2016 Catalogues!

2016 Lykki catalogues ready to go! Add one to your next order or watch your mailbox over the next few weeks.

This might be our last year for catalogues - trying to cut out the excess waste. Do businesses still like getting catalogues??

I remember when...

Some strange guy was driving up and down our street tossing  these yellow books on everyone's doorstep. What is this book used for? 
OK, I'm old enough to remember the awesome Sears Catalogue and the toy section where I would dream of the toy Santa might bring me or the Canadian Tire catalogue and even the classified section of the newspaper where I found my first car to buy and apartment to rent but technology has replaced all that. And that's a good thing at least from an environmental standpoint. 
I think the only good part about these yellow pages is the fact my kids are just old enough that they will remember the books and reminisce many years from now .... I remember when they still made the Yellow Pages.  
Cheers
Calvin

Introducing Nature Clean

If you've noticed it's quiet around here, it's because we're working full steam ahead on our new 2010 catalogue! No need to wait for that to come out, though, as we've been adding some of our our new 2010 products to the web.

New to CostlessExpress.com is Nature Clean, a line of natural, hypoallergenic, non-toxic and eco-friendly cleaning products. We have everything from hand soap to laundry and dishwashing supplies to kitchen and bathroom cleansers.

Nature Clean is also a Canadian owned and operated company, like Costless Express! All their products are made and packaged right here in Canada. Just log in to CostlessExpress.com and search for 'Nature Clean' to see all of our new Nature Clean products!"

The New 2009 Costless Express Catalogue!

One of my all time favourite movies - Steve Martin in The Jerk.
"THE NEW PHONE BOOK'S HERE, THE NEW PHONE BOOK'S HERE!!!!
That's how we felt today when we FINALLY received our 2009 catalogues from the printers. We delayed printing the catalogue in December, because of all the price changes suppliers had waiting for January 2009. I decided it was best to hold production and have a more accurately priced catalogue.
I can easily say our 2009 catalogue is the best yet. Some quick highlights are:

• Cool finger pointing cover!
• Free Starbucks Gift Cards - Page A5
• A welcome letter from me - Page A6 (My kids' eyes almost popped out seeing me in the catalogue: "You're famous, Daddy!")
• Lots of Eco Products - See Page A7
• New Toner Club saves you 20% off copy paper - Page A8
• New super low water prices - Page A21
• New Keurig and Flavia Coffee Machines - Pages A22-A23
• Seattle's Best and Ethical Bean Coffee! - Pages A26-A27
• All Island Farms Dairy ("So long!" to our last unreliable dairy supplier) - Page A40
• FRUIT EXPRESS check it out - Page A45
• Two Bite Party Trays and muffins - YUM! - Pages A47, A48, A69
• Wally Biscotti - to die for! - Page A67
• Big Bags of Chips - you asked for it. - Pages A72-A76
• Bulk Candy - another request - Page A79
• Recycled Paper products at new lower prices - Pages A86 - A92
• Cups and Cutlery made out of PLANTS! - Pages A92 + A95
• Lots of new Eco Cleaning Products - Pages A102-A111
• Thousands of Recycled Office Supplies - all pages
• Super Low Prices on House Brand SPARCO office supplies - all pages
• Our largest selection of writing instruments ever - pages 749-834
• Super low prices on Recycled Toners "Elite" House Brand - Pages 855-856

You will automatically get a new Costless Express 2009 catalogue for free on your next order. We also have our drivers delivering them as fast as possible. If you just can't wait, like Steve Martin, then give us a shout, and we will hand deliver one to you ASAP.
Cheers,
Calvin

Inventory Blowout Sale!

Have you seen our latest emails and the front of our website? We have our yearly INVENTORY BLOW-OUT SALE on right now. Get the deals while they last!
Each year at about this time, it's "out with the old and in with the new" when it comes to our inventory. We need to make room for all the new and exciting products that were added to the 2009 catalogue, so we deeply discount the remaining stock that didn't make it. I know it sounds like some cheesy line from a furniture commercial: "Everything Must Go, Blah Blah Blah!" But it's true, we only have so much space so... Ahhhh, everything must GO! Some items just changed in pack size or flavour, while others just didn't make the cut due to slow sales. Whatever the case, the customer gets a great chance to pick up some hot deals. We update the Blow-out Sheet daily with what's sold out and what new items have been added. The info is always as fresh as we can make it.
We also added a new section at the top of the sheet, and I wanted to get some feedback from you on if you like it. We added items where the "Best By" date is close or at expiry. Think of it as our scratch and dent sale, in a way. These items like Starbucks coffee have very short dates (too short, in my opinion) and sometimes we have to pull the items off our shelves, since we promise customers a reasonable amount of time on any Best By date. The products are absolutely fine to consume - it really is just the manufacturer setting short dates to help boost sales volume, in my humble opinion.
Here's the question: Would you take a deep discount on an item, if the date was close or at expiry? To be clear, I'm talking about items in tin cans or foil pouches, not week's old nasty bread or chips. Items are JUST near or at expiry, and NOT months over date.
Seems part of my question has been answered, because the items are selling like hot cakes. Starbucks Coffee regular $54.99 - clearance $29.99 (Expires February and March 2009), now there's a deal!
Cheers,
Calvin

Hovering!

Well, we finally snapped a picture of the elusive marketing genius Erin!

She is responsible for the 2009 catalogue, and here she is celebrating the completion of another job well done.

There was a new popular culture saying added to our office vocabulary during the project. Hovering - as in "Calvin, STOP hovering and I won't stick this pen in your neck!"

Seems I had a habit of looking over Erin's shoulder while she worked on the catalogue and since she works best listening to her iPod, I just stood there watching.... ehhhem HOVERING they say.

Hey, we were under deadline and I just thought I could "proof" over her shoulder.

I just hope the staff don't call me the HOVERER. In my defense, there is a management style I was taught by a successful entrepreneur - MBWA. Manage By Walking Around - that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Great work Erin!

Cheers,
Calvin

Out With The Old, In With The New!

At Costless Express, November is our "Spring Cleaning" month: Time to make room for all the new 2008 items that are starting to arrive!

Over the next 2 months, we mark down prices on items we will not carry in our 2008 catalogue. That's great news for customers, since all the products are still relevant, but at huge savings!

Most items we discontinue are replaced by new pack sizes or flavours, or sometimes the manufacturer discontinues the item.

One item discontinued this year that was a surprise was Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail in 300ml plastic bottles. It was a huge seller for us, and customers loved it. The reason the product was discontinued was that Coke bought Ocean Spray, and delisted the item for some unknown reason. In the end, we switched our customers to our 300ml Everfresh Cranberry Cocktail, another hot seller for us.

Keep a look out for our "Clean Sweep" deals on our updated hot sheet!

Calvin

Catalogue Season!

Buckle up, staff - it's catalogue season! Our staff has seen what it's like when we start preparing our new catalogue - in this case, our 2009 Big Book.

We meet with over 100 suppliers; From coffee to cups, paper to pop, fruit to facial tissue and everything in between. What the staff likes best are the free samples each supplier brings in. So far we have some cool cups and cutlery made from corn and bamboo reeds, and "Amazing Raisins" flavoured with all sorts of tasty toppings that are at the top of our staff selection.

Our goal this year for the catalogue is to continue to add more eco friendly products, more coffee selection, healthier snacks and more fruit, to name just a few. Take a look on the front of our website; we have added a customer poll so you can vote on some of the items we need help deciding on. Also, under our Free Samples list, you might just find a few treats to try for yourself, before they come out in our new catalogue!

If you have specific feedback, or a wish list, please by all means let us know, and we'll consider all items.

Cheers,
Calvin

Our Green Catalogue!

Today we released our first, highly anticipated Green Catalogue.

It's printed on 100% recycled paper with soy inks, of course. This catalogue showcases our commitment and strength in the recycled products category. We packed over 2300 items inside, along with lots of "Eco Tips" and other useful information on the whos, whats, and whys of this fast changing segment.

We'll be adding the catalogue to orders, and our fantastic account managers will discuss the new catalogues with our customers. Please have a look when you get one, or log onto our website and order a catalogue right now.

All the items in the new Green Catalogue have a suggested price, and then we put a line thru the price. The reason is, we have discounted and will continue to discount the prices in the catalogue, so we did not want to commit to prices that could be too high, and scare off our customers from trying recycled products. Usually the cost for a recycled product is about the same as a non recycled product nowadays! Have a look online for up to the minute prices. More product keeps arriving in our warehouse every day.

We also launched our new mini website, Costless Cares, that tells about all things ECO in our business. Have a look, Erin our designer did a fantastic job.

Thanks for supporting the environment.

Calvin

Our New Items For 2008!

This is my favorite time of year at Costless Express. Our 2008 Catalogue is completed and off to the presses. Now, it's time to bring in all the new and exciting items for our catalogue launch!

Just last week, we had our coffee and tea shipments arrive. It was Christmas a bit early for me as I went to the warehouse to see the shipments arrive. It was satisfying to see the product cycle complete. From finding a supplier, negotiating prices, adding the products to the catalogue and receiving our first shipment—all that's left to do is ship the new items out to customers.

I know our customers will enjoy our new 2008 Catalogue. We listened to our customers' feedback and added some exciting new items and categories, such as:

• More healthy snack choices
• More environmentally friendly items
• More Buy More & Save pricing
• Focus pages on your favorite items like Starbucks, Tazo, Stash and more
• Free hand soap and Purell dispensers
• Health and Wellness program
• Over 4500 new items

I'm excited to show all our customers our new catalogue and products. Keep an eye on our website: we'll add new items online before the catalogues arrive!

Calvin

Our War Room

Q: How do you eat an elephant?
A: One bite at a time!

Recently, we completed our 2008 Catalogue. With over 1100 pages of products, it really is a massive project. Our catalogue is now off to be printed, and we hope to see the finished product in December.

I'm sure everyone has been involved in large projects with deadlines. How do you stay organized? At Costless, we have our "War Room," and we plaster the walls with whiteboards and calendars. We are a visual group, and we like to see and feel the project.

The best part about our War Room is that it's where all our new product samples are kept and photographed. Once a new product is shot, we sample the product. Hey, someone's got to do it!

A large project can be so overwhelming when looked at in its entirety, but when a broken down into mini projects, it seems manageable. My advice to our marketing team has always been "One bite at a time!"

Calvin

Planning Our New 2008 Catalogue!

It may seem like 2008 catalogues are forever away, but here at Costless Express we're in full catalogue mode.

This time each year, our purchasing and marketing departments select all the new products for the catalogue and meet with over 115 different suppliers. The best part of the process is testing all the samples our suppliers send us!

Some of my favorites so far are the sliced apples and caramel dip, a frozen Tomy Roma rib sandwich and Izze pop. On my "No Way!" list would be Insane Chips that were so hot they were... insane!

Our goal in product selection for our catalogue is to offer customers new choices plus all the favorites. But most of all, each item must be at a great price.

I know our 2008 catalogue will be our best yet — I hope you do too.

Calvin