How many long-term QVC-ers actually sit and watch QVC and how much do they buy?

[Jackanory]

I was thinking last night how rarely I actually watch QVC compared to 10+ years ago. When I first discovered QVC when we got a Freeview box back in the day I was watching at some point every day, I then became addicted, staying up to watch TSV launches at midnight, watching again in the morning with my first cup of coffee. I was buying all sorts of stuff, probably 1 or 2 parcels per week, far more than I should have done and spending far more than I could afford. Nowadays I come here to see if there are any TSVs coming up that I may be interested in, and I very rarely buy. The last time I actually watched QVC was the other morning at 7 am to see the demonstration of the Josie Maran TSV which I had already bought and had been delivered and tried out, just for 15 mins to see what they were saying about it.

I get the feeling the longer you have been shopping with QVC the more jaded you become, you start to realise that what you used to think were massive bargains turn out to be not that much of a bargain at all.

My biggest weakness used to be beauty TSVs, and I used to have so many body washes, mascaras, lippies, etc, etc that I had to give them away to family/friends/school fairs just to get them out of the house. Now I am just buying what I need from Lookfantastic, Feelunique and so on (thanks Shopperholic:mysmilie_14, getting free P & P, just having one body wash on the go, one cleanser, one day cream, one night-time moisturiser. I am spending a fraction of what I used to pay and only have what I need, and my Hubby is a lot happier too.

 

[loveheart]

I'm much the same as you Jackanory. I do put it on first thing just as background and I dip in when there's nothing else on but not to buy anything. I bought the Cooks Essentials pans recently but only because I needed some and they were on EP's. I also look at the beauty TSV's but like you I rarely buy them as they aren't a patch on what they were a few years ago. I have a browse through clearance on the QVC site but there aren't many bargains to be found.

 

[Tiddlywinks]

I've been with Q since the very beginning - tempted by the lovely gold (not plated) diamonique and unusual stones.

Now I always watch Kim & Co, Kipling, Kitchenaid and Vitamix (just in case they do anything different in the demos). I use the website for keeping an eye out for new arrivals.

The world has changed a lot since Q launched- much more competition and choice - I think that's the reason people have changed viewing habits.

In the olden days, there was no Broadband (just dial-up), Internet security was bad so people were more wary of buying online and there was less social media to spread the word.

I still miss the old diamonique....

 

[stratobuddy]

I was thinking last night how rarely I actually watch QVC compared to 10+ years ago. When I first discovered QVC when we got a Freeview box back in the day I was watching at some point every day, I then became addicted, staying up to watch TSV launches at midnight, watching again in the morning with my first cup of coffee. I was buying all sorts of stuff, probably 1 or 2 parcels per week, far more than I should have done and spending far more than I could afford. Nowadays I come here to see if there are any TSVs coming up that I may be interested in, and I very rarely buy. The last time I actually watched QVC was the other morning at 7 am to see the demonstration of the Josie Maran TSV which I had already bought and had been delivered and tried out, just for 15 mins to see what they were saying about it.

I get the feeling the longer you have been shopping with QVC the more jaded you become, you start to realise that what you used to think were massive bargains turn out to be not that much of a bargain at all.

My biggest weakness used to be beauty TSVs, and I used to have so many body washes, mascaras, lippies, etc, etc that I had to give them away to family/friends/school fairs just to get them out of the house. Now I am just buying what I need from Lookfantastic, Feelunique and so on (thanks Shopperholic:mysmilie_14, getting free P & P, just having one body wash on the go, one cleanser, one day cream, one night-time moisturiser. I am spending a fraction of what I used to pay and only have what I need, and my Hubby is a lot happier too.

Rather than write exactly the same thing myself, I have just quoted you, except my weakness was gadgets (kitchen, electronics, DIY etc).

I only watch shows with gadgets these days because I see new ideas I've never seen elsewhere, but I always buy elsewhere if possible and cheaper.

 

[MrMarple]

I don't think I've watched a full hour show for about 3 years now. It's easier to record it, and just fast-forward to the items you're interested in. Then buy it elsewhere because Q are very expensive IMO.

I often wonder how they'll survive in the future. At the minute they seem to rely on people who don't have or don't understand the internet (like my mother, she won't touch a computer for love nor money), but people like that are getting rarer by the day. Will be interesting to see how much they change in the next 10 years or so to compensate for it. That's if they do of course. Their website is still to this day the worst one that I visit.

 

[Vienna]

I rarely watch live shows and tend to view items on the PC and watch the video clips if it`s anything I`m interested in, which is little and far between these days. When I first joined Q, around 12 years ago, I bought quite a lot of jewellery but back then it was good quality and good value. Nowadays my purchases are very limited, this year I think I`ve bought from them twice.
The presenters annoy me, the sky high p and p charges infuriate me, the lack of choice bores me and the prices make me laugh and not with joy !
I can usually find anything I want or need elsewhere and often much cheaper and I think a lot of people become insular with their shopping and stick to the same brands from the same place out of habit. It`s a big retail World out there, both online and in bricks and mortar shops but I also think we have too much of everything these days, myself included and this year I`ve made great effort to use what I have, be happier with less, instead of stockpiling and realise the shops/shopping channels/internet will always have what I need when I need it so there`s no big hurry to buy.

 

[MrMarple]

I rarely watch live shows and tend to view items on the PC and watch the video clips if it`s anything I`m interested in, which is little and far between these days. When I first joined Q, around 12 years ago, I bought quite a lot of jewellery but back then it was good quality and good value. Nowadays my purchases are very limited, this year I think I`ve bought from them twice.
The presenters annoy me, the sky high p and p charges infuriate me, the lack of choice bores me and the prices make me laugh and not with joy !
I can usually find anything I want or need elsewhere and often much cheaper and I think a lot of people become insular with their shopping and stick to the same brands from the same place out of habit. It`s a big retail World out there, both online and in bricks and mortar shops but I also think we have too much of everything these days, myself included and this year I`ve made great effort to use what I have, be happier with less, instead of stockpiling and realise the shops/shopping channels/internet will always have what I need when I need it so there`s no big hurry to buy.

Beautifully put Vienna.

 

[Pick-a-Lily]

Same here, I used to be glued to it in the first days of getting it on Freeview, and I was well known down at the sorting office! I never watch it on the TV at all now, and haven't done for years. I come on here and if there's anything that sounds worth a look, I'll go on the website and maybe watch the video presentation online.
I'm not familiar with any of the newer presenters.
When I first watched there were often some good buys - especially gold jewellery - but these days, more often than not, it's just useless tat, not worth a second look.

 

[donna255]

Been a customer since 1997. Watching now full shows = zero, I flick over in ad breaks now. I actually used to put it on when I was online, then it started annoying me!!!

I will buy the odd TSV, Elemis was the last one but even then I am not a avid buyer of the brand as in old days.

I used to love the jewellery shows, but the prices went up and the ranges just so boring.

Okay I am high end when it comes to cosmetics(I do love M&S Neck Cream which is fabulous), online stuff is cheaper, free shipping, deals every month. Hell Gucci makeup shipped from Florence free arrives in two days!!! Burberry make up which I used to buy from John Lewis(they had the cheapest shipping), now Burberry online ship free arrives two days. SpaceNK, my local branch give me samples all the time to try products, make up samples for me without asking to try. When their sales are on you get 70% off high end products. Why would I want to buy from QVC.

Amazon Earth Spirit sandals £23.99 and free shipping!!! I do subscribe and save on toothbrush heads, I did do Trind Nail Balsam but the distributor stopped shipping to NI, not Amazon's fault.

I Ebay as well.

 

[Boris Bear]

I flick over in ad breaks and I put QVC on as background noise whilst I'm on the internet or reading the newspaper but I no longer stay up for TSV launches. In terms of buying things I've made four purchases this year.

 

[Autumn]

Well i rarely watch any shows on Q anymore , I record the odd show im interested in but often dont get around to watching it Weirdly the less i watch Q the more i buy that must say something about the presenters and guests and the repetitive shows :mysmilie_59:

 

[Brissles]

Judging from the comments, jewellery was amongst the biggest sellers back in the day. I'm as guilty as the next, - I would sit all day watching the Gold/Silver/Gem fest days and would ratchet up several buys, - and what prices compared to now ! 9ct gold ring with aquamarine and diamonds for £110 !!!! these days it would be vermeil covered s/silver for that amount.

Then I would salivate at the full Craft days, buying all the packs of nonsense just to make one card. (have recently discovered unused stock in my garage - dated from 2007 !!!)

These were truly the glory days of Q at its best.

 

[loujareth]

Been a customer sine 1997 but when the internet took off stopped watching on the TV and have been online ever since. Never ever watch it on the box and just browse and watch presentations for items I'm interested in and purchase on average once a month. That said, we do not watch terrestrial TV in our house and don't have any tv suppliers apart from freeview on my TV which we do not use, always via computers as in channel iplayers and then it's very limited. To be frank, I find this forum is far more entertaining than watching the shows, I get all the info I need on an item from here, also all the gossip and tidbits - thanks everyone.

 

[Letz-be-avenue]

I flick over in ad breaks and I put QVC on as background noise whilst I'm on the internet or reading the newspaper but I no longer stay up for TSV launches. In terms of buying things I've made four purchases this year.

That is me exactly, I do find it like "comfort blanket" TV, if there is nothing on the TV I I will flick over and see if there is anything worth watching but often there isn't, most of the time I am in the house on my own so I find it good as a bit of background noise, but the days of staying up to watch Tsv launches are long over. I buy far less than I used to, think my "Hermes man" could go part time! In the last four months I have only bought the elemis and doll10 tsvs

 

[shopperholic]

I was a customer from day one up till a couple of years ago, in the beginning the competition was thinly spread, they took postal orders and you could reserve items for up to ten days, the presenters didn't look at themselves as celebrities who's lives we were remotely interested in, then a few years back it all changed. I don't like the QVC now, it's very pretentious, patronising and the most expensive place to shop, in the old days I couldn't use a computer so didn't know I was getting taken for such a mug, when I started using a computer I found out everything I Googled was much cheaper elsewhere with free p&p and just as excellent Customer Care. I could kick myself for not learning to use a computer and detaching myself from QVC a long time ago, but better late than never, so no, I very rarely watch now, IW is the shopping channel for me, has been for a few years now, in my opinion it leaves QVC in the shade.

 

[grovesy]

I watched from the beginning but now very rarely, if I have it on I have sound on mute, and turn up sound if something catches my eye!

 

[thatu]

I agree with everything that's been said. In fact, my viewing habits have changed even in the last few months. I used to stay up for the TSV, particularly Kim & Co and Kipling, Decleor even, then I used to have it on in the background as white noise but didn't buy anything, now any show I want to watch (only a few) are recorded and I flick through to see what I want to watch or even quicker, what I skip through. The sky-high p&p, the intensely annoying and pretentious presenters, the high prices mean that I buy only what I can't get cheaper elsewhere, like the Sak bags recently for £16 but bargains on QVC are like hen's teeth these days. I agree, IW is more watchable even though they don't have the variety of stock but the presenters are so much more natural. The TSVs are repetitive and boring (and overpriced), the quality isn't nearly as good as it once was, value pound for pound has dropped and the long delivery time takes care of the convenience boast. QVC, take note.

 

[ohnonotshoppingagain]

I have also been with Q since the beginning, and as Tiddly said, I also miss the bargains which were the beautiful array of gems, also featured gem collectors who knew their business so well, and I even bought the Gem Collectors Handbook which was written by John and Laura Ramsay, who we rarely saw even then, but I so enjoyed watching, they brought some lovely things over. Another chap who we've not seen from NY who was a great jeweller and distributorof his own lines, and explained going to the big shows around the world, specifically mentioning Las Vegas, now oddly enough and I hope there is no connection, but we've not seen him since 9/11 and recall he had a young daughter at the time around six or seven years old.

Then we had the Diamonique in solid gold varying from 9, 14 and 18ct yellow gold, I still have 2 rings I bought then for a fraction of what they expect us to pay now, forget the gold, at the end of the day this is no more than paste diamond look jewellery and I absolutely refuse to pay what they're charging now, so I've bought no more and besides I hate white metal, all they have now is silver, so it's a bit off putting for me.

I switch QVC on every day, depending on the shows, it's on in the background, or I will actually sit down and watch, most of my ordering is Q-cut and the website, but to be honest, there are places around now who are better and cheaper. I dislike the QVC Divas, another reason I don't watch specifically, but I do like to see demos, and I like the beauty and gardening hours, and some of the fashion.

 

[Silver Fox]

I was something of an addict years ago & converted a few friends ( hope they don't hold it against me!) I remember getting a real buzz ordering Kipling,Laura Geller, L'Occitanne, Liz Earle, Butler & Wilson--to name a few.Now I look at something & think do I really want that & more often than not the answer is NO.I recently bought the AlphH TSV which I really like, other items have been returned ( will be getting 'the letter') I have definitely moved on.

 

[countrymaid]

I tend to look online - when the website is working properly - but to be honest, most of the stuff I've bought recently has been returned. I'm waiting for a letter to tell me that my account has been suspended and if that happens, it really won't bother me.