S10.E07: Hire Santa, Ski-Z, Prank-O, OatMeals

[GoldenGirl90]

December 02, 2018

A large database of Santa entertainers; a solution for carrying skis on the slopes; a twist on gift-giving; a build-your-own oatmeal bar.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Ski-Z thing looked great, and I hope they finally have their act together because I'm sure it will sell at every ski shop, and sports store in the country, and I bet QVC and Amazon can sell that like crazy.   

I can't believe the Oat Meals lady got two good offers, but I agree Lori's idea is so much better than Barbara's.   However, I wouldn't go out to buy oatmeal ever, so I just don't see the appeal outside of somewhere like Starbucks.   And she needs to raise her prices, since she's still barely making money.

The Santa database is cute, and doing gang busters for the owner, but I wonder if he could branch out to Easter bunnies, Halloween characters, etc.   

The prank gift boxes didn't appeal to me at all, and think after one gag gift box, that the givers will know what's coming next and it won't be funny then.   

[rhys]

I'm curious about the ski thing too. They are running a special right now so it's $18++. I didn't look at shipping costs. I have kids & grands in Colorado & am wondering about it for xmas gifts.

I'm with you also on not buying oatmeal out. But it was nice to hear how all the sharks seemed to agree that the product tasted great. She did need to up her prices just a bit.

[Jamoche]

My grandmother reused boxes all the time, and the thing that made it amusing when someone fell for it was that the box showed a real product. "A toaster oven? Well, I did want one... oh, Grandma's reusing boxes again!"

 

Plus she was being frugal. Actually buying a box when she's got a perfectly good one from her new toaster oven? Ridiculous.

[Cotypubby]

The oatmeal looked so good, it made me want to go try it next time I went to the IFC Center to see a movie, but I went to their website and they are only open til 5pm!! On a busy street with many restaurants and clubs and a crowded nightlife scene. No wonder her store isn’t making any money. She’s not open when people are there!

Re: the prank boxes, they were really funny, but I’ve never once unwrapped a gift and then continued to open up the inside product box. 

[rhys]

1 minute ago, Cotypubby said:

 

Re: the prank boxes, they were really funny, but I’ve never once unwrapped a gift and then continued to open up the inside product box. 

I guess I spaced off. Wasn't there supposed to be a real gift eventually?

[LittleIggy]

8 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

The oatmeal looked so good, it made me want to go try it next time I went to the IFC Center to see a movie, but I went to their website and they are only open til 5pm!! On a busy street with many restaurants and clubs and a crowded nightlife scene. No wonder her store isn’t making any money. She’s not open when people are there!

 

That is ridiculous. Hard to market oat meal as an anytime meal with those hours.

[Whimsy]

8 hours ago, rhys said:

I guess I spaced off. Wasn't there supposed to be a real gift eventually?

No. It was to “prank” the person unwrapping the gift to think they got something really crappy and weird when the REAL present (whatever the gift giver actually bought for the person) is inside the prank box. I’ve seen someone do this once (with an actual joke box) and everyone laughed,etc, but then no one has done it again. Like a poster said above, once you’ve pulled your prank, it’s not really funny anymore. 

For the Oatmeal lady, I commend her for working full time and attending culinary school. My guess is she went to Institute of Culinary Education, since (as far as I know) the other culinary school in NY state is The Culinary Institute if America (where my daughter is graduating from in 3 weeks!!) and they don’t have flexible hours to allow someone who is working full time to take classes. I agree with Lori, somewhat, that getting the oatmeal into Starbucks or in the freezer isle is the only way to make any money. But, I think it loses a lot that way. No way is Starbucks putting in an oatmeal bar where you pick toppings.  

[rhys]

2 hours ago, Whimsy said:

No. It was to “prank” the person unwrapping the gift to think they got something really crappy and weird when the REAL present (whatever the gift giver actually bought for the person) is inside the prank box. I’ve seen someone do this once (with an actual joke box) and everyone laughed,etc, but then no one has done it again. 

So to my question, you mean "yes" instead of "no" as your description answered my question quite well. Unless I'm still not understanding the pitch or the product.

Edited December 3, 2018 by rhys

[Whimsy]

26 minutes ago, rhys said:

So to my question, you mean "yes" instead of "no" as your description answered my question quite well. Unless I'm still not understanding the pitch or the product.

Maybe.  I thought your question was asking if an actual gift CAME in the box from Prank-O.  That was my initial confusion since they came out with actual products.  

[Angeltoes]

I don't see what's so novel about rent-a-Santa.  In Miracle on 34th Street, which was the late 1940s, the drunk Santa came from "the agency."  There is even a Santa Claus school.  http://www.santaclausschool.com/about.html

I was amused by the one Santa cracking up when Daymond said he knew they were all bikers in the summer.  He was probably right.

I agree that this guy should try to corner the market for Halloween since it's now the second biggest money holiday.

[basiltherat]

I kept thinking about the episode on "Castle" where there was a murder involving a Santa and they visited a Santa Claus School.

May I add that the episodes are soooo much better when they have the original sharks and not all the "guests" like we will be blessed with next week.

[mtlchick]

15 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

The oatmeal looked so good, it made me want to go try it next time I went to the IFC Center to see a movie, but I went to their website and they are only open til 5pm!! On a busy street with many restaurants and clubs and a crowded nightlife scene. No wonder her store isn’t making any money. She’s not open when people are there!

 

I found that she wanted to fit into the niche market of "breakfast foods for dinner" with the amount of cereal bars in Manhattan and fast food chains adding breakfast items for all day service. But closing by 5 PM?  It doesn't make sense unless she promotes it as a breakfast/lunch location.  They're going to need to expand into dinner hours. 

[slowpoked]

I may be in the minority but I do like that they rotate some guest sharks. After 10 years, each shark has gotten so predictable, you could tell what they would say to an entrepreneur even before they open their mouths - Kevin would like a royalty deal, Daymond would ask 30+%, Cuban would say you need to say yes to my deal now or I'm out, Lori would make some kind of "inspirational" speech before bowing out, Robert would squee at a cute puppy or some other cool gadget, and Barbara would tell the entrepreneur straight to their face that she doesn't trust them and she's not sure why, or that the entrepreneur reminds her of her other entrepreneur.

So I like to see some unpredictability, and see how the other sharks might play against that. Some few weeks ago, Spanx Lady was out on a deal but Barbara was able to convince her back in, and because she was able to do so, they were able to cut off Cuban entirely before he even had a chance to make an offer. Small victories. I thought Alex was good last week. They should bring back Ashton Kutcher soon.

That prank box was cool, until I found out each box was $8! Holy crap, I would feel like I'm the one getting pranked if I'm buying an empty box for $8!

[BusyOctober]

I bought a couple of prank boxes a few years ago at Walmart. I put the gifts for my teen nephews and it was a big hit.  One was for a”face heater” for when you are out shoveling snow.  The other was a fake set of Wii accessories so you could simulate doing chores (washing dishes, cleaning the cat box...) on the game system. The younger nephew was actually disappointed the heat mask wasn’t real. They are kind of funny, but agree that once you pull that trick, it isn’t something you’d be able to repeat successfully.

I like oatmeal, and some of the flavor combos gave me inspiration to jazz it up a bit when I make it.  But I don’t think I’d ever intentionally go out to an Oatmeal bar, no matter how yummy.  But I’m not the target market, so what do I know?  I’m a 50-something mom who likes to eat my oatmeal in my pjs.

Ski wheelie dealy looked like a winner to me.  Those guys just need someone with business brains to make it explode.  Those things should be at the checkout in every sporting goods store.  And ski resorts should add them to their rental packages too.

[Quickbeam]

The Santa thing bugged me. It’s as old as the wheel. I don’t see the novelty.

I eat oatmeal for dinner all the time, it’s not so astonishing. Her menu looked great. 

I like it when new sharks join in. Sometimes they gave better advice than the regulars.

[theatremouse]

I didn't think he was implying his rent-a-Santa was new. I thought he was saying his was better.

[KaveDweller]

21 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

The oatmeal looked so good, it made me want to go try it next time I went to the IFC Center to see a movie, but I went to their website and they are only open til 5pm!! On a busy street with many restaurants and clubs and a crowded nightlife scene. No wonder her store isn’t making any money. She’s not open when people are there!

Re: the prank boxes, they were really funny, but I’ve never once unwrapped a gift and then continued to open up the inside product box. 

I've seen people open the actual product when they were really excited about the gift. Usually a kid, who wants to play with a new toy. But that wouldn't happen if it was a box for a crappy gift. 

I didn't get the Santa business. Usually the Sharks hate products that are only profitable a few months of the year. I guess ABC told them someone had to give Santa Claus an offer or they wouldn't have a feel-good holiday episode.

[bilgistic]

I don't ski, but I don't believe that the ski wheel works in the snow.

[Amarsir]

Well this was a fun episode. Different products than the usual rut and some pretty good banter between the Sharks.

I don't really get the strength of "Hire Santa", but I loved how well the guy negotiated. He came back at Kevin with a smart alternative and then was broadly focused enough to take advantage of other Sharks coming back in. By contrast, I felt pity for the Ski Wheel guys but apparently not as much as Barbara because she waited a lot longer on their whispering than I would have.

Savory Oat Meals is a new enough concept that I looked up their menu to see what I might try myself. Some of them are interesting, like goat cheese, dried figs, hazelnuts, and truffle honey. Others are just parmesan, oil, salt and pepper. In either case I'm not sure I wouldn't just prefer it over some other grain, like rice.

Edited December 4, 2018 by Amarsir

[shksabelle]

Is this Shark Tank or Queen for a Day?

[TVbitch]

I enjoy watching the Lori/"Barb" fisticuffs. I do not think they ❤️ each other. 

Are they phasing Robert out, or is he just busy with his new life,  

Edited December 5, 2018 by TVbitch

[valdawn]

2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I enjoy watching the Lori/"Barb" fisticuffs. I do not think they ❤️ each other. 

Are they phasing Robert out, or is he just busy with his new life,  

 

I actually wouldn’t mind if they were phasing him out. I don’t not like him I just don’t really like him either I  understand it and it’s hard to explain. Something about him is awkward to me and I have like 2nd hand embarrassment watching him. Weird I know! 

Hes also the shark I would least want to have a deal with. I know he’s successful, I just don’t see him being the most successful shark to partner with. 

Edited December 5, 2018 by valdawn

[cooksdelight]

44 minutes ago, valdawn said:

Hes also the shark I would least want to have a deal with. I know he’s successful, I just don’t see him being the most successful shark to partner with. 

He and Lori are at the bottom of the barrel among the regulars, as far as following through and actually helping a business become successful.

[sr49ers2018]

On 12/3/2018 at 4:01 PM, slowpoked said:

I may be in the minority but I do like that they rotate some guest sharks. After 10 years, each shark has gotten so predictable, you could tell what they would say to an entrepreneur even before they open their mouths - Kevin would like a royalty deal, Daymond would ask 30+%, Cuban would say you need to say yes to my deal now or I'm out, Lori would make some kind of "inspirational" speech before bowing out, Robert would squee at a cute puppy or some other cool gadget, and Barbara would tell the entrepreneur straight to their face that she doesn't trust them and she's not sure why, or that the entrepreneur reminds her of her other entrepreneur.

So I like to see some unpredictability, and see how the other sharks might play against that. Some few weeks ago, Spanx Lady was out on a deal but Barbara was able to convince her back in, and because she was able to do so, they were able to cut off Cuban entirely before he even had a chance to make an offer. Small victories. I thought Alex was good last week. They should bring back Ashton Kutcher soon.

That prank box was cool, until I found out each box was $8! Holy crap, I would feel like I'm the one getting pranked if I'm buying an empty box for $8!

good points..i like rotation as well. some of the regular sharks are looking old and tired and need to be taken behind the barn and burnt. (lol). i do however hate the spanx lady and bethany. they are both useless and arent real sharks. other han those i am fine with the guests shark.

[tvrox]

I probably wouldn't go to an oatmal bar, but I would buy it at starbucks. I love starbucks' coffee but often wish they had better food.

[psychoticstate]

Was this actually one of those unicorn episodes in which every person got a deal?

I may be in the minority but I thought the Oatmeals lady should have gone with Barbara.  Lori's deal is contingent on packaging with Starbucks and/or putting it in a freezer aisle.  I'm not an oatmeal person to begin with (but based on Daymond's reaction - - he also said he doesn't care for oatmeal -- I would try it) but freezing it sounds disgusting.  I would think you would want it hot and fresh.  Anyhow, Barbara's deal put all the risk on Barbara, since she was only taking a percentage on the cart business.  Having worked in corporate America for years, I think Barbara is right on the money (no pun intended) about selling the product in office buildings.  Get people hooked on your product in their own office and then maybe they'll come to the brick and mortar store (although closing at 5 doesn't seem wise if you want the oatmeal to be an anytime of day food.) 

I think the Santa For Hire guy's greatest asset is that he's an excellent salesperson and negotiator.  I'm surprised none of the sharks suggested he should branch out with the Easter Bunny, Halloween, Tooth Fairy, etc. since they seem to love the idea of having more than one product.

The ski product seems like a no-brainer winner.  I've only skied a few times in my life but yeah, the skis are a pain to tote around.  Although I thought for sure Barbara was going to back out when the guys starting haggling over Barbara's full ask offer.  

The prank boxes are funny.  Once, as others have pointed out.  I think Mark was right in that they need to get some kind of e-commerce deal where it's an optional add-in, the way gift wrapping is.  That's where they might clean up.  

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

The Ski-Z thing looked great, and I hope they finally have their act together because I'm sure it will sell at every ski shop, and sports store in the country, and I bet QVC and Amazon can sell that like crazy.   

It will get clogged up with snow.  I know they claimed it will go through snow--but so do my car tires and they get crusted with snow all the time.  

[Moose135]

22 hours ago, sr49ers2018 said:

some of the regular sharks are looking old and tired and need to be taken behind the barn and burnt. (lol)

Shot...Kevin's line is take it behind the barn and shoot it.  But your idea works too! ;-)

[Jamoche]

On 12/3/2018 at 7:38 PM, KaveDweller said:

Usually the Sharks hate products that are only profitable a few months of the year. 

Unless it's Tipsy Elves. They've got a pop-up store in my local mall. If I wasn't already avoiding the mall - I hate Christmas music - that would be a reason to do so.

[Cotypubby]

So Sunday afternoon I was in the area and I decided to try OatMeals. I had the one with goat cheese, truffle, honey & figs. For a cold and rainy day, it was very nice to sit and have a warm sweet & savory oatmeal. I don’t see it becoming more than a snack or breakfast/brunch type food though.

It tasted very good and the ingredients were fresh but it will not do well in the freezer section of a grocery store. That was a terrible idea. Half the bowl was creamy goat cheese and figs, I don’t think those will freeze well. Is the plan for people to buy the whole thing frozen and microwave it? That sounds really bad. Same for the other varieties with fresh fruit, or bacon, or whatever.