S09.E13: Rokblok, The Original Comfy, The Christmas Tree Hugger, Modern Christmas Tree

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

A pair of entrepreneurs hope they have the fix for keeping people warm during the holiday season; an entrepreneur has taken the Christmas tree to a whole new level; an entrepreneur is hoping the sharks will like his take on covering a Christmas nuisance; and an entrepreneur duo may have just found a child's direct connection to jolly old Saint Nick.

[mtlchick]

It seems that the "direct connection to Santa" got replaced by the RoxBlox.

 

Instant thoughts:

the tree is meant for the Neiman Marcus holiday catalog.  

A lot of hesitation about going into RoxBlox,  considering that vinyl is on the upswing.  I'm not sure if it's going to be a seller to the purists, but I've seen turntables going for a few hundred at Urban Outfitters, so maybe there is something there.

Great update for LuminAID. 

[chocolatine]

Kevin was a jerk to the tree cover guy. The howling went far beyond "being honest."

Would a true vinyl lover just put one of their records down on any flat surface, with only a flimsy slip mat to protect it? And wouldn't having the full weight of the Rok Box spinning on the record wear it out faster than a traditional record player?

I didn't find the $800 tree beautiful at all.

The Comfy is a little less ugly than the Snuggie, but I don't think you can realistically wear it while moving around because it would get too warm. 

[Primetimer]

The Sharks look at holiday-themed products aimed at our nation's richest kings.

View the full article

[Wings]

The Comfy is in time for xmas so there might be a bit of activity but I don't see it going as big as the Snuggly.  I think that market is saturated.  Personally, curling up inside synthetic fabric sounds terrible. 

I agree the Xma's tree is a Neiman Marcus item.  Beautiful. 

Rokbox is  interesting but those into vinyl also listen to digital music when not at home. I doubt many want to schlep records around.  

The paper trunk cover?  Nah, skirts can cover the trunk. Good for Mark sticking up for the guy.  Kevin takes things too far sometimes. 

I don't know if they are not getting as many interesting inventions or I have viewer fatigue.  I do still love this show though.  

[Thrifty]

I haven't watched the episode yet so I'm a little confused on this "Comfy" thing.  Did someone just invent the sweater?  Or did they invent the Snuggie?  Either way, it sounds like someone definitely tried to make a business out of a thing that was already invented.

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, Thrifty said:

I haven't watched the episode yet so I'm a little confused on this "Comfy" thing.  Did someone just invent the sweater?  Or did they invent the Snuggie?  Either way, it sounds like someone definitely tried to make a business out of a thing that was already invented.

It's an oversized hoodie made out of a synthetic blanket. The idea is that you can cover yourself in it completely by pulling your knees under the front and the hands inside the sleeves, but I don't know anyone who lounges like that. They're also claiming that you can walk around in it without taking it off, but since you're literally wearing a blanket, I imagine you'd get overheated very quickly.

[Whimsy]

I have a blanket made out of the exact same material as that Comfy.  I love it.  I do not, however, want to wear it as a sweatshirt and do things in it.  Like someone else mentioned above, you'd get overheated very fast.  I thought parts of their pitch weird.  Why would you need the Comfy on your ride home if it's cold?  Wouldn't you already have a jacket on?  Also, only children and some smaller people can comfortably pull their knees to their chest for any length of time.  Pass.

While I didn't necessarily love the cover to the fake tree stand, I thought Kevin was a straight up asshole about it.  I do remember when we had our fake tree (about 20 years ago) thinking the "trunk" was really ugly.  I was surprised they still were.  I'd have thought they would've fixed that by now.  Either way, Kevin didn't have to be so rude.  I actually kind of liked the striped one.  If I WERE to buy one, I wouldn't get the fake wood covered one, I'd get a colorful, fun one.

The record player thing- I don't have anything else to add.  I feel like it would just ruin the record.

I thought that tree was beautiful.  If I had a modern style home, had the money and had my way (my husband would hate it) I would totally have one of those.  I can see higher end department stores getting these for sure.  Yes, the price point is high, but that tree really isn't for everyone and that's ok.  I just thought it looked classy and elegant. I wish him well considering he was doing it to honor his grandfather's legacy.

[Thrifty]

1 hour ago, Whimsy said:

I wish him well considering he was doing it to honor his grandfather's legacy.

With a statement like that, and having not seen the episode, I will guess that either tears or the phrase "thank you for your service", is involved in this pitch.

 

But I'm being broad.  One or both of those things is in most pitches.

[columbot]

Modern Xmas Tree guy lost me when he said "with your guys's help". Can't stand it when people say "your guys's". IT MAKES NO SENSE.

The vinyl player looks very cool, but it seems like a very expensive novelty. The point of listening to records instead of an ipod or whatever is that it sounds better...I don't think you're getting that sound from that box, and certainly not from Bluetooth. And what was that Pink Doughnut stuff? Is that his pseudonym? His company? Also apparently this product has existed for decades, just without the Bluetooth.

[Thrifty]

2 hours ago, Whimsy said:

While I didn't necessarily love the cover to the fake tree stand, I thought Kevin was a straight up asshole about it.  I do remember when we had our fake tree (about 20 years ago) thinking the "trunk" was really ugly.  I was surprised they still were.  I'd have thought they would've fixed that by now.  Either way, Kevin didn't have to be so rude.  I actually kind of liked the striped one.  If I WERE to buy one, I wouldn't get the fake wood covered one, I'd get a colorful, fun one.

I dunno.  That's kind of normal for Kevin.  It feels more like tough love, because it's better that the guy get a tongue lashing than he take on a big load of debt chasing a bad business idea.  I think of this article a lot when Kevin is being like that.

[KaveDweller]

4 hours ago, Whimsy said:

While I didn't necessarily love the cover to the fake tree stand, I thought Kevin was a straight up asshole about it.  I do remember when we had our fake tree (about 20 years ago) thinking the "trunk" was really ugly.  I was surprised they still were.  I'd have thought they would've fixed that by now.  Either way, Kevin didn't have to be so rude.  I actually kind of liked the striped one.  If I WERE to buy one, I wouldn't get the fake wood covered one, I'd get a colorful, fun one.

We always had a fake tree when I was a kid and I still use one now. The pole of the tree back in the eighties actually looked more real, because it was wood painted dark green. We were never bothered by it though, the branches were pretty low and we had a tree shirt that covered the very bottom. Now most are metal, which also dark green. But it still doesn't bother me because again, you can't ever really see the bottom of the pole.  I've actually never seen an artificial tree with those fake leaves at the bottom of the pole.

So while I kind of think it's a clever idea, I would never buy one.

I didn't get the blanket/hoodie thing. I am actually always cold, so I would wear something like that heavy around the house. But not that loose and baggy. I'm really short so if it is a one size fits all men and women it would be huge on me. I hate really baggy stuff. They make plenty of super warm/fleece-lined clothing that is more form fitting and nicer looking.

[rhys]

I wonder if you could go to JoAnn's or Michael's & buy a sheet of tree like duct & wrap that around the bottom of your Xmas tree. See I just saved you $20. You're welcome.

[bilgistic]

I didn't think the "designer" trees were great looking. Something about them looked cheap/tacky to me, but it could be my bad eyes and/or relatively small TV. I could see them being used in a retail or holiday festival setting, but I'm not convinced about home use. But then, I don't know anyone who would spend $800 on a Christmas tree nor who has a home that looks like they can afford to spend $800 on a Christmas tree.

[mjc570]

I guess it says more about me, but I totally loved the comfy thing.  Our house is usually cold (to me, anyway), and i often wear my husband's sweatshirt.  I could absolutely see myself cuddled up in it, with my hands in the front pocket, watching tv.  Of course, I'd be mortified if anyone outside the family saw me, but the thought of being so toasty is so appealing I went to the website and ordered one for myself.  It's supposed to arrive in Feb.  I guess they weren't really prepared for the Shark Tank effect,  they were pretty upfront about basically having no inventory but I thought they would have been better about it.

Loved the look of the trees - but why was all the discussion about the expensive model?  I don't know if it was the editing or what, but I imagine that the table top one costs quite a bit less, and would appeal to a larger market. 

If I were on the show, I'd appreciate some straight talk about my future prospects.   Kevin was right  about  product t (I don't really remember - was it the fake tree trunk cover?) - he wasn't  just giving a snap opinion, he was saying that the product just wasn't selling and therefore the guy should rethink further expenditure of time and  money.  Sure, Kevin could have said it nicer, but brutal honesty is still honesty.

[hkit]

On 12/3/2017 at 10:36 PM, chocolatine said:

 

Would a true vinyl lover just put one of their records down on any flat surface, with only a flimsy slip mat to protect it? And wouldn't having the full weight of the Rok Box spinning on the record wear it out faster than a traditional record player?

 

I'm a huge vinyl collector and I wouldn't touch the Rok Box with a 10 foot pole. It isn't laying my vinyl down that is the issue - it is that this device will scratch my record up instantly. 

This isn't new at all. They've been around since the 70s and are known as "Soundwagons". There are videos on YouTube showing how bad they are to your vinyl. 

[cooksdelight]

On 12/4/2017 at 8:39 AM, wings707 said:

Rokbox is  interesting but those into vinyl also listen to digital music when not at home. I doubt many want to schlep records around

HA, you should talk to the guys who helped us move, and carted a ton of my old albums. One guy said, “Some of those are worth a lot of money!” I have a portable Crosley turntable and I play them often. :)

The swirly designer Christmas tree looks like it should be part of a store display, not in my home. My cats wouldn’t have nearly as much fun with a metal swirl as they do with branches.

I wasn’t bowled over by the Comfy. I don’t sit with my knees up to my chest when I’m watching TV. Now.... if someone could market a throw/wrap that has something to attach to your wrists and ankles, that allows you to move freely on the sofa or chair, yet still stay covered......

Wait.... I better get my patent started! :)

[Wings]

1 minute ago, cooksdelight said:

HA, you should talk to the guys who helped us move, and carted a ton of my old albums. One guy said, “Some of those are worth a lot of money!” I have a portable Crosley turntable and I play them often. :)

I stand corrected.  LOL  

[FawnLeibowitz]

Why has Robert never seen a Snuggie?! Has he been living in a cave?

[nottopbravo]

About the Christmas tree:

Barbara said, "One of the things I don't like about this is you have to display it"

Huh?  I thought Christmas trees were for display.  I had to rewind to be sure.

 

Roc Box must have some type of wheels to move it around the record.

So instead of a stylus being the only thing in contact with the record (on a traditional player), you have the stylus plus some wheels scuffing up the vinyl.

[Bigfatcat]

5 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

HA, you should talk to the guys who helped us move, and carted a ton of my old albums. One guy said, “Some of those are worth a lot of money!” I have a portable Crosley turntable and I play them often. :)

The swirly designer Christmas tree looks like it should be part of a store display, not in my home. My cats wouldn’t have nearly as much fun with a metal swirl as they do with branches.

I wasn’t bowled over by the Comfy. I don’t sit with my knees up to my chest when I’m watching TV. Now.... if someone could market a throw/wrap that has something to attach to your wrists and ankles, that allows you to move freely on the sofa or chair, yet still stay covered......

Wait.... I better get my patent started! :)

I don't think you can get a patent on sweatshirts and sweatpants :)

[cooksdelight]

What I’ve got in mind isn’t either one. :)

[KaveDweller]

5 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I wasn’t bowled over by the Comfy. I don’t sit with my knees up to my chest when I’m watching TV. Now.... if someone could market a throw/wrap that has something to attach to your wrists and ankles, that allows you to move freely on the sofa or chair, yet still stay covered......

Wait.... I better get my patent started! :)

Now that I would buy. But even attached to my wrists it would have to allow me to hold a book.  Very important detail. 

[cooksdelight]

It would! 

[hoodooznoodooz]

3 hours ago, nottopbravo said:

About the Christmas tree:

Barbara said, "One of the things I don't like about this is you have to display it"

Huh?  I thought Christmas trees were for display.  I had to rewind to be sure.

 

Maybe she meant the stores would have to dedicate a minimum of square footage for displaying the trees to potential customers? Although if they hang from the ceiling and wall, it might not be too bad. 

[theatremouse]

Yeah I thought she meant you need to display it in the store.

[cooksdelight]

Can you imagine the huge box you’d need to store the tree? Even when flat, it’s still big and round.

[ae2]

3 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

Can you imagine the huge box you’d need to store the tree? Even when flat, it’s still big and round.

It'd slide up neatly against a wall and take up almost zero usable space. As opposed to a traditional fake tree box, which is big, awkward, heavy, and difficult to drag up onto a shelf.

[ljenkins782]

On 12/4/2017 at 3:57 PM, columbot said:

The vinyl player looks very cool, but it seems like a very expensive novelty. The point of listening to records instead of an ipod or whatever is that it sounds better...I don't think you're getting that sound from that box, and certainly not from Bluetooth. And what was that Pink Doughnut stuff? Is that his pseudonym? His company? Also apparently this product has existed for decades, just without the Bluetooth.

I didn't really understand the point of that thing aside from the novelty aspect. His original pitch seemed to be that record players aren't portable so you can't listen to them anywhere, but is that really a problem? Like others have said, who takes records along with them when they travel? He got the idea when he happened to have purchased some records and had them on him when he stopped at a friend's house, but that's a pretty narrow scenario. 

Quote

It's an oversized hoodie made out of a synthetic blanket. The idea is that you can cover yourself in it completely by pulling your knees under the front and the hands inside the sleeves, but I don't know anyone who lounges like that. They're also claiming that you can walk around in it without taking it off, but since you're literally wearing a blanket, I imagine you'd get overheated very quickly.

I will admit to having a Snuggie at one time and the worst feature of it by far was the open back, which this doesn't have. It was also made out of scratchy material that I didn't like. I would probably like one of these things because it looks roomier than a sweatshirt, but yeah, it'd only be worn for sitting around. 

Quote

I wasn’t bowled over by the Comfy. I don’t sit with my knees up to my chest when I’m watching TV. Now.... if someone could market a throw/wrap that has something to attach to your wrists and ankles, that allows you to move freely on the sofa or chair, yet still stay covered......

What they should do is make little thumb holes in the sleeves. I've seen that on other sweatshirts (first time I ever saw it, I thought it was ripped until I noticed that the slits were on both sides and very cleanly cut, lol) and it's great for keeping sleeves down, especially in a roomy cut like this one. Without those, the sleeves of these would probably slide a lot when you lift your arms.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 12/4/2017 at 0:57 PM, columbot said:

Modern Xmas Tree guy lost me when he said "with your guys's help". Can't stand it when people say "your guys's". IT MAKES NO SENSE.

I've been bitching about this for a couple of years now, and it's just getting more entrenched.  It's not enough that every single reference to more than one person has to be "you guys"; no, you have to torture the possessive, too. 

But equally annoying was Barbara's slithering toward the guy with the grandpa tattoo while crooking her fingers.  Ew.

[starri]

On 12/8/2017 at 10:55 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

But equally annoying was Barbara's slithering toward the guy with the grandpa tattoo while crooking her fingers.  Ew.

Yeah, since we're being so hyper-aware of men doing those kinds of gross things to women (and men, in some cases), it seems really, really gross that Shark Tank is still making a joke of Barbara's Horny Woman of a Certain Age schtick.  

[cooksdelight]

On 12/8/2017 at 10:55 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I've been bitching about this for a couple of years now, and it's just getting more entrenched.  It's not enough that every single reference to more than one person has to be "you guys"; no, you have to torture the possessive, too. 

At least he didn’t want them to help him take it to the next level.

My most hated phrase in the world.

[sasha206]

On 12/8/2017 at 10:55 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I've been bitching about this for a couple of years now, and it's just getting more entrenched.  It's not enough that every single reference to more than one person has to be "you guys"; no, you have to torture the possessive, too. 

But equally annoying was Barbara's slithering toward the guy with the grandpa tattoo while crooking her fingers.  Ew.

My other beef is this "and I's" (for example:  "Matt and I's relationship...")

[lexytheblasian]

On 12/5/2017 at 2:03 PM, FawnLeibowitz said:

Why has Robert never seen a Snuggie?! Has he been living in a cave?

I know I’m late but I was taken aback by that statement. Snuggie has been around for years and if I recall correctly, the commercials for it used to play nonstop. Plus, it broke $500 million in gross revenue the last I checked. Is he really that out of touch?

[lexytheblasian]

15 hours ago, starri said:

Yeah, since we're being so hyper-aware of men doing those kinds of gross things to women (and men, in some cases), it seems really, really gross that Shark Tank is still making a joke of Barbara's Horny Woman of a Certain Age schtick.  

If Mark, Robert, or Daymond ever treated the female entrepreneurs the same way Barbara treats the male entrepreneurs (telling them that they’re attractive, saying she’ll have their babies, ect) there’d be no more Shark Tank. It’s so uncomfortable to watch, especially given the current climate of all these creeps being ousted. 

[starri]

Robert has kind of perved on Lori before.

[Thrifty]

On 12/10/2017 at 5:15 AM, starri said:

Yeah, since we're being so hyper-aware of men doing those kinds of gross things to women (and men, in some cases), it seems really, really gross that Shark Tank is still making a joke of Barbara's Horny Woman of a Certain Age schtick.  

I hadn't really noticed, but I'm usually not very observant of these things.  I think the whole world could stand to lighten up about these things in general.

[starri]

We’ve seen her pinch men’s butts. That’s not cool. 

[Thrifty]

26 minutes ago, starri said:

We’ve seen her pinch men’s butts. That’s not cool. 

I haven't noticed, but like I said, I'm not particularly observant on this show.  I listen more than I watch so a lot of visual stuff escapes me.  I'll take your word for it, and you're right.  I mean, Garrison Keilor was basically 1984 style fired from MPR for a hug.  It's a crappy double standard.

 

Someone posted in the media thread a link to a story that Robert is embroiled in some sort of sexual scandal with an ex-girlfriend of his.  I'm a little surprised he hasn't already been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion and subsequently fired.

Edited December 11, 2017 by Thrifty

[shksabelle]

On 12/4/2017 at 0:57 PM, columbot said:

Modern Xmas Tree guy lost me when he said "with your guys's help". Can't stand it when people say "your guys's". IT MAKES NO SENSE.

The vinyl player looks very cool, but it seems like a very expensive novelty. The point of listening to records instead of an ipod or whatever is that it sounds better...I don't think you're getting that sound from that box, and certainly not from Bluetooth. And what was that Pink Doughnut stuff? Is that his pseudonym? His company? Also apparently this product has existed for decades, just without the Bluetooth.

Sorry, I don’t know how to quote only part of a post. Re “guys’s”, you all must not be Judge Judy fans. This is standard usage there. 

There was one episode where one of the litigants referenced her daughters’ possessions as “my girls’s...” before genericizing it to “my kids’s...” 

Of course, these are the same people who “conversate”, drive around in (usually uninsured)     “vee-hickles”, and have “pawnded” “joolery” to pay back money that was “borrowed” to them. 

Edited December 11, 2017 by shksabelle
Spelling error

[theatremouse]

We're veering off-topic here folks. Let's get back to this episode.

[mostlylurking]

On 12/10/2017 at 8:26 PM, lexytheblasian said:

Why has Robert never seen a Snuggie?! Has he been living in a cave?

I don't remember if it was this season or prior seasons (they all run together) but there was an episode where Robert didn't know what a loofah was.  I thought that was very strange that he wouldn't know such a common product.  He even made fun of himself for it.  

[Kiss my mutt]

Watching Barbara is a cringe-fest. She was out of control on Dancing with the Stars. 

[Angeltoes]

Plus, Barbara is married.  She really needs to knock it off.

[galaxychaser]

Robert is having twins with his wife.  She needs to lay off plastic surgery. 

[theatremouse]

Please take general discussion of the judges to their respective topics. This one is for discussion of episode 13.

[mjc570]

Update on the comfy thing I ordered:  I realized that waiting until February wouldn't really help me survive the winter, so I canceled the order.  Brian Speciale, one of the co founders, responded in about 30 minutes, and canceled the order.  The refund also was put through promptly.  That was great customer service, and I wish them every success.  That's an update I really wouldn't mind seeing.