Yeti goes full retard

[Kingcreek]

I've got a stainless yeti travel mug. If I didn't like it so much I would shoot some holes in it and send it to them or post the pics etc. it was free to me at least I didn't buy it.

[cordex]

https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/yeti-ipo-canceled-1300-cooler-seller-cites-market-conditions

[makattak]

I've got a stainless yeti travel mug. If I didn't like it so much I would shoot some holes in it and send it to them or post the pics etc. it was free to me at least I didn't buy it.

RTIC's stainless travel mugs are $10.

Mighty cheap to make a statement...

[Perd Hapley]

Best way to do that is not buy Yeti from them. Underperforming shelf space will be quickly filled with something more profitable.

Brad

Not an option for me, as I don't have Yeti money to begin with.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/yeti-ipo-canceled-1300-cooler-seller-cites-market-conditions

I just want to point out that's from last month.

[Jamisjockey]

RTIC's stainless travel mugs are $10.

Mighty cheap to make a statement...

My gallon jug from there was $26.  Yeti wants another $100 for the same thing.

[cordex]

I just want to point out that's from last month.

True, but I thought it was a little obscure for the shadenfreude thread.

[Perd Hapley]

My gallon jug from there was $26.  Yeti wants another $100 for the same thing.

We brought in some Pelican coolers at work, and tried to sell them. The boss had me print out a sign showing the comparison of the Pelican at 200-something, versus the much more expensive Yeti. People just laughed. I thought most people would know that a) there are high-end coolers, and b) they're in a whole different price range from what you get at K-Mart. I guess not so much.

[French G.]

I will pay for quality, pretty ok with the $150 I dropped on the inbound cooler. The one that still hurts my feels is twenty years ago dropping $300 on a pelican rifle case. I still have it, I love it, but ow. It has wheels! :) It needs them.

[dogmush]

We brought in some Pelican coolers at work, and tried to sell them. The boss had me print out a sign showing the comparison of the Pelican at 200-something, versus the much more expensive Yeti. People just laughed. I thought most people would know that a) there are high-end coolers, and b) they're in a whole different price range from what you get at K-Mart. I guess not so much.

If you're looking at rectangular storage things, and Pelican is the more affordable choice, you need to step back and consider your life choices.

[Brad Johnson]

Yeti issued a statement...

https://www.facebook.com/Yeti/photos/a.115182725943.132013.91454100943/10156095306920944/?type=3&theater

If it's the absolute facty truth then shame on NRA-ILA for the way it's been presented. However, I think NRA-ILA is politically and socially savvy enough to not go full lib-spin on it. I'd like to see the notification Yeti claims to have sent and see just how it's worded. I honestly can't see NRA-ILA handling it this way unless the the "marketing revision" was handled pretty poorly on Yet's end.

Brad

[Ben]

Yeti issued a statement...

https://www.facebook.com/Yeti/photos/a.115182725943.132013.91454100943/10156095306920944/?type=3&theater

If it's the absolute facty truth then shame on NRA-ILA for the way it's been presented. However, I think NRA-ILA is politically and socially savvy enough to not go full lib-spin on it. I'd like to see the notification Yeti claims to have sent and see just how it's worded. I honestly can't see NRA-ILA handling it this way unless the the "marketing revision" was handled pretty poorly on Yet's end.

Brad

24/7 news cycle strikes again. Now I'm going to wait for more information. If the NRA really did pull an untruthful, "they did it because they hate guns" if it was in fact just a change in discount programs, I'm going to send the NRA a little missive.

Lying and truth-stretching is just as bad when "we" do it as when "they" do it. However, I'm going to wait a couple of days. I also can't believe that the NRA would be that amateurish on the PR front, but you never know.

[Brad Johnson]

If I was guessing, I'd say that Yeti pulled their entity-direct discount/customization programs and "offered" for all the work to go straight through their regular channels, leaving NRA members ordering direct from Yeti's web site just like any Joe Blow off the street.

Brad

[KD5NRH]

All pretty much irrelevant if you're not easily swayed by brand names; every side-by-side independent test I've seen, Pelican, Orca and even Igloo Sportsman Series beat the crap out of Yeti for keeping ice frozen.  Plus every Yeti's actual capacity was at least 10% under their number that seems intended to imply it's the capacity in quarts.

ETA: Ok, according to this one, the Yeti 65 is only 4 quarts short of stated capacity.  Still lost to the RTIC, though.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WuoJn2pBdM

[makattak]

If I was guessing, I'd say that Yeti pulled their entity-direct discount/customization programs and "offered" for all the work to go straight through their regular channels, leaving NRA members ordering direct from Yeti's web site just like any Joe Blow off the street.

Brad

If I were to venture a guess, Yeti had been a partner with the Friends of the NRA in order to provide customization and discounts for the "prizes" at the banquets. Likely it decided to end that "partnership" and, as you said, tell the NRA they can buy what they want off their website.

From the NRA's view, Yeti just dropped the Friends of the NRA as a "vendor" for them.

Yeti comes back with "they can still buy from us!" I do note Yeti says they were "ending outdated discount programs". Yeah... It sounds like the NRA is right that they were blindsided by this. Likely a lot of the Friends of the NRA were budgeted to buy those products at those discounts and Yeti just pulled them without any warning.

In this political climate the FotNRA had an understandable reaction. And Yeti is tone-deaf and is likely to continue to lose customers over a bone-headed move (that is, if this isn't just cover for someone who actually DID try to backstab the NRA.)

Additionally, I do note what is NOT said in the statement: Nothing about continuing to support the NRA. That's rather glaring in its omission...

[Jamisjockey]

If I were to venture a guess, Yeti had been a partner with the Friends of the NRA in order to provide customization and discounts for the "prizes" at the banquets. Likely it decided to end that "partnership" and, as you said, tell the NRA they can buy what they want off their website.

From the NRA's view, Yeti just dropped the Friends of the NRA as a "vendor" for them.

Yeti comes back with "they can still buy from us!" I do note Yeti says they were "ending outdated discount programs". Yeah... It sounds like the NRA is right that they were blindsided by this. Likely a lot of the Friends of the NRA were budgeted to buy those products at those discounts and Yeti just pulled them without any warning.

In this political climate the FotNRA had an understandable reaction. And Yeti is tone-deaf and is likely to continue to lose customers over a bone-headed move (that is, if this isn't just cover for someone who actually DID try to backstab the NRA.)

Additionally, I do note what is NOT said in the statement: Nothing about continuing to support the NRA. That's rather glaring in its omission...

At a minimum, Yeti is very tone-deaf and didn't even think to get ahead of this story.  In this political climate, you drop support for the NRA's charitable arm, and don't release a statement that it was purely a move based on the types of discounts offered? 
I don't buy it.
I think Yeti *expletive deleted*ed up, and is now being taken to the woodshed over it, and as a result is just backpedaling. 

[Ben]

I got an email back from a Cabela's drone that said, " I can't respond to your inquiry but will forward it to our leadership team."

I tend to agree that Yeti may be in backpedaling mode, but at the same time, before I get more riled up, I'm going to see what comes up in the back and forth. I just want to make sure that the NRA is not pulling an "Uncle Leo" from Seinfeld, where no matter what innocuous thing someone does, if it affects him, it's "anti-semite". I don't want to see the NRA fall into the "micro-aggression" barrel.

[Perd Hapley]

https://www.dailywire.com/news/29806/yeti-coolers-cuts-ties-nra-so-its-competitor-james-barrett

[KD5NRH]

At a minimum, Yeti is very tone-deaf and didn't even think to get ahead of this story.

It's not just failing to get ahead of it, but dragging days behind it; reeks of realizing too late that it wasn't going well for them and then having to dream something up in a hurry.  Otherwise, why not just release exactly what they said?  I'm sure something of this magnitude happens via email or snail mail, so they'd have the exact text; redact whatever non-public address it would be sent to, and any pricing information, and publish it.  They could have done that within minutes of the story breaking.

[Jamisjockey]

It's not just failing to get ahead of it, but dragging days behind it; reeks of realizing too late that it wasn't going well for them and then having to dream something up in a hurry.  Otherwise, why not just release exactly what they said?  I'm sure something of this magnitude happens via email or snail mail, so they'd have the exact text; redact whatever non-public address it would be sent to, and any pricing information, and publish it.  They could have done that within minutes of the story breaking.

Well put.


To be clear, I don't expect Yeti, or any other company to be "pro" 2nd amendment.  You make a product.  In Yeti's case, their product is a status symbol among the types of people who are more likely to own a gun and belong to the NRA.  It is primarily marketed to hunters and fishermen. 
A simple press release at the time, if their intentions of cutting ties with the NRA were a purely business-based decision, would have kept them out of the fire.

[Scout26]

Or just let whatever contract expire and not renew, with a press release to the effect of "We failed to generate the sales we were hoping for, but we enjoyed working with the NRA, and if there are mutually beneficial opportunities in the future, we would be open to exploring those."

[p12]

Plot thickens

Yeti I think stepped on their crank.

https://www.statesman.com/business/nra-lobbyist-claims-yeti-engaging-damage-control/NLR4zDFtcrDMZQ3VnM34jI/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RoadKingLarry]

Plot thickens

Yeti I think stepped on their crank.

https://www.statesman.com/business/nra-lobbyist-claims-yeti-engaging-damage-control/NLR4zDFtcrDMZQ3VnM34jI/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Libtards got cranks?
I'm inclined to accept the NRA's version of events.

[Ben]

Yeti severed ties with the NRA and is now engaging in damage control after a backlash from many of its customers,” she told Florida Politics. “In early March, Yeti refused to place a previously negotiated order from (the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action), citing ‘recent events’ as the reason – a clear reference to the tragedy in Parkland, Florida. Yeti then delivered notice to the NRA Foundation that it was terminating a 7 year agreement and demanded that the NRA remove the Yeti name and logo from all NRA digital assets, as well as refrain from using any Yeti trademarks in future print material. While Yeti is trying to spin the story otherwise, those are the facts.”

"Recent events" and "Remove Yeti logo" would put things squarely back in Yeti's court for an explanation. If you're not severing ties, but merely ending a discount program, why would you insist on scrubbing your name? That's free advertising.

I think Yeti was making a lot of inroads into the Patagonia/REI type crowd, and maybe thought that demographic would buy more of their product. That enviro crowd might dress like they have more dough to spend, but it's the grubby looking outdoorsmen in jeans and a tshirt that are buying all those $70K Platinum F150s.

[French G.]

The real butt burner is that Joe six-pack funds the REI LLBean Patagonia crowd through the federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition, as well as license fees. Otherwise there would be no great outdoors for them to try to save from the depredations of rednecks.

Who in fairness, I am also pissed at. We go fishing in the nation forest, fish is optional, but for sure going to fill a large trashbag with litter.

[Brad Johnson]

I'm inclined to accept the NRA's version of events.

Same. Yeti's replies are coming in broad generalizations. NRA comms are giving specifics. That says a lot.

Brad