S07.E09: National Association Of Bubble Soccer, Umano, Brazi Bites, SockTABS

[yeswedo]

When an entrepreneur brings in a new recreational sport to the tank, the sharks get a chance to suit up and ram into each other with reckless abandon; two brothers designed a fashion brand enabling the wearer to do good while looking good; and a couple have a solution to the mystery of the missing sock. Also, an update on Mensch On A Bench that Lori Greiner and Robert Herjavec invested in during Season 6.

[mjc570]

I thought that was an interesting episode.  I really laughed at the bubble soccer, but that guy was too slick for his own good.  I was mesmerized by his shiny suit.  Gee, it's too bad when you're not as smart as you think you are.

 

Those Brazi-bites looked delicious.  As soon as I saw them, I paused the show to see if I could buy them.  I guess either they don't sell on-line, or their website crashed.  I would have thought they would have have had a robust retail site ready to go.  It was funny how they wouldn't take Kevin's offer, even with his much lower equity component.  I can see why they picked Laurie, but it seems to me that Bantam Bagels is doing well despite, not because of, her.

 

The t-shirt brothers - I really liked them as people, but I wondered why didn't show more designs.  Both the elephant and the bicycle were cute, but what else?  The skull?  Perhaps you get what you pay for.  At some point, they are going to have to somehow pay thier child labor-designers more than a backpack.  I agree about buying for a cause - I'm not a millennial, but I do that, also.  I pay a ridiculous amount for coffee beans, because of the good works the company does.

 

That last couple - ugh.  The doc seemed pleasant and grounded, but I thought that woman was one of the most annoying people I EVER saw on the show (and I've been watching for years).  She just would not shut up, and let other people speak.  Yea, I get that she has "passion" but the product didn't seems that good or unique enough to sell on its own.  I sure would like to know the story (if there is one) behind Damon's (literally) last-minute offer.  I also wasn't a fan of her pulling out her aneurysm story. Please, show, no more personal tragedies or crises. 

[Gregg247]

Those t-shirt guys sure spent a lot of time patting themselves on the back for their "good works".  When they first came out, I thought, "Who designed those awful shirts?  A bunch of kids?"  Oops!  Paying for the pictures with $4 backpacks rather than actual money seems less like giving back and more like getting design work CHEAP.  Plus, I don't know how many people want to run around with a t-shirt drawn by a 3rd grader.  This seems like more of a product than an ongoing business.

 

I've lost socks in the dryer before, but not nearly enough for me to consider it a problem in need of a purchasable solution.  Plus, wouldn't those sock holders clatter around in the dryer like loose change?  That would be really irritating. 

 

That cheese bread thing sounded delicious.  I would have taken the deal with Kevin; he offered the best terms, plus he gets so few deals anymore!

 

So Mensch on a Bench has now been joined by a Singing Mennorah?!?  Plus, Lori wants to add a female version skew as well?  Good grief (or, "oy vey", I suppose).

 

From what I can tell, Bed Bath and Beyond and Whole Foods are the biggest suckers in retail.  They seem to put on display every piece of useless crap that walks in their doors.

[NikSac]

Soccer thing: that was so funny to watch!  I could see why no one invested, but it was entertaining. I'm sure this has been around for a bit but our local fair always has these giant hamster ball looking things that float around in a pool of water and kids (mostly kids) run around in them and bounce off of each other. The soccer balls looked really similar. It's silly but it's an attraction we enjoy at the fair - I could see the soccer thing working in that environment too. Must agree with others though, I was so focused on his shiny suit I was having a hard time listening to his presentation.

 

Brazi-Bites looked yummy!  I'd try them if I saw them in the store for a reasonable price.  I still haven't bought into the whole frozen foods by UPS/FedEx/etc. thing, but I can see how that might work too. Just seems expensive to ship.

 

T-shirts: I couldn't really decide what to think at first. I thought they were cute and liked that someone said they were really soft, but I was still a little iffy. Then I heard the price and went "oh hell no!"  That is way, way too much for a t-shirt.  If I wanted to support the charitable cause behind it I'd donate the money straight to the charity before I'd pay that much.

 

Sock tabs: seemed like a pain in the butt. They also looked to me like they'd poke small holes in your socks and cause them to wear out way faster. If I really wanted to take that much extra time on the laundry (and I don't) I'd just safety-pin the socks together. This is coming from the woman that probably has about a dozen stray socks right now waiting for me to find their matches, but I still don't think I'd bother with the tabs.

[ae2]

I've had something like the brazi bites from BJs before. They were bite sized balls of bread filled with cheese. Not made with tapioca and gluten free, but very similar otherwise. I don't see them being something that people order online more than once.

 

The sock tabs are another of those things that you think, "I wish I had something like this!" when you're doing your laundry, but you never actually go out and buy. The only way I see it being successful is if they are packaged with socks, but as Daymond pointed out, sock companies make their money on lost socks. They have no incentive to package a sock tab and increase their price by $1.

 

Also, people that really don't want to lose clothes in the wash can just buy a little mesh bag that they load all their socks and underwear in for washing.

 

I've never spent anywhere near $48 on a t-shirt, and I wouldn't start because they donate a backpack to a school. Now, if they reframed this as "donate $50 to kids that need school supplies and in return get one of these t-shirts that the very kids you are helping designed" - that I could see working. 

Edited November 21, 2015 by ae2

[sadtvjunkie]

The entire time sock tab lady was giving her pitch I was yelling safety pins!  100 for 59 cents use them all the time. Haven't lost socks in years! And I have a sensitivity issue I wouldn't want that thing on my ankle bothering me.

[Wings]

 

I sure would like to know the story (if there is one) behind Damon's (literally) last-minute offer.

 

I saw his wheels turning as they walked away and I think I know.  He saw the opportunity to brand his socks with a personalized logo on the clasp.  He could see that becoming a cool thing, perhaps.  A risk but for very little money.  It would also encourage people to branch out and not buy all one color socks.  I do this because I do lose them.  

 

I enjoyed Robert and Damon having fun in the balls and Kevin laughing hysterically.  

 

Brazi Bites site must have crashed because I paused the show go to  their website too, mcj ! I also looked at the T-shirt site. Not many designs but I did like the graphics.

 

Barbara's new hair style in the preview gave me pause.  ouf  

Edited November 21, 2015 by wings707

[starri]

I did like the T-shirts, but like I said with one of the other T-shirt companies that came through here, I didn't $48 like them.

 

I'm glad that Mensch on the Bench is doing well, because I'd much rather there be a holiday tradition that teaches good values instead of that behaving for three weeks gets you presents, but at a certain point, isn't the Hanukkah market going to get saturated?

[Primetimer]

Was a Shark unduly swayed by a sob story into backing a business that he really should have stayed out of? Probably. Or maybe Daymond John is just really into socks.

Read the story

[basiltherat]

A few seasons ago, there was a guy selling socks in groups of three . . . and another had a sock-of-the month club.  Are socks that popular?  I suppose Barbara's Grrace & Lace is also considered a sock, too, although they are pretty.

 

If  you're making a ton of money like doctor and pharm rep, can't you pretty much afford new socks every time and throw out the old ones after one use??!

[Latverian Diplomat]

I really don't like the "buy something give something" model. Buy a product that's priced appropriately, and then give the cash you save to a real, effective charity. Robert was right in that they are a design studio with one idea, and if/when that idea loses people's interest, they're done.

 

I didn't think the bubble soccer guy was that unclear; he said it was franchising at the beginning. But he did not want to talk about his core business, And I did not understand what the "leads" thing was all about, and they did not go into it. Also don't those bubble get sweaty/drooly gross inside fairly quick. Maybe he should sell cleaning supplies?

 

The Brazibites aren't available online because shipping frozen goods is a big hassle. Daymond made sense when he talked about how his connections with other businesses in that space could really help. On the other hand, frozen pastry is low margin compared to seafood or steaks. I don't know if it would work, in the end.

 

There were two cases where Daymond seemed to have relevant expertise, but he wouldn't come down on equity. He seemed a little ticked that, for example, the T-shirt guys weren't willing to price in his expertise as part of his bid. He did finally make a deal, and maybe he's just taking a runner at a long odds product, or maybe he just liked them/felt for them.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Latverian Diplomat

[Jesse]

The Brazi Bites website is still down. Or down again. If I could get Pão de Queijo frozen in the supermarket, I would be super psyched, because that stuff is DELICIOUS.

[Mountainair]

I thought the soccer balls looked like something fun you could pick up from a sporting goods store and use at home when you felt like it. The franchising aspect just seemed like too much for what comes across as a novelty product. It's not like the other sports game they featured this season, it was like volleyball played on a low trampoline type net (can not remember what it was called now). That actually seemed like a legitimate sport that could take off and be a hit. And yes, I too was distracted by the shiny suit.

The sock tabs just seemed like more work in the laundry room to me. Besides, I can only think of one sock the wash actually "ate" and it caused my then top loader to overflow because it got jammed in between the spinner and the edge of the machine. The majority of my missing socks turn up in the bed sheets, under the bed or somewhere between the hamper and the laundry room. Ideally I guess you would tab the socks together as soon as you took the off before tossing into the hamper but I can't even get my kids and husband to empty their pockets before taking off dirty clothes, tabbing socks together would be out of the question.

[columbot]

Oh man, I hated that T-shirt company. Like others have said, if I want to help out children in need, then I'll donate to a real charity.

 

What's worse, there's no way I'm going out in public wearing a shirt with an elephant drawn by a child. If you want to boost kids' self-esteem and confidence, go put their artwork on display in places like malls. Clothing? If I wore that bicycle shirt to a bar any woman I would try to talk to would have already fled from me by the time I could explain that a kid drew it and it's for a good cause. It ain't happening. Wearing crudely-drawn artwork drawn by kids isn't cute or endearing.

 

Kevin must be toxic. Such a good offer and they paid him no mind. Reminds me of a couple seasons ago where he made an offer to someone who completely ignored him and started crying and begging for Lori to do a deal. Sad how he's basically persona non grata.

[NikSac]

A few seasons ago, there was a guy selling socks in groups of three . . . and another had a sock-of-the month club.  Are socks that popular?  I suppose Barbara's Grrace & Lace is also considered a sock, too, although they are pretty.

 

I think socks really are that popular especially among certain groups (maybe late teens to around 30ish?). My half-sister and my sister in law are both pretty obsessive about their socks.

[NikSac]

I didn't think the bubble soccer guy was that unclear; he said it was franchising at the beginning. But he did not want to talk about his core business, And I did not understand what the "leads" thing was all about, and they did not go into it. Also don't those bubble get sweaty/drooly gross inside fairly quick. Maybe he should sell cleaning supplies?

 

<snip>

 

There were two cases where Daymond seemed to have relevant expertise, but he wouldn't come down on equity. He seemed a little ticked that, for example, the T-shirt guys weren't willing to price in his expertise as part of his bid. He did finally make a deal, and maybe he's just taking a runner at a long odds product, or maybe he just felt liked them/felt for them.

 

I mentioned seeing those bubble things at the fair, but forgot to mention that we live in a very hot area and yes, I remember seeing the kids coming out of them just dripping in sweat. I never saw them cleaned in between kids though. Good idea on the cleaning supplies!  Maybe it was just his presentation style but I got a kind of scammy vibe from the soccer guy when he started talking about the franchise model etc.  Or maybe pyramid scheme would be a better description.  I kept thinking it was along the lines of "I get a percentage if you buy the license to sell this product, and then you get a percentage if you can talk 10 friends into also selling this product..."

 

I thought Daymond looked really ticked off about the t-shirt deal!  I was surprised he was so upset about it, maybe because I was already turned off of the idea to begin with.

[leighdear]

The cheese bread looks very easy to make.

http://www.cynthiapresser.com/brazilian-recipes-south-american-cuisine/brazilian-appetizers/231-traditional-brazilian-cheese-balls-pao-de-queijo-mineiro

But then, I prefer to make things myself as opposed to paying through the nose for a frozen version.  

There's even a lot of recipes on Pinterest.

https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?rs=ac&len=2&q=pao+de+queijo&term_meta%5B%5D=pao%7Cautocomplete%7C0&term_meta%5B%5D=de%7Cautocomplete%7C0&term_meta%5B%5D=queijo%7Cautocomplete%7C0

 

I like seeing all the new food products they have on the show, then  cooking my own interpretations.   

[Latverian Diplomat]

I thought Daymond looked really ticked off about the t-shirt deal!  I was surprised he was so upset about it, maybe because I was already turned off of the idea to begin with.

 

Maybe he just wanted to figure out how they got into Bloomingdale's? That was the part of their pitch he was impressed by. :-) 

[bilgistic]

I think socks really are that popular especially among certain groups (maybe late teens to around 30ish?). My half-sister and my sister in law are both pretty obsessive about their socks.

The way my rich, white conservative boss (age 33, acts 73) shows his "coolness" is to wear "funky" socks. There are a few guys in the office who try to out-sock each other. He can afford all the socks. Plus, I'm sure his put-upon wife walks around picking up things he casts off, so I doubt he worries about such things as lost socks.

As for me? I hate socks, but when I have to wear them, I have a stash of black socks that all look the same. I'm of a modest income, and lost socks aren't A Thing to me, either, but then, I don't have kids. And yet, I did my family's laundry growing up (mom, three girls), and I don't remember lost socks being a big deal then, either. My sisters stealing my socks was, but there's no doodad for that.

I thought bubble soccer guy looked like an American Psycho serial killer.

Edited November 21, 2015 by bilgistic

[Ketzel]

Kevin must be toxic. Such a good offer and they paid him no mind. Reminds me of a couple seasons ago where he made an offer to someone who completely ignored him and started crying and begging for Lori to do a deal. Sad how he's basically persona non grata.

I think Kevin has made himself toxic. He was reveling so hard in his evil, money-mad, no-holds-barred nastyisms and "you are dead to me" persona that he apparently didn't notice the entrepreneurs were finding it more obnoxious than cute.

[Dots And Stripes]

That sock pin deal is the latest example of why Damon is my favorite shark. I think he's the most likely to do a deal because he wants to give people a chance. 

[columbot]

I think Kevin has made himself toxic. He was reveling so hard in his evil, money-mad, no-holds-barred nastyisms and "you are dead to me" persona that he apparently didn't notice the entrepreneurs were finding it more obnoxious than cute.

 

I know. He dug his own grave. It's sad to see when he's making these desperate offers with really low percentages and still gets blown off. Not good TV at all.

[Auntie Anxiety]

Ironically, I just bought a pack of 24(?) sock rings (they are plastic rings with four "teeth" attached to the outside of the ring and pointing toward the center) the other day, for a whopping price of $1.99.  They last me for years.  I have them in a bowl where I take my socks off for the day, push the tops of the pair of socks into the ring and toss them into the laundry bin.  So when that woman (and I simply hate it when someone has had a life-altering illness and uses that as a reason for investing because I've had my share of serious health issues and really don't feel like I'm entitled to any favors) said there is nothing like her "invention" on the market, I was shocked to hear it.  How about Googling before declaring yourself a genius?  The sock rings I bought were around for at least a decade.

[lh25]

So, did Laurie finally drop the "Bagel Stuffins'" name?  I didn't hear her say it when talking about Bantam Bagels. 

[ae2]

I thought the soccer balls looked like something fun you could pick up from a sporting goods store and use at home when you felt like it. The franchising aspect just seemed like too much for what comes across as a novelty product. It's not like the other sports game they featured this season, it was like volleyball played on a low trampoline type net (can not remember what it was called now). That actually seemed like a legitimate sport that could take off and be a hit. And yes, I too was distracted by the shiny suit.

I think you mean spike ball. I was at a music festival over the summer and they had a vendor booth setup, along with a bunch of demo game sets. I didn't play, but it looked fun. A little harder to play a good game than it seemed on tv.

[starri]

So, did Laurie finally drop the "Bagel Stuffins'" name?  I didn't hear her say it when talking about Bantam Bagels. 

Despite her claim, I've yet to see a Bantam Bagel in a Starbucks.

 

And yes, according to their website, they have scrapped the name.  It's funny, around the time she was so gungho about the name change, she put it out on Twitter and didn't get the response she expected.

[LAgator77]

Brazi Bites: If they're anything like the cheese balls I get for appetizers at the Brazilian steakhouse I might become addicted. This is an all-you-can-eat place where they come around and shave the meat onto your plate and it's all I can do to not fill up on the cheese balls. They're available at the Sprouts around the corner from me and I signed up for their email newsletter which is supposed to contain coupons.

 

Stupid T-shirts: Nope. Not only did they look dumb, they looked ill-fitting. I love t-shirts, but if the fit is off it drives me nuts. I've been buying from Threadless for years and recently they switched from USA made Ts to Nicaraguan made Ts. The Nicaraguan made Ts are a mess, shorter and a lot looser. Also, the "slacktivism" aspect is such a turn-off for me. I just roll my eyes if someone truly thinks they're making a difference by buying some over priced piece of crap. Just yesterday I read about the price differences at Whole Foods vs. Kroger and the Whole Foods rep kindly explained that their bananas are more expensive because some of the money goes to a Costa Rica scholarship fund... Uh, yeah okay. I can't believe people fall for this nonsense. 

[theatremouse]

So, did Laurie finally drop the "Bagel Stuffins'" name?  I didn't hear her say it when talking about Bantam Bagels.

I got the impression they were only calling the frozen product that, but the brand/company in general was still/always Bantam Bagels. They may have dropped it entirely though.

The thing about the socks for me is, yeah, at any given moment I have 15 single socks with no mate in my sock drawer. But it's not because the socks are lost or eaten by the dryer or fallen behind. It's because somehow, magically, unless I do absolutely all of my laundry at once and then fold Mt. Laundry in one go, somehow the mates just end up in another load. And because I'm lazy, sometimes if I find a match that's close enough (ie both black but they're not exactly the same sock) in a rush, I'll just wear 'em and get on with my day. Which reinforces the cycle because then the mates are another degree of separation from the same load. It's a vicious cycle. So yeah, I'd need to pin them either when taking them off, or before putting them into the machine. If I'm too lazy to hold out until they're both clean at once and match 'em, I'm too lazy to keep 'em together in the removal and/or machine loading stage.

But since there do appear to be existing products that serve the same purpose, clearly, some people are not as lazy as I. So more power to ya, but I don't think this is a problem everyone has, and I do think there's a significant portion of people who may have the problem but don't give a shit enough to want to fix it. So it's a limited market. For that reason, I'm not surprised anyone would be out.

[rhys]

I have 2 sock drawers: one for the single folks and one for the married folks. Every once in a while one of my singles finds a mate & gets tossed into the married drawer. Alas, some of my singles seem determined to die alone (although fresh smelling & minus any toe holes or worn heels). Is that anyway to live tho?!

[needschocolate]

A few years ago, I bought a few bags of the same socks.  If socks go missing, I don't know about it and I don't care. Adn it saves laundry time, because I don't have to match them up and "fold" them.  I stick my hand in my sock drawer, pull out any two socks, and they match - every time.  When the initial bags of socks started wearing out, I bought a few bags of news socks.  They didn't match the old ones, so I wore a pair of old socks and then threw them in the trash. Once they were all gone, I started using the new socks.  I have no need for their sock product.  

 

The way I understood it is that they T-shirt people donate a backpack full of school supplies for every shirt they sell.  The $48 price tag got me, but the $4 backpack got me even more.  A backpack that costs $4 can't be very good. It would be like me saying "Buy my product because for every item sold I give a homeless person a meal" and then I decide that a stick of gum is a meal.  

 

Brazi Bread will be on my shopping list the next time I go to Sprouts.  

 

I didn't think the bubble soccer guy was that unclear; he said it was franchising at the beginning. But he did not want to talk about his core business, And I did not understand what the "leads" thing was all about, and they did not go into it. Also don't those bubble get sweaty/drooly gross inside fairly quick. Maybe he should sell cleaning supplies?

 

I think it was "leagues" as in bubble soccer leagues, not "leads" but it took me a while to come to that conclusion.  

 

I got the part about franchising, but I had no clue what he wanted the money for.  He drove me nuts because every time one of the sharks asked a question, he started spouting facts about something else.  

 

"What were your party rental sales last year?" - "There are leagues in 17 different countries." 

 

"How many teams are in a league?" - "It is very popular in Europe."

 

I think Kevin has made himself toxic. He was reveling so hard in his evil, money-mad, no-holds-barred nastyisms and "you are dead to me" persona that he apparently didn't notice the entrepreneurs were finding it more obnoxious than cute.

 

I love watching the faces of the entrepreneurs when Kevin make the first offer and it is close to what they want.  There is panic in their eyes when they realize they might have to partner with Kevin if they want a deal.  Their faces seem to be pleading with the other sharks to save them from taking Kevin's offer - "Offer me anything, just don't let Kevin have the only offer. Please"

 

I have notice that Kevin doesn't offer his royalty deals anymore.  And he has been making the best offer.  But they still turn him down or act like her never made an offer at all.  I can't decide if he has changed his ways or if he knows that no one wants to partner with him, so he makes an offer so that he can see the look of horror on their faces and/or force the other Sharks to come down in their offers.  

[LittleIggy]

Nope, wouldn't pay almost $50 for a tee shirt either, even if I really liked the design on it. As for the socks, as someone up thread mentioned, I put my socks in one of those small zippered mesh laundry bags and toss it in the washer. Problem solved!

[roseha]

Despite her claim, I've yet to see a Bantam Bagel in a Starbucks.

 

 

The other week I walked by a Starbucks on 42nd Street in Manhattan, and on a chalkboard they were advertising "Bantam Bagels" with "Bagel Stuffins" in small letters below it.  I haven't looked again since I never go to Starbucks.

I did see the College Hunks Hauling Junk truck in NYC also recently.

 

[Jamoche]

All my socks are in one drawer, unmatched, because you can't convince me that a sock that's been folded over its pair hasn't been stretched just enough that it'll fall down.

[Amarsir]

Paying for the pictures with $4 backpacks rather than actual money seems less like giving back and more like getting design work CHEAP.  Plus, I don't know how many people want to run around with a t-shirt drawn by a 3rd grader. 

We're sensitive about "child labor" - and for good reason. But I don't think this is comparable to that. Kids are going to draw pictures anyway, so if you pick one and give him/her some fame in return the "work" is irrelevant.  I do however agree that they are hideous. (Now maybe if this was a program for getting a shirt with your own child's artwork. Except that every printing company can do that already.)

 

And I also subscribe to the school of "Get the best value shirt, then separately make the best value donation". However as marketing goes I have to admit it plays into modern society to tell people how great they are for buying an overpriced ugly shirt.

 

Brazi-Bites looked yummy!  I'd try them if I saw them in the store for a reasonable price.  I still haven't bought into the whole frozen foods by UPS/FedEx/etc. thing, but I can see how that might work too. Just seems expensive to ship.

That's an understatement.  Searching around I found that they used to ship until the beginning of the year. Packages cost $7.50 each for 11.5 ounces and shipping was ... $48. (For a bundle of 4.)  So for $78 you could get just under 3 pounds of bites.  Value!

 

Just as well they don't ship anymore. Instead I'll maybe try that recipe @leighdear linked.

 

The way my rich, white conservative boss (age 33, acts 73) shows his "coolness" is to wear "funky" socks. There are a few guys in the office who try to out-sock each other. He can afford all the socks. Plus, I'm sure his put-upon wife walks around picking up things he casts off, so I doubt he worries about such things as lost socks.

Pity us men. Business attire is very static. Which don't get me wrong, is more of a blessing than a curse. But for personal expression there's not a lot of room. You've got the tie which is too visible to go eccentric with, and then cufflinks and/or watch which already has an air just by existing. Socks are like the only outlet left.

[marny]

I liked the t-shirts. I thought the designs were cute-- I like the abstract yet identifiable elephant a lot. And $48 is on par with most of the other t-shirts you can buy at Bloomingdales. I do foresee them eventually having to offer their "designers" more than just a smile and a backpack donation. While I don't think it's child labor or anything, I do think that some parents of the kids are gonna object to a company making lots of money off of their kids' ideas. Without the kids' drawings, they have nothing.

[yeswedo]

I used sock rings like this when I was a kid in the 80's. Maybe the sock tabs are intended to be easier since one is permanently attached. Framing them as cuff links for your socks seems a stretch because they wouldn't (or shouldn't) be visible to anyone when you're wearing pants. 

 

If anyone gets their hands on Brazi Bites please report back. 

[leighdear]

I have a $7.00 grey t-shirt I like, so I'm going to take it and a $2.99 black paint pen to the 6 year-old that lives next door to me.  I'm going to ask him to draw a bicycle on the front of the shirt.  In exchange, I'm going to give him a homemade brownie.   

Thus saving about $37.00, and shipping.   Granted, there's no charity involved, but I still get a happy kid in my own neighborhood, and a "designer" t-shirt.  I can live with that.  ;-)

[starri]

I think it was "leagues" as in bubble soccer leagues, not "leads" but it took me a while to come to that conclusion.  

The closed captioning said it was "leads," and there was separate references to "leagues."  So I still have no idea what the company does.

 

I got the impression they were only calling the frozen product that, but the brand/company in general was still/always Bantam Bagels. They may have dropped it entirely though.

The website still them Stuffed Bagels and there's a separate entry for the supposedly forthcoming "Cake Stuffins" and "Muffin Stuffins," so perhaps Lori took the hint.

[needschocolate]

I thought the shirt guys said that they donate a backpack to some underprivileged kids somewhere (or to some school that has a lot of underprivileged kids) - one backpack donated for every shirt sold. I didn't hear they say anything about the kid that draws the picture gets paid with a backpack. I also didn't hear anything about it being an underprivileged kid that drew the picture.  I can see them going to the nearest elementary school and handing out a flyer that said, "Art contestt: Draw a black and white (no coloring) picture of anything you want and turn it in by Friday.  Winners will get to see their drawing on a T-shirt!"

 

I still think a $48 shirt is too expensive and a $4 backpack is too cheap.  I think it may hurt them to have gone on Shark Tank.  Before the show, someone with money to spend might go into Bloomingdales and think, "This is a unique shirt! And they will donate a backpack to a needy child for every shirt sold. Hmm, I think I will buy one - it'll give me a chance to outdo that darn Nancy Farquar and that St. Jude's notebook she flaunts at every bridge game."  Now, after having seen Shark Tank, potential buyers will be thinking, "Oh, those are the shirts I saw on Shark Tank.  That elephant might be cute to wear to the next bridge game, but Nancy would never let me live down only making some cheap $4 backpack donation when she is carrying around a $12 St. Jude's notebook."

Edited November 22, 2015 by needschocolate

[cooksdelight]

Ironically, I just bought a pack of 24(?) sock rings (they are plastic rings with four "teeth" attached to the outside of the ring and pointing toward the center) the other day, for a whopping price of $1.99.  They last me for years.  I have them in a bowl where I take my socks off for the day, push the tops of the pair of socks into the ring and toss them into the laundry bin.  So when that woman (and I simply hate it when someone has had a life-altering illness and uses that as a reason for investing because I've had my share of serious health issues and really don't feel like I'm entitled to any favors) said there is nothing like her "invention" on the market, I was shocked to hear it.  How about Googling before declaring yourself a genius?  The sock rings I bought were around for at least a decade.

I've seen these for a long time also. Back in the 80s during my college days, when keeping track of your laundry was a job in itself. So there's no way I'm wearing what looks like a thumbtack in my socks.

[sadiegirl]

I feel those sock tabs are a completely unnecessary product.  Not only are there other options out there for much less (because they were selling to wholesale for $5, so...), but I just can't imagine wearing what looks like an office supply product on my socks at all times.  That just seems ridiculous.  Robert said you can't feel it, but I'm not sure I believe him.  Can't believe they got a deal.

 

I'm going to look for those Brazi Bites at Whole Foods.  They sounded very interesting.

 

I have a $7.00 grey t-shirt I like, so I'm going to take it and a $2.99 black paint pen to the 6 year-old that lives next door to me.  I'm going to ask him to draw a bicycle on the front of the shirt.  In exchange, I'm going to give him a homemade brownie.   

Thus saving about $37.00, and shipping.   Granted, there's no charity involved, but I still get a happy kid in my own neighborhood, and a "designer" t-shirt.  I can live with that.  ;-)

Love this.  I might do the same with my friend's granddaughter.  And it will be one-of-a-kind!

[leighdear]

I just re-watched the t-shirt guys segment.  They didn't say how they determine the number of backpacks given per the number of drawings the kids give.  They called them "partner" schools and never used the word "underprivileged", just noted the kids were "overseas" in Mexico, Peru, etc. 

 

In response to Daymond asking if the kids or their parents get a royalty, one of the brothers said  "We give the backpacks, full of school supplies, collect the drawings, come back to Athens, GA to create the artwork. So as the brand expands, we will expand the giving".  Basically a non-answer to Daymond. And they pay $7 for the shirts and $4 for the backpack with the supplies.  They just kept harping on the "giving".  

 

Frankly, if I spent $48 plus tax for one of those at Bloomingdales's and then saw Lori hawking them on QVC for cheap, I'd be pissed off!  *LOL*

[Auntie Anxiety]

 

Granted, there's no charity involved, but I still get a happy kid in my own neighborhood, and a "designer" t-shirt.  I can live with that.  ;-)

And you still get to pat yourself on the back and tell yourself what a wonderful person you are!  Not taking at shot you personally, leighdear.  I mean the plural "you." Which I think is what's behind many of these "buy our merch and we'll donate the money for you" companies.  Maybe it will make you feel less guilty about buying overpriced crap that you didn't need in the first place?  I don't know since I am not in the right demographic.

 

Question:  Do these companies get to write off their donations to these charities? Because if they do, they are benefiting a lot more than they put on and you are much better off sending in your own donations and getting the tax break.

[zxy556575]

I think companies donating partial proceeds to charity is a marketing gimmick for the most part. If I remember, Grace and Lace supports an orphanage, but most charitable giving is good old American hucksterism. I give everyone the side eye on their do-gooder claims until the donation percentage gets to be 50% or more of profits.

 

Full disclosure: I did sign up for Amazon Smile since I buy quite a bit from them anyway. :)

Edited November 22, 2015 by lordonia

[leighdear]

Question:  Do these companies get to write off their donations to these charities? Because if they do, they are benefiting a lot more than they put on and you are much better off sending in your own donations and getting the tax break.

US Companies have to give to legit, registered charities to get a write-off, and the IRS poses really strict limits.  No telling if their "partner" schools are classified as legitimate for that. 

 

I do tend to do my own charitable giving, as I've rarely come across entities that focus on the needs that I like to support.  I'm certainly not going to put my conscience in the hands of 2 hipster brothers.  ;-)

Edited November 22, 2015 by leighdear

[NikSac]

That's an understatement.  Searching around I found that they used to ship until the beginning of the year. Packages cost $7.50 each for 11.5 ounces and shipping was ... $48. (For a bundle of 4.)  So for $78 you could get just under 3 pounds of bites.  Value!

 

Just as well they don't ship anymore. Instead I'll maybe try that recipe @leighdear linked.

 

Holy cow!! Even $7.50 per package seems a little high to me, but that shipping - yeah I'm thinking it's good they don't ship. I'm liking that recipe idea as well.

[retrograde]

I'm probably in Umano's demographic. I'm a millennial, and I will pay $50 for a tshirt, and a company's ethics and behaviour are a factor when I buy things. But even before Kevin said anything, my first instinct was "Wait, so they're using child labor for the art? In return for a branded backpack and some pencils?" Sure, kids will do art for free on their own. I also doodle in my notebooks for free, but if my boss said "You have to hand those doodles over to a tshirt company" and then that tshirt company built an entire business around my free doodles and gave my office a few Sharpies in return, that would be messed up. The kids may not care -- they may even get a kick out of it -- but the fact is these guys are saving a bunch of money by not paying professional artists and yet are trying to market that as charity. 

[tomatoflyer]

I guess I'm the only one who liked the socks and shirts. The only person I disliked was the first guy because he couldn't give a straight answer too save his life. I can't imagine being in business with him. I did actually lawugh out loud watching them play bubble soccer.

[needschocolate]

If you are going to be on Survivor, learn to make fire. 

If you are going to be on The Amazing Race, learn to drive stick shift.

If you are going to be on Shark Tank, learn to listen to a question and answer it.  

 

So many people go on Shark Tank and when they are asked a question, they will list some facts or tell a sob story, but they don't answer the question.  

[ratgirlagogo]

 

 

Brazi-Bites looked yummy!  I'd try them if I saw them in the store for a reasonable price.  I still haven't bought into the whole frozen foods by UPS/FedEx/etc. thing, but I can see how that might work too. Just seems expensive to ship.

That's an understatement.  Searching around I found that they used to ship until the beginning of the year. Packages cost $7.50 each for 11.5 ounces and shipping was ... $48. (For a bundle of 4.)  So for $78 you could get just under 3 pounds of bites.  Value!

There are already a number of companies (Brazilian mostly I guess) who sell frozen pao de queijo balls.   Here in New York and I'd imagine other larger cities they are easy to find in Latin groceries and even in supermarkets.  

As for online retail sales, here's one brand :

http://www.amigofoods.com/forno-de-minas-pao-de-queijo.html?utm_source=googlepepla&utm_medium=adwords&id=92717665455&gclid=CIiR29adpckCFc4YHwod9YQGGg

 

Although I agree it seems an odd thing to buy online, like buying frozen pie crusts or something. By the way I've never seen them  made with anything BUT tapioca (cassava).  They're ALWAYS gluten-free.  Although it doesn't surprise me that the Portland-style marketed version of them would do well in Whole Foods and similar upscale places.