Memory Works: Come “Shopping” with a Consultant

It’s pretty funny that this comes on the heels of my POST about how I have so much scrap stuff that I feel defensive of it, LOL!

But I truly was overdue in placing a Memory Works order; I haven’t done one since July 15, when I got that MEGA KIT from My Minds Eye for myself, and filled two customer orders. In the meantime, I’ve gotten several product credits for signing up new consultants (both hobbyists and “premium” consultants….thanks so much ladies!) that have been burning a hole in my virtual shopping cart. I’ve been restraining myself from using them as I watched all the new stuff from CHA Summer come in. But most of it is here now, and if I wait too long, the things I want will be gonzo. {The only thing I’m still waiting for are the new THICKERS}. Today, I received a customer order so the time had come to place an actual order instead of just dreaming about it, lol. Besides, I NEED STOCK!

I thought I’d share what one of my orders looks like. Back when I was going gangbusters with MEMORY WORKS (last year, before the economy tanked), I would make $100+ orders like this about once every month or two. If you figure that as an MW CONSULTANT, I get 20% of the retail amount of each order, you can see I was making some pretty nice bank. I mean, I was never no Lisa “QVC” Bearnson, but I was doing okay :)

However, those were the good ol’ days, and placing an order like this now literally makes my hands shake. I’ve got about half of the cost covered already with product credits and the customer order. But the rest is just cash I’m laying out there, hoping to sell these products to friends and at crops, and recoup my money with a little bit of profit. Or if I can sell 80% of it, then the 20% that I can’t sell – and thus, it enters my own stash for good – can be considered my “profit.” That’s why I only buy products that I love and would use myself….because if I can’t sell them, they become mine. Mines, all mines! Yeah, break my heart, why don’t you? Force me to take all these ugly scrap supplies that no one wants.

Okay, on to the order. This is gonna be pic heavy, so get ready to scroll, especially you Laptoppers like me….

1 BasicGrey: Take Note – Eerie $5.00

****** From here down to We R MK stamps and then the white Thickers, these are items on Fall Clearance so the prices are great; a good time to stock up! ******

1 American Crafts: Thickers – Lullaby Blush $3.20

1 Basic Grey: Chip Sticker ABCs – Lime Rickey $5.60

1 BoBunny: Gearhead Rub-on – Grease Monkey $2.80

1 Heidi Swapp: Tools – Edge Distresser $1.20

2 Jenni Bowlin: Label Strip Stickers – Brown $2.00

1 Making Memories: Tiny Alpha – Teal $2.40

1 MME: Theme Set – Cowabunga $5.40

1 MME: Theme Set – Wild Ride $5.40

1 Pink Paislee: Chipboard Letters – Fascinating $3.60

2 We R Memory Keepers: Clear Stamps – List $ .80

1 7 Gypsies: Theme Set – Victoria $5.00

1 American Crafts: Thickers – Sprinkles White $4.00

1 American Crafts: Thickers – Sprinkles Lavender $5.00

1 BoBunny: Combo Stickers – St Nick $3.00

1 Cosmo Cricket: Rub-ons – The Boyfriend $3.00

1 Creative Imaginations: Cardstock Stickers – South Seas $3.50

1 Creative Imaginations: Theme Set – Class Act $6.00

1 Creative Imaginations: Journaling Pad – Class Act $5.00

1 Creative Imaginations: Theme Set – Liberty $3.75

1 Creative Imaginations: Journaling Pad – Just Wonderful $5.50

1 Creative Imaginations: Holey Cardstock – Chocolate Swirl $2.00

1 Fancy Pants: Notebook – Christmas Magic $9.00

1 Jenni Bowlin: Memo Book – Black $4.50

1 MME: Theme Set – The Spider’s Web $7.75

1 MME: Theme Set – Merry Days of Christmas $7.75

1 Pink Paislee: Theme Set – Amber Road $5.50

1 Scrap Within Reach: Journaling Tags – Paper Boy $1.20

1 Three Bugs: Die-cut Tags – To the Rescue $2.00

Okay, first I have to comment on some of these items…

Basic Grey “Lime Rickey” blue chip stickers – Love! How did I never notice those before?

Jenni Bowlin brown label stickers – Did you notice I ordered two? Mama wants her own set. Not. For. Sale.

We R Memory Keepers clear stamps – Only 80 stinkin’ cents. I mean, that’s a no-brainer, right? I got one to sell, one to keep.

7 Gypsies “Victoria” Theme set – Remember that from HERE? Yeah, I caved and bought it. Those papers are sooooo pretty! But here’s the deal I made with the scrapbook goddesses: I’m going to set that paper free, and offer it for sale to customers. If it flies to someone else, it was never mine to begin with. If it returns to me, it was mine all along…

Pink Paislee “Amber Road” theme set – I drooled over it HERE. I finally ordered some. I’m going to set it free also. And hope that it comes back….

As you can probably tell from the things I ordered, I have customers with boys, public safety customers, and customers who have surfers in their family (we do live by the coast, after all). You can also see that I like to order products based on the seasons on either side of us at any given time, because that’s what people are scrapping now or preparing to scrap for. Right now, that would be 4th of July and 9/11, summer, back to school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Alphas and journaling items are always big sellers. It’s all a balancing act, placing an order, because I have to stay within my budget, fill customer orders, and choose other items based on what I think customers will like, taking into consideration the seasons, and what hobbies and interests my regular customers have. Also, I try to keep in mind the tastes of my friends. For instance, there were about 5 different Halloween sets I chose from and I went with one that has a more “distress-y” look because, in my experience, in my crowd, that sells over the real bold, bright look.

Now, don’t you wish you were a Memory Works consultant?!? LOL I don’t know if that was interesting at all, but I thought if nothing else, you’d enjoy looking at the pretty pictures. “I do NOT have scrapbooker’s A.D.D. …. Ooooh, look sparklies!!” Yeah, I got your number, sister. Holla!

I placed this order online late Tuesday night, and got an instant order receipt in my e-mail. Then Wednesday morning around 11, I got a UPS shipping notification that 2 boxes were on the way to me ALREADY! That’s one thing I *lurve* about Memory Works; they ship your order within one business day of receiving it. I also signed up a friend to start receiving the monthly kit, called MEMORY WORKS EXPRESS. The September kits had already gone out, so her first kit would normally have been the October. But she asked if she could still get September, so I e-mailed Miss Fabulosity aka Jodi at MW customer service. She said to just let her know when I had registered my friend, and she would manually go in and start her in September. Voila! It was done, just as she said. I got a UPS notice that my friend’s kit has shipped, also.

Now what’s super cool is that this friend, me, and a few others are meeting up to crop this Saturday…and our Memory Works shipments are due to arrive….wait for it….wait for it…..FRIDAY!!! Just in time :) So that will be wicked cool. Sorry I keep bragging on Memory Works…I just can’t say enough good things about ’em. It was really fun to “shop” for that order, even if most of it will be sold to others (hopefully). Hope you enjoyed our shopping trip, too!