Department of Goods confirms: ”Full Price is Dead”
New online closeout store brings wallet-relief to gear junkies
PARK CITY, UTAH (Nov. 11, 2009)—With the economy stuck on its crux move, savvy gear shoppers have been faced with the scary possibility that the only way to afford new gear this season is to scour the aisles of sticky-floored discount stores and drop-shipping closeout sites in the off chance that they’ll discover some affordable piece of out-of-season gear that isn’t a mauve colored size XXXL. But starting today, the era of settling for shoddy gear in questionable colors and tent sizes has passed. Today, the Department of Goods, a new online gear megastore, opens its e-doors — to the lucky few, that is.
The Department of Goods, another new store from the team at Backcountry.com, sells the latest and finest outdoor, surf, skate, bike, and mountain equipment from more than 400 pinnacle brands like The North Face, Marmot, Oakley, Volcom, Burton, Rocky Mountain, and Giro. The selection; the deep, in-stock inventory; the ability to find what you’re looking for fast; community reviews and Q+A; and the bend-over-backwards customer service you’ve come to expect from Backcountry.com, mean, simply, that you’ve stumbled upon the promised land of premium gear.
But there’s a catch. Not everyone can get in. Not yet, at least. The grand opening/beta launch is VIP only. To get past the velvet rope for the first shot at the goods inside the Department, you need to get yourself an invitation — or use your wily resourcefulness to track down a key code.
The lucky ones will receive an email invitation. Others will get in because they “know people.” But if you just show up at the door without an invite, the Department’s doorman will shut you down. You can politely ask for a code, but you’ll, politely, have to wait.
Once you’re in, you’re in. You’ll have immediate access to insane deals on amazing gear. And it’s worth your while to shop, because during the beta roll out, the Department of Goods will be giving away $200,000 in gear. A set number of first comers who place orders over $50 will be matched with a surprise prize from a bona fide grab bag of swag, with gifts ranging from socks, t-shirts, and multi-tools to kayaks, skis, and bikes.
On top of that goodness, one in 10 purchases will be comped at random for a limited time. Fully comped. So if you’re not beside-yourself-ecstatic because you’ve just paid pennies on the dollar for your dream cart, you’re completely blown away because you just scored that gear for free.
To keep up on the deals, to try to score a code fast, or for the inside scoop on what the in-crowd is taking away for free, check out the Department of Goods’ Facebook page.
Yes, this is Backcountry’s fifth store launch in 2009, in the midst of this Eeyore economy, and even the hard-working people within our walls that make these things happen wonder what the hell we’re thinking. Especially since Department of Goods is a replacement for the long-lived (but let’s face it, not very inspired) BackcountryOutlet.com.
But the Department of Goods is different. It’s the only place to find the breadth and depth in selection of high-end outdoor, bike and action sports gear (BackountryOutlet.com is seriously lacking in bike and action sports), leaving its predecessor lame and whimpering in the dust.
As for the fate of BackcountryOutlet.com? After we work out the kinks during the beta test and launch Department of Goods wide open to the public in early 2010, Backcountry Outlet will be taken out back and, unceremoniously, shot.
DepartmentofGoods.com: you’ll never have to choose between gear and groceries again.
XXX
I would like to be a part of this new site.
Taipei is one of the cities of Taiwan. It is a very good place to holiday in for those who love the action of the big city. Taiwan is a place with a lot of sulfur springs, spas and hotels. One of the popular sulfur pits is Bei Tou. Bei Tou is on top of a mountain near to Yang Ming Mountain National Park. There are a lot of cheap hotels at Bei Tou. Travel agents also like to sell the hot spring resorts at Bei Tou in their vacation packages.Their hot spring resort is like a chalet, each chalet is three stories high with four bedrooms and a kitchen. There is a basement an each chalet that houses a natural stone tub hot spring. Besides our own personal hot spring, we can enjoy a variety of hot springs at the resort. There are natural hot spring made into a swimming pool like complex with waterfall. There are also hot springs with Jacuzzi built into the hot spring.The chalet also have an activity where we can cook eggs in the hot spring and eat the eggs that we cooked ourselves. There are also dining facilities, massage parlor and swimming pool at the resorts. The resorts are all on the mountains, therefore the temperature can be down to ten degrees Celsius in the day. It is very cooling with heavy fog at night.Holiday makers going to Bei Tou to enjoy the hot spring can also consider making a trip to Yang Ming Mountain National Park. This National Park boast of a huge diversity of flora and fauna. It is also a great place to go hiking. After hiking, we can enjoy a fantastic view of the whole park at their lookout tower on top of the mountain.After enjoying the natural tranquility of the Yang Ming Mountain National Park and the hot springs at Bei Tou, we can liase with our travel agents to include some city highlights in our vacation package in Taiwan. Taipei is the best place to go for holiday makers who love shopping and good food.
Very good article. I’ve found your blog via Yahoo and I’m really glad about the information you provide in your articles. Btw your sites layout is really messed up on the Chrome browser. Would be cool if you could fix that. Anyhow keep up the great work!