I had the best time at Scrapbook Expo. I saw people that I have not seen since last year this time.
I got to demo at the Tattered Angels booth and that was fun. I love to demo more than I like to teach. And we all know that I love to teach. It is fun because I get to see everyone that I would normally miss being stuck in the classroom all day.
Oh I love everyone at Tattered Angels. Kyle, Jeff and Liz are a blessing to work with. I had a blast. We at dinner on Saturday at the Cheesecake Factory. It was fun and we laughed all night long.
Mandie came down for the weekend. Since she has been running the Rusty Pickle Race she has been crazy, so she came down and hung out with me. I got to meet Kim Garner and Kathie Davis from The Rusty Pickle Design Team.
It was like old home weekend...
So as we are packing up the booth, I look over at the dumpster and there are a group of people.
Curiosity killed the cat so why not me.
I walk over and apparently Advantus decided to throw away all of the Heidi Swapp product that they had left. To make matters worse, they would throw the product in the dumpster then they opened up PINK and WHITE acrylic paint and poured it in between each dump of product.
Now, let me say this...
The reason why they squeezed the paint on the product is because they did not want the other vendors to be able to resell the product. I get that.
My question is why would that be your first gut reaction.
Why would you beleive that your product is so important to others that you would even contemplate destorying it so that no one else could ever benefit from it. And if someone is so in need why not give it away.
I can think of a dozen different reasons off of the top of my head as alternative to simply throwing it in the dumpster.
They could have given it away at the crop. They could have offered it to a local school. They could have given it to one of the local Boys and Girls Club. They could have given it to a Senior Center. They could have even called one of the three local agencies that would have come and packed up the booth and taken all of the product and donated it to any number of places like United Cerabal Palsy Foundation.
ANYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!
So in my moral indignation I climbed into the dumpster with all of the paint and product and proceeded to pull all of it out and put it into boxes.
My hands were so full of paint that I had to wait for them to dry so that I could pull the paint off in chunks. My fingers were stuck together. I rubbed my hands over a garbage pail and watched paint fall off. I washed them and clogged up two sinks in the bathroom.
So after a great meal at the Cheesecake Factory, Kathie, Kim, Mandie and I stopped at a Walmart and purchased a plastic drop cloth and boxes and boxes or zip top bags.
We went back to Kim and Kathie's hotel room and began to take all of the packaging off of the product and bag it up.
It was a mess. There was so much paint everywhere. It took us more than four hours from just after midnight to almost 4 am.
Kathie's flight left at 8 am so she stayed up because she was so tired she thought that she would sleep through the alarm.
All I want to say to them is Thank You from the bottom of my heart!!!
You know they could have dropped me and those boxes off at my house and said that this is your fight and gone on about their merry way.
Most of it was so full of paint that we just had to throw it out. The paint was so caked on that it took two people working together to put it in a bag.
Can you tell how pissed I am? I am not by any means close to being so morally righteous that I cannot see that this is just WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG.
So I have dropped some of it off at a place here in my town that can use it for art supplies and one of my tweeps Holly Berlin works with special needs kids. So I am putting a box of foam stamps and some other stuff that they can use.
Let me say this and then I am going to crawl down off my soap box...
In an economy and time in human history where paying it forward is on the forefront of everyone's mind. People are losing their homes, families are struggling to put food on the table and jobs are hard to find.
All I can say is SHAME ON YOU ADVANTUS, SHAME ON YOU!!!
until we meet again,
Stupid people!! do you know I work part time in Michael's and they do the same they throw everything in the compactor, magazines, flower designed stuff, anything that they don't sell, off season, they won't donate, they won't give it to us, they won't sell it to us for less,f'ing stupid but is the store policy
Posted by: Rosa | 12 July 2009 at 10:30 PM
UNBELIEVABLE! I saw your Tweet about them dumping stuff in a dumpster, but had no idea the scale of what they threw away!!
So many groups would have loved to have those items - and Advantus could have taken it off their taxes!
I am sorry I purchased anything from them yesterday! So glad you were able to salvage some of it - and that you cared enough to do so!
Posted by: Tracy | 12 July 2009 at 11:09 PM
I was just thinking...
Why on Earth would anyone be so spiteful as to destroy it?
Posted by: lauren | 13 July 2009 at 09:29 AM
What a ridiculous waste! Just one more nail in Advantus' coffin. I wish Heidi Swapp and Tim Holtz would distribute through another company.
Posted by: Cheryl McAdam | 13 July 2009 at 11:11 AM
I’m just appalled at what Advantis did with the HS products. Why didn’t they just mark them down near the end of the show - I’m sure they could have sold them at reduced prices and made some more money on them. I’d bet that they could have even sold them to the folks at the $1 booth and made something off of the products.. It’s just so wasteful to just dump it in the garbage. Definitely not the “Green” thing to do by filling the landfill with all of the products that someone else would be more than happy to have.
BTW I had a blast with you guys in the booth at Expo and I just loved your make and take project… Wish that I could go to Va Beach next weekend and take your class there… I’ll have to post to my friends up there to make sure they take your class… I’m so glad that I finally got the chance to meet you, Lisa M. has been telling me about you for a while… Hope to get another opportunity soon to see you…
Posted by: Sandra King | 13 July 2009 at 11:26 AM
Anything would have been acceptable. I think you need to add too that the pic of the pile of stuff was 2 bags of the many, many boxes of what we had! That is no where near all of it! Think FULL DUMPSTER!
Posted by: Mandie Dillard | 13 July 2009 at 11:44 AM
Ditto to all the comments above. It is so wasteful to simply take the easy way out and fill a dumpster. Shame on them all for not being more aware of all the waste in the world...like we have an endless supply of landfills.
Posted by: Diane | 13 July 2009 at 12:59 PM
Kudos to you for taking the initiative to try to salvage it.
I say a letter to Advantus, as well as Heidi Swapp is in order.....
Posted by: Eryn | 13 July 2009 at 03:09 PM
I agree, this is awful and am contemplating a letter as well.
Posted by: Shasta | 13 July 2009 at 04:33 PM
I will never understand why people don't think. I can't stand to waste a scrap of cardstock because SOMEONE can use it and would love it. I can't even imagine throwing something like that in the dumpster. Good for you for following your gut!
Posted by: Kristin Faust | 14 July 2009 at 01:31 AM
This is common practice, except for the paint. It's often cheaper to toss than to ship back and then distribute to "charities".
Posted by: leigh | 14 July 2009 at 05:42 PM
WOW! How low can they go? How generous of you all to give of your precious time and to think of others.
Posted by: Annie | 14 July 2009 at 06:07 PM
I understand that Micheal's does it as well as other companies in the craft industry. I know any number of companies that dont do it in the craft industry.
I know for a fact that Target donates their extra crafting supplies to the Good Will.
I know that Quick Quotes did a raffle in Michigan to help a family from the community.
What I don't understand is when does a company's bottom dollar become more important than a random act of kindness.
Or even better yet, making the active decision to participate in the wonderful expression of generosity while rejoicing in being a member of the human race.
I promised I would not start ranting again.
love yall like cooked food!
Posted by: lauren ferguson | 15 July 2009 at 01:57 AM
Unbelievable indeed! You are such a thoughtful soul and please know that your efforts have made someone very happy. Hugs!
Posted by: Robyn Weatherspoon | 16 July 2009 at 12:44 AM
Good for you!! All I have to say is *KARMA*. It always comes down to karma. :)
Posted by: MM Custom Creations | 16 July 2009 at 10:16 AM
That is an absolute environmental outrage. I know a lot of companies do it but I just think it is ludicrous in this economy and environment. Good on you for what you did.
Posted by: Marshmallow | 16 July 2009 at 10:43 AM
Wow!! I'm so disappointed in Advantus - and so proud of you for taking this action. We don't have endless landfills...unless one day we want to end up with garbage in our backyards!
Posted by: Jocelyn | 16 July 2009 at 06:54 PM
Good For YOU!!! Please pat yourself on the back for me. I agree with everything you said and admire you doing what you did.
Hugs,
Susan
Posted by: Susan M. | 16 July 2009 at 09:31 PM
That's just disgusting! Good for you and your friends for rescuing the product to donate! :D
Posted by: Erica Hettwer | 16 July 2009 at 09:37 PM
That story made me sick! Why on earth would they do that? I hope that people contact them about this and they choose to correct it next time!
Posted by: Teresa | 17 July 2009 at 01:34 AM
You're great for doing that! Shame on Advantus!
Posted by: Hedily | 17 July 2009 at 08:53 AM
Good for you! You are absolutely right! This is disappointing! I wonder if Heidi knows they did this with her products? I don't think she would be for that at all!!!
Posted by: Jingle | 17 July 2009 at 09:10 AM
We need more people like you and your friends in this world!!! I can tell you right now Advantis has lost my business!!! And I vend at retreat weekend getaways and now I will not support them by carrying their product as a result of reading this!!!!!
thank you for sharing this with us and keep up the good work!
Fondly,
Christine U
Posted by: christine uporsky | 17 July 2009 at 11:47 AM
KUDOS to you Lauren for taking action, making a stand, for caring enough to ACT on it. I was also a vendor at this show and had heard of this atrocity. Unfortunately, as we had a 19 hour drive ahead of us, I wasn't able to take a look for myself. Most of your thoughts for alternative uses also crossed our minds. I'm SO glad that you took it even further and DID something to right this outrageous WRONG. Simply because others in this industry also participate in such callous waste DOES NOT make it acceptable. THANK YOU for taking the time to care!
I tell you, it dramatically lowers my opinion of Advantus. I'll think twice before spending any of my limited funds with their business!
THANK YOU so much! On so many levels!
Posted by: Sue Krebs | 17 July 2009 at 08:01 PM
that is just deplorable! good for you for having the good sense and wonderful spirit to take on a project like that. there should be more people in the world like you!
i hope advantus hears your story and it shakes them up a bit.
Jennifer, Calgary, ALberta, Canada
Posted by: Jennifer Reynard | 17 July 2009 at 10:09 PM