Web Secret #380: QVC

QVC was founded in 1986, but I didn't find out about it until the early 90s. A young husband came to the EAP I worked for. Presenting problem: since their baby was stillborn, all his wife did was watch QVC 24/7.

So I had to check it out. At that time, QVC consisted of a variety of hosts hawking cheap goods for hours on end. Periodically, some hayseed from the Midwest would call in to express delight over these tacky items. There was a droning, pacifying quality to all of this. But it was not for me.

Recently, however, I was home recovering from surgery and had some time on my hands. I happened to turn on QVC and discovered that 95% of the tackiness is gone. The channel sells quality brands like Dooney & Bourke, Cannon, Clarks, Givenchy lipstick, KitchenAid, and much much more.

That's nice, but why buy from QVC?

• Customer service - a generous return policy, fast shipping and more.
• Product information - items are showcased for long periods of time, described and demonstrated by the QVC host and typically the product's designer, senior executive or brand expert. You can watch this live or months later as virtually every item has a companion video.
• Easy Pay - this is unique: you can receive an item now and pay monthly installments at no extra charge. The product price, Shipping & Handling, and any applicable sales tax will be divided according to the specified number of payments.
• Hard to find sizes - how fun is it to shop if you have narrow or wide feet, are very thin or petite or plus sized? Not. QVC sells most clothing, shoes, bracelets and rings in a broad range of sizes.
• Models come in all shapes and sizes - most items are showcased by models of all shapes and sizes, ethnicities, and ages. Cosmetic products are demonstrated on older women. You can actually see what a product would look like on a real person - not just a 16 year old wearing a size zero.
• QVC hosts come in all shapes, sizes and ages.

All of this goes on 24/7.

Thank you QVC.