GlobeIn Artisan Box Subscription Update + Coupon

Not to be snarky, but… seriously? This whole comment thread reeks of First World Problems.

Okay… so GlobeIn miscalculated the mass influx of new subscribers… shouldn’t we be happy they are achieving their vision of connecting small artists (often in Third World Countries) with interested buyers/patrons. Our dollars are helping a vast number of people to help themselves, provides a market for their art, and brings unique & beautiful items to us – the subscribers.

Working with small suppliers, it is inevitable “bumps” will be encountered. All in all (while imperfect), GlobeIn’s temporary measures and the expanded options that will soon be offered are reasonable and responsible. You can’t undo what’s been done — instead you identify why the pot is never full enough, plug the leak, and work to refill the vessel.

GlobeIn had to draw the line somwhere… so they chose subscribers who’d already enjoyed all of the previous offerings… newer subscribers have the opportunity to receive boxes not already received or to opt out. Nobody is being forced to accept any collection they’re not interested in…

Personally, even when I’ve not been overly excited by an upcoming theme – I withheld judgement until I actually received the box. One of the reasons I decided to get this subscription box was to expand my world view and appreciation of others’ art.

Have I ever received an item or box that left me unmoved? Yes and no… every box had included at least one item I really enjoyed. The other items were set aside for gifting to people who’d enjoy them better… 75% of my recent holiday gifts were from GlobeIn — with 100% excitement and appreciation from the gift recipients. Example: I don’t wear cotton, shibori scarves… but in addition to the two I received in boxes (1 artisan and 1 club)… I purchased 2 more. My point is that not every item must be to my taste to appreciate the craftsmanship and enjoy the confidence that either I or someone I gift will enjoy each and every thoughtfully curated item.

Some of the commenters are approaching this hiccup in (what I consider to be) a logical manner. Skip… for a month or two if necessary. Come spring, not only will the issues have ironed themselves out — but subscribers will have MULTIPLE new collections to choose from… all while still helping GlobeIn to fulfill their mission, independent artists to distribute their work, and bringing beauty into our lives.

The other option, of course, is to take your consumer dollars elsewhere… that is your right. Me … I remain a devoted fan of GlobeIn, their program, and their always top notch customer service.*

* I’ve had nothing but positive, above and beyond experiences during the life of my subscription.

Lame that they are only offering past boxes now. The past boxes I’m being offered didn’t interest me when they were released and so I never signed up for a subscription until I saw the Comfort box. And then they ran out of the tea cups they were initially offering and I wanted, but didn’t notify anyone until it was too late. And now I don’t even have an option for this month’s new theme? No thanks. The glasses look lovely so it’s too bad I can’t get excited for them, so I will skip this month (and possibly February too if it’s the same issue) and hope that they will have things better figured out for March.

The sharks on “Shark Tank” would rip this company to shreds for their excuse filled business model. They could learn a great deal from the sharks mentoring. Promises unkept and ongoing inventory problems are not good for business. Mr. Wonderful would say “you’re dead to me”.

In my opinion what this translates to is= ” We are not giving you our NEW items as promised when we took your money, Instead we demand you suckers take the crap off our hands that we have been unable to sale”! I didn’t like their previous boxes…that is why I waited to subscribe! And, if you don’t have enough of THIS months boxes, than why can’t I choose from ALL your past boxes? Like perhaps the “Picnic Basket” you obviously have them as they are for sale on the website…..but no….make your choice from the crap boxes we can’t unload!!! I did a 3 month sub….my first box was to be the “Giving” box….I chose a past box of “Savory” instead…and with the reviews of the “Giving”….stinky boxes that the lids don’t fit etc….I’m glad I did! Now the December “Comfort” box was pretty awesome…but guess what….I don’t even have the option to select another one of those!! I will “Skip” this month…and keep skipping until I get the option of the “Picnic” or a new one!

They assigned me “Memory” for January, which I didn’t want when it was first offered, and still don’t now. Of course, the two themes I wouldn’t mine repeats of — Laundry and Hydrate — aren’t available as options. I’m skipping the month but may cancel if it appears this is going to be a regular occurrence.

I have never skipped, and have been a subscriber for a year and a half, yet was not offered a “love” box for January, so there was no rhyme or reason for this. I cancelled because while sourcing issues are understandable with a box like this. Their communication and handling of issues over the last few months has been sub-par…to put it mildly….

How disappointing. I just joined, did a 3 month plan. I most probably will not be renewing it. I was hoping to be able to get the past baskets when a current one was something I didn’t like or couldn’t use. Now I am stuck having to get past ones. If they could supply new people, they shouldn’t have taken in new ones.

Any suggestions of a different Artisan box to try?

GlobeIn has really confused me. If their reason for the change is not being able to obtain an appropriate number of the product, why do they have plenty of product left over to put them in the Club box and in the Artisan Choice. Other subs are doing the same thing. I got a one time Popsugar at a reduced price. I was not overly pleased but it was a reduced price. I then purchased a mystery box which I knew were items from previous boxes but I received the same items I had just received from the monthly box plus additional items. I never expected them to send items from a sub box they had just sent. Go figure.

I have been a subscriber for two months. For January they defaulted me to pamper box. It is such a topical situation for small businesses when suddenly business grow and they are not prepare to deal with it and don’t know what to do with it. The business idea is good but business model is very bad. They offered lately so many deals and coupons trying to get new customers but did not thought through how they are going to handle increased demand.

This sounds like a raw deal for new subscribers, too. You pay the same amount as everyone else, but you only have access to old stuff? Weird.

I feel this is a reasonable solution for their current situation. The subscription appeals to people who like to help others and enjoy the artisans’ products. It is rarely something that is needed but rather something we like or someone we want to help. For example, I have no use for the stuffed elephant, but I have one 🙂 In the end they will be providing more options than before along with the option to skip. That is not too shabby of a deal for the customer.

I cancelled, I can’t keep up with the up’s and down’s of this subscription service.

While to some extent I understand prioritizing those who have already received all of the past themes, the box they assigned me to for January is one I just received in the past couple of months, so the system isn’t exactly working as planned. I’m skipping for January and hope to see them improve their systems in coming months.

For me, it doesn’t really impact me because I’ve never skipped a box. So I am set to receive Love in January and anticipate I will get the new theme in February. But I can see where other people are coming from in being angry. I would be too! I guess if they really are transitioning to having more than one NEW box available each month, that’s a good thing. That doesn’t help the people who are getting old options that they never wanted for the next two months, though.

It seems to be a problem of supply and demand. Frankly, if you don’t have the supply to match your demand, then you should not be taking in new subscribers at all at this point. I agree it’s, of course, fantastic that the demand IS growing because of the work that the company does to impact small artisans in remote areas. But they risk upsetting and maybe even losing some of their current customer base (many of whom have been with them since the beginning).

Would it not be better to maintain your company’s good reputation for customer service and take a few months away from allowing new subscribers until you can handle it? I’ve seen many subscription boxes which have a wait list to join and it just makes them all the more desirable because they are seemingly “exclusive”.

I am also taking a break. If I didn’t take the box before, it’s because it wasn’t my taste and I still don’t want it. So instead of being able to get the love box, I am stuck taking an old box I didn’t want and still don’t or skip the month…AND end up in the same situation next month when they again don’t have enough of the new boxes and we are stuck picking from the old stick…UGH…..very bad business practice.
And stop trying so hard to get new customers when you can’t satisfy the ones you already have!
I really liked the idea of this box but they have handled things very poorly in the last few months.

I like Globein and their business model. I can appreciate the complexity of dealing with small artisans combined with their recent growth. But, the transition is a misstep; essentially, they are punishing current subscribers for skipping boxes that didn’t meet their needs. As described, if I skip a box, not only do I not get the new box, but I default to the one I didn’t want before? I am taking a break while they sort this out.

I received this email early this morning. I feel it’s a cop out. I personally sent Liza an email three days ago regarding the current debacle and never got a response from her. I think they sent this mass email out because I’m sure there were numerous complaints. I don’t appreciate how this situation was handled and it’s sad because they always had excellent customer service minus the past couple of months.