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Post by gigi333 on Mar 6, 2019 20:19:56 GMT
I only buy from ali when I super super want something now
I find her customer service awful these days and they are why I cancelled all three of my kits.
I used to have a lot of respect for Ali, I have zero now
I really feel like things are going downhill so fast just like at studio calico
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sneakylatina
Full Member
Posts: 107
Dec 28, 2018 5:16:09 GMT
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Post by sneakylatina on Mar 6, 2019 20:41:01 GMT
I think Ali's had it very cushy the past few years, growing her subscriber base, adding projects, reaping the benefits of good social media (Inked is good at this as is she), not having to do industry shows, not having to do in-person teaching outside of her hometown. Now that growth is slowing down (she seems to be selling harder than she has in the past), Inked may be forcing her to make some uncomfortable decisions, like a 40% increase on the SBTM kits in order for her to keep her relatively cush thing going. If she's not going to go out and actively grow her base, she'll have to keep squeezing the customers she has. I feel like Inked is asserting contractual dominance to meet projections/expectations.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 1, 2024 17:03:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2019 21:25:11 GMT
I think Ali's had it very cushy the past few years, growing her subscriber base, adding projects, reaping the benefits of good social media (Inked is good at this as is she), not having to do industry shows, not having to do in-person teaching outside of her hometown. Now that growth is slowing down (she seems to be selling harder than she has in the past), Inked may be forcing her to make some uncomfortable decisions, like a 40% increase on the SBTM kits in order for her to keep her relatively cush thing going. If she's not going to go out and actively grow her base, she'll have to keep squeezing the customers she has. I feel like Inked is asserting contractual dominance to meet projections/expectations. I'm reading more and more that people are turning their back on social media. What's the next marketing channel going to be? Seems like Inked has put all its eggs in one basket. If it wasn't for this forum I would not know when Inked or Ali is doing anything. I usually miss their emails and have to go look for them as I let them go to my promotions folder on purpose and now I am using IG less - I don't see their posts unless I look for them. I feel disconnected from most SB product designers now except for KP and FYC who I purposely go and check out what they are up to, and to be honest, I like it that way.
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Post by lasteve1 on Mar 6, 2019 21:47:07 GMT
I really am annoyed by this change mostly because... what I really want, and would be happy to pay $4 extra for, and would not cost them a thing, is the digital kit to come with the SBTM. But instead they sell it for $15 or something ridiculous on its own? It's already a year old, how much would they lose by adding that in.
Personally if they had told me that they were increasing the cost by $4 and adding the digital, or even better if it was an optional increase in exchange for the digital, then I would've been happy with that change and it wouldn't have cost a thing. To me this feels like they're just forcing you to buy the add-ons.
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Post by mom on Mar 6, 2019 22:03:47 GMT
I really am annoyed by this change mostly because... what I really want, and would be happy to pay $4 extra for, and would not cost them a thing, is the digital kit to come with the SBTM. But instead they sell it for $15 or something ridiculous on its own? It's already a year old, how much would they lose by adding that in. Personally if they had told me that they were increasing the cost by $4 and adding the digital, or even better if it was an optional increase in exchange for the digital, then I would've been happy with that change and it wouldn't have cost a thing. To me this feels like they're just forcing you to buy the add-ons.Agreed. I would have been ok with the digitals and a price increase. There have been times where I have messed a card up and wanted to print another one but refused to pay for her pricey digital kits.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 1, 2024 17:03:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2019 22:15:13 GMT
I cancelled my SBTM sub last month, which was strictly due to the design...I like Ali's work but it has never really been my style. I thought they were a great value and "just enough". Honestly, they could have started the price point on these at $2 higher to begin with and hopefully not have to change a thing for a few years at least! Doubt they had many subbers asking for more stuff to be included...I'm sure it was Inked's idea to justify the higher price. They could have halved the increase and said it was shipping/manufacturing cost increases.
This was such a typical Inked move. Sorry for those of you who have to cancel when you would rather not...those international prices are crazy!
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julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,611
Jul 11, 2018 15:20:45 GMT
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Post by julie5 on Mar 6, 2019 22:51:57 GMT
I cancelled my SBTM sub last month, which was strictly due to the design...I like Ali's work but it has never really been my style. I thought they were a great value and "just enough". Honestly, they could have started the price point on these at $2 higher to begin with and hopefully not have to change a thing for a few years at least! Doubt they had many subbers asking for more stuff to be included...I'm sure it was Inked's idea to justify the higher price. They could have halved the increase and said it was shipping/manufacturing cost increases. This was such a typical Inked move. Sorry for those of you who have to cancel when you would rather not...those international prices are crazy! To be fair, no one would like the price increase whether it was attributed to shipping or saying people wanted more product. I mean I get it, it’s supposed to be a cheap kit and the price increase sucks but it doesn’t matter the reason. It’s Ali and inked and their track record sucks and it comes off sounding greedy. Especially Ali and her over priced blank journaling cards.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 1, 2024 17:03:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2019 23:04:45 GMT
I cancelled my SBTM sub last month, which was strictly due to the design...I like Ali's work but it has never really been my style. I thought they were a great value and "just enough". Honestly, they could have started the price point on these at $2 higher to begin with and hopefully not have to change a thing for a few years at least! Doubt they had many subbers asking for more stuff to be included...I'm sure it was Inked's idea to justify the higher price. They could have halved the increase and said it was shipping/manufacturing cost increases. This was such a typical Inked move. Sorry for those of you who have to cancel when you would rather not...those international prices are crazy! To be fair, no one would like the price increase whether it was attributed to shipping or saying people wanted more product. I mean I get it, it’s supposed to be a cheap kit and the price increase sucks but it doesn’t matter the reason. It’s Ali and inked and their track record sucks and it comes off sounding greedy. Especially Ali and her over priced blank journaling cards. No, none of us like a price increase. IMO, though, the price point on these kits were too low (again, IMO). Inked's method of operating is to be reactionary and lacking in good business acumen. The next price increase on the SBTM kit will probably be needed because they lost so many subbers and decreased their economies of scale (not what they will tell you, though!). Too bad Ali is part of this (by contractual obligation, I assume). I'm willing to pay a fair price for a quality or well-designed product. I felt for what I got in the kit it was a great deal...I would have paid $12/mo and still felt it was a good value.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 1, 2024 17:03:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2019 23:55:16 GMT
I'm glad they didn't add the digital. I would have never been able to drop my sub! I've only ever bought 2 of the digital sbtm and that's only with a coupon or on sale.
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Post by scrappyem on Mar 7, 2019 3:24:48 GMT
I really am annoyed by this change mostly because... what I really want, and would be happy to pay $4 extra for, and would not cost them a thing, is the digital kit to come with the SBTM. But instead they sell it for $15 or something ridiculous on its own? It's already a year old, how much would they lose by adding that in. Personally if they had told me that they were increasing the cost by $4 and adding the digital, or even better if it was an optional increase in exchange for the digital, then I would've been happy with that change and it wouldn't have cost a thing. To me this feels like they're just forcing you to buy the add-ons. 100% this. Digitals and I would have been in. I don't want wood veneer at all. I guess this really is the push I need to cancel now that my sub is up as of this month. I wanted to hold out for the August Kit but doubt I will now. The digitals would have been awesome.
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Post by groovy on Mar 7, 2019 3:49:20 GMT
I cancelled. No regrets.
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Post by janamke on Mar 7, 2019 14:58:34 GMT
Same. It was nice while it lasted. I've not loved the last few kits either.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Mar 7, 2019 15:24:43 GMT
It's been le drama with my mama (again). Update in the crop thread. TL;DR My mother had an(other) accident two weeks ago. Bedridden, leg cast, etc. I've been travelling back and forth non stop to help out. Just catching up on this thread. So sorry, dear. Hope the past few days have given your mom's health much improvement. Thanks for the concern. My maman is on the mend. Thankful for the French universal healthcare system: she hasn't had to pay anything for the ambulance taking her to the hospital for her visits to check on how the bones are mending, the cool wheel chair, cast (and new, lighter, improved cast she just got done today), etc. Only 4 or so more weeks to go if all goes well and she can start physical therapy, yay! Her arms are ripped now (silver lining).
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Post by sleepingbooty on Mar 7, 2019 15:33:16 GMT
*catches up on what's happening at AE* *reads about the significant price increase of the SbtM kit* *smirk appears* *grabs scotch* *leans back in cushy velvet chair*
Y'all. I didn't even need a crystal ball to predict this.
Next step: for people to stop putting it all on Inked. One day, my dears, you'll get there. You'll see that Inked doesn't push Ali to hike up pricing, change to mandatory bundling for big money makers like DD, etc. She's happy to be the driving force (and has collected all the modern-day "brand yourself and make a business out of it" books on her shelves to prove it). If anything, she's giving Inked ideas at this stage. Jussayin'.
Anyhoo, KP will be getting some cash from me for a big order of cute alpha stickers and some other stuff later this year. I love being free from subs since summer last year when I dropped SbtM. So much more cash to buy whatever I want from whomever I want. Makes life and scrapbooking so much easier and fun.
PS: dudleypippen Right on! The SbtM kit was meant for essentials only. Grab all the extras from your stash (I don't know any scrapbooker who doesn't have a stash of embellishments that just won't shrink), get fresh cards with fresh sentiments and the ever popular chippy. Done. This expansion means SbtM is going to end up becoming a $30 to $35 PL kit (before taxes + international shipping) like I've said before in this very thread. Watch it happen.
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Post by scrappyem on Mar 7, 2019 16:06:23 GMT
Canceled. I feel lighter already. I did give the feedback that I would have been fine with the increase if they had included the digitals. The only sub I have now is Citrus Twist & I love it so far. I also love that they include digitals as part of your kit price.
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Post by mrsshampoo on Mar 7, 2019 16:16:29 GMT
When did all the money grabbing and phoning it in start with Ali? Was it around the time that Aaron moved in? I feel like it wasn’t too long ago that Ali was relatable and her prices seemed more reasonable. I just feel like her whole persona changed at some point, and now she thinks that all her fangirls will support her at whatever price point she decides. I would have much more respect for her business if she was more upfront about why the kit prices had to go up. Don’t just throw a bandaid on it and think no one will notice.
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sneakylatina
Full Member
Posts: 107
Dec 28, 2018 5:16:09 GMT
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Post by sneakylatina on Mar 7, 2019 18:44:00 GMT
When did all the money grabbing and phoning it in start with Ali? Was it around the time that Aaron moved in? I feel like it wasn’t too long ago that Ali was relatable and her prices seemed more reasonable. I just feel like her whole persona changed at some point, and now she thinks that all her fangirls will support her at whatever price point she decides. I would have much more respect for her business if she was more upfront about why the kit prices had to go up. Don’t just throw a bandaid on it and think no one will notice. Interesting take. Maybe she is the primary breadwinner in her household? I did sense from her about a year ago (or with the roll out of the lifestyle stuff-- t-shirts, etc.), that she was really wanting to move into a different direction, more fitness/lifestyle. Seems like that died out because her "tribe" (I hate that word) wasn't really too interested. But it does seem like she really needs growth and is pushing. I feel like she is a lot more salesy in the past six months or so. The change in DITL seemed to be a money grab, not that she wanted to "mix things up" and "have a home" for the project (an album for $38!). The comments on FB about the SBTM increase basically indicated she's starting to out-price her base. The inherent disconnect/contradiction of her core philosophy of photos+words and some "intentional" products against the money-grab really turned me off. I canceled subscriptions in December, and now that I'm not invested in drinking the koolaid, it seems like a lot of crap. Nice crap, but not necessary for such simple pages. Just my opinion. I like some of her stuff, but the excess of it in order to sell a kit (as opposed to being able to pick from products) seems to contradict her own philosophy. She seems less about creating and more about selling, which is fine because that's her business. But I do miss the days of Chris when she was creating for creating's sake.
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Post by gynergy on Mar 7, 2019 19:07:34 GMT
Just started a cancellation “conversation” myself as well.
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Post by mom on Mar 7, 2019 19:52:38 GMT
When did all the money grabbing and phoning it in start with Ali? Was it around the time that Aaron moved in? I feel like it wasn’t too long ago that Ali was relatable and her prices seemed more reasonable. I just feel like her whole persona changed at some point, and now she thinks that all her fangirls will support her at whatever price point she decides. I would have much more respect for her business if she was more upfront about why the kit prices had to go up. Don’t just throw a bandaid on it and think no one will notice. IMHO when she and Aaron moved in together things changed for her business. But I really think they changed too much (for the business) when they got married. This is just my opinion, but I had been very consistent of buying all the things she offered until about the time they got married. I wonder if she maybe lost alimony (does Oregon do that?) and maybe it hurt her bottom line. I am sure she doesn't have as much time to devote to her business and classes now that she has such a big family. Sucks for us paying for her classes though.I just feel like everything is a money grab these days. The joy of scrapbooking seems to have been gone for awhile now for her. Im sure its because her hobby is now her money maker.
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julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,611
Jul 11, 2018 15:20:45 GMT
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Post by julie5 on Mar 7, 2019 19:59:18 GMT
When did all the money grabbing and phoning it in start with Ali? Was it around the time that Aaron moved in? I feel like it wasn’t too long ago that Ali was relatable and her prices seemed more reasonable. I just feel like her whole persona changed at some point, and now she thinks that all her fangirls will support her at whatever price point she decides. I would have much more respect for her business if she was more upfront about why the kit prices had to go up. Don’t just throw a bandaid on it and think no one will notice. IMHO when she and Aaron moved in together things changed for her business. But I really think they changed too much (for the business) when they got married. This is just my opinion, but I had been very consistent of buying all the things she offered until about the time they got married. I wonder if she maybe lost alimony (does Oregon do that?) and maybe it hurt her bottom line. I am sure she doesn't have as much time to devote to her business and classes now that she has such a big family. Sucks for us paying for her classes though.I just feel like everything is a money grab these days. The joy of scrapbooking seems to have been gone for awhile now for her. Im sure its because her hobby is now her money maker. I agree. When Aaron moved in was right about the time of the first story camp and someone made the comment “that renovation won’t pay for itself!” Which is alsowhen she had issues with the dvt too but overall, the adding of 4 more mouths to her home was when the greediness started showing its face.
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Post by loveslabradors on Mar 7, 2019 20:04:14 GMT
When did all the money grabbing and phoning it in start with Ali? Was it around the time that Aaron moved in? I feel like it wasn’t too long ago that Ali was relatable and her prices seemed more reasonable. I just feel like her whole persona changed at some point, and now she thinks that all her fangirls will support her at whatever price point she decides. I would have much more respect for her business if she was more upfront about why the kit prices had to go up. Don’t just throw a bandaid on it and think no one will notice. Yup. It does seem like a lot of things changed right around that time. I have to be honest, I liked the old Ali better . (Not that my opinion matters at all. If she's happy, good for her. I'm guessing she's concerned about her business at the moment, though.)
The reactions on the FB group surprised me too. Considering that it's obviously a very Ali-supportive group. Maybe even the fangirls have decided the prices are too much.
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Post by mom on Mar 7, 2019 20:41:01 GMT
IMHO when she and Aaron moved in together things changed for her business. But I really think they changed too much (for the business) when they got married. This is just my opinion, but I had been very consistent of buying all the things she offered until about the time they got married. I wonder if she maybe lost alimony (does Oregon do that?) and maybe it hurt her bottom line. I am sure she doesn't have as much time to devote to her business and classes now that she has such a big family. Sucks for us paying for her classes though.I just feel like everything is a money grab these days. The joy of scrapbooking seems to have been gone for awhile now for her. Im sure its because her hobby is now her money maker. I agree. When Aaron moved in was right about the time of the first story camp and someone made the comment “that renovation won’t pay for itself!” Which is alsowhen she had issues with the dvt too but overall, the adding of 4 more mouths to her home was when the greediness started showing its face. ahh yes. I remember that.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Mar 7, 2019 20:45:33 GMT
IMHO when she and Aaron moved in together things changed for her business. But I really think they changed too much (for the business) when they got married. This is just my opinion, but I had been very consistent of buying all the things she offered until about the time they got married. I wonder if she maybe lost alimony (does Oregon do that?) and maybe it hurt her bottom line. I think she was the primary breadwinner when she was with Chris. I seem to remember her saying something in a blog post about paying spousal support after they separated . So I'm thinking no alimony. This is just wild speculation on my part, but I'm kinda thinking she's gotten herself into a similar situation again. She made more scrapbooking than Chris being a politician back then? He works at the University of Oregon now so would she still be making significantly more to the point of owing him alimony?
All I know is that Ali did some serious reno to her house when Aaron moved in (inside and out so it wasn't just to accommodate more people), including a music studio for him. She's posted IG Stories where he is around the house on a weekday so I'm guessing he's working from home at least part-time. No clue who's the bigger breadwinner out of both of them.
While increased living expenses could explain changes in pricing, so does a change in mentality. Ali's been trying to get her wellness brand going but hasn't succeeded so far. She was pretty bad at hiding her growing disinterest in scrapbooking for a good year, only changing attitude (at least publicly online) towards it in late summer/early autumn last year. I don't know what's going. The whole thing turned me off and I'm no longer keeping up with everything AE does these days.
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Post by loveslabradors on Mar 7, 2019 20:56:14 GMT
Just googled the salary for Oregon state legislators, out of curiosity- it's $23,568! That's rough.
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Post by scrapaddict702 on Mar 7, 2019 20:59:56 GMT
Just googled the salary for Oregon state legislators, out of curiosity- it's $23,568! That's rough. If it's anything like here, it is a part time gig (only about 3 months of the year). My husband's prior place of employment had a member of our state legislature (he ran and won while working there) on staff and they simply allowed him time off without pay while the legislative session was in.
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Post by loveslabradors on Mar 7, 2019 21:03:37 GMT
Just googled the salary for Oregon state legislators, out of curiosity- it's $23,568! That's rough. If it's anything like here, it is a part time gig (only about 3 months of the year). My husband's prior place of employment had a member of our state legislature (he ran and won while working there) on staff and they simply allowed him time off without pay while the legislative session was in. That makes way more sense!
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Post by sleepingbooty on Mar 7, 2019 21:18:59 GMT
Just googled the salary for Oregon state legislators, out of curiosity- it's $23,568! That's rough. If it's anything like here, it is a part time gig (only about 3 months of the year). My husband's prior place of employment had a member of our state legislature (he ran and won while working there) on staff and they simply allowed him time off without pay while the legislative session was in. In which case, it's a pretty sweet gig.
Mind you, as a little socialist European, I can never quite get my head around US salaries. Average net salary in France is 2200€ per month or US$2460 or US$29,520 annually. But we all pay together for public schools, universal healthcare, holidays (25 paid vacay days in France annually with special blogs and websites dedicated to calculating how to get the most of them when combined with public holidays meaning you could get 59 days of paid vacation in France in 2019 if you optimise when you take your breaks) PLUS public holidays (11 this year), higher education including university, etc.
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sneakylatina
Full Member
Posts: 107
Dec 28, 2018 5:16:09 GMT
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Post by sneakylatina on Mar 7, 2019 21:24:28 GMT
If it's anything like here, it is a part time gig (only about 3 months of the year). My husband's prior place of employment had a member of our state legislature (he ran and won while working there) on staff and they simply allowed him time off without pay while the legislative session was in. In which case, it's a pretty sweet gig.
Mind you, as a little socialist European, I can never quite get my head around US salaries. Average net salary in France is 2200€ per month or US$2460 or US$29,520 annually. But we all pay together for public schools, universal healthcare, holidays (25 paid vacay days in France annually with special blogs and websites dedicated to calculating how to get the most of them when combined with public holidays meaning you could get 59 days of paid vacation in France in 2019 if you optimise when you take your breaks) PLUS public holidays (11 this year), higher education including university, etc.
My understanding was that Chris had old family money from the timber industry. I have no clue, though. Think I read that on a Pea board once from someone in Eugene posting.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Mar 7, 2019 21:50:12 GMT
My understanding was that Chris had old family money from the timber industry. I have no clue, though. Think I read that on a Pea board once from someone in Eugene posting. Some serious snark about political campaign funding for Chris Edwards found here. Long story short: Chris Edwards took over chairmanship of an environmental committee looking into the impact of pesticides used by the timber industry in Oregon from a fellow Democrat called Dembrow. The committee then went closed-door and things fell apart from that point on (talks with environmental groups ended, no bill was presented). The newspaper notes the following (and confirms Chris Edwards used to work in the timber industry):
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pancakes
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,993
Feb 4, 2015 6:49:53 GMT
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Post by pancakes on Mar 7, 2019 22:26:23 GMT
I think any business is always looking to maximize profit. How you do that is a different matter, but I would not put “money grubbing” on Aaron or the reno.
I do think that life throws you changes and if you are trying to increase your salary, traditionally, you’d ask your boss for a raise or go find another job. I think Ali is looking for ways to increase her bottom line, yes, so she can get paid more — but hell, I want to get paid more too.
I don’t agree with how she’s done it for some of her products in the past year (which resulted in fewer purchases from me), but to criticize her marriages or other parts of her life just doesn’t seem right to me.
I think the SBTM kit should have been priced around $12 from the beginning.
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