I was flying recently, and unfortunately I forgot to pack some reading material. I looked in the seat pocket in front of me and sure enought there it was - the SkyMall catalog.
It always amuses to look through it. I suppose if I had money to burn I would buy myself the BeerTender pony keg cooler. But honestly, I’ve always wondered, who buys this shit? Does anyone really have a need for the TowelMatic paper towel dispenser, the Kool Light a Scope underwater pool light or a guillotine shaped cigar cutter?
Has anyone here every bought anything from SkyMall or know someone who has, and if so what did you get?
I mean to say, in the title, “EVER bought anything from a SkyMall catalog,” not EVERY.
No, but I’ve giggled over a few of them.
Sorta. I thought a platform for little kids would make a cool gift for a tiny toddler I knew, so I searched for a cheaper version when I got off the plane.
I’ve thought about getting one the dog ramps for my mom. Her dog is getting old, and there will come a day whem she can’t lift it anymore.
I always laugh over the hot dog toaster. As if there are not enough trivial ways to cook a hot dog already.
Sadly, that site show the $50 toaster is sold out.
Damn it, I was going to mention the hot dog thing!
That catalog has given me hours of amusement over the years when I just didn’t want to read the book I brought.
Isn’t the SkyMall catalog just a collection of the “best of” of other catalogs? Some of the catalogs that have page-space in there offer junky (and funny) items, and others offer useful (though often pricey) stuff. For instance, Frontgate has pages in SkyMall, and I’ve ordered from them over the years, including quite recently a collapsible canvas-y bin to keep outdoor furniture cushions in. It can stay outside year-round and is quite nice-looking. But I, too, have giggled at some of the other offerings.
ETA: I spotted the cushion-keeper in SkyMall first and then ordered directly from Frontgate, so I don’t know if that counts for the OP’s survey or not!
Yea, that’s about it. Go through the SkyMall catalog to see all of the silly stuff that’s out there. Occasionally, there’s something that is interesting. Then go home, log on, and find it at a better price. SkyMall may just be advertising. It would be interesting to see know how many orders they actually generate. Maybe places like Frontgate find that by featuring their stuff in SkyMall, the direct order go up. Just a thought.
Since the OP is asking for personal experiences, it’s better suited for IMHO than GQ.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
I never bought anything from SkyMall, but I thought about advertising in it. At the time a quarter page ad cost $13,700 per month with a 3 month minimum, and they also took 6% of sales (because they have a call center that people can order from).
Their media kit had letters from lots of merchants that talked about how advertising in SkyMall was beneficial for them, but then again it’s a media kit…
Sometimes, I’ll see something that looks kind of interesting, but their version looks incredibly cheap. A lot of it looks like the stuff from Sharper Image, it probably was from there, I guess.
No, but I admit to wanting to go through it and circle a whole bunch of shit that I’d like to have.
I hope my girlfriend never sees that. She might get the idea to use it for something other than cigars.
As someone said, sort of. There was a gel-wrap for shoulders advertised in one many years ago. I didnt’ buy from there, but it did let me know that they existed and I went and bought one. (I wish I still had it.)
A related question, since it’s somewhat airport/aviation-related: does anyone really pay for Boingo wi-fi in airports?
I do…is that weird? If I’m going to be in an airport for a few hours on a layover and I feel like goofing off and surfing the net while I’m there, I’ll do the $7 daypass or whatever Boingo charges. Hell, it’s a lot cheaper than a bunch of my other hobbies and it passes the time.
That’s really awesome! You always find the coolest gifts!
I don’t know if it was Skymall specifically, but my parents bought a painting out of an airline catalog. They liked the painting, but they now get enough catalogs in the mail to insulate their house.
We have one of those, though not thru Skymall. They’re great, my daughter is standing in it right now, stirring jello.