I've been getting a lot of notices lately for companies who are now offering 'flat rate shipping' on all of my online purchases. And with my travel schedule – about 150,000 miles a year – I do A LOT of online shopping.
I try to take advantage of any deal that I can. For example, I always sign up for Amazon.com's "Prime" program. I pay $75 a year and all of my stuff ships for free as long as I take 2-day shipping. Great deal, right? Well, this flat rate stuff is catching my eye, too.
I just got a notification that Nine West (they mostly sell shoes) is offering $5 flat rate shipping. And JCrew is now offering $8.95 flat rate. And I gotta say, I'm pretty geeked about that. Why? Shipping fees stink. I detest paying shipping fees, especially when they increase as the cost of your purchase goes up. And you know, that never made sense to me. Why do I have to pay more to ship something that is costing ME more? Shouldn't I pay LESS, the MORE that I buy? That's how my mind works.
And that brings me to the point of this posting (yes, I'm finally getting there). Like most people, I have an expectation of companies with whom I do business. The more I do, the less hassle and 'add on' fees I expect to have. I also like 'one fee fits all'. So here's what I propose: for anyone who signs a long term lease (say, longer than a year or 18 months) drop the fees. Rebate their credit check fee with their first month's rent, skip the admin fee (what does that really cover anyway?), the cleaning fee, the security deposit fee and any other of those assorted fees. After all, if they are willing to stay with you that long, shouldn't they get something in return?
Think about it. It could be your own version of Amazon Prime.