S06.E21: Coco Jack, BedRyder, Frill Clothing, Twin Z Pillow

[yeswedo]

Everything pitched to the Sharks is made in the U.S. Included: custom recruitment clothing for sororities; simple tools, which are used to open a Thai coconut and extract the meat; and an invention that can transform any pickup into a "Truck-U-V." Also: an update on a teen who runs a designer bow tie company.

[Eolivet]

...Popular episode, I see? Maybe it was the out-of-time-period airing.

 

There's gold in them thar baby hills. Every time I see some ridiculous, overpriced product for a baby or a dog, I always think "That's way overpriced!" and their sales are always in the hundreds of thousands.

 

I loved how changing careers guy was just going on about this pale box-y thing, like you could just buy it at your local supermarket. Excuse you, you call that a coconut?! Coconuts are green and grow on palm trees and are eaten by wild animals and Survivor contestants. I'm sort of shocked he got a deal, too.

 

Now if they could only market baby coconut water...

Edited March 7, 2015 by Eolivet

[NikSac]

Now if they could only market baby coconut water...

 

Oh but they do. I saw it today and I was a little shocked. Wish I could remember the name of it - I'll check next time.

[designing1]

Every time I can't imagine the whole fraternity/sorority scene being more ridiculous and anachronistic, something happens to prove me wrong. Now I find out that sorority sisters and pledges spend a week dressing alike, with each day being dressier than the last, till presumably they're all parading around in evening gowns and tiaras. Or barring that, ugly, cheap-looking dresses. I really hate group-think, and when it's accompanied by group-dress (see also: working men in the casual Friday dockers and chambray shirts uniform) I hate it more.

 

I suppose the truck bed seats are safer than nothing at all, but the lawsuits will be flying the first time someone who's buckled in one gets hurt in an accident. Sure, they'd get hurt without the seat as well, but there'd be no company to sue to oblivion.

 

Mo is adorable, but I still fail to see what's special about his bow ties aside from the fact that there's a kid behind them.

[augmentedfourth]

Every time I can't imagine the whole fraternity/sorority scene being more ridiculous and anachronistic, something happens to prove me wrong. Now I find out that sorority sisters and pledges spend a week dressing alike, with each day being dressier than the last, till presumably they're all parading around in evening gowns and tiaras. Or barring that, ugly, cheap-looking dresses.

You forgot the part where each sorority sister allegedly pays $500 for that week of clothes. And obviously the same clothes can't be used from year to year. I went to a school that didn't have a big Greek life (and even if I had, that doesn't sound like my sort of thing AT ALL) and I also thought the dresses were fugly and way over-priced, but I did have to hand it to those two girls. They figured out how to tap into a niche market where their customers are apparently willing to pay high prices, and they had good plans (promising exclusive designs, branching out into the bridesmaid dresses for women who want all their former sorority sisters to be their attendants). Again, totally not my thing, but good for them, I guess.

 

Also, while I usually love Robert, I definitely don't think he was the best partner for that deal. Maybe it's sexist of me, but I just can't see him bringing a lot to the table there. Someone more knowledgeable than me will know if he's ever done any fashion-themed deals before, but I can't think of any off the top of my head.

[cooksdelight]

While I liked the guy's enthusiasm about his truck seats, I think this is a lawsuit waiting to happen. There are some restrictions about people being in the back of a pickup truck. He said his seats are legal in all 50 states. Did he ever mention if they were approved by any government safety organization? Without roll bars to protect people in a crash, you could easily die in those things. Especially if one of your bolts comes loose and your seat goes flying. Some states require the truck bed to be enclosed on all sides, pointed out in the chart in this link.

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/laws/cargoareas

[sadiegirl]

I look forward to Shark Tank and was bummed to not see it set to record on my DVR last night.  When was it on?  I checked the guide and did not see it on there.  I'm bummed that I missed it...

[how55]

Sadie, it was on at 8 EST, which begs the question. Why is ABC bouncing this show like a ping pong ball? One week at 9 and one week at 8?

[designing1]

 

Sadie, it was on at 8 EST, which begs the question. Why is ABC bouncing this show like a ping pong ball? One week at 9 and one week at 8?

 

I only caught it by accident, as I expected it to be on at its usual 9PM eastern. I don't understanding the bouncing, either. This is a popular show that is promoted to the hilt on ABC's news/news-like (lookin' at you, GMA) programs. Pick a timeslot, go with it, and program other shows that need a viewership bump around it.

 

 

Also, while I usually love Robert, I definitely don't think he was the best partner for that deal. Maybe it's sexist of me, but I just can't see him bringing a lot to the table there. Someone more knowledgeable than me will know if he's ever done any fashion-themed deals before, but I can't think of any off the top of my head.

 

Since I doubt you'd say the same about Daymond, I don't think it's sexist at all. A tech/security expert wouldn't even be on my radar for that business.

Edited March 7, 2015 by designing1

[starri]

"I'm from New York City."  You're from Brooklyn and you know it.  Also that guy seemed somewhat crazy.  He reminded me of the Freakers man, and not in a good way.

 

Sorority Groupthink is not my thing.

[Primetimer]

Oh, he can land himself a spot on Dancing With the Stars. But can Robert Herjavec convince any Shark Tank supplicants that his money is just as green as anyone else's?

Read the story

[Racj82]

They put the show at eight o clock in order to be a leader in to their new show that was two hours. I saw plenty of ads for it and I don't know why a dvr would not record because of a timeshift. If its new it's new. I always set recordings manually anyways. I don't rely on series recordings.

[starri]

I didn't watch the show that followed it, but I did enjoy the commercial they played for it which featured a comically aghast Kevin.

[sadiegirl]

My guide showed something else at 8 (before the new show), because I did check.  Maybe my local station aired something...but I'm bummed.  I hate ABC's player but I guess that's my only option.

[Gregg247]

The Coco Jack guy was a bad risk, and I agree with Barbara that he's a business partner you wouldn't be able to count on. He started giving his resume to the Sharks about how he went to Julliard to become a composer and percussionist, then he bought some RVs and travelled the country selling those, then he worked in Colorado doing something, then went to CA and joined a vegan/organic farming movement. He was all over the place. What happens when he wakes up one morning and decides that coconuts aren't really his thing, and he wants to become an astronaut?

The sorority sisters were irritating, and I had a hard time understanding what they were saying with that weird cadence they both had in their voices. Up and down and up and down, and I couldn't follow their conversation at all. Not a bad idea for a company, but I had no interest in the business at all.

Maybe I'm old, but I didn't realize it was illegal to ride around in the back of a pickup truck. Is it at least still legal for hound dogs?

[bilgistic]

It didn't record for me, either, and TiVo almost always catches these things. Boooooo!!!

[LennieBriscoe]

I've always thought coconuts are brown. Guy seemed ADHD.

Sorority girls showed a glimpse of the "It's whom you know in life" world. And it dresses alike.

Twin pillow seemed cumbersome, but it's clearly better than two separate pillows.

That Truck_UV guy is going to back and throttle the no-show boss!

I just realized I have nothing in common with any of the above customer targets.

Edited March 7, 2015 by LennieBriscoe

[Latverian Diplomat]

FWIW, this page  uses the terminology:

 

In 2011, 131,269 infants were born in twin deliveries,

 

which leads one to believe that the 135,000 number cited in the episode was the number of infants with a twin, not sets of twin infants.

 

Twin births counted this way appears to include the surviving infant only, when the other twin is not a live birth (thus the sadly odd number).

 

I guess it's not surprising that they would quote the statistic in a way that was truthful but could lead to a mistaken overestimate of demand for their product.

 

Also, twin births are rising due to infertility treatments for older mothers and an apparent increase for younger mothers in the likelihood of conceiving twins in the initial period after going off the pill. So, growth market, I guess.

Edited March 8, 2015 by Latverian Diplomat

[theatremouse]

I was amused when the woman said something like their sales "doubled every 9 months" they'd been in business. I'm assuming that's roughly true or they would've eaten her alive for saying it, but it was hilarious.

[how55]

He was all over the place. What happens when he wakes up one morning and decides that coconuts aren't really his thing, and he wants to become an astronaut?

 

So, Gregg, you say Coco "Nut" is the living Homer SImpson.

His coconuts reminded me of the cored & peeled pineapple you see in stores. According to him you can only buy them that way at Whole Foods?

I have to agree that Robert, as enthusiastic as he was, wasn't the best partner for the sorority clothing. He seemed genuinely hurt both times he got shut out last night.

[NikSac]

 

His coconuts reminded me of the cored & peeled pineapple you see in stores. According to him you can only buy them that way at Whole Foods?

 

Not true... they sell the coconuts that way at my local grocery store (not Whole Foods) too. Wayyy too expensive, but they're available.

[LeGrandElephant]

My TiVo picked up the episode, bu i didn't catch that there was was something after it that was relevant. What was it?

[nobodyyoucare]

Every time I can't imagine the whole fraternity/sorority scene being more ridiculous and anachronistic, something happens to prove me wrong. Now I find out that sorority sisters and pledges spend a week dressing alike, with each day being dressier than the last, till presumably they're all parading around in evening gowns and tiaras. Or barring that, ugly, cheap-looking dresses. I really hate group-think, and when it's accompanied by group-dress (see also: working men in the casual Friday dockers and chambray shirts uniform) I hate it more.

 

Mo is adorable, but I still fail to see what's special about his bow ties aside from the fact that there's a kid behind them.

Sorority and fraternity   in a number of colleges in particular Ivy League, HSBC and ones in the South are very cult like. Basically a lot of college life revolves in getting in the Greek life. Even after graduating for a lot of black colleges certain sororities and frats are where you make connections in business and politics. Without the college connection often a black man or woman is not able to get ahead in the South because they are considered an outsider.

 

There was a huge outcry over a show which showed ratchet behavior among a black sorority in Atlanta with calls to boycott the show from people who had been to that college. 

 

Well he is the designer and the bow ties are handmade. A number of people if told a good is handmade and looks like good to excellent quality will pay a premium. 

You forgot the part where each sorority sister allegedly pays $500 for that week of clothes. And obviously the same clothes can't be used from year to year. I went to a school that didn't have a big Greek life (and even if I had, that doesn't sound like my sort of thing AT ALL) and I also thought the dresses were fugly and way over-priced, but I did have to hand it to those two girls. They figured out how to tap into a niche market where their customers are apparently willing to pay high prices, and they had good plans (promising exclusive designs, branching out into the bridesmaid dresses for women who want all their former sorority sisters to be their attendants). Again, totally not my thing, but good for them, I guess.

 

Yep Rush week is a well known tradition among a number of colleges and that goes to wearing the same clothes.

The sorority sisters were irritating, and I had a hard time understanding what they were saying with that weird cadence they both had in their voices. Up and down and up and down, and I couldn't follow their conversation at all. Not a bad idea for a company, but I had no interest in the business at all.

Maybe I'm old, but I didn't realize it was illegal to ride around in the back of a pickup truck. Is it at least still legal for hound dogs?

Its defacto illegal but nobody enforces the law in rural areas. Cities the police could cite somebody but rarely. Its usually a minor fine if it occurs. As for the cadence I have seen and heard that many girls in a sorority and even men in certain frats will adopt the same style of speaking. 

 

Not true... they sell the coconuts that way at my local grocery store (not Whole Foods) too. Wayyy too expensive, but they're available.

As Kevin noted the coconuts are prepared that way. You can buy them that way on Amazon along with a drill that allows you to put a straw hole in the coconut. Of course you still need to open the sucker to get the meat out. These coconuts btw are green coconuts meaning young ones that haven't matured and hence not the hard brown husks people are familiar with. 

Edited March 8, 2015 by nobodyyoucare

[Amarsir]

The Coco Jack guy was a bad risk, and I agree with Barbara that he's a business partner you wouldn't be able to count on.

I think the structure covered the downside though. He gets to collect 7% and if the guy defaults Mark can foreclose on the whole business.  That covers the flake factor.  Beyond that it's a long shot, but that's what Mark likes.

 

Nice followup on Mo.  I agree that if you don't know who Mo is then it's no more compelling than the other bowties they sell at Needless Markup locations.  But it's no worse either.

[woodscommaelle]

Husband of the twin baby pillow asks 'what happens next?' to Kevin's offer.

Barbara says: 'He eats your children.'

Edited March 8, 2015 by woodscommaelle

[UsernameFatigue]

Every time I can't imagine the whole fraternity/sorority scene being more ridiculous and anachronistic, something happens to prove me wrong. Now I find out that sorority sisters and pledges spend a week dressing alike, with each day being dressier than the last, till presumably they're all parading around in evening gowns and tiaras.

 

Talk about first world problems. I find sororities to be distasteful, but this brought it to a whole new level. And to top it off the clothes were fugly.

 

I can't imagine why anyone would invest in the pickup bed truck seats. If there was an accident I can't see any insurance company covering the injuries of someone who was sitting in one. They aren't part of the vehicle, or even installed by the maker of the truck so why in the world would an insurance company pay for injuries related to someone occupying one?

 

I actually liked the double pillow for feeding twins. They already have breast feeding pillows for single babies, and one for twins to me seems more of a need to me that for a single baby. I still remember years ago walking into my sis in law's home and seeing her feeding one baby niece in her arms, while her twin was propped up at the end of the couch with my sis in law's foot holding the bottle in her mouth. That pillow would have come in quite handy.

[bilgistic]

Weirdly, the show aired at 1:07 a.m. Saturday in my area; I found it had recorded after all.

I detest sororities and fraternities, and found the Frill presentation nauseating. The brunette with the plastered-on smile was scary.

Edited March 8, 2015 by bilgistic

[EAG46]

Don't worry Phil, I'll be part of the Blue State Resistance with you. The only actual invention I liked was the twin pillow. Thai coconuts are too niche, as is a tool to open them. The truck guy lost me when he shouted his pitch. (INSIDE VOICE, dude. INSIDE VOICE.) And the less said about a type of club that forces its potential members to buy expensive clothes to only wear ONCE and never again, the better.

[starri]

And the less said about a type of club that forces its potential members to buy expensive clothes to only wear ONCE and never again, the better.

Don't forget, you also have to pay in order to get as far as being able to spend $500 on an ugly dress you'll only wear once.

 

Nothing I liked more than being forced to pay for friends.

[marny]

The sorority women will do well in that they've identified a market that has the means and desire to pay for affordable outfits they'll only wear once (ie. sorority girls and bridesmaids).  It isn't a market I can understand, but it definitely exists and its members tend to have a good amount of disposable income.  However if I had to sit through a business meeting with those women, the cadence of their voices would drive me crazy.

 

The coconut thing boggled my mind.  Instead of buying a uni-purpose tool set for $60, couldn't you use that same money to buy a shitload of coconut water?  Other than restaurants or vendors that cook with coconuts, who is buying this? Maybe it's the go-to gift idea for Brooklyn-ites, but it doesn't seem like a sustainable business to me.

[nobodyyoucare]

The sorority women will do well in that they've identified a market that has the means and desire to pay for affordable outfits they'll only wear once (ie. sorority girls and bridesmaids).  It isn't a market I can understand, but it definitely exists and its members tend to have a good amount of disposable income.  However if I had to sit through a business meeting with those women, the cadence of their voices would drive me crazy.

 

The coconut thing boggled my mind.  Instead of buying a uni-purpose tool set for $60, couldn't you use that same money to buy a shitload of coconut water?  Other than restaurants or vendors that cook with coconuts, who is buying this? Maybe it's the go-to gift idea for Brooklyn-ites, but it doesn't seem like a sustainable business to me.

The buying coconuts and cracking them is a recent craze among vegans, health food nuts, and all around morons. You know the same people that demand gluten free products despite having no clue what gluten is so things like water which never contained gluten to begin with have to be labeled gluten free. Gluten btw is in bread and pastas because it is the natural bonding agent that keeps these things together. 

 

So the people that actually have problems with gluten due to their bodies not being able to process gluten are enraged at these morons.

[designing1]

Yeah, I feel bad for people who really do have celiac disease; everyone who's jumped on the train has made "gluten free" seem more like the latest stupid fad than, for some, a medical necessity. A friend of a friend has celiac and spent untold months in and out of hospitals and essentially wasting away till the problem was identified (this was years ago; today he would, I hope, be diagnosed more quickly.)

 

I also feel bad for the place of my birth and lifelong home -- Brooklyn -- as we are now being identified by the idiot hipsters who've taken over a couple of neighborhoods rather than the immigrant generations of hard-working, fun-loving, family-oriented, genuinely talented (as opposed to hipster legends in their own minds) people who built this borough.

 

Topic? The US market for that coconut tool seems limited, at best, and in countries where coconut is more of a dietary staple they probably already have opening them and extracting the meat down to a science. Not that it matters, as that inventor will probably be on to his next, completely different project in no time. I'd be surprised if he's not a trust fund baby.

[starri]

I also feel bad for the place of my birth and lifelong home -- Brooklyn -- as we are now being identified by the idiot hipsters who've taken over a couple of neighborhoods rather than the immigrant generations of hard-working, fun-loving, family-oriented, genuinely talented (as opposed to hipster legends in their own minds) people who built this borough.

I'm moving to Brooklyn in a few months, and I've already purchased a fixed-gear bike, grown unusual facial hair, and researched urban beekeeping.

[designing1]

starri, don't make me arrange an intervention ;-)

[Amarsir]

Yeah, I feel bad for people who really do have celiac disease; everyone who's jumped on the train has made "gluten free" seem more like the latest stupid fad than, for some, a medical necessity. A friend of a friend has celiac and spent untold months in and out of hospitals and essentially wasting away till the problem was identified (this was years ago; today he would, I hope, be diagnosed more quickly.)

On the bright side, the trendiness of it has made it a lot easier for people with actual gluten problems to explain the issue and find alternatives.  Four years ago being at a restaurant and asking "is this sauce gluten-free" would get you weird looks and an "I don't know I'll ask ... what's it called?"  Now that question gets answers like "It's not, but this other one is and I can bring you some gluten-free bread if you like."

 

Plus there are more products catering to it.  (e.g. Gluten-free pizza dough.)  I was on Atkins before it hit big 15 years ago and the explosion of low-carb alternatives was very convenient. (Even if most were terrible.)

 

I can't imagine why anyone would invest in the pickup bed truck seats. If there was an accident I can't see any insurance company covering the injuries of someone who was sitting in one. They aren't part of the vehicle, or even installed by the maker of the truck so why in the world would an insurance company pay for injuries related to someone occupying one?

 

While I liked the guy's enthusiasm about his truck seats, I think this is a lawsuit waiting to happen. There are some restrictions about people being in the back of a pickup truck.

 

Not disagreeing with either of you but I want to point out that it's a bit of a Prisoner's Dilemma-type game theory.  People ride in the back anyway. Riding in the back would be safer with seats. But buying seats gives you a third party to blame and that third party doesn't want liability So we reach the compromise of no seats being available.

[nobodyyoucare]

Yeah Mark took advantage of the guy for sure. If the business fails Mark gets everything. Kevin was actually being quite nice and honest when he told why the deal with Mark was bad. If the business went south Kevin's deal would enable the guy to still own the patents etc. 

[LeGrandElephant]

It's sad when fear of lawsuits stops products that might make dangerous situations safe. I can think of a few other examples I've heard of (disclaimer: I didn't look these up to verify my info is correct and up to date): an alarm to warn you when you've forgotten your baby strapped into the car seat, and a gizmo that would stop a circular saw if it hit flesh. I believe I've heard that both products work but no one wants to produce them due to fear of lawsuits if they fail.

[LittleIggy]

I teach in an Intensive English Program at a Mennonite university. Most of our students are from Saudi Arabia. I made a crack about frat parties in a class and one of my Saudi guys asked me about fraternities and what they do. All I could think of was drunken parties. I told him that the female equivalent were sororities. I couldn't explain what they did either.

I hate coconut water. Yuck.

[raiderred1]

I graduated from a university that is very Greek and in the south.  Fraternities and sororities are huge here in Texas. I was a GDI(goddamned independent), as I did not need to buy my friends.  My niece will be attending the same university in the fall and when we took her to "Greek Circle"(yes, it really exists-ugh) she saw some sorority girls and she gasped, "They are so BASIC!" It was hilarious. They all had the same exact shorts, t-shirt and bows in their hair.  Ahh, just like old times.  She will now carry on the tradition of being a GDI and it makes me so happy.

[Guest]

Sororities and frats gross me out.  

 

I don't understand the rollover concerns with the truck seats.  I drove a Subaru Brat with those seats for like six years.  Passengers' heads are way below the roof of the car.  I don't think it's a good product, though.  People who need them can't afford them.  And if people liked them Subaru Brats would still be made today.  

 

So 100,000 twins born in a year = 50,000 sets.  Maybe 10% of twin parents can afford a $99 pillow.  And once you have one, you never need another.  So a few thousand units sold a year?  Plus the one nursing pillow everyone already buys, Boppy, sells one for $45 for 'double nursing'.  

 

I would buy Coco Jack for $19 if my stores carried young coconuts because getting inside them is dangerous, and I do like them.  But $70?  Nah.  

[UsernameFatigue]

I found it interesting that the Fugly Frills pitcher I think at least twice referred to their market as being in the U.S. and Canada. Sororities are not at all popular in Canadian universities.  In fact there are only a few universities that have sanctioned sororities (same with frats) and some have outright bans on them. I think the little lady misrepresented the market here.

[zxy556575]

I hate coconut water. Yuck.

 

I lived in Samoa and Micronesia for a few years and kind of dreaded going to someone's house because sure enough, one of the kids would climb a tree, chop off a coconut, use the same machete to slice open the top, then hand it to me to drink as the guest. Warm coconut water. I still cringe. I don't much like fresh coconut meat, either.

 

My sister and I used to love riding in the back of my grandfather's pickup when we were kids in the late 50s. Vehicular safety concerns being only a glint in Ralph Nader's eye at the time, my main concern was dodging any flying spit my grandfather would hock out his window. A lot of the fun was being rolled around in back with the movement of the truck around corners and whatnot, so I don't think I would have wanted a seat. I was over truck-bed riding by 10-11 anyway.

 

It was interesting seeing the State laws about it and the various concessions made by states with a lot of agriculture.

[Guest]

I always thought the law was people need to be belted in IF they were in a seat with belts, giving the ag market and otherwise "only have a truck and six kids" market an out, and school buses.  I'm in AZ and see people in truck beds, on interstates going 75mph, every day.  If it's illegal here, they must not enforce it.  

[A Boston Gal]

On the bright side, the trendiness of it has made it a lot easier for people with actual gluten problems to explain the issue and find alternatives.  Four years ago being at a restaurant and asking "is this sauce gluten-free" would get you weird looks and an "I don't know I'll ask ... what's it called?"  Now that question gets answers like "It's not, but this other one is and I can bring you some gluten-free bread if you like."

 

Plus there are more products catering to it.  (e.g. Gluten-free pizza dough.)  I was on Atkins before it hit big 15 years ago and the explosion of low-carb alternatives was very convenient. (Even if most were terrible.)

 

 

 

Not disagreeing with either of you but I want to point out that it's a bit of a Prisoner's Dilemma-type game theory.  People ride in the back anyway. Riding in the back would be safer with seats. But buying seats gives you a third party to blame and that third party doesn't want liability So we reach the compromise of no seats being available.

Arrrgh, how frustrating!  Why isn't there some kind of "Good Samaritan" exemption that can be formulated around these products, unless it's found in tests that not using them is safer than using them?

[LeGrandElephant]

I always wonder why its legsl for busses to not have seatbelts. Most of the time I ride the city busses downtown, where they go slow enough that ir probably wouldn't matter. But when they go on a highway, then I sit there wondering why I don't get a seatbelt.

[Guest]

http://publictransport.about.com/od/Transit_Safety/a/Why-Don-T-Buses-Have-Seatbelts.htm

 

I didn't read that whole article but a friend in the school bus business said it's because they're safer without them, due to the nature of the bus interiors and the logistics of freeing many trapped passengers in a fire situation.  

[psychoticstate]

No comments on the products (although the sorority girls struck me as very Stepford Wives-ish) but I do love the expression Robert makes when he's been outbid or shut out of a deal.  Just increases my love for him.

[bilgistic]

An article about Frill was in the Triangle Business Journal (Raleigh, NC-area) last week.

...Frill Clothing "is primarily targeted to sorority women who are looking to purchase affordable, yet stylish, outfits for recruitment,"...

I'm going to venture that $200 for a dress and $70 for a skirt isn't "affordable". At least, it's not for me, but then, neither is $500 and upwards per semester for membership in a club, then housing fees, then the costs of throwing several formal parties per year and outfitting oneself for them, and then, and then, and then...

Edited March 9, 2015 by bilgistic

[Skittl1321]

"I'm from New York City."  You're from Brooklyn and you know it. 

Did Brooklyn get moved out of New York City?

 

 

I'm going to venture that $200 for a dress and $70 for a skirt isn't "affordable".

I was in a sorority for 2 years before I finally was able to convince my dues paying parents it was horrible and was able to quit.  That was in line with the "affordable" options given to us for rush week.  We even bought an outfit (that was terrible), and when it was determined it looked terrible on over half the sorority, we had to buy a DIFFERENT outfit, no returns on the first one!!!  The alumni picked the outfits.  Nothing better than an 80 year old lady telling college kids what will look cool to incoming freshman.  Probably the MOST infuriating part (except for maybe when I was told to tie a cardigan around my neck- really? Does anyone outside a J.Crew ad do that?) was when we paid $50 for a t-shirt that you could get at Target for $10.  '

 

And I worked in the kitchen during rush week, because I refused to lie to potential pledges, so I couldn't be matched to someone and tell them all about how our values align directly with theirs, regardless of whether they did or not.  So I did set up and take down between groups.  For some reason, I still had to wear the ridiculously expensive clothes.

 

 

We thankfully did not wear the matching outfits outside of the house at all.  And our outfits were much more rewearable than Frill's were. Except for the one that was so awful we didn't end up reusing it, I at least got to rewear everything, it was just way more money than I would have spent otherwise.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Skittl1321

[Lola16]

I got offered a Thai coconut today!  I forgot to ask how they opened it :/