The "Free Shop"...

[shaelyn76]

I am still iffy on this whole thing.
I find it really odd that there would be 9 of a certain item in stock, yet when I would click on it I would immediately get sent to the "sold out" page. Really. How did 9 of them disappear that quickly?
I like that it makes things more fair for all timezones and how they seem to have been doing a good job of sprinkling the really rare items in instead of having them all dumped in at once. But I dislike how now the elite restockers will clean up and leave the crumbs for the rest of us. There is a reason I only restock occasionally... I like to avoid frustration in my "fun time" and restocking can be a total pain if there are more than 500 people online or if a new item has just been released in one of the shops I like to haunt. I am by no means an elite restocker. I am fair to middling at best. This new system (with the stupid captcha words especially) just makes a good chunk of the Subeta populace feel left out of the fun(read that as all those who don't restock all the time to keep their skills fresh). At least with the DC giveaways every person had a shot at snagging something kickass if they refreshed enough and had even a decent internet connection.
I really do think that Keith was coming at this from a good perspective and he really obviously is trying to make things better and more fair for everyone. I am just not sure if this was the best way to remedy things.

[Enigma]

I am at best a pretty good restocker but even I am amazed at how quickly things disappeared from the shop. I mean seriously, 3 wigs gone in the time it took me to click on the item? Wow. I also liked the old way, it was exciting while this one just feels like I'm restocking at any other shop except I don't have to haggle.

[TCStarwind]

I think I'm going to agree with the rest of you guys on this one. You blink your eyes and all the items in the shop are gone (and that's with 107 people on the site). I managed to get a few good items right after the site came back up just a few minutes ago, and it's already next to impossible to get anything with only 150 or so people online. :/ That said, I do have a pretty fast computer, but I also have horrible reflexes. I'm also going to be sitting the rest of the giveaway out, I got enough stuff. Gotta leave things for others.

I liked being able to click through all the items in the donation center. It gave me hope that even if I didn't find anything expensive, I could still find something cheap but cool to add to my collection that I might never had known existed before, ya know?

[Seerow]

Hmm I wonder how a giveaway would work if it was similar to those like the Golden Eggs, Pumpkins, Birthday Bags, etc. It would give everyone in all time zones equal chance to get something if the giveaway lasted 24 hours or something like that. It would of course have to be tweaked from the original site giveaways like those so that the items are much rarer to find (I was getting Birthday bags like every other page!). Each bag could give you a "worthless" item or you'd have a rare chance of getting something rare.

You aren't competing with others, so there isn't resentment to others for taking your item, its completely time zone neutral, and it won't concentrate all the lag at the DC.

To earn Keith some revenue, he could also put in a CS item for the day that either increases the chance of getting an event or increase the chance of getting a rare item. Of course, it'd have to be a small increase so as not to really unbalance the giveaway, but I think its worth looking in to and would probably make Keith quite a tidy amount of money.

[Helmcargh]

I really like that idea Seerow, its much fairer and I think it would be more fun. The people who spent more time on the site during the giveaway would continue to get more items (even if they're internet connection wasn't top of the range) and it would go some way to stopping people feeling disadvantaged.

I have no restocking skillz, so I have no chance of getting anything in the free shop if it remains how it is. It seems that Keith has just swapped the unfairness rather then fixing it, although I do appreciate that he is trying to do something about the problem.

[hebdenhippy]

I think that's a fantastic idea Seerow! I think this "Free Shop" is terrible; it doesn't solve anything, it just makes things worse! Unless you have an uber fast connection and great typing skills you don't stand a change, and it isn't fun at all, giveaways are meant to be fun but restocking is just plain frustrating.

[WisteriaLynx]

That's a really great idea, Seerow. Your only advantages are how much time you have to spend online and your natural luck. Everyone gets a chance at getting something rare or cheap every time.

Some of the posts on the boards there are just depressing. "Oh, I got six Feli Flop Hats and ten I Hate You Shirts, and *goes on to list about twenty more very rare items*" I can understand wanting to get rare stuff, but jeez, leave some for people who haven't gotten anything yet.

[Farseek]

I have a super fast internet connection and I haven't been able to get one single thing. I don't really like this new system. It makes what should be a fun thing seem like work. No matter how hard he tries, I don't Keith can make this fair for everyone. First, it was time zones. Now it's unfair to those with slow computers or aren't experienced restockers. By the way, why is the free shop asking me for sp? Am I missing something?

[WisteriaLynx]

It's a glitch on some of the items. Not everything in the Free Shop is actually free, even though it's supposed to be. (And it seems to happen the most on the cheap wearables.)

[Saturn]

Count me as someone else who loves Seerow's idea. <3 Not only is it a lot more fair, it'd encourage people to actually... y'know... PLAY the site and do things to get the goodies to show up. It seems like *I* get a lot more done during the birthday/pumpkin/egg giveaways, anyway, since I'm constantly doing quests and clicking stuff to get the event to occur. :3

[Elzaim]

Count me into the group of people who hate this 'free shop'.

Just to give it a try, the benefit of the doubt, I've been trying to get an item. I'm at work and we have a super-fast connection, and I haven't been able to get ONE item... and this has been over several hours. This idea has to be the most ludicrous one yet. How is this fairer then the DC? Not only am I mad that I can't even attempt to get anything - not even a 1 sp sweater - I'm getting logged off the stupid site every 2 mins when I try to refresh. I'm extremely annoyed.

I too, love seerow's idea. That way at least it's totally random and there's a more equal chance for peopl to get things all day instead of in a few minutes, or hoping against hope to snab something in the nick of time. I agree with whoever said this is exactly like the freebie-tree on neopets. I was never ever able to get anything there, and the same is happening here.

Ugh!

[stinkbomb]

I think it is refreshing to see that they are trying to find some sort of solution that, while it won't please everyone, would please a larger percentage of their users. With that said, this is the sort of thing that probably sounded great in theory, but is not so great in reality. I agree 110% part of the fun of a giveaway thru the donation center was being able to click, somewhat leisurely, thru the items. After the initial awesome things were gone I would always snag odd things that I had never heard of, or thought would look nifty with a particular pet etc. Some of the stuff I snagged was absolutely worthless, some was a little better. None of it was enough to finance my retirement on a small island somewhere drinking virtual margaritas. But it made me happy.

This.. this feels like one of those "You won a shopping spree, you've got 15 seconds to get everything you want and get it to the register, scanned and bagged". If the connection gods are with you, on an average computer you have a pretty slim chance to get anything. It feels like a "better make this first choice count" because there won't be time for a second one. Which stinks. I tried off and on last night and got nothing. Not even the junk.

Thanks to my dog needing a trip to the bathroom in the wee hours of the morning I did snag one feli hat, one hate you t-shirt and a billboard sign. All in one restock. So.. 5:30am eastern time is a dandy fine time to go there

Anyhow, long story made short..

They get an A for Effort
but a D for execution

Come on guys.. head back to the think tank and try again?

[Seerow]

Thanks guys I smailed Keith the idea, maybe he'll consider it.

[mellaka]

I've finally been able to get to the code screen on some items - but of course they turn out to be the ones that are glitched and asking for sp. I did get the shirt yesterday though.

[Jessi]

The suckiest thing about this is I NEED that stupid hate t-shirt for Fyfe >> Oh, wait, except I can't get anything out of that damn shop.

(...if anyone grabs one and wants to sell it to me, let me know ;o;)