S07.E10: Leaux Racing Trikes, Glow Recipe, Sarah Oliver Handbags, Trunkster

[yeswedo]

An entrepreneur uses an unique labor force to create her product, the sharks go on a crazy ride when a college student brings a grown up version of a favorite childhood toy, and beauty industry experts bring innovations from the secret epicenter of beauty. Also, an update on Happy Feet that Robert Herjavec invested in during Season 5.

[cooksdelight]

I love the Pearlettes! That company is going to explode once she gets more seniors working for her.

When the young guy rode in on that tricycle, I yelled "It's a Big Wheel!" He needs to let go of the inspection process and get them licensed to be made elsewhere so they can make a lot more. I see grown men racing them around on a track in the future.

I didn't even pay attention to the Korean girls, they lost me on that one.

Trunkster dudes are nuts. No way in hell I'm paying $399 for that size bag, when my SwissGear bag for under $99 works great. I don't need an electrical outlet in my suitcase, either. They have those on the plane at each seat. Shut up!!! :) I was actually laughing at Kevin during that one. And poor Robert gets left out again.

[Skyfall]

Robert needs to play the nice guy or leave.

[Latverian Diplomat]

The trike guy being hung up on personally inspecting each unit was a huge red flag. The fact that he had no other product ideas was another. He reminded me a little of the "hot drinks" guy from a few weeks ago. "I've had one good idea and it has become my obsession to turn it into a business, no matter what anyone says."

 

Glow seems like a roll of the die. They will either catch a ride on a big trend and make a ton of money, or they won't because it doesn't happen or it does but someone else catches it instead of them. Robert seems like an interesting match there, because a "tech" shark was what the were looking for. They seem to have a handle on everything else.

 

I don't know if Trunkster will catch on or not. It doesn't appeal to me but I'm not much of a traveller. Their negotiation style was terrible. That one guy tells his little story the point of which is "If you don't invest on these terms, someone else will" and then they turn right around and say they can be flexible. Why did you tell that stupid story then?! And smug throughout. 

[bilgistic]

The Trunkster dudes lost me when they walked into the Tank accompanied by costumed "stewardesses", while they looked like they just woke up in their clothes. And one of them had a bun.

[Amarsir]

Good thing we had that "Millennial Special" last time. They're so under-represented otherwise! (To be clear I don't care. I'm just annoyed at ABC's marketing gimmick for it.)

 

Trike guy's opening words were "That just happened". He had to climb uphill pretty hard from that, but he almost did. Unfortunately he didn't seem to know how to turn the product into a business and couldn't get a Shark to help him do so.  Kind of a neat product though.

 

The Pearlette handbags is again just a matter of spin, like the child art T-shirts. Whether it's awesome that you invoke a community or you're a bastard getting rich by exploiting cheap labor is 100% in the perspective of the person speaking.  I don't know if I'd take the gamble on it turning.

 

Trunkster bags ... I can see the appeal in having a GPS locator on your bag. I don't know if I'd pay that much premium for it though, plus a battery charger which itself has to be charged. I do like how they negotiated though, combining different investor assurances so they didn't have to give up more equity than they wanted.

[Shibori]

There are some interesting wage and hour issues raised with the purse production. We really didn't get enough details for me to decide, but I'm curious. Laws differ by state, but in general a piecemeal rate has to average out to at least minimum wage, and I wonder if that's the case here.

[starri]

Take your manbun and get off my lawn!

[rhys]

I missed the Purlette section. I'm a knitter, so darn!

[mjc570]

I just don't see how the knitted handbag operation is even remotely invest-able. Sure, it's a great story and yet another example of "doing good," but how in the world is it scalable without loss of quality control?  I know the woman said she had other retirement/nursing homes lined up, but given that each purlette (and purl guy) can produce, at most, 4 a week (and I think that would be extremely variable), I just don't see this as anything other than a  very limited niche market circumscribed by production limitations.  I subscribe to a website that offers one product a day, along with a conversation with the maker, but I generally end up buying the product elsewhere for a better price.

 

Trunsker:  I thought the stewardesses were cute, and I don't know if this is a common feature (I don't travel much), but the weight indicator in the handle seems like a good idea. 

 

Glow Recipe:  I didn't get the "recipe" part of the name, but those young women seemed extremely savvy to me.  They're right, Korean skin care items really are advanced, and I think there is a huge market for such things.  And, yes, I am an aging woman myself, so I do spend quite a bit of attention and money to keep my skin looking (and feeling) nice.  I would invest becuase the women seemed like they would be very successful.

[walnutqueen]

Shibori, on 05 Dec 2015 - 05:52 AM, said:

There are some interesting wage and hour issues raised with the purse production. We really didn't get enough details for me to decide, but I'm curious. Laws differ by state, but in general a piecemeal rate has to average out to at least minimum wage, and I wonder if that's the case here.

 

The example used was that the knitter received a whopping $17 for a purse.  It was later stated the knitters produced an average of 3 purses per week, but that figure could go up to 4.  Unless they're only working a few hours per week, they are underpaid.

[Primetimer]

The first segment of Shark Tank features the Sharks riding around in circles. It's a theme that continues throughout the night.

Read the story

[augmentedfourth]

I missed the Purlette section. I'm a knitter, so darn!

I am too, and I hated the segment. I was surprised that some of the Sharks were actually interested in it. I assumed we'd hear a lot of the "this isn't scale-able" criticism, and they'd be exactly right, and I also made the same comments others have about the labor. Also, the presenter had one of the most annoying voices I've heard on the show.

 

Overall, I thought this episode was a little lackluster.

[designing1]

And once again, leave it to Barbara to draw a half-assed distinction between men and women. The suitcase was "too masculine", so she's out. Because they couldn't possibly create another SKU that's pink with flowers and frilly shit on it, since that's what women like. What nonsense. I have never been a girly-girl, but I still can't imagine any woman with a brain turning her back on an innovative product that suits her needs just because it's basic black. I'm not saying this product offered any great advantages, particularly given the price, but that's one heck of a stupid reason to cite to be "out". Hell, even Lori immediately thought of ruining the elegance of the Lumio by making it in colors.

[cooksdelight]

Trunsker: I thought the stewardesses were cute, and I don't know if this is a common feature (I don't travel much), but the weight indicator in the handle seems like a good idea.

There is a little gizmo you can buy to hold in your hand, hook your luggage onto it, and weigh every piece. As long as it's not over 70 lbs., you won't be charged extra. Unless you're hauling home some bricks in that small suitcase, you should be fine. I just cannot see paying $399 for a small carry-on suitcase.

[Latverian Diplomat]

Thinking more about Trunkster: You can buy gps locator tags and chargers separately. The thing about built-in electronics in something like luggage is that they are convenient until they stop working and then they are just dead weight. You can replace the whole bag at that point, I guess, or more likely you are back to buying that standalone device in the end anyway.

Edited December 5, 2015 by Latverian Diplomat

[jaigurudeva]

Do the Purlettes know that Sarah Oliver is pulling in $178 per handbag, while they're making $17? Each handbag must take at least three hours of solid knitting, or five if you have arthritic hands and like to gab with your knitting circle. That's at best $5.60, and at worst $3.40 per hour Shouldn't they be paid at least minimum wage? If she paid each Purlette $50 per bag, Sarah would still make more $128/bag, still enough for her website, marketing, etc., and a profit at the end of the day.

[basiltherat]

For the Purlette bag, I think everyone is thinking too hard about it -- the folks in the retirement home would be making NOTHING without this gig and now they have a fun thing to do.  A lot of those folks might knit for fun and spend lot of money on yarn to give their grandkids multiple dozen scarves they throw away. Its feel good for them and for the purchaser, just like the kiddie scribble t-shirts or the backpacks made in Uganda.

 

And, best of all, NO MILLENIALS OR HIPSTERS INVOLVED !!!!

[designing1]

 

For the Purlette bag, I think everyone is thinking too hard about it -- the folks in the retirement home would be making NOTHING without this gig and now they have a fun thing to do.  A lot of those folks might knit for fun and spend lot of money on yarn to give their grandkids multiple dozen scarves they throw away. Its feel good for them and for the purchaser, just like the kiddie scribble t-shirts or the backpacks made in Uganda.

 

I used to crochet stuffed animals and children's clothing, and had I sold them based on the number of hours the items took to create rather than for two or three times the cost of materials, no one -- at least no one I knew -- would have been able to afford them. I did it for enjoyment. The big difference is I wasn't handing the items over to someone else for the pittance I was charging for them just so they could tack on a huge markup and resell them. That's taking advantage. "At least you're making something" is behind every sweatshop. There's no reason she can't share more of the wealth.

Edited December 5, 2015 by designing1

[augmentedfourth]

I used to crochet stuffed animals and children's clothing, and had I sold them based on the number of hours the items took to create rather than for two or three times the cost of materials, no one -- at least no one I knew -- would have been able to afford them. I did it for enjoyment. The big difference is I wasn't handing the items over to someone else for the pittance I was charging for them just so they could tack on a huge markup and resell them. That's taking advantage. "At least you're making something" is behind every sweatshop. There's no reason she can't share more of the wealth.

Same here - I used to crochet dolls on commission (usually based on video game characters or other nerdy things ;) ), and my base rate was $50. A lot of fiddly details upped the price, but I'd sometimes throw in discounts if you were a recurring customer/ordering multiple ones, or if you're a personal friend. No way was I making even close to minimum wage, but I actually enjoyed figuring out how to replicate stuff in yarn. And it gave me something to do while watching TV, anyway. But if someone had come to me with an established pattern and said "Make this for a piddly sum of money so I can turn around and sell it for hundreds"...yeeeeeeeeeah, no. Lolololno, even.

[RemoteControlFreak]

Barbara was wrong when she said that most people want soft-sided luggage.  And I was not aware that luggage could be masculine or feminine, but OK maybe some women must have pink flowers on everything.

 

In any case, the Trunkster idea is just stupid for a lot of reasons:

1. The roll top mechanism means that everything goes in in one big compartment. It's more convenient to have a suitcase that opens flat so you can put stuff on two sides.

 

2. A portable battery is great, but it's just a simple removable battery with a USB port. There's nothing unique about this. I can buy one for $20 on Amazon.

 

3. Who needs a scale on a carry-on?  It would be almost impossible to approach the weight limit with a suitcase that size.  The company's website claims that "Weight restrictions vary drastically by airline, and often even by the route."  This is simply not true. The standard domestic weight limit is 50 lbs.  or 70 lbs with elite status on some airlines.

 

4. Again, the roll stop seems flimsy. How well would it stand up to the tossing it gets by airport handlers?  They claim it's "water resistant." That's not good enough. It's got to be water proof.

 

5. The handle appears too wide to slip another bag over. There's a reason why most carry-on handles are narrow.

 

5a.  I think it looks stupid.

 

6. The 22-inch carry on lists for $425!  And that's without the GPS tracker. Add another $60 for that.  

Edited December 5, 2015 by RemoteControlFreak

[RemoteControlFreak]

And to prove  justhow stupid it is.  Here's a photo from Trunkster's website in which Mr. Manbun dumps his entire suitcase on the top of a nice coffee table just so he can charge his iPad from a hotel lobby. 

 

[walnutqueen]

If the retirement folks (or anyone else reading this who is "crafty) are in such desperate need of a "project", they could easily forego the measly $17 and make a simple little baby blanket, burial gown or box for a Garden of Innocence in their area.  Back when my hands still worked, that's how I spent some of my TV time ...  http://www.gardenofinnocence.org/

 

I'd wager it would be a hellofalot more fulfilling than lining the pockets of this erstwhile "designer".

[jaigurudeva]

Dead-on, RemoteControlFreak. You can get a Samsonite hardcase carry-on for $110, a GPS luggage tracker for $60, a luggage scale for $10, and a hand-held portable USB charger for $20 (which is easier than dragging your luggage down mid-flight and, what, placing it on your lap or under your feet while your tablet charges? Airports already have charging stations everywhere, so in-flight 10 hours in is the only time you'd really need it.) You'd save $200, be able to use any of the individual components on different and multiple pieces of luggage, and replace any one of them should one break.

[marny]

Dead-on, RemoteControlFreak. You can get a Samsonite hardcase carry-on for $110, a GPS luggage tracker for $60, a luggage scale for $10, and a hand-held portable USB charger for $20 (which is easier than dragging your luggage down mid-flight and, what, placing it on your lap or under your feet while your tablet charges? Airports already have charging stations everywhere, so in-flight 10 hours in is the only time you'd really need it.) You'd save $200, be able to use any of the individual components on different and multiple pieces of luggage, and replace any one of them should one break.

But but, that's all so CORPORATE!  Barf.

[Saylii]

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Purlettes thing fall out in due diligence.  I would bet $$$ that the $17/purse that Sarah pays them is under the table and without being reported properly to the IRS.  I can't see any Sharks, let alone 3 Sharks being okay with that.  If Sarah has to start reporting their income, depending on how the seniors are paying for the retirement community (especially if Medicaid is involved), the newly reported income could screw that up for them.  Something tells me she'll probably regret that deal in the end.

 

I could see the suitcase being useful to people who travel all the time.  My husband travels at least once a month and tries to fit everything into one carry-on and one laptop bag.  He loves the idea of the USB charger in the suitcase, especially for times when he doesn't check into a hotel room but still has luggage with him.  If it's built well and can last at least two years, he doesn't care about the price as much.  I really think that was Lori's (or Barbara's?) point that it really hasn't been tested by the market yet so there's no way to know what the upper-echelon traveler is going to think about the luggage.

 

The trike segment was oddly short for being a decent product.  It makes me think maybe there was something in the pitch that was cut out that wasn't favorable to the presenter?  From what was shown, I didn't think the Sharks were too rude, but I thought their denials were a little forced.  I wonder if he just had a mental breakdown during the pitch because they weren't seeing it as awesomely as he was?

[ae2]

The handbags she showed the sharks looked nothing like what was being knitted. They looked like sheets of wool cut into a pattern and sewn. Did I see that wrong?

[EAG46]

I could hear my Socialist great grandparents calling to me from the World Beyond about the old people knitting bags. "It's a shondeh!" they were saying and they were right. "We didn't survive the sweatshops to see them come up again!" It's one thing to knit for charity, another thing to be exploited for it.

[designing1]

 

The handbags she showed the sharks looked nothing like what was being knitted. They looked like sheets of wool cut into a pattern and sewn. Did I see that wrong?

 

I think the wool was felted. I've never done it, but it seems to basically entail washing the beejeezus out of 100% wool till it takes on a felt-like appearance.

Edited December 5, 2015 by designing1

[cooksdelight]

The handbags she showed the sharks looked nothing like what was being knitted. They looked like sheets of wool cut into a pattern and sewn. Did I see that wrong?

I thought the same thing. I know nothing about knitting, but that looked like wool fabric that wasn't knitted like a sweater or scarf.

[bilgistic]

I am a female, and my accessories (and clothes) are almost always black. Not a pink in the whole lot. I still wouldn't spend 2/3 of my rent on a suitcase, but that'a another matter.

Edited December 5, 2015 by bilgistic

[marny]

I truly loved that Barabara and Mark were totally like, "Um, Lori doesn't speak for me!" when she tried to compel all of them to invest in the knitted purses. It reminded me of the time with the scholarship app where the kid pitching the deal didn't even tell them anything about the company before she decided to throw money at him as if he was a charity. While it's nice that the Purlettes feel useful and have something they enjoy to occupy their time, the business owner isn't running a non-profit-- she's making big money off of bored seniors. Once you get past the video of the cute old people saying they enjoy knitting, you realize it's kinda exploitive.

[starri]

I don't think it's kind of exploitative.  I think it's completely exploitative.  

 

Although frankly Lori's incredibly condescending talking about the seniors as if they were children or mentally handicapped offended me.

[Latverian Diplomat]

And to prove  justhow stupid it is.  Here's a photo from Trunkster's website in which Mr. Manbun dumps his entire suitcase on the top of a nice coffee table just so he can charge his iPad from a hotel lobby. 

 

 

Missing caption: Despite high expectations, Microsoft's latest answer to the iPhone is not selling well.

[Auntie Anxiety]

What would prevent someone else from doing the same thing as the handbag lady? Nothing proprietary about it.

I'm not in the Glow makeup demographic and have a hard time understanding the allure (my skin care regimen is Cetaphil and Olay face cream), but lots of women will spend outrageous sums on cosmetics in the hope that they'll look like <put any actress's name here>. That being said, I just recently read an article about those facial masks and how they are all the rage, so what do I know?

Was waiting for one of the guys to hurt himself on those bikes. That was an orthopedic surgeon's wet dream.

The luggage guys were much too hip and cool for me, not to mention their overinflated egos (and valuation).

Edited December 5, 2015 by Auntie Anxiety

[leighdear]

Those bags were absolutely felted wool.  The bag itself is knit VERY oversized, then felted down to the finished size of the bag.  The entire process takes a good bit of time and effort.  I have made many knitted & bags, and for the sizes they showed, those folks were knitting for a minimum 5-7 hours per bag.  That's insulting wages at $17

 

My questions are these: How does she know she's going to get an inexhaustible supply of elderly to knit?  What if a flu epidemic runs through a home?  And not every old lady can knit.  Kevin wanted her to push production from 3 pieces each per week to 4.  If these folks are supported by their adult children, do THEY get a say in anything?  Not every grown adult in a retirement community is in charge of their own finances. 

 

I just hated the whole poorly structured and exploitative process.  As a knitter for over 30 years, I was insulted by her even being there as a representative of the art. 

[Mumbles]

Sorry, but the Purlettes sound as exploitative as hell. She said the oldster making the bag earned $17, and that each one makes three bags a week. That's about $51 a week per knitter. Those bags take a few hours, at least, to make. These folks are making less than minimum wage. Sure they love it, but given the very high profit margin she's making, they could love it AND make a non-exploitative wage. Someone needs to get the International Ladies Garments Workers Union involved.

[ae2]

I won't comment on whether it's exploitative without much more information, but it honestly sounds like something I'd see at a local craft fair is or farmer's market. Less so like an scalable business. Old people like to knit, and she gives them a way to make money from it. Great premise, probably great on a local level, but when you try to turn it into something huge you run into all sorts of problems.

[shksabelle]

Purlette woman was typical Marin County do-gooder. "Look how caring and progressive I am as long as i am making beaucoup bucks..."

[zxy556575]

These folks are making less than minimum wage. Sure they love it, but given the very high profit margin she's making, they could love it AND make a non-exploitative wage. Someone needs to get the International Ladies Garments Workers Union involved.

 

ILGWU!

 

What she needs to do is buy some industrial knitting machines and set up a proper factory. What the retirees need to do is sell the stuff they make online for $125 each and cut out the middleman.

Edited December 5, 2015 by lordonia

[rhys]

Retireetsy.

[roctavia]

Actually, does paying them less help to avoid them needing to report it as income or something that could affect their income or other social services? I'd think there is a minimum that if you are receiving less than X amount, it doesn't count against them. Vs getting paid a normal wage like a job, they'd have to put that money back into paying for their retirement home/ medical expenses etc. But I don't know the legalities of all that...

[MakeMeLaugh]

I don't think the purlettes are making the bag-- they are knitting in wool a rectangle the size of a small hand towel. I knit reasonably well and that would take me maybe four hours tops, pjrobably chunky wool and size 10 needles. Someone else is doing the felting in the washer and dryer, someone else is seaming the bag and lining it and attaching the straps, the things that take more time than the knitting. The knitters aren't making near minimum wage, though, and the woman making the pitch is going to be sorry she opened her mouth about it. I'd be so mad if my nana told me this nice lady was having us all sit around a table all day and knit for her.

But geeez, Lori, you act like these knitters are Holocaust survivors and you and all the other sharks have to make a pity investment in them or something. Um, no. Good on not all the sharks being interested in it. Personally, I don't even like the handbags. Funny that Lori was unclear on what a brooch is.

There is a fashion/style/beauty gene that is real and I am in awe of the people who have it. The Korean women will make a fortune.

My son travels at least once a week for his job, sometimes for three or four days at a time. He would totally buy that suitcase.

The tricycle guy should charge $1200 and keep personally inspecting those bikes as a niche product for rich people. He's young, but he needs to grow a thicker shell re saying the sharks were rude. Agree with above poster that something seems to have been edited out. Too bad he couldn't think of some pie in the sky product to tell Mark he was developing, anything, just to look creative.

Edited December 5, 2015 by MakeMeLaugh

[Jesse]

So everyone else said what I was going to about the Purlettes, labor laws, and etc. If you're retired and want to knit for fun, you can do what you want with the results. If you're part of the labor in a business, you need to make minimum wage. And yes, if folks are using Medicaid, that could become a problem.

 

On the suitcase, I think it's "not for women" because women are stereotypically not going to spend twice the price on something just because it's gadget-y.  And that photo of Manbun is priceless. 

[Mumbles]

Purlettes remind me of the evil quilting sweatshop that Ben Stiller is running at a nursing home in "Happy Gilmore."<br /><br />"Good news. Arts and crafts is being extended by three hours."<br /><br />

/><br />

[bilgistic]

One has to report any income over $600 from any one source to the IRS, so bag lady isn't saving the Purlettes from reporting income, even at $17 a bag ($2,652 for three bags per week for a year). She has to pay them at least minimum wage, period. She's not running a charity.

Edited December 5, 2015 by bilgistic

[nutella fitzgerald]

And to prove justhow stupid it is. Here's a photo from Trunkster's website in which Mr. Manbun dumps his entire suitcase on the top of a nice coffee table just so he can charge his iPad from a hotel lobby.

Well, it's not like hotel lobbies have power outlets...

I'm a millennial who travels a ton for work and between my $25 AmazonBasics external battery, my $10 luggage scale, and the common sense to keep essentials like cash and my phone in my purse in case I board too late for my carry-on to fit in the overhead bin, I really hoped for someone to point out the extra $300 would be the perfect amount of nickels to stuff in a bag and hit these jokers in the face.

STOP MAKING MILLENNIALS LOOK BAD. MY LADYBUN AND I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE.

[Jamoche]

I checked out Trunkster's Kickstarter page - they were supposed to start delivering in August, but it looks like they've hit a lot of problems. Which happens with Kickstarter, sure, but one commenter mentioned that some countries don't allow batteries in checked luggage, so oops! There goes the charger. And that was just the first page of comments. The updates are all "Backers Only" which is also a sign of trouble.

 

I've been pretty lucky with Kickstarter projects but the one that just flat out failed did so because, despite having working prototypes, they decided to use the money to make a deal with a Russian company instead of actually making the product, and then - so they claim - got screwed over. So if I saw a project I'd backed show up on Shark Tank before they'd even started making them - well, I would not be happy.

[cooksdelight]

Rut roh.... if they use lithium batteries for these suitcases, no one will allow them to fly in the near future. They are causing fires on airplanes.

[Trepie]

The Trunkster logo looks like something I'd be tempted to call those guys...