BerserkerDay 11 Master Thread - FAQ/Updates/Info - RECORDS SET YET AGAIN!

This will be the principal thread for all discussions related to BerserkerDay 11 #BD11 - a buying extravaganza unrivaled in any other wine community, anywhere. One day (two, if including the Grand Cru Crü Advance Purchase Day) where over $650,000 in wine and wine-related goods are sold to eager wine lovers throughout this community. (ANOTHER new record set last year!) This year’s big ‘feature’ will be a big handful of recommended/member-suggested wineries that have never-before participated - prepare to spend more than you ever have!

First of all, BerserkerDay (full history posted below) is a celebration of the founding of this amazing and vibrant community of wine lovers around the world, and it started on the first anniversary of our founding, 11 years ago. The idea is to have a day-long celebration by introducing wine and wine-related products to the community at large, at deals that you CANNOT find elsewhere, primarily because those making the offer are so small that they don’t have ‘sales’. It’s a fantastic way to introduce yourself to some new small wineries, in particular, and I can attest - as can thousands of others who have bought on BerserkerDay - that I’ve found some of my favorite producers this way.

How does BerserkerDay work?

Anybody - registered member or not - can view the BerserkerDay subforum (where you are now) and the offers that wineries, retailers, and other wine-related product sellers will have posted. It starts approximately 7:30 am PST on January 27th, and each offer will have its own thread. I will be posting them in chunks of approximately 10, in intervals of approximately 20-30 minutes. Threads from prior launch groups will NOT bump to the top of the forum when replies are made, preserving the current launch group’s space ‘in line’, pegging that launch group at the top. One exception: the Sponsors of BerserkerDay (back by popular demand, as those who were Sponsors last year want very much to do it again!) will have their listings pegged at the top of the BerserkerDay forum for the entire day. It should be a small group.

Discussion - as always - is HIGHLY encouraged. That’s part of the fun! Share this event with your friends, on your social media accounts! Our Twitter handle is @WineBerserkers for those that tweet, and the more you share, the more fun we ALL have here!! I want to see some tagging on Facebook and Twitter, folks!
(Offers are made by the wineries, businesses, retailers, etc, and each offer has its own specific order parameters, which will be outlined in the offer itself. Wine Berserkers does not take any orders, has no e-commerce capabilities, nor licenses to sell wine, so each offer posted will have the directions on how to order)

Categories, specific to BD11: Last year we had a number of categories, this year we’ll have just two - Newbies and Sponsors

Newbies have been featured the last few years, and it’s important to highlight them a bit because BerserkerDay is such madness, they easily and quickly get lost in the shuffle. We’ve had features/bios on them in the past, and I’m hoping we can do the same this year, with a separate ‘Newbie Intros’ subforum, as has been done in the past, giving the buying public a few days to look in on these newcomers to BerserkerDay.

Sponsors - Sponsors this year receive the pegged listing, keeping them atop BerserkerDay forum for the entire event. The topic icons for the Sponsors will be the following:

Preview Day/Early Purchase Offers

On January 26th, Sunday, Grand Cru Crü members will have access to the Pre-Launch forum to see ALL the offers, and plan their buying strategies. NO PURCHASES CAN BE MADE FROM THAT FORUM, and violators stand to lose the ability to participate in future BerserkerDays. There are, however, ‘Early Purchase Offers’, wherein BerserkerBusiness members, in a separate forum, can sell their offer on the same day as Preview Day, Jan 26th. Only Grand Cru Crü members will have access to Preview Day and Early Purchase Offers, everybody else (guests and registered members) will be eligible on Jan 27th. Both will be open around the same time

Auctions

Auctions will commence around noon, finishing in at 8pm Pacific. Save some money for auctions, as many of our participating wineries and businesses offer auction items to the community, as thanks for the benefits they get during BerserkerDay, since there is no cost to participate (there is no cost to participate because this maximizes the discounts offered to the community! Rather than take a percentage of sales, the auctions are the way to financially support the community, throughout the year, and are a lot more fun than taking a slice from the deals being offered!)

HISTORY OF BERSERKERDAY:

WHAT IS BERSERKERDAY??

For those who do not know, BerserkerDay was named for the day it was founded at its current location on the web - January 27 - with the URL wineberserkers.com. Each year, on the 27th, I invite wineries, retailers, and other peddlers of the wine industry to offer berserk deals on their wares. Each is posted throughout the day, in groups of about 10, in roughly 30-minute increments, spreading out the fun throughout the day, ending with an auction of even more fantastic items. This day of deals is a fantastic way for those ITB to give back to consumers, and also the reverse, as many, many new and exciting wineries/producers/wines are discovered by Berserkers on BerserkerDay, with purchases made, and discussions from those who might have experience with them. There is NO revenue sharing or cost to any participating winery or retailer, as to do that would raise the prices in the offers - this way, the maximum discount is given to all those who show up on this magical day. It’s also a way for me to give back to what makes Wine Berserkers what it is - the community! All the fantastic content on WB is from you, and here’s a way for me to setup a virtual party for everyone - current and future community members.

History of Wine Berserkers: It’s a common question, so I like to list the history during BerserkerDay. The name ‘Berserkers’ actually comes from Mark Squires (the image below shows when/how the original group of 15 or so was named by him), before the word that bore our community became a banned word on that website and forum. Our growth has never stopped over the past 10 years (there was half a year on another domain name as well) and we’re currently nearly 25,000 registered members strong.


This year, be sure to tell your friends, as I’m opening the BerserkerDay 11 forum up to anyone who wants to see it - you don’t HAVE to be registered (unless you have an order that requires you to PM the winery, in that case, you better register!) to see the deals. We’ll have a Twitter hashtag of #berserkerday and #BD11 and hope that you can post your favorite threads on Facebook as well on the 27th. PLEASE help point it out to me, so I can see when folks are sharing. My Twitter handle is @toddfrench, so please tag me, and on Facebook, I’m easy to find.

Our PR campaign worked well last year, so if you didn’t have a chance to see some of the pieces that featured BerserkerDay, check these out:

Forbes: Where To Find The Best Wine Deals: BerserkerDay January 27
Orange Coast Magazine: Todd French Celebrates 10 Years of Wine Berserkers, World’s Largest Online Wine Community

We’re three weeks away! The participants are starting to set up their listings, and remember that GCC members get to purchase from BerserkerBusiness listings on Preview Day (Jan 26th, Sunday) as well as see ALL the listings to prepare for BerserkerDay the next day!

I’ve created an ‘event’ on Facebook as well

Newbie Intros forum is posted - more Newbies to come, and as I review their threads, I’ll post them in the Newbies forum for all to see, since it’s tough to get eyes on new producers/offers on a busy day like BerserkerDay!

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

Can’t wait!

Several new NEWBIE INTROS to enjoy in the Newbie Intros thread, folks! Come meet the wineries that were (literally) brought over here by other Berserkers!

Hello! I am hoping to get information on how to join the Newbie intros! I would love to post a deal specific to only this forum on BD11! Thanksss!

I’m a relative newbie. Have purchased limited items in the past few years. This year, I would really like to focus on non-wine items. I have plenty.

Any insights into non-wine & non-cheese items for a wine geek who is transitioning into a foodie would be welcome. As would any “be on the lookout for” from experienced Berserkers. I am frugal, so enough said. Will be monitoring. Cheers!

cheesehead

It’s smart to have a plan.

To think you will STICK with that plan is pure folly, though.

cheesehead

that is the truth!:sunglasses::cut_of_meat::cheese: Flannery Steaks and Gourmets of Spain will hopefully be back!

Todd, I’d like to see each vendor specify in their offers which shipping option they use for orders. It matters to me whether FedEx or UPS is their shipper of choice. I have to ask each winery before ordering because I have different addresses for each shipping preference. Don’t know if anyone else has this issue.

Absolutely matters!
FedEx is flexible with redirects, holds and has good pickup hours.
UPS, ahhh, not so much; rather, not at all.
Also GSO for the west coast and nearby states.

deadhorse [drinkers.gif]

I will mention it to them this week. Thanks.

We always ask that they specify which states they can ship to as well but it’s like herding cats.

Is it going to be obvious which Sunday deals DO NOT violate the terms of GCC purchases?

I am not trying to violate any rules but know I am a habitual line-stepper on those types of distinctions.

I would like to see each cost component listed for each offer. What is pre-tax price? How can I estimate or calculate tax? And, what is the shipping cost by state, if it varies. Whatever will help me calculate my total outgoing expense. I’ve had variations from no-cost shipping to well over $5 per bottle. Each of us know what’s material to us, but up-front info is much appreciated.

May sound basic, but…

And a similar level of detail for non-wine items, of course.

It will be easy - one forum will be for GCC/BerserkerBusiness Early Purchase Offers, the other will be strictly ‘Preview’ - two separate forums, directions in each

Quick note of thanks to some GCC members (since there are more doing it in Jan than any other month because of BerserkerDay)…I do appreciate the little notes that some of you leave in the comments section, sorry I don’t reply to them all :slight_smile:

ONLY ONE WEEK, FOLKS!!

How about foodie stuff like coffee, teas, spices? Wishful thinking?

Well, there is foodie stuff, for sure, don’t think we have any tea yet…