See, this is exactly what I am talking about. While searching for Lego storage, I found this little gem.
Take a look. Not bad in concept, it is the closest thing I could find to what I was looking for. Nice red color, at least partly wooden, has segmented trays that come out. Great. Now, look at the price. But put down any beverages first.
Lego Storage
I snorted when I saw it too. Are the drawers lined with gold? Does it come with the elusive diamond and ruby Legos? Now surely, no one would purchase this item for that price. But wait! Glancing over the 2 reviews (I love Amazon reviews) you will see that the people like it but grumble about the size (too small) and of course the price. Apparently not enough to keep one of them from buying a second unit though! Seriously. That person spent $800 on Lego storage. I vow to that person, if you ever read this, for $800 I will personally come to your house, follow your child around, and sort all his Legos myself.
This is when I realized 2 things:
#1. Truly, the seller of this wooden red box is a genius. Unlike all those other suckers out there who would have to sell dozens of these products to turn that much profit, you can tell he decided to only have a few and thought to himself, I can just sell them for $400. Scoffing at any Econ 101 rules of pricing, he boldly made up a price...out of nowhere. And it worked. My hat is off to you.
#2. Genuinely good toy storage is wide open for some competition, my friends.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Get it Started
So why a blog?
I spend a lot of time and energy searching for things that can make my life easier. Products, methods, electronics, etc. I have 2 boys and a job and a dog and I need ways to give me as much free time as possible. I also complain a lot about things that Fail. If I buy something and it comes in bad packaging, is poorly designed or just doesn't serve it's purpose, I let my opinions be loudly known (to my husband). To the point where he often says to me, you have strong opinions about this kind of stuff, maybe you should rethink your career. To which I say, to what? Retail tester of some kind? Professional person-who-points-out-why-your-product-is-dumb? I think he is just tired of my rantings, so this is the next best option. Here in the land of internets, I can rant, rave, complain and recommend to my heart's content. Also, share things that do work so that hopefully, everyone will buy them and things I like will become best sellers and all companies everywhere will cater to my whims.
I also have a tendency to tell my husband (Eric, as he is known) things like "I want a bookshelf, kind of like this one, but with sides like this one, and I don't like any of these, and they all cost too much." To which he responds, "I could make that better and cheaper." And I say, "by all means, do so!" And sometimes he does, although more often he does not, so that "I could make that" is kind of a running joke at our house.
But we have come to realize, that in addition to having the good fortune to be married, we also have good ideas together - me in telling him something I want to exist, and him in coming up with a way it could actually be made, and then me again in nagging him to actually do it. I am hoping that together, we can come up with ways to solve all the world's organizational problems, and all the children will join hands and live together in peace and harmony. Or at least that I can have that bookshelf, and post some pictures of it so others can do it too. Or at least show their husbands/wives/children and say "look what this person made! Why don't you make this" as I do so often now.
I figure even if no one else is interested in this kind of thing, I can claim to be famous on the internet (who isn't) and get him to make all kinds of things in the interest of "the readers."
The first project we shall embark on is a way to store and organize the piles of Legos (Lego? Is Lego plural?) and K'nex in our house. There have been many tears in our house over lost Lego pieces, tipped over boxes, sorting and re-sorting, and brothers tearing apart creations. Join me as we begin the search for the holy grail of Lego storage, inevitably fail, and try to come up with something ourselves.
If anyone already has the perfect Lego storage, tell me! I am all for buying something as-is if it is out there.
I spend a lot of time and energy searching for things that can make my life easier. Products, methods, electronics, etc. I have 2 boys and a job and a dog and I need ways to give me as much free time as possible. I also complain a lot about things that Fail. If I buy something and it comes in bad packaging, is poorly designed or just doesn't serve it's purpose, I let my opinions be loudly known (to my husband). To the point where he often says to me, you have strong opinions about this kind of stuff, maybe you should rethink your career. To which I say, to what? Retail tester of some kind? Professional person-who-points-out-why-your-product-is-dumb? I think he is just tired of my rantings, so this is the next best option. Here in the land of internets, I can rant, rave, complain and recommend to my heart's content. Also, share things that do work so that hopefully, everyone will buy them and things I like will become best sellers and all companies everywhere will cater to my whims.
I also have a tendency to tell my husband (Eric, as he is known) things like "I want a bookshelf, kind of like this one, but with sides like this one, and I don't like any of these, and they all cost too much." To which he responds, "I could make that better and cheaper." And I say, "by all means, do so!" And sometimes he does, although more often he does not, so that "I could make that" is kind of a running joke at our house.
But we have come to realize, that in addition to having the good fortune to be married, we also have good ideas together - me in telling him something I want to exist, and him in coming up with a way it could actually be made, and then me again in nagging him to actually do it. I am hoping that together, we can come up with ways to solve all the world's organizational problems, and all the children will join hands and live together in peace and harmony. Or at least that I can have that bookshelf, and post some pictures of it so others can do it too. Or at least show their husbands/wives/children and say "look what this person made! Why don't you make this" as I do so often now.
I figure even if no one else is interested in this kind of thing, I can claim to be famous on the internet (who isn't) and get him to make all kinds of things in the interest of "the readers."
The first project we shall embark on is a way to store and organize the piles of Legos (Lego? Is Lego plural?) and K'nex in our house. There have been many tears in our house over lost Lego pieces, tipped over boxes, sorting and re-sorting, and brothers tearing apart creations. Join me as we begin the search for the holy grail of Lego storage, inevitably fail, and try to come up with something ourselves.
If anyone already has the perfect Lego storage, tell me! I am all for buying something as-is if it is out there.
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