AHa life - Laughing All The Way To The Bank

I don't even know where to go with this "Finger Ring" created by jewelry 'designer' Jules Kim
and sold on the AHAlife flash sale website.
From the description
“I like to make designs that are statements,” says designer Jules Kim, who is offering her eye-catching creation to AHAlife readers in silver or gold (not shown). Molded from her own finger—first cast in wax, then in metal—this three-part hinged beauty is definitely a statement-making piece (learn more about its creation in our exclusive video). No wonder it was featured on every page of the latest issue of the fashion-forward magazine, Numero (yes, you read that right: every. single. page.). every single page...that's some serious product placement..but who is Numero, apparently I'm not fashion forward enough to recognize that magazine
And no wonder Bijules' left-of-center pieces are worn by the likes of Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani, Rihanna, Fergie, Kelly Rowland, Katy Perry, Santogold, Eve, Rye Rye and Karen O, onstage and off.
Wow...all the cool girls where this stuff!

"I wanted it to be a little part of me and it had to be weird," adds Kim of her "scary-cool" finger ring.
"There are conversations to be had about everything I wear or design."
The conversation begins here. If that is a conversation that you want to have...

Isn't AHA life the correct title for a website that would sell such a thing for 

$2400

and this creepy ring is not even in platinum like the Loree Rodkin goth jewelry, it is in silver

and it is a final sale and not returnable

The AHA  in the website's name is supposed to be for discovery

but the only discovery that I have made here is that AHA life is getting the last laugh here at the expense of  whoever would be silly enough to buy such a thing for $2400.

And this brings me to the subject of flash sales. 

I assume that like me your email in boxes, (note plural because we all have more than one email address now) are overflowing with daily notices for flash sales from Haute Look, Gilt Group, Bluefly, Avelle, etc.
Let's say that there is a particular brand item that you have been yearning for, maybe a specific pair of Prada boots or a Mulberry handbag, or a BCBG dress, but you have put off buying it due to the price. 
If this specific item comes up on a 24 hour flash sale, it makes sense to buy it because you already wanted it and the price is now low enough to justify the purchase.

But an even bigger part of flash sales is impulse buying.  You see something that you didn't even know that you wanted and you buy it because it will only be on sale for 24 hours, or until is sold out.

Maybe because I am old, or just old fashioned, there is something that really bothers me about impulse shopping.  It just further represents to me the trend towards instant gratification in all things.   I believe that if you are going to spend $500 or $2500 or whatever, you should not do that on impulse. 
Also, who would spend this kind of money on an item that wasn't returnable?  What if you buy it and it doesn't fit?  What if you buy it and the next day hell freezes over or you get laid off or outsourced or whatever...wouldn't you want the option to get your money back?

Full disclosure here, my daughter loves Haute Look and Gilt Group, and she has bought from both. 
I have never made a purchase from a flash sale website, but I might consider it in the future if there is a specific item that I have been wanting to buy but wouldn't pay full retail for.

Do you buy from flash sales and have you been happy with shopping this way?

Spending Your Cash In A Flash

In my inbox today
a notification of a 2 hour sale at Neiman Marcus.

I am just curious
Does a flash sale (2 hour, 2 day, whatever) tend to make you more likely to make a purchase?

I view these sales by Neimans as manufactured scarcity making you assume that you will have no other time to purchase this item at this price. This isn't Haute Look where they are selling the last of the stock, this is a sale with current merchandise.
Since I'm not an impulse shopper these sales don't appeal to me, but obviously they must appeal to many others or we wouldn't see so many of these flash sale sites out there.

My daughter loves Haute Look, and I'm wondering if these flash sale sites are training a new generation of shoppers to indulge in instant gratification rather than making thoughtful decisions about how they choose to spend their money.

What do you think?

Is Gilt Guilty of Mispricing?

Do you shop at members only websites like Gilt, Haute Look and Beyond the Rack?

I don't typically shop at timed flash sales because of my inability to make a purchasing decision when I am under a time constraint. Any time that I am told that I only have 24 or 36 hours to buy something I back away. But I can see the logic in this from the vendor's side. Create some arbitrary time limit pressuring the buyer to make a purchase.

Also, I won't purchase anything, anywhere, that is not returnable. In my opinion if a store sells quality merchandise at the correct price they should be willing to take it back for any reason.

That's Beladora's policy, so why would I trust a vendor who's not willing to take back their merchandise.

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article this week about one of the issues with these sales, primarily the question of correct retail pricing.

It's 50% Off...Well, Maybe 35%
How good are the deals on members-only Web sites?

Restricted shopping Web sites—which pitch steep markdowns on designer goods to its members for brief time periods—are soaring, growing by more than 400% last year despite the economy.

But there are complaints that some of these sites, which typically promise markdowns anywhere from 50% to 70%, are relying on an old sleight-of-hand: inflating retail prices to make their discounts larger than they really are. Because these Web-only sales last a short time, usually 36 to 48 hours, shoppers feel pressure to make a quick decision. And as with most sharply discounted sale items, purchases on these Web sites are often nonrefundable.

Recently, members-only site Beyond the Rack offered a pair of suede Adalene pumps from the two-year-old designer label Pour La Victoire for $129, posting a "compare it" price of $275 for the shoes. Gap Inc.'s online retailer Piperlime simultaneously offered the same pumps for $149.99, but with a suggested retail price of $220. (Piperlime has since lowered the price to $109.99.)

There have been issues with Gilt Groupe also.

Recently, shopping blogs and forums have been abuzz with complaints about instances where an original price was inflated or misrepresented on a members-only Web site. Last fall, category leader Gilt Groupe, which is expected to ring up $400 million in merchandise sales this year, was targeted in an episode since dubbed "Scarf-gate." It began last October, when a blogger noticed that Gilt was pitching a neck warmer by SofiaCashmere, a label based in New York, for $128, a deal versus its shown $300 "original" price.

After a bit of online research, the blogger came upon a nearly identical SofiaCashmere tube scarf for sale at the e-commerce giant NeimanMarcus.com for a full price of $195, or $105 less than Gilt had claimed. On her blog, The Vie Society, she accused Gilt of inflating the original retail price of the scarf to make its discount seem more attractive. A flurry of angry postings ensued.

Leave it to a blogger to get to crux of the matter

"It's particularly unfair," the blogger, who publishes anonymously, says in an interview, that most accessories, such as the neck warmer, can't be returned to Gilt.

The article goes on to say that Gilt explained this as an honest mistake, and I can believe that because when you handle so much different merchandise, mistakes do indeed happen.

Miss de Ville is a such a big fan of Haute Look that she checks it every morning before her email!

She's been very happy with what she purchased from that site.

But careful and conservative me, I'm going to stick with shopping with sites that will allow returns and not pressure me with a time limitation. Yes, I will probably miss some great deals but I will be more comfortable with my buying decisions.

What about you? Do you shop on these site and have you had any issues?