for Want One Of Those.
The main thing is of course the stuff it sells. But this is also one site that’s a really great combination of form and function.
Even if you’re not interested in buying, it’s actually a really good site to get some good laughs.
When they reviewed an Olevia 52” 1080p LCD TV for example, this is how they described it: “This week, we’re looking at the Olevia 252TFHD 2 Series LCD TV. And that’s all we’re doing, looking – anybody who’d hand over real American money for this piece of junk needs to have their head examined. Fifty-two inch LCD HD screen: just big enough to crush me to death when your wall mount conveniently breaks.”
So I tell you, it’s not just about what they sell, but in how they insert tongue-in-cheek humor to sell it. Another example of this humor:
Does Woot offer an RSS feed? Hey, what’s an RSS feed anyway?
To answer your first question, yes. Simply subscribe to http://www.woot.com/blog/rss.aspx in your RSS reader to receive updates of all of our new items and new blog posts. Your life will immediately, measurably improve in ways you never thought possible. To answer your second question: if you don’t know what RSS is, how’d you ask the first question? Never mind; RSS is a way to receive headlines and article links whenever your favorite blogs and news sites update their content. All the cool kids are using it. To join in, you need to download and install an RSS reader – download your choice from this handy guide and follow the installation instructions. Once that’s rolling, subscribe to http://www.woot.com/blog/rss.aspx. You’ll never miss a Woot again, unless you do something foolish like fall asleep.
What payment options do I have?
You can pay for your orders using VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or Paypal. We do not accept checks, money orders, uncut gemstones, or broken promises.
And my favorite is a series:
What do you mean “the first and only place?” Everything is attainable.
True, but assuming you’re not a cat burglar, or an industrial spy, or the manufacturer’s mistress, you won’t have had an opportunity to pick up a Woot LAUNCH EVENT item before you see it here.
If this LAUNCH EVENT item isn’t available anywhere else, how am I supposed to shop around and make comparisons?
Yeah, it sort of seems like you can’t.
Why do you keep putting LAUNCH EVENT in all caps?
To fully convey its majesty.
Maybe I’ll just wait until this item becomes more widely available, so I know what other users think of it.
If that’s how you want to live your life, sure. Fine. There are those who would say that your type will inherit the earth. Until then, though, the rest of us will have all the coolest gizmos.
Whatchathink?!