Buying on the Internet – Understanding What You Are Buying & Who You’re Buying From
Posted by admin in Acrylic Drinkware, Glassware, Plastic Drinkare on January 13, 2012
As a consumer in this current market, and day of technology, I find it challenging to actually buy something that is of quality from a known source. The buying landscape is changing fast. People are buying more from the internet, and in some cases product unseen and company unknown. There was a day when a person would drive to their local big box store, Sears, and actually see, touch and test the product prior to purchase. You also knew who you were buying from (e.g. Sears carries a name that exudes trust and quality). Over the internet you will run across alien store fronts that you really don’t know or trust. The problem space is twofold:
1 – Company or store is an unknown entity
- Advice #1: Find out who you are dealing with by:
- 1) Examining the site and looking for various associations and certifications (e.g. Better Business Bureau affiliation – find the seal and view company information and track record. Take e-Drinkware by Kano Korn LLC , which sales plastic drinkware , we have been in business about 10 years with ZERO complaints. This says a lot if you get in a bind and need customer service and reliable response.
- 2) Make sure that you are using an SSL data secure connection when ordering products. Also check to see if the vendor is PCI certified, which will ensure that any personal data collected is safely stored, access and disposed of (e.g. credit card information …). Kano Korn Concession is a prime example of a company that has to maintain a monthly PCI scan via an independent company, TrustWave, to ensure your data is protected.
- 3) Call the customer service department. Even if you have to leave a call back message, you can talk to a live body and ask questions and get a feel for whom you are dealing with.
- 4) Does the company seem sincere just by the look, feel and layout of their site. I often ask the question, are they giving back? I know it sounds corny, but does their site look like a billboard, and do they look sincere?
2 – Not being able to see or handle the product first hand
- Advice #2:
- Where possible ask for samples. This is truly the case for drinkware. A customer who has the time, and is not sure of the quality based on pictures, should ask for samples. Usually samples are free. At times vendors can direct you to a showroom or a place where the product can be seen locally and in-person.
- Bottom line, As long as you are dealing with a reputable and sincere company you should be OK even if the item you ordered is incorrect or not what you want – the company will make things GOOD (See Advice #1 Above).
Let’s talk about buying things that are made in America
Posted by admin in Acrylic Drinkware, Glassware, Plastic Drinkare on December 23, 2011
Why should someone buy things that are made in America (made
in the USA)? Well I guess that depends on the person. I can only offer my point of view. I am the type that wants to support the home front, America, as much as possible; therefore if given the choice and the product is of quality I will buy the items made in the USA. If I were from Melbourne, Australia I would buy local (buy items made or manufactured in Australia); however realistically when you purchase something made outside your country, you and your home country are benefiting as well. In other words no one should feel bad if they end up purchasing something which is considered an import.
To support your home country as much as possible I would advise that you as much as possible purchase local. Purchasing over the internet makes this fairly easy. I just add “made in the USA” or “made in America” to any internet searches.
Example #1: Purchasing Plastic Drinkware – Internet search strings:
- “Plastic drinkware made in America”
- “Plastic shot glasses made in USA”
- “Plastic drinking glasses made in America”
Example #2: Purchasing Concession Equipment – Internet search
strings:
- “Popcorn poppers made in America”
- “Concession equipment made in USA”
- “Concession equipment made in America”
How to decide – Plastic Drinkware or Glassware?
Posted by admin in Acrylic Drinkware, Glassware, Plastic Drinkare on December 8, 2011
When is a good time to use plastic drinkware over glassware? When answering this question I often find myself asking a subset of questions:
- Where will the drinkware be used? I am always thinking safety. Is there a likelihood that if a glass is dropped it poses a safety threat? The example would be around a swimming pool, hot tub or anywhere bare feet or exposed skin is present.
- How much handling will occur with the drinkware? Understand that heavy use situations increases the chances of a glass or drinkware being dropped; therefore the consideration is to use plastic shatter proof glasses, or even shatter resistant acrylic drinkware. Plastic drinkware is more likely to outlast its glass drinkware counterpart; thus a cost consideration as well. Also look at transport situations. How much and how far will the drinkware have to be transported? The weight of the plastic is half that of glass (cost to transport).
- What type of event will the drinkware be used? Not sure how this affects the decision since the current day plastic drinkware options include products that have a comparable clarity, look and in some cases feel. The example would be the plastic shoot glasses from e-Drinkware.com. If you were to hold or feel one of their shot glasses it would take you a while to figure out they are plastic shot glasses (not standard glass shot glasses). The same goes for Margarita drinkware as well. If the event calls for elegance, the added expenditure for glass might be a consideration, but I feel that it is not a slam dunk glassware over plastic drinkware situation. There are plastic wine and plastic champagne glasses in the industry today that can support a very elegant event without sacrificing the quality of the event.
- Will the drinkware be used in a high heat environment? In most cases heat may not be an issue. In some environments heat can play a factor – plastic has a melting point lower than glass.
Additional notes:
- Glass has a higher viscosity than plastic; therefore it can keep fluids cooler a little longer.
- Plastic is a better thermal insulator, therefore would best handle hot fluids.
- One great combination is glass with plastic as an insulator. This combination this works best in hot and colder situations.
Acrylic Drinkware vs. Plastic Drinkware – What’s the difference?
Posted by admin in Acrylic Drinkware, Plastic Drinkare on September 7, 2011
What is the difference between plastic and acrylic?
In general Acrylics are more for industrial use like in aircraft windshields … Plastics are typically in both environments, but mainly used in general non-industrial applications. Plastics generally contribute to everyday use (e.g. electronics, packaging, signs, medical implants, clothing, toys, kitchenware … Realistically the “plastic” is the generic term that covers acrylic and plastic (e.g. indicates mold-able and flexible). Acrylics are a derivation of the typical plastic make-up consisting of various types of polymers.
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