What is wrong with me?  Why can’t I ever come up with the great ideas?  I found this site called Woot! today through a blog I read called "The Post Money Value."  Here’s what Woot! does:

• Offers one item per day on its online store. It puts the item up on the store at 12:00 a.m. central time and it keeps that item on its store until it is sold out or until 11:59 p.m. central time.
• If a product runs out it will not be replaced until the next release time.  Unless of course they run a "Woot-Off" which is an unannounced, frenzied sale of an item after that day’s original item has sold out.  These are indicated by flashing orange thingys.
• If you miss a day’s item you cannot get one, period, unless they run it again at a later date.
• You can not talk to a live person at their company.
• They provide no customer service.  From their website: "No. Well, not really. If you buy something you don’t end up liking or
  you have what marketing people call "buyer’s remorse," sell it on eBay.
  It’s likely you’ll make money doing this and save everyone a hassle. If
  the item doesn’t work, find out what you’re doing wrong. Yes, we know
  you think the item is bad, but it’s probably your fault. Google your
  problem, or come back to that product discussion in our community and
  ask other people if they know. Try to call the manufacturer and ask if
  they know. If you give up and must return it to us, then follow on to
  the next FAQ entry."
• Here’s what they tell you to do if the product is defective: "Unless we specifically tell you not to, call the manufacturer of the
  product you bought. You will likely get a replacement of a new model or
  better item from them. If we still haven’t dissuaded you, email
  rma@woot.com with your woot order number, the name of the product you
  are returning, and the detailed problem with the item. We will respond
  with return authorization by the next business day. Because we aren’t
  likely to have a replacement in stock, you should be prepared for a
  refund-only option if that’s all we can do. Know that return freight
  will be at your expense. Again, you will probably get a better deal
  from the manufacturer, or whoever else handling customer service for
  that product."

What’s not to love: a business where you consistently sell out in hours, you can be short with your customers if not downright rude, and you don’t even have to pay for phone lines! To give you an idea of how successful Woot! is here’s the report for the item that went on sale at 12:00 a.m. central time on October 20, 2005:

Item: George Foreman Stainless Jumbo Grill with Timer
Price: $39.99 + $5 shipping
Quantity: 900
Last order time: 3:07 a.m. central time
Woot member to blame it on: ojeff17
Order Pace: 28.139 seconds
Woot wage: $11,511.56 an hour

Oh, the varying levels of marketing genius that these numbers reveal.  Creating a membership/club? Pretty darn smart.  Identifying the schmo that bought the last item?  Brilliant!  Showing how fast things sell, i.e. creating a sense of urgency? Double-brilliant!  Telling everyone how much you made?  Ballsy and triple-brilliant!

This leaves me to wonder where I was when they passed out the business-acumen gene.  Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to keep toiling away as I wallow in my mediocrity.