Lovesac Bus Blog

Live on TV tonight!

...Its live...its TV...its Q.V.C.  

Tonight, Monday, November 28, (9pm EST live) I will be selling Lovesacs on TV for the first time ever. In fact, this will be the absolute best price anyone could get on a Pillowsac Rocker Package all year, exclusive through QVC. They even break it down into like 4 easy payments!

I know it may seem a surprising move from us here at Lovesac, so let me explain how this all came about. For the last few years we have been endlessly improving the Sactionals and selling more and more of them. Along the way we have come to the bold realization that this is not just some clever product--some passing phase. We believe Sactionals are THE answer to upholstered furniture for most of America--they just may not hav heard about it yet. I think/hope/believe Sactionals are the iPod of furniture.

One way to tell the story (seeing as we lack the funds to blow tens-of-millions on advertising like apple did for the iPod), might be to do some direct TV marketing. Info-mercials!!!Ahhhhh!!??  (But really nice ones like Bose does, or like a Dysons commercial). You see, Sactionals have very demonstrable benefits. They're easy to move around, change, re-configure and transform any room into something fresh and new at any time.

Anyway, one of the best ways to test whether or not Sactionals will "play" on TV is to try it first on QVC. Not to mention, QVC can be a very strong selling vehicle in its own right--purposefully and accidentally educating millions of people about our product along the way. So just as we were gearing up to try Sactionals on-air next year, our friends at QVC asked us to put together a Sac gift item for this holiday season....The Pillowsac Rocker on QVC.

So check it out. I'll be on myself, doin' it TV style tonight sometime between 9pm - 10pm (I'm told it will be at 9:00 on the "Gift hour with hosts Rick and Shawn," but we'll see).  If you know anyone who's ever wanted a good deal on a Lovesac AND have it broken into a few easy payments, well, here you go. I'll be offering a QVC exclusive Pillowsac Rocker Package which includes the Pillowsac, a Cover (Coffee, Latte, or Red Velvish), the Rocker Frame, and 2 matching Throw Pillows that help you tie it in to your existing decor.

Gotta run. Gotta get down to QVC headquarters near our King of Prussia, Philadelphia, PA Lovesac store for hair and makeup.  Ugh.

 

-- Shawny D.

X-Games & LoveSac

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X-Games was a huge success and tons of fun! Loyal LoveSac fans Travis Pastrana and Ryan Sheckler both took home gold medals in their respective sports and we were there to witness it all..

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We had a couple of lounge area's throughout Nokia Theater and LA Live with custom X-Games fabric! Some people loved them a little too much...

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X Games 16 - Team LoveSac Rally

This video says it all.

As snacks run low we are planning to visit the windshield for some protein.

The little fella in this picture has been hanging on to our windshield since Wyoming. Not sure if he's still alive but the next time we stop we'll attempt CPR. By our count there are over 700 insects that went kamikaze on the windshield only to learn that LoveSac (and its bus) cannot be destroyed.

As snacks run low we are planning to visit the windshield for some protein.

Keep Killing It!

A, B, C

PS When Brian drives it's pedal to the metal (hit 90+ not too long ago) and as he races up on innocent sedans in the left-hand lane he screams MOVE!!!". It's Bad Ass.

...somewhere in middle America....

   
  100 Miles to DuBois, PA where we will clean up and sleep for a few hours at the Witherow estate.

Goal is to arrive by 11pm EDT which means you have to bring in The Closer to navigate the hills and speed-traps of Western PA.

-- Alex, Brian, Charlie

 

LoveSac Bus Rollin' West to East in 2 days

Alex, Brian, and Charlie are rollin' from Salt Lake City to New York City on the LoveSac Bus non-stop.  Good time for their semi-annual retail review, as they rev up for Manager Fest.  Follow them on twitter: http://twitter.com/lovesacbus  

Careful, you may not like what you see.   EARLY QUOTES FROM THE ROAD....

 This ranks each market from worst to first ytd. Congrats to Dallas and Capital for being on the good side.  

This sign reads: "Don't text and drive."

No mention of e-mailing or taking pictures.

 Stuck in traffic...in Wyoming! Un-f'ing-believable.

This is as stupid as Jell-o and carrots.

There's a dog in the truck next to us so we're using the microphone to bark at him and he's totally confused.

-- Quotes by Alex R. Post by Shawny D.

LoveSac Bay Area

On Thursday, April 1st, 2010 LoveSac officially returns to the Bay Area with the Grand Opening of our newest store at Westfield Valley Fair Shopping Center in Santa Clara.  LoveSac Founder, Shawny D., will be in attendance to oversee the festivities which include a 75% Off Countdown Sale beginning at 5pm (line forms at 3pm - click on the image below to view the invitation; see store for complete details).  

Can't make it Thursday? Check back for details of our Friday morning promo featuring Shawny D. handing out free gifts.

Here's the history of LoveSac's return to the Bay Area: 

The first clue appeared in June of '09 when LoveSac partnered with our great friends at lululemon to Sac out lululemon Corte Modero.  Soon afterwards ChiefSac Shawn D. Nelson was spotted touring malls in the Bay Area and it wasn't long before negotiations began in earnest.  Now, as the spring returns to the Bay Area so does LoveSac, inventors of the Original Overstuffed Sac and our washable, changeable, completely modular furniture solution Sactionals. 

The news became official with Bay Area Market Manager James Gerrard leaping in front of a San Francisco trolley to spread the word about the LoveSac Bay Area Blog 

If you haven't guessed already, the Big News is that LoveSac returns to the Bay Area this Thursday, April 1st, at 5pm.  We're opening our newest store at Valley Fair in Santa Clara with a 75% Off Countdown sale that you don't want to miss (see store for complete details).  The line forms at 3pm - don't be late.

 Thanks to all the loyal Sac'rs who demanded we come back to the Bay Area - we can't wait to see you Thursday and Shawny D. will be there himself to personally thank you.   

ROLLIN THROUGH THE WEST!!

So for any one who doesn't know me my name is James. Now that we have the intro's out of the way I have just returned from a rad LoveSac journey. I have just rolled over 2300 miles around the west coast. I will say one of the coolest things of this trip is I got to hit some places I have always wanted to check out. First I started in Salt Lake City UT. I rented a van and took off. First place to go was Portland for a stop at the ZUMIEZ COUCH TOUR!!! But before you get to Oregon you must drive through Idaho. Now I have nothing against Idaho or my fellow Sacr's there but I must point out some things. First You can totally think I am crazy but I swear Boise smells like Peanut Butter!!! I don't know if the local Jiff factory exploded that morning or what..... Call me crazy but I call it like I see it (or smell it). Second thing I didn't realize that so much of Idaho was so flat. When ever I have traveled there it has always had mountains. Although I never really traveled more then around Bear Lake. But it did remind me of one of my favorite lines from a movie "These Rocky Mountains aren't very rocky." "Yeah that John Denver is full of @&*%". So as I rolled through Oregon I saw some pretty rad stuff. Out of nowhere I cruised up Blue Mountain and into some awesomely green forrest. I love the woods and the outdoors so I found this to be totally awesome. Then I am guessing around half way through Oregon on I-84 I ran into some other awesome sights. As you scroll down check out some of these rad pic's of the John Day River, cliffs from the river, and giant windmills. Part of what made all of this so cool to drive through is you follow this river all the way into the city so it's a great view the whole way. Anyway enough of the scenery for a while. Lets get into the ZUMIEZ COUCH TOUR!!! This is most likely the coolest event I have done with LoveSac. I mean they had a local hero skate contest, the Enjoi pro skate team out there and some seriously rockin bands on stage. While I could sit and type this stuff out, and make you read it I figured I would be nice and let you watch this cheesy, goofy video of me!![youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9PNj-3PTvw] Hmmm..... I may not be the best person to put on camera, but it was a total blast to be there. I also just want to say thanks again to Courtney from New Era hats for hooking me up and helping out with my sweet LoveSac Hat. Here are some views of the Couch Tour.... This is the sweet skate park where all of this went down. as you can see it ended up crazy packed with some of the best young skate talent that Portland had to offer. This was the living room set-up for the gameing. Left side Guitar Hero and, Right side Skate 2. This was the best place to chill and get out of the sun and, with 10 gamer sacs to sit on you could almost always find a seat. Now for one lucky dude the tour was better for him then it was for any body else. I was in a generous mood and I had a little extra product with me. So I decided to climb on stage and hook up one of the skaters up with a free Sac. That's right I hooked up MR. MAU K. with a Gamer Sac and Micro Suede cover. This little dude was one of the coolest kids in Portland. So congrats again!!! Last but not least I just want to say thanks again to Jami, Gina, Page and, everyone else on the tour for ROCKIN THE SAC!!!! NOW LET'S MOVE ON TO THE SECOND STOP..... SAN FRANCISCO!!! Oh boy where to start on this one. Okay first thing, when I was working in So-Cal I was always told how gorgeous northern California was. Well I don't know if I just got there at the wrong time of year but...... Well you can just see for your self and thats all I am going to say on this...... So let's move on to business. When I go to San Francisco I went to this place called Lululemon Athletics. Whether it's for playing and/or working out, staying comfy, even going out casually these clothes are awesome. I even grabbed some shorts to bring home with me cause they were just way to awesome. I couldn't pass them up. The goal here was to make Lululemon as comfortable as possible and look just as awesome. This is what we came up with so check it out.Now believe it or not this person works for Lululemon and is a trained to do things like this. So please never try a back flip onto your sac at home.This was the most hardcore athlete in the city. I think he could bench press me!!! Keep rockin dude!!! The person who made this all possible was the rockin manager of this store Miss Season!!! Although she was stuck in the office bustin her butt to keep the store running, this still couldn't have been done with out her. Thanks again for Rockin the LoveSac!!!! Now I had a little extra time on the last day in town so of course I had to do some sight seeing. I mean you can't go to San Fran and not go see Golden Gate, Fishermans Warf, and Alcatraz. So before I left I thought I would show you some of the great sights I got to see. Oh and there is a really funny video of me driving down some crazy hills in the city. Which by the way the video does not do these hills justice. Anyway scroll down and check out the last few pics, please leave me a comment of what you think and I hope to post for you all again.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUE-jdsIYV0] Well that is the end my friends. It was a long and crazy trip, and a long and crazy blog. If you made it to the end I must say Nice Job, and like I said before please feel free to leave me a comment and or thoughts on the trip.

Pigs fly? Yes, swine flu (Part 2)

Monday, April 20^th – Product for 13 Mexico City locations had shipped and the remaining 17 stores were staged.  Alex returned, as promised, joined by Ezra and Mike.  Damian and Adam headed back to the good ol’ USA with the satisfaction of a job well done.

Andy, Ezra, Mike and Alex met with Alejandro to begin setting up stores.  The plan was to set up four locations on Monday.  (Didn’t Robert Burns write something about the best laid plans?)  In order to pull off a project like this there is a tremendous amount of preparation required so that you can arrive and realize that preparation is a waste of time.

Based on the best information available Shawny D laid out three different floor plans (330/sf, 440/sf, 540/sf) which showed display product, configurations and where to hang the art.  No one merchandises like Shawny D which meant set-up would go quickly – just follow the plan – allowing more time for training.  As luck would have it not a single store provided a space that came close to matching the square footage we planned on.  Instead of laying out one store 30 times it became clear we would lay out 30 stores one time.  Booyah!

(Editor’s note: We’re LoveSac.  We work hard.  We do not get discouraged.  A standard LoveSac situation is FUBAR.  You can sleep when you’re dead)

As the day wore on it became clear that we would only complete one location.  (At left, L - R, Andy, Alejandro, Ezra and Mike survey their handiwork).  Following the first set-up we needed to return to the warehouse to ensure that product for the other 17 locations was ready to ship so that we could perform set-ups outside of Mexico City by Thursday.  Tired and frustrated from a long first day we expected the worst at the warehouse, only to be greeted by the scene pictured below:

Our former Sea of Sacs was not bare floor on the left were dozens of pallets ready to for transportation.  The trucks were loaded that evening and it was clear Andy and Alex could plan travel to Monterrey for Thursday.

The day ended with a visit to a location to scout the location and determine how much product would fit.  This visit led to the high point of the trip only 24 hours later.

 

 

 

As Monday drew to a close we had one store set-up and trained.  That left 29 stores to complete in one week – what could possibly go wrong?

With lessons learned from the first set-up a goal of five stores was set for Tuesday.  Not accustomed to LoveSac hours Alejandro was relieved to learn we wouldn’t start until 9am on Tuesday.   To clarify, HE wouldn’t start until 9am on Tuesday.  Andy, Mike, Ezra and Alex started at 7am at the Centro Historico location.  It was still dark when we left the hotel  and we saw a lovely sight (pictured left); a sliver moon with a planet or bright star just below.  

By 9am the first store was finished (pictured right).    Splitting in to two teams and heading in opposite directions Alex & Andy were driven along the “scenic” route by a cab driver while Alejandro, Mike and Ezra raced off to start setting up another store.  Alex and Andy made one stop – the store wasn’t prepared in any way for the set up – so they left immediately and went to Polanco.  As the day went on two more locations were completed and both teams reunited finish a fourth location. 

At 8:30pm Team LoveSac arrived at Lindavista for the final set-up.  The store closed at 9pm - no exceptions.   A kick-ass performance, with packaging flying, led to a complete set-up 9:02pm at which point security escorted us out.  Apparently store staff isn’t paid by the hour. 

The final count for Tuesday: five stores completed in 14 hours with travel accounting for 1/3 of our day.  The one lowlight of the day was to learn about a serious problem affecting Mexico City: headless child model (see picture at right).  According to local experts the one child model who still has her head (left side of photo) will likely lose hers within the next two weeks.  She may be headless as we write this.  It breaks your heart.

 

With a full head of steam from Tuesday we promptly ran in to a brick wall.  More product arrived at the warehouse (the missing art and covers which were held at customs for an extended period) and we needed to return to sort it.  Only two stores were completed on Wednesday which left Ezra, Mike and Alejandro with Thursday and Friday to complete the remaining five stores in Mexico city, finish sorting the just-received product and train the locations.  Alex & Andy decided to get out of town and head to Monterrey Thursday morning to set up five locations and then head over to Torreon to finish one more before flying back to Mexico City Saturday night.

Arriving in Torreon was welcome relief from the traffic and travel time in Mexico City.  Getting between locations didn't take more than 30 minutes and each location was prepared for our arrival.  The Monterrey Galleria (pictured left) sales team pitched in and we finished in two hours.  With a little extra time before our pick-up we reflected on a few funny aspects of our new life setting up LoveSac in Sears Mexico. 

 

For example, we met lots of friendly people.  This woman couldn't keep her hands off me (right).  Every time you exited a Sears Mexico you were frisked to ensure you weren't smuggling a Sactional base out.  Entering the store we realized always meant a journey through ladies intimate apparel (left).  Have we mentioned that we really missed our wives?

When all is said and done there is less focus in Mexico on meeting at specific times - the emphasis is on personal relationships, know who you're doing business with.  As Americans we try like hell to be on time and don't care at all about the people involved.  This small difference in cutlures led to lots of quality time waiting around which always made Alex happy - he loves to wait, knowing there is work to be done and the clock is ticking (right).

On day two in Monterrey we were joined by Antonio (pictured at left, in the middle between Alex and Andy), a young man who quickly learned the LoveSac line and how to set-up a location.  Without Antonio we would not have been able to transform a space from this:

 

 

To this:

 

After the second day Alex and Andy decided that it was time to migle with the locals on a Friday evening and relax a little.  Asking around we discovered a delightful restaurant which, as we understood it, is the best place in town to enjoy an authentic meal and expereince the friendly service that only a family-run business provides.  Andy and Alex posed at the bar so they would always remember the fun evening they had.  All attempts to translate the name of the restaurant  (pictured above Andy's head) have failed but please take a look at the picture and post your best guess in the comments section.  Thanks!

 

With Monterrey a success the road show carried on to Torreon.  No commercial flights were available in the morning which necessitated renting a car for the anticipated 4 1/2 hour drive.  What happened next shows how quickly things fall apart in the desert when behind the wheel of a French car which had a nasty habit of quitting every time we approached a Mercedes, VW or BMW.  Roll footage:

 

Despite all odds Andy and Alex arrived in Torreon with two hours to set up, train and get to the airport for their flight back to Mexico City.  By this point Andy was at another level - seizing control of the situation he built, trained and departed in the two available hours.

  

While vacationing in Monterrey Andy and Alex missed the first published articles regarding swine flu.  Little did they know that Mexico City was now ground zero for a possible pandemic.  The scene at the airport made clear that things were different.

Driving back to the hotel through empty streets on what should be a busy Saturday night cut down on travel time but certainly increased anxiety about what impact the swine flu might have.

Sunday was another off day as the team remained mostly at the hotel, venturing out for a quick meal and to take in the unfolding scene.  With only two days to go the hope was that everyone would leave healthy.

Monday was the last full day of work and the mission was to return to locations that had painted their walls LoveSac gray and hang art.  In order to present the LoveSac brand and merchandising Shawn came up with a scaled down version of our company-owned stores that included hanging large art on the walls.  The finished result was, well, you be the judge:

As the dust settled on two weeks of work Andy, Ezra, Mike, Damian, Adam, Alejandro, Antonio and Alex could look back at a job well done.  LoveSac rolled out 18 international locations and is now positioned for global expansion.  Not too shabby.

While everyone worked hard there can only be one MVP and in a unanimous vote we're pleased to showcase the winner:

 

Congratulations Andy!  You rocked the Sac.

Now about those other 12 locations...

Intermission

With Alex back in the United States for Army and the warehouse closed on Sunday it allowed Damian, Andy and Adam (L - R, pictured below) a chance to tour Mexico City - here are some images from their day:

Centro Historico

 

A lovely lady points the way

 

Living Chess Pieces

  

No idea what homeboy is doing

Federal Plaza

Fountain

Los Federales

 

Museum of Art & Architecture

 

Alex must be here somewhere

 

Shopping

 

You can buy anything in Mexico City

 

Excavation of a buried city

 

Damian and friend

 

That's enough sightseeing, back to work!

Check back for the dramatic conclusion...

Pigs fly? Yes, swine flu (Part I)

LoveSac  took its store-within-a-store concept south of the border as part of a deal with Sears Mexico and from the moment we arrived we knew Mexico was ready for the Sac.  Our mission: open 30 locations across Mexico in two weeks.  Mission accomplished? Nope – not even close.  But it was a big moment in the life of LoveSac and when the dust settled we had lots to be proud of.   Check it out…

 

On Tuesday April 14^th Andy, Damian, Adam and Alex landed in Mexico City to begin the roll-out - we had a sweet view of the city and mountains (clearly visible on left) from our hotel.  We would start work at the warehouse on Wednesday so we were free to enjoy a dinner outside, review the plan and – understanding that we’re LoveSac – head out on the town with our friends Francisco, Alejandro and Bert Jan.  We burned it down at Club Solid until the wee smalls then headed home for a few hours of sleep.  On the trip home Andy decided that he wanted to capture every moment of the journey.  Have a look at his photos of Mexico City, at night, shot from a Jetta traveling at 100 km/h (about 60 mph).  It’s almost as if you’re there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mexico City has 20 Million people – it is massive.  It is not possible to get anywhere in a short amount of time.  Riding through the streets of Mexico City is an experience – the crazier your driver the safer you feel.  Only the strong survive so everyone drives aggressively and the result is we only saw one accident in two weeks.   Viva Mexico!

Step one for the roll-out was to stage the product that would be used in the 30 store displays.  We needed to cover 500 bases, 700 sides, fluff 120 Sacs and assemble 30 rocker frames, divide up the inventory for each store and then ship everything out.  That’s maybe two hours worth of work – or perhaps a little more.  Arriving at the first Sears warehouse we walked past shotgun-wielding security guards, were frisked and then handed giant signs to wear around our necks which indicated we were visitors.  To be fair, this is the process for everyone.  Security at the warehouses is no joke which prompted Adam to point out warehouses in the US have no security and we should make a plan to rob them.  It’s a fair point but we're not investing in ski masks just yet.  Adam also believes everyone should have a passport handy just in case you need to flee the country.  The bottom-line is that if you have criminal thoughts please contact Adam and he can help you craft a plan and an escape.  At the end of Day 1 we had all the bases covered and 30 Rockers frames built - not too shabby. 

On Day 2 we moved to Sears’ second warehouse where most of our product lived and the Sac fluffing frenzy took place.  When we were finished we had a sea of Sacs.  Andy handed out responsibilities to the warehouse team, Damian and Adam worked with a team organizing the product and Alex was pounding on his Blackberry because that’s all Alex does.  Sometimes he yells in to his Blackberry to mix things up. 

Friday morning Alex decided he wanted to pound on his Blackberry while wearing a uniform so he flew home to spend the weekend at Army, promising to return to with two new bodies.

 

 

The Sears Mexico warehouse team (pictured at left) were up to the challenges Andy handed out.  In fact, Andy went about running this mission with reckless abandon, giving no thought to his own physical well-being.  Inevitably, it wasn't long before he suffered a life-threatening injury which imperiled the entire roll-out.  The posted image of Andy's injury isn't for the weak, it shows in bloody-detail the dangers of failing to adhere to basic safety principles such as not cutting toward yourself with a box cutter.  It was a needless tragedy and it is LoveSac's hope that further accidents can be avoided.  Luckily a crack medical team was on hand to administer first-aid and Andy survived his brush with death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staging the product for 30 stores is a labor-intensive process but over the first three days we made significant progress:

  

 

But the pallets started to take shape:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It took more than two hours (closer to four days) but we had the display product ready to go – except for the covers and art that was tied up in customs.  No problemo, full speed ahead.  We modified the plan to set up the displays with available product and then return to put covers on and hang art.  How simple is that?

And now for an Intermission...