How stupid does Airstream consider us?

[Tall Grass]

I see the same thing happening with John Deere and Harley-Davidson branded stuff. Pay out the nose for something that has your favorite brand prominently displayed.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by kscherzi

Amazon has the buckets priced at $130 and only 2 left, so the Airstream buckets are a bargain!

Yeah, I've no idea why an empty bucket should be worth over $100 but it seems that's the going rate on the Huck Bucket, so while it may be iffy that Airstream chose to include it in their items for sale, they're not gouging for it.

[SilverWind]

Originally Posted by bweybright

As I have posted on the forum before, a fair number of of us have aged out of retail targets and are not the Airstream target market to stay alive down the road.... they need to attract the new young crowd. So we will continue to see stuff that drives us nuts.
Having worked in the consumer insights industry it takes a lot of understanding to realize that at some point in our life we don't matter any more.... so the weird stuff (to us) will continue to come from Airstream.
What I have also realized is that as I age and become non-important is that I work hard to find the niche businesses or people who you talk to at a company what will help when you call them, rather than bitch on this forum, unless that makes you feel better.
And from my experience anytime I have called Airstream they have been extremely helpful. So I really don't feel the need to complain about them as many do on this forum.
Oh, and quite honestly if they can find the people with more money than brains to buy this stuff and keep the company afloat to support my needs when might need them down the road then I wish them only the best of luck.

Agreed.

[skyguyscott]

Hmmmm.

Nope, I don't think it a generational thing. When I was right in the ideal demographic of 18-29, I saw the following as ridiculous:

Tanning Salons (paying for sunshine)
Bottled Water (silly, assuming you have potable water in your home)
I then predicted after Water and Sunshine, they would find a way to sell you air.
Tattos (ok, maybe that is a generational thing)
Ear piercings for guys (ok, maybe that is generational too, but even though I was in the vanguard of that trend, I passed)
$300 Sweaters I saw in GQ that looked pretty much like the ones in JCPenny going for $20. (and that was back when $300 was not cheap)

Maybe it's a Midwest thing. But I have found sensible people all over the country, of all ages, and while the older ones do seem more likely to have purchased Wisdom at the price of pain, there are lots of sensible young folks out there too.

Put it this way, I don't think any of the sharks on Shark Tank would invest in Huck Buckets, although their pitch might be entertaining to watch.

[kittmaster]

While I don't have the Huck bucket yet, I hear I may end up with it for Christmas.......score!!

As far as the tables are concerned, we have two tables from Blue Ridge (not the one shown), and I can tell you that the price is well worth what you receive. The craftsmanship is amazing and will last for years to come.

We were not interested in cost metrics, we shopped specifically for made in the USA products and were willing to pay the price to have something built in our homeland.

Everyone complains that we outsource everything and yet when it comes time to support our own countries small manufacturers we complain about price. We have gone from a nation who produces stuff to a nation who consumes stuff.....so in this instance, we opted for USA made product.....and we were not disappointed.

Disclaimer: Yes, I buy junk from Amazon, look for the best prices on TVs etc.........guilty as charged......but for the sake of this product AS is promoting....in OUR humble opinion, was worth every penny. YMMV.

[r carl]

Originally Posted by SilverWind

Oh, and quite honestly if they can find the people with more money than brains to buy this stuff and keep the company afloat to support my needs when might need them down the road then I wish them only the best of luck..

I have no problem keeping the company afloat, it's the shareholders I have no interest keeping afloat.

[Bill M.]

So people are stupid if they can afford to pay more or buy better stuff than you do?

As a woodworker, the Blue Ridge table looks like it is priced about right for a product from a small shop. Of course you can get an imported one for about 1/8 of the cost.

Of course you could get an empty 5 gallon bucket free and use it upside down as a table also.

It fact, that is close to what I do. But I admire people who do better at things than I do.

[brokeboater]

Originally Posted by skyguyscott

the AS brand is often perceived as overpriced, even if they acknowledge the superior material, etc.

The AS brand is overpriced and the materials are not superior, not by a long shot. AS sells sizzle and they are darned good at it.

[Donutboy]

And at one point point in my life, I never thought I would pay more for a pickup truck than a new Corvette would cost.

[barticus]

Originally Posted by djb75

I think performance buckets fill faster.

And ‘performance buckets’ empty faster. Empty your wallet faster that is.

[drbrick]

Well, Hey, you pay $172 bucks for a table to go with your $100,000.00 AS - isn't that the same attitude as Rolls-Royce or Bentley, Ferrari or Lamborghini??? They all figure if you can buy the "main product" you can afford the "misc options" Then that why I bought a Lovingly pre-owned AS and buy the Wally-mart table...and tow with a perfectly good Older truck.

[Rzrbrn]

Huck Bucket on Amazon is about $130. This is a real deal:

Made of SpryTech, an incredibly strong, all-weather blend of performance polymers, Tested to 600 lbs without failure!
Walls that are twice as thick as an ordinary 5-gallon bucket, minimum bucket taper for max stability
Grippin'Feet by Vibram with TurtleGrip tread, prevents skidding, lets you spray underneath
Won't stick when stacked, GripLip for finger hold
Ultra-tough handle also features molded-in Grippin' finger grooves and StayPut design

How can you go wrong?

[Manning G]

Is it possible that Airstream is merely saying that they don't want to be in the plastic bucket business?

[mpsgolf]

But, but .... its a PERFORMANCE bucket!! MUST be worth it!?

In the immortal words if Forrest Gump: Stupid is as stupid does.

Or the one marketing people rely on: There’s a sucker born every minute.

[TimeForFun]

Originally Posted by Donutboy

And at one point point in my life, I never thought I would pay more for a pickup truck than a new Corvette would cost.

I also never dreamed I would pay more for a pickup truck than I paid for my house a few years back

[cazual6]

There is no right answer to your question.

You can always find something cheaper somewhere. It will not be the same, similar maybe.

[spclkaz]

An over priced AS bucket to go along with their WAAAY overpriced AS travel trailers...proving the old adage that there is some sucker somewhere who actually buys this stuff...

[Mikebrady62]

Originally Posted by UncleBad

Actually laughed out loud on that one....

So did I.

[Tim A.]

How refreshing to see kittmaster and Bill M. come to the defense of a product made of wood and that has been crafted in the US.

Is the bucket worth the price? I don't know. I do know that lower priced buckets have failed for me at inopportune times. Neither Airstream nor the manufacturer is twisting my arm to make me buy the bucket, but the next time one of my cheaper ones fails, perhaps I will remember the Huck bucket.

Okay, now that I have that off my chest, the whining can continue .

Tim

[PKI]

When GG is out priced, your price is excessive.

https://www.griotsgarage.com/search.do?query=bucket

Note, the best boat bucket is a horse feed bucket. Lasts forever and is impossible to break .... chew up, takes less time. But it is expensive.

https://www.amazon.com/Fortex-Corner.../dp/B001CS8E0C

Pat.