Last month I wrote a post on NewlyMaid.com, a new service from The Dessy Group that lets you trade in an old bridesmaid dress (or any special occasion dress) in exchange for a discount on a brand new little black dress. It sounded like a great idea: Your old dress would either find a new home through a charity or get recycled into something new. It seemed like a win-win, so I requested my free mailer from the company and shipped them two dresses I no longer wanted (I was going to send a bridesmaid dress but sentimentality got the best of me at the last second, so I opted to send them two polyester dresses I had only worn a few times from Forever 21 instead).
A few days later, I received an email from the company saying that my dresses had been accepted and my exclusive discount would be ready and waiting for me at NewlyMaid.com. I logged in and was surprised to discover that my exclusive discount was the very same discount that's currently shown on the website. For example, let's say you view the "Angelina" dress (here): You'll see a retail price ($185) and a Newly Maid price ($110). That $110 price tag? That's your discounted price. There's no additional discount on top of that price for sending in your old dress. Perhaps I simply misunderstood, but I was expecting to get a discount that could be applied on top of that Newly Maid price. I was wrong. Needless to say, I won't be purchasing a ho-hum 100% polyester dress for $110 when I can do so much better elsewhere.
Following my experience with Newly Maid, I received a questionnaire from the company and I was really glad that I had the chance to give them some feedback directly. I said the discounts have to be better, and the selection of new dresses has to be better, too. Of course, there's no obligation to buy, so if you simply want to send an old bridesmaid dress to charity or to be recycled, Newly Maid might be worth a look. Personally, I think they have a great concept that's been poorly implemented, so it's a "pass" on Newly Maid for me.
Following my experience with Newly Maid, I received a questionnaire from the company and I was really glad that I had the chance to give them some feedback directly. I said the discounts have to be better, and the selection of new dresses has to be better, too. Of course, there's no obligation to buy, so if you simply want to send an old bridesmaid dress to charity or to be recycled, Newly Maid might be worth a look. Personally, I think they have a great concept that's been poorly implemented, so it's a "pass" on Newly Maid for me.
I agree they need more styles, though. Also more sizes!
"Unless the quality of these dress are super" - Would it be as good as their bridesmaid dresses, I wonder?
Yeah you could have donated it directly yourself, but if schlepping it to the donation center was really such a good use of your time you'd have done it already. You also could have cut the fabric apart to remake into something new but that didn't happen either.
Hey, you could have made cushions to give to the bride. You know she likes the color and it would look better on her couch than on you.
"What are they doing with the money they receive?"
I'll betcha they're blowing it all on fab stuff like paying staff, rent, the cost of materials, electricity, insurance.
Why not consider including some less expensive dresses (for you AND for us) in your selection-- maybe around a $30-$50 price point...or maybe even other products w/ your branding visible for super cheap. Maybe also frame it more as, "Do something good for others and your closet; treat yourself." If you're sincere about the charity aspect or would like people to feel like you are, maybe you could offer the dress recycling service for ~free in return for 5-10 email addresses of others who might be interested in your site (yay direct marketing!)...or something like that.
I am interested in fashion marketing, though, and this is a fascinating case to watch.
If it was a tiered process it would still not be worth it because the dresses would still be way more expensive then would be worth it.
They will drop your F21 dress off at the nearest Goodwill, and you will have added to the environmental damage of shipping the dress.
If you want to donate directly to a worthy cause, check out this editorial by Nicholas Kristoff of the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/opinion/kristof-sewing-her-way-out-of-poverty.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
He provides info for donating on his blog, which is linked to this article. You can also Google him and probably find his blog post.