Sales - The Iron Heart Position…..

[Dmart]

I really appreciate the transparency, which is rare in todays business world.
I just have difficulties to understand the purpose of the post. Maybe it’s because I’m not native English, but I read it a bit like a justification of why you do the things the way you do.
Everything you state makes perfectly sense to me. You are, or should be, a profit oriented business, not an NPO. There should be no questions around how you do a sale or am I missing something?

[Nik]

I think the purpose of the post is to explain why IH does things slightly differently. Rare and good to get this kind of transparency. Thanks @Giles and IH team
PS I just ordered from the sale despite being on holiday in France… Looking forward to coming to Gosport in the end of August to pick up!

[Giles]

@Dmart:

I just have difficulties to understand the purpose of the post.

Because we are always being asked things like:

When is your next sale?
Why have you excluded stuff from the sale?
Why don't you do regular 6 monthly sales?
Some brands slash prices massively at the end of a season, why don't you?

And I bet the CS team could come up with a few more…..

Now I can just point people to this post rather than re-inventing the wheel everytime I reply....

[Dmart]

Thanks Giles. I’m surprised by these questions but I guess that’s how it is and what you need to deal with on a daily basis.
For me, just keep doing what you’re doing! Love the staff, the stuff, the brand and the community!

[seawolf]

The amount of time your staff has spent on customer service is apparent, and appreciated. And I think customer service is one of the most underrated aspects of running a customer-facing business well. There's a saying in the restaurant business that applies to retail as well: "People come for the food, and come back for the service." This is something that really applies to Iron Heart.

As far as sales go, I'll forever be a fan of high quality items that stand the test of time, and I don't mind paying full price for IH items because they absolutely define that category, and it's cool when a sale pops up because I can grab a few more things for my collection. And I always appreciate the transparency that comes from IHUK with things like this, so thank you @Giles, et al.

[Giles]

@seawolf:

"People come for the food, and come back for the service." This is something that really applies to Iron Heart.

I'll go back to a restaurant that serves average food if the staff are great.  I go for the experience, and the food is just part of the gig….

[ARNC]

I guess once people have tuned in to what IH do, they will get why you don’t behave like other retailers. When products are timeless and often in demand many years after initial release there’s no need for regular sales every few months.

A discount is nice, but probably doesn’t make much difference on a cost-per-wear basis. A model that provides the legendary IH customer service and everything else we love is, in my mind, worth far more.

[DrPat]

Last year that post would have only consisted of 4 capital letters.  I guess that’s the benefit of retirement [emoji6].

Thanks for the info.

[endo]

@Giles:

we can spend money on R&D, pursue off-the-wall ideas, sample interesting things, pay our staff well, spend a massive proportion of our time on customer service etc. etc. etc

and that's why it's so good to be an IH customer and a part of this community

[Giles]

@DrPat:

Last year that post would have only consisted of 4 capital letters.  I guess that’s the benefit of retirement [emoji6].

Thanks for the info.

IS THIS BETTER.  FUCK OFF 

[popvulture]

People love to complain. I applaud your tact — my response would probably be the above method

[DrPat]

Yes!  Very nostalgic.

[goosehd]

much better…I'll be able to sleep soundly tonight 

[endo]

@Giles:

@DrPat:

Last year that post would have only consisted of 4 capital letters.

IS THIS BETTER.  FUCK OFF 

just 4 @Giles c'mon, you can do better 

[Giles]

FFS GF, better things to do with my time…..

[endo]

[vaquero357]

…I can't tell you how much I appreciate the candid, direct and honest approach in explaining the many facets of your business, bravo! I hope it never changes.
...I just spent a grip right before the sale and I would of saved money had I'd known about the sale weeks earlier but I get it and I respect your explanation of the retail business side. It makes sense to me.
...Iron Heart is a special product and sometimes 'that's just the way love goes honey!'.
...and I still jumped in on the sale, I had to, HAD TO.

[goosehd]

I think most of us came here for the clothes and gear…we stay because of the people and relationships we’ve made.

My closet’s full, I don’t need another item…(there’s always something else), but the people are truly something special. 

[seawolf]

@Giles:

@seawolf:

"People come for the food, and come back for the service." This is something that really applies to Iron Heart.

I'll go back to a restaurant that serves average food if the staff are great.  I go for the experience, and the food is just part of the gig….

100%. And if the service is great, it can really make up for a dish that's mediocre. How bad would that exact same mediocre dish come across if the service was also mediocre? You're absolutely right about the experience. And to bring it around full circle, I can buy clothes anywhere, but I know that the IHUK crew gets it done right with a smile, every time. And I'll never forget ordering jackets and them being delivered to me in the middle of the ocean, and being given extra time to return the one I didn't keep because I needed time to get ashore to Dubai and ship it back.

[Weft 4 Dead]

I kind of like the lack of guaranteed sales. You know where you stand, you don’t get burned buying something full-price which is then discounted the next day, and it keeps the fast sellers on the shelves just a teensy bit longer.