What have you NEVER used

[madmax]

I turned out a cupboard recently and found a box of Christmas candels that I brought from Q at least 7 Christmases ago, I have lit a couple of them this year and they are as good as new.
I also found 2 pairs of those winter trax things, along with a brand new never out of its box video to DVD converter machine which it must have cost me £££, a Brother labeling machine I brought to label the bottles I used to use when I was working as an Aromatherapist/Reflexologist. but could never get to connect to my computer.
How easily I was led into buying things I "thought" I "needed" when I was a new Q viewer.
I have ebayed another load of unused Q buys during the last 3 years .
Now I ONLY buy when I know I am going to use it. So this year I have only brought 2 or 3 things from Q but have transferred my buying to Amazon.

 

[Marina]

Can I recommend going onto the Alibaba website for the screw/clip converters - they're brilliant - I've bought several pairs and with a small pair of pliers can transform a pair of 'piercy's"

Last time I looked on Alibaba they sold 100 units minimum order or did I get it wrong?

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

It's no good if we just transfer our buying of unnecessary items from Q to Amazon and others! It has to STOP!

My problem is that I've very nearly got Q down to nil but keep seeing all sorts on EBay - much cheaper but no MBG! I've got some lovely bits of jewellery at very reasonable prices and as I used to buy a lot in antique shops pre Q anyway it's much the same. But I really have to cut down.

 

[Marina]

I only turn to Amazon, eBay or high street when I need something whether with Q there's a chance that they may convince me to buy something I may not need and the chance to try skincare ans make up. If Amazon had a channel I would most probably fall for it.
I watched Argos channel for a bit but found them boring.

 

[thatu]

My downfall has been Woolovers and Land's End this year. I can't resist their sales, particularly when I can get the equivalent of a £40 top from Q for £10 or 2 winter coats (Christmas presents) for £110 the lot from Land's End, or next year's birthday and Christmas presents of lambswool jumpers for /£10 each from Woolovers, top quality items all.

 

[Marina]

I cannot resist sales either and leave most in my spending money in Next.
I buy let's say more than ten items in their sales and then keep myself busy returning them and it is a few trips to the shop.
This year I resisted so far and very pleased about it and I have to say I didn't need another piece of clothes so it wasn't difficult, I just refrain from opening their website.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

The weather the last few years has played havoc with my wardrobe. Big chunky jumpers bought last year didn't get worn last year and so far not this year. Same with warm coats. In fact I have had to haul out lightweight stuff again.

Unfortunately the one thing which is never wasted is rainwear!

 

[stratobuddy]

I've just remembered I've got a "brand new, never opened the box" item from Q I bought over 10 years ago.

It was a TSV laser printer, when home lasers were very rare. It cost over £100 I think.

I bought it for when my ink jet packed up. But by the time it did, my new PC no longer had the large 25 pin parallel connector. So I don't know if I'll ever be able to use it, unless I can buy a conversion cable for even more £££££s.

And besides, perhaps the powder in the cartridge won't be any good now, and perhaps replacements are not made any longer.

Why oh why oh why did I get sucked in so much to selly telly? I am much better now, not quite cured, but it was a real novelty when I first got freeview and discovered Q and IW.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Freeview has a lot to answer for

 

[AndiK]

Freeview has a lot to answer for

Yes, the viewing bit is free, just the buying bit isn't.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Was it easier without ST and Internet? If your local shop didn't have it you did without and there was less buying on a whim

 

[AndiK]

Was it easier without ST and Internet? If your local shop didn't have it you did without and there was less buying on a whim

Definitely. Both opened up a whole new world of things to think you couldn't do without, right there in your own home. As you say, when you couldn't get something in a local shop, you did without unless you had the time to visit another town further afield. There were still impulse buys and wasted purchases, but now the opportunities are there 24 hours a day in the comfort of your armchair.

 

[Vienna]

It`s a double edged sword. Internet and telly shopping has made life easier for people who work or those too far afield from main shops or those without transport other than a bus or train. It certainly tempts people to buy more and gives the illusion of just typing in numbers as opposed to getting real money out of your purse and I bet many people overspend and have mini panic attacks when their bank/credit card statements arrive.
Even some shops which still have bricks and mortar branches can`t compete with their online branches. I ordered a pair of trousers online and found a voucher code online for a discount but if I`d bought the exact same trousers from their high street shop, they would have been dearer. When the trousers arrived, they`d packed the wrong size so I took them to my local store to exchange them for the correct size and whilst the SA was doing the swap she noted the price difference on the invoice. I told her it was because I`d used a voucher code and she just shrugged her shoulders and said something along the lines of " no wonder they`re closing branches ".
Like I say, a double edged sword.

 

[stratobuddy]

The boss of JL was featured in a TV prog last week.

He said he was quite happy with people coming into his stores to look at items, then going online to buy them elsewhere, in the hope that other people were doing the same in other stores then buying from JL

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Yes I saw that programme. Most of the customers talked about seeing and feeling the actual article, getting as much info from the sales assistant and then going home and buying the cheapest deal on line. I do understand this but what will happen once the bricks and mortar shops have all gone over to on line completely then there will be nowhere to "feel" the goods.

How many of us buy without having first seen the items somewhere? Thinking especially about things like say a bag which need to be opened and pulled at or tried on and see the quality.

 

[Scout]

The boss of JL was featured in a TV prog last week.

He said he was quite happy with people coming into his stores to look at items, then going online to buy them elsewhere, in the hope that other people were doing the same in other stores then buying from JL

Unlike the shop staff, I doubt he cares a jot how many branches they may close due to increasing online sales as long as the company makes money and he continues to get his six figure salary.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

When everyone is clearing out all those Q items if they come across those cloths give me a shout!

 

[maymorganlondon]

Too many things!!!!

I've got Cooks Essential oil/vinegar dispensers, Winter Trax, beauty gadgets, kitchen gadgets... I won't shame myself by telling you how much I have spent on items which have not even been unpacked and yet cost a pretty penny.

This year I will be valiantly trying to keep my hands off the app/website/phone where any selly telly is concerned.

 

[Scout]

Was it easier without ST and Internet? If your local shop didn't have it you did without and there was less buying on a whim

For me it's a lot easier with ST and Internet, because a couple of medical conditions make shopping in HS shops very difficult for me. The only shops I actually visit now are the little village shops where I live - grocer, newsagent etc. All other shopping I do online or, if from QVC, via QCut. I don't have the money to buy on a whim, everything is a considered purchase, and as a result I can honestly say that I use everything I buy and I've never returned a single online or QVC purchase in 20 years of buying from them. If I had more money I don't doubt I'd be tempted to buy some things I don't really need, so in that sense it's a good thing to be on a limited budget nowadays!

 

[scaryspice]

That bendy bar thing. Got it last year but had an operation on my spine just after I got it. Didn't get chance to use it before the op and daren't use it now so it's stuck behind the sofa bed.

Actually now I think about it, was it fro QVC or IW?

it was from QVC - mine is under the bed! I bought some self tan years ago and still in my bathroom cabinet, also got a back scrubber with different attachments not used, jewellery never warn, a dennis basso pewter coloured mack - never worn and those are the things I can only think of at the moment, there must be more.....