Qurio - a socially interesting documentary!

[Patsy]

Because of the postal strikes, everything from QVC is coming via Evri for the foreseeable, even jewellery. I had cause to ring CS yesterday and that’s what I was told.

Thankfully I’ve never had an issue with Evri/Hermes, but I know a lot of customers do.

Well we won't know the difference if the postie's go on strike,they are a very rare species hereabouts, we don't see one for a few days.
We had a few days away in Lincolnshire and came back to my neighbour giving me post that was delivered to her. I forget the number of times we get the same number but a different streets post. I once managed to grab the postie and he wouldn't have it he was on the wrong street. When you see them they have a van with 2 people and one drives a few houses,one gets out with a few letters ,gets back in the van and the same thing happens.
We used to have boxes in various places round the estate and we had one postman who did the whole of the estate walking. We all have missed him since he retired.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Reading previous posts we must be really lucky because we have excellent posties. Our main one has been doing our route for 20 + years, he was a young lad when he started and now has grown up kids. He really goes out of his way to help and always tries to get parcels taken in if people are out, unfortunately since Mr L retired we end up taking in for half of the estate but I reckon if I do it for someone they will do it for me although I got a bit annoyed when a woman who at present is living with her daughter and only comes to the house once a week has started putting us as an alternative address and yet didn’t have the manners to ask us first.

 

[Patsy]

Reading previous posts we must be really lucky because we have excellent posties. Our main one has been doing our route for 20 + years, he was a young lad when he started and now has grown up kids. He really goes out of his way to help and always tries to get parcels taken in if people are out, unfortunately since Mr L retired we end up taking in for half of the estate but I reckon if I do it for someone they will do it for me although I got a bit annoyed when a woman who at present is living with her daughter and only comes to the house once a week has started putting us as an alternative address and yet didn’t have the manners to ask us first.

That's what our postie was like until he retired. He was a lovely man,everyone misses him

 

[donna255]

My Evri driver is Scott, I get emails with his photo when a delivery is out for me. Very pleasant man.

Postie, is a young ginger guy who is very friendly as well.

 

[Silver Fox]

I see Hyacinth is a happy Qurio as Q have refunded some cash when she paid full price and then the item was reduced.Given the amount she spends it is a drop in the ocean and for that tiny Eek pendant she wasn’t very impressed with anyway.
The very least she should expect is a plaque at QVC Towers and a studio named after her.

 

[merryone]

Just had a quick look after months away,just the same six or seven people doing multiple videos on rubbish,with a cheerleader encouraging the others to buy.
If ever something needed to die on it’s a**e this is it,poor Erika send it back it’s sh**e don’t listen to the few.
As a side note what’s happened to cardboard Richard?

No need to worry about Cardboard Richard, he's back with a shiny new review of Luxeona candles. It's official folks, Richard really does love his cardboard. He seems more excited about the packaging than he is about the contents! Hyacinth is still in "heads up mode" I guess she needs something to do on postie's day off. Save a whole 90p folks on a battery operated fan on a lanyard. She's got loads of them wrapped up as presents already, and black one for her son, white one for someone else and so on. Strangely not for poor postie who probably needs it the most as I'm sure he works up a fine sweat carrying all her parcels! The pink one, she said would be great for a little girl in the summer running around the playground - mmm Hyacinth, I'm not so sure about that one - small child, playground, large chunk of hard plastic hanging round her neck? A recipe for disaster I'd say! Whatever next love? Running with scissors? (pink ones of course!).

 

[User 23988]

Well we’re limping towards Christmas,cardboard Richard is back can Qurio get any worse,yes it can you lucky people,heads up all on easy pays (don’t they realise easy pays or not it still has to be payed off) waiting for the first one cry wolf about their spending.

 

[stratobuddy]

 

[Patsy]

View attachment 24867

Got this from brother in law on FB.
A friend is doing some Christmas shopping in Fareham this weekend and it's plastered all over FB. I have lots of friends and relatives that post holiday pics when they are away. So silly.

 

[SusieSue]

I love browsing charity shops and over the years I've found some lovely items, I've noticed recently though how much stuff hanging on the rails are QVC brands.

Ruth Langsford jostles for space with Quacker Factory, Marla Whynne, Kim & Co, Cuddle Dudds, etc etc, many items still have tags attached.

The staff tell me that often a deceased persons relatives just empty wardrobes and drawers into bin liners for donation as they clear the property and take them in to donate, and it's not just one charity shop, it's most of the shops I visit.

I feel really sad that thinking of all that money went into QVC coffers from people who didn't even take the tags off what they had bought.

I'm struck as well by the poor quality and finishing of the QVC clothes that I find even the items with the tags still on.


,

 

[Silver Fox]

Well we’re limping towards Christmas,cardboard Richard is back can Qurio get any worse,yes it can you lucky people,heads up all on easy pays (don’t they realise easy pays or not it still has to be payed off) waiting for the first one cry wolf about their spending.

I have not ‘met’ Richard before and life is too short to go there again.Well deserved of the ‘cardboard’ prefix, nothing I like better that a strong cardboard box I get separation anxiety when I have to put them in the re-cycle bin.

 

[candycane]

I feel really sad that thinking of all that money went into QVC coffers from people who didn't even take the tags off what they had bought.

That was me. I took a table at a school fete and I sold a load of QVC clothes for next to nothing (still with tags on). There was nowhere on earth I would have worn half of them but I got swept up with the QVC "lifestyle" of parties, BBQs, cruises, holidays, drinks with neighbours, coffee with the girls (what girls?). I was on my own and I think I bought all those things for "one day". I got some money back but a huge amount wasted. I suspect many Qurio people are just like I was.

CC

 

[Deleted member 21838]

They don’t appear to sell anything high street branded clothes clothes wise- least not from what I’ve seen they don’t. Geared very much to what they presumably see as their bread and butter (they’ve just eaten six loaves and an extra extra large tub of Anchor) customers, the clothes seem a) incredibly dull and tediously presented in mid-1970s silent and vacuously grinning models as Crossroads extras from the bar televisual style, b) totally unfashionable and c) completely unbuyable to anyone with their sight still in tact. Also, nothing ever for men - unless you have a predilection for sitting in a 1973 elasticated flowered skirt, blonde wig and smoking a pipe and nostalgically reflecting over old Exchange & Marts - still that’s enough about my weekends. Even on IW they sell branded clothing quite frequently and give men some look in at least with clothes featured for them, too. QVC is completely embedded in a culture of never change anything - from the clothes to the without modern day order checking website (stuck in around 2001), to the staid and patronising style in how the products are sold on air. It’s outdated shi..but because it’s outdated shi..with a financial return…it’s good outdated shi…That’s what will be on the QVC headstone when the time comes.

 

[donna255]

They did sell men's fashion back in the day, but it sank like a lead balloon and ended up in clearance. I remember leather jackets for one. QVC is geared towards being a women's channel, that is where their money comes from. It was noticed that beauty and fashion are their biggest sellers. The US channel is the same, no men's fashion, they are not dumb and will go with the whatever brings in the money. In recent years they have pushed the higher end fashion brands Joules, which has just gone under being one. All of course are expensive, but because of easy pay sell.

I like to read the QVC US forum, have done for years, usually once a fortnight. Over the years the number of posts from people saying their relative had died and cupboards full of unopened packages from QVC. I even remember one woman who contacted QVC, and they let her return for a refund a load of parcels unopened, still in packaging. QVC always pushed we are like a family and even did it here for a while, which encourages which lonely older people to just buy.

 

[merryone]

They did sell men's fashion back in the day, but it sank like a lead balloon and ended up in clearance. I remember leather jackets for one. QVC is geared towards being a women's channel, that is where their money comes from. It was noticed that beauty and fashion are their biggest sellers. The US channel is the same, no men's fashion, they are not dumb and will go with the whatever brings in the money. In recent years they have pushed the higher end fashion brands Joules, which has just gone under being one. All of course are expensive, but because of easy pay sell.

I like to read the QVC US forum, have done for years, usually once a fortnight. Over the years the number of posts from people saying their relative had died and cupboards full of unopened packages from QVC. I even remember one woman who contacted QVC, and they let her return for a refund a load of parcels unopened, still in packaging. QVC always pushed we are like a family and even did it here for a while, which encourages which lonely older people to just buy.

I'm not suprised, men are just not their demographic. I can't see many blokes sitting down in front of QVC for entertainment or otherwise, like many women do (me included) even just having it on in the background for a bit of noise. I've seen the odd pair of Sketchers and I think Cardboard Richard paid over the odds for some Sketchers t shirts last year, but other than that, nothing. Men, who are into their fashion, I doubt would go anywhere near a shopping channel, and the ones that aren't, generally wait until they "need" clothes and pop into one of the high street stores, or pick something up in a supermarket. I know I'm doing a lot of generalisation here, but men will watch a lot of sport on telly, oh watches the history channel quite a bit, and if there's nothing on, he'll switch it off completely. Another thing I think, again in general, is that men are a lot more careful when it comes to prices and most definitely would baulk at Q's prices even before the P&P has been added! I don't know about anyone else, but there's been many an occassion where I haven't liked a price but have talked myself around into buying it anyway. Let's face it, how many times have we told our OH's that something was a lot cheaper than it really was? I've even "reduced" something by £20 and he's said "How much?!"
If Q were a bricks and mortar store then, they'd be crazy not to have a menswear section, but being tv/online only, the reverse is true.
To a certain extent, they still do this, but nowadays rather than taking phonecalls from customers, they ask people to text, tweet in to tell everybody how many cozee home throws they've got, or how many colourways they have Ruth's hideously overpriced tops in. The lonely older person in general (here I go again!) won't be tweeting or texting, so they get forgotten until a family member comes in to clear out their departed relatives homes - so sad!

 

[donna255]

I remember back in the day when Sunday morning on QVC was DIY for a few hours.

Now, it is gardening with the hot beardy man who seems to appeal to women. Please note, I do not think he is hot.

 

[stratobuddy]

I haven't watched it on TV for many years. When I was able to watch it for the first time (I bought a set-top box - remember them?) it was all a novelty, but they had far more stuff to interest men at that time.

In particular, they had REGULAR DIY shows (remember DIY on Sunday?) and lots of NEW technology, not the boring succession of TVs and Alexas. But most of all, the experts were actually EXPERTS (remember Tim Goodwin and JR Rich?). Oh, also men's watches, craft demos, and lots of gadgets.

And in general, items were much better quality then; I have a superb wooden multi-drawer bedside cabinet that was amazing value for its craftsmanship and quality. And similarly a wooden multi-drawer jewellery cabinet I bought for OH.

 

[Deleted member 21838]

I think there is a few men (I like to think of myself as one) who sit down and watch (well, have it on in the background) QVC. I have since 1997, and have been writing about it, and shopping telly in general on and off for 20 plus years. It is some of the finest unintended comedy ever shown on British television, and comedy, I think men and women like equally!

 

[Deleted member 21838]

I haven't watched it on TV for many years. When I was able to watch it for the first time (got a set-top box - remember them?) it was all a novelty, but they had far more stuff to interest men at that time.

In particular, they had REGULAR DIY shows (remember DIY on Sunday?) and lots of NEW technology, not the boring succession of TVs and Alexas. But most of all, the experts were actually EXPERTS (remember Tim Goodwin and JR Rich?). Oh, also men's watches, craft demos, and lots of gadgets.

And in general, items were much better quality then; I have a superb wooden multi-drawer bedside cabinet that was amazing value for its craftsmanship and quality.

I agree, Stratobuddy. Bafflingly they rarely even do men’s shoes these days, but previously produced blokey type DIY shows for years. Tech and sci-fi type programmes also. And in years gone by, sports memorabilia and general collectibles shows, too. Now, I am not saying these areas are the exclusive domains of men, but pro rata, I would say men would have higher numbers interested. So they must have known men were watching. Yet for things like clothes - nothing whatsoever now. Then again, cheesecloth shirts, rubber cummerbunds, elasticated action slacks, and deck shoes with white socks men‘s type fashion shirts I would pass on anyway.

 

[stratobuddy]

I bought some ski pants from Lidl yesterday (they do men's and women's) to keep myself warm instead of turning up the thermostat. They kept me warm last night over my normal trousers. BTW £19-99.