Despite the fact that today is a Woot-Off (my fav!) , they just sent out a mass email telling their members NOT to buy anything!

In fact, their latest newsletter tells us to save all the money we can so we can watch out for our own in this crazy economy! Sincere? Possibly. Creative/borderline genius? Without a doubt ;) Anyone with a sarcasm sensor can read between the lines here…but does that really even matter?

They actually get people to READ their newsletters! haha…And why wouldn’t you? They’re funny, insightful (to the degree that John Stewart and Colbert are), and they regularly feature items that are discounted by 60-75%! I won’t tell you to refresh the site every 30 mins like i’ll be doing today, BUT if you’re looking for a particular present to buy (esp. an electronic), you might wanna check it out.

But back to the main point here: Woot’s marketing team is freakin’ good. Take a look at the email they sent out yesterday and decide for yourselves:

Subject: BREAKING: Economists declare water at least 50 percent wet!

Attention, member name:

Welcome to Woot’s first official recession-era newsletter! For the next 12 to 24 months, all citizens are expected to fret over, worry about, or even directly experience the nadir of a consumerist society – OMG! What will we do when we stop buying stuff? Economists now agree that we’re headed through a prolonged period of decreased consumer spending (you really need an advanced degree to come up with insights like that). Beyond that, it’s anybody guess. Will the only growth sectors in the economy be shoe repair, pipe salvage, and roadside apple sales? Or will we bring on a quick recovery by doing patriotic things like buying stuff we can’t afford and spending more money than we make?

As a retailer, it’d make sense for us to fall in with the BUY STUFF, AMERICA conga line. But by now, you know that we at Woot never do things the “normal”, “sensible”, “rational”, “intelligent” way. We’re not about to follow the herd over a cliff. When we go over a cliff, it’s because of our own poor judgment, not someone else’s. That’s been our credo since about five minutes ago, when we first thought of it. And we’ve stayed true to it ever since.

That’s why we’re encouraging you and your fellow wooters to save this holiday season. Save your money! Save until you pull a saving muscle. Horde your money until you are literally choking on it. Save until maybe, like, mid-February or so, when the market will be a-glut with great deals for the taking every day. You’ll avoid the crowds, take advantage of desperate retailers, and not have to hear “Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time” even once.

Sure, maybe you’ll disappoint some of your loved ones. But if they really love you, they can wait a couple of months, especially if your finances are at stake. Besides, if your so-called loved ones wanted you to set yourself on fire, would you? Of course you wouldn’t. And that’s the kind of independent thinking that will one day break the mindless conformity of our consumerist holiday ways.

But be warned: you’ll want to stay far away from Woot.com this week. The breadth and scope of bargains we’ll be offering – especially starting Tuesday morning at midnight – will be powerfully tempting. They could even lead you back down the spend-spend-spend path with the rest of the sheep. And that would make us sad enough to cry while we’re taking your money.

See you in February!

Woot.com

Clever as hell, right? My favorite is the whole “Sure, maybe you’ll disappoint some of your loved ones.” deal…haha….oh man, good times. good times.