Did someone say something about BBQ Brethren Throwdown Prizes? (long)

[bigabyte]

100% of the profits from sales of the BBQ Brethren Throwdown Calendar will be used to fund prizes for the Throwdowns!


You heard it right, PRIZES!

So what does this mean? When will there be prizes? What kinds of prizes? Why are there profits? Can I order a calendar right now? Do I get a prize for reading this?

ALL OF YOUR ANSWERS ARE BELOW!!!

First off, if you are asking yourself, "What calendar?", then please go here...
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=81731

Beginning in June 2010, I will tally up the profits to date from the Calendar sales, and divide that by 52 (the number of Throwdowns in a year). I will round this DOWN to a nearby whole dollar amount. This will determine the value of the prize available for each of the next 52 Throwdowns (a years worth). Any profits from sales after that time will be reserved for the next year. I am hopeful that next year we will have another calendar, and sales from that calendar through next June plus any remaining funds from this year will result in the prize budget for next year. Also, the money left over after determining the prize value for the 52 Throwdowns will be reserved for the winner of next years cover shot on the next Calendar (I am hopeful there will be another one next year).

Why are there profits from these calendar sales? Why not sell the calendar at cost as Mr. Bigabyte himself originally stated he wanted to do? This has everything to do with the complexities in getting this calendar to you. Keep in mind that a certain Santa Gnome graciously offered to print and do the footwork to get these out the door for shipping to you for FREE, but only if they were reimbursed for the shipping costs they incurred by doing this. Shipping is NOT a flat rate to anywhere in the world, and for that matter are not really very similar at all when you consider that not all Brethren are in the continental United States. Since Santa Gnome already donated so much at this point (free printing and offering to take them to the post office and ship to you at no profit), it was not at all reasonable to expect them to take every single order to the Post Office beforehand to calculate shipping for each and every order to negotiate with each customer an exact price on each and every order. This is just not that complex of an operation here folks, we don't have that much time to spend with you on taking these orders. We're just two people, volunteering our free time to make this work, free time we could be spending with friends, family, BBQ, anything except getting you these calendars. But we are so excited about these calendars we choose to spend our time doing this for you.

So, what we needed was a flat rate to charge for the calendars that would cover any unusually high shipping costs, so that our gracious "volunteers" did not have to pay out of their own pockets to get you these calendars. I personally felt that offering a slightly elevated calendar cost estimated using some formula derived of percentage of overseas Brethren basically amounted to a tax, or penalty to those who DO live in the continental US, which to me seemed unfair. So I chose not to do that.

What I decided to do was charge what a FOR PROFIT organization would charge for these calendars, and take in a profit. This would definitely cover any high shipping costs, plus allow a profit, leaving me to determine how this profit money could come back and benefit the Brethren. This is why the calendars are $10.

When I talked with Phil about this, he told me to either take the money and use it for prizes, or use it to take a vacation in Hawaii. He didn't want the money for the site. I would really like to go to Hawaii someday, but I'm not going to do that with this money.

I don't know what kinds of prizes will be available at this point, or what their value will be. All of that will really depend on how sales of the calendar go through the end of May. Once I get a dollar amount firmed up for the value of the prizes, I can start looking at what can be arranged. To me, gift cards or e-certificates seem most reasonable, but at this time it's too early to firm anything up.

I will NOT incur any personal costs to cover shipping or other associated costs in getting a prize to you. Those costs will need to either be a pre-included part of the prize package value, or paid for by the winner to ensure they get it. You can be assured I will do my best to account for these added costs ahead of time so you will not have to deal with it, and simply receive a prize as expected. Things can come up though, so that is why I bring this up.

I will provide to the Brethren an accounting of the orders placed, ordering and shipping costs, and profit from the orders. This will allow for transparency for anyone who thinks I am out to get them or take their money, which I assure you I am not. All of this will be public info just to avoid some crazy accusing me of thievery or something crazy like that. If someone wants to go there, I can assure you my anger at having my purely charitable intentions abused in such a manner will be noticed by you in some way, somehow. So let's just not go there, ok?

So if you are interested in the concept of prizes for Throwdowns, and have not yet placed an order for one or more (I'm certain they will make excellent gifts for your BBQ friends), please feel free to order and support the cause by clicking this link for more information about ordering.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=81731

Remember, the more orders, the more profits, the better the prizes.

Thank you and have a nice day.

[BBQchef33]

chit.. and I was hoping you would take me to hawaii with you.

For the record, anyone trying this:

Originally Posted by bigabyte

If someone wants to go there, I can assure you my anger at having my purely charitable intentions abused in such a manner will be noticed by you in some way, somehow. So let's just not go there, ok?

Has no worries as they will never see bigabytes anger, due to the permanent redirect to this website placed on your ID.

[N8man]

OutStanding!!!!

[bigabyte]

Originally Posted by BBQchef33

chit.. and I was hoping you would take me to hawaii with you.

I know...I was planning on getting lei'd and everything.

Originally Posted by BBQchef33

For the record, anyone trying this...Has no worries as they will never see bigabytes anger, due to the permanent redirect to this website placed on your ID.

Oh fark me! That is farking HILARIOUS! Chit, that is giving me a farking giggle-fit just thinking about it.

[CajunSmoker]

was there a "terms and conditions" box I was supposed to sign Just askin

[bigabyte]

Yeah, my terms, and under no conditions will I listen to any bitching about it. No signature necessary, that's just how it is. So there.

[N8man]

Originally Posted by BBQchef33

chit.. and I was hoping you would take me to hawaii with you.

Originally Posted by bigabyte

I know...I was planning on getting lei'd and everything.

You two Do make a Lovely Couple...

[CajunSmoker]

Originally Posted by bigabyte

Yeah, my terms, and under no conditions will I listen to any bitching about it. No signature necessary, that's just how it is. So there.

Sounds like some right wing bullchit to me Is Glenn Beck involved in this at least it has to be O'Reilly

[CajunSmoker]

goin to my room now

it'll never be the same

[bigabyte]

Originally Posted by CajunSmoker

Sounds like some right wing bullchit to me Is Glenn Beck involved in this at least it has to be O'Reilly

This is the fruition of Karl Rove's long thought out master plan.

Originally Posted by CajunSmoker

goin to my room now

Don't look outside the windows.

Originally Posted by Rick's Tropical Delight

it'll never be the same

Not too much different really than it is now. Competition may get more fierce. People may complain a bit more, but it will still be, and will always be about posting pics of food you cook according to the category at hand, with the voters deciding who they think should win. One thing I will NEVER do, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER...is make rules on how things should be judged. The voters decide the winner and that is that, will always be that way.

[Gore]

Chris, while I don't really agree with Rick, I personally think this is asinine. I have done a number of "charitable acts" that at times have taken hundreds of hours of my time. In some instances these acts have required me to collect funds and disperse some goods. In all cases I have done my darnedest not to make a profit, but to make sure my monetary expenses were covered. The most annoying person is the one who asks for, demands rather, to see some accounting of my expenses further adding to my efforts to ensure that I have not accidentally compensated myself one penny for the hundreds of hours that I have volunteered for this effort. I know that you and Santa Squirrel and Gnarly Gnome have put in MANY hours to do a service for us and provide us with a product out of the goodness of your hearts. I would be surprised if the "profits" on these calendars would pay you 1/100 of minimum wage and probably would not pay for the taxi ride to and from the airport to catch your plane to Hawaii. You do this from the heart. But as a fiscal conservative (right-wing BBQ libertarian nut), I have no problem with people being compensated for their efforts. What you propose to do here is to take money from those who work hard to produce a decent product that people may actually want, yourselves actually, and to disperse it to those who did nothing more than make their dinner -- this stinks of communism to me. I had thought you were a member of the vast right-wing BBQ conspiracy, but I guess you are just another farking left-wing liberal commie pinko tree-huggin' camel-humpin climate-changin terrorist-kissin' Lenin-lovin' Chez-shaggin PETA-partnerin' vegan douchebag liberal. Actually, you are worse, you are a VR-WBBQCINO (vast right-wing BBQ conspiracist in name only) -- and just try to pronounce that -- determined to deceive your fellow brethren while supporting the very policies that will bring our Forum to ruination! What will be next? Will we not vote at all on throwdowns because we might hurt someone's feelings? Will we just award everyone a "certificate of merit" who enters the contest? The sad thing is I once looked up to you as a hero, but I now know that your aluminum antenna really do point to the left

[bigabyte]

Originally Posted by Gore

Chris, while I don't really agree with Rick, I personally think this is asinine. I have done a number of "charitable acts" that at times have taken hundreds of hours of my time. In some instances these acts have required me to collect funds and disperse some goods. In all cases I have done my darnedest not to make a profit, but to make sure my monetary expenses were covered. The most annoying person is the one who asks for, demands rather, to see some accounting of my expenses further adding to my efforts to ensure that I have not accidentally compensated myself one penny for the hundreds of hours that I have volunteered for this effort. I know that you and Santa Squirrel and Gnarly Gnome have put in MANY hours to do a service for us and provide us with a product out of the goodness of your hearts. I would be surprised if the "profits" on these calendars would pay you 1/100 of minimum wage and probably would not pay for the taxi ride to and from the airport to catch your plane to Hawaii. You do this from the heart. But as a fiscal conservative (right-wing BBQ libertarian nut), I have no problem with people being compensated for their efforts. What you propose to do here is to take money from those who work hard to produce a decent product that people may actually want, yourselves actually, and to disperse it to those who did nothing more than make their dinner -- this stinks of communism to me. I had thought you were a member of the vast right-wing BBQ conspiracy, but I guess you are just another farking left-wing liberal commie pinko tree-huggin' camel-humpin climate-changin terrorist-kissin' Lenin-lovin' Chez-shaggin PETA-partnerin' vegan douchebag liberal. Actually, you are worse, you are a VR-WBBQCINO (vast right-wing BBQ conspiracist in name only) -- and just try to pronounce that -- determined to deceive your fellow brethren while supporting the very policies that will bring our Forum to ruination! What will be next? Will we not vote at all on throwdowns because we might hurt someone's feelings? Will we just award everyone a "certificate of merit" who enters the contest? The sad thing is I once looked up to you as a hero, but I now know that your aluminum antenna really do point to the left

Oh no! Say it isn't so!

Checking my hat...is it real foil???

Nobody has asked to see the accounting. So maybe I won't post it, and sneak in that free ride to the airport.

[Gore]

Originally Posted by bigabyte

Oh no! Say it isn't so!

Checking my hat...is it real foil???

Nobody has asked to see the accounting. So maybe I won't post it, and sneak in that free ride to the airport.

The writing is plain to see for everyone who looks. Repent ... or turn in the hat! Uh, what size is that hat anyway?

[bigabyte]

I guess I better cancel this idea then since we don't want participant awards!