Questions Thread

[leicsmac]

3 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

I guess it's the same reason I still have to deliver hundreds of pizza, Farmfoods, check a trade leaflets et al, every week, even though everyone says, "that's going straight in the bin" if I hand it to them in person.

Sheer weight of numbers of ads out there and people seeing them getting the company across the line even though the vast majority aren't interested, then? Plausible. 

[Zear0]

33 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Appreciate the info with the numbers there, thanks. 

 

Would it be possible to elaborate on exactly how such a rate of c.300% return is achieved? I'm genuinely curious as to how sales are boosted in these days of ubiquitous ads that are so often negatively received. 

Long story short for context my business undertakes independent assessment for power system safety justifications.  I started this when I stropped off from my corporate overlords when I found out a sub-contractor was on more than I was as a product chief engineer.  When I began I was simply doing work for known contacts within organisations I'd previously worked with.  It was obviously a very constrained list of customers which was why I went down the advertising route.  Since then I've spent £x on advertising which has had a significant increase in contracts that easily exceeded the advertising costs.  Most of the adverts were web based on engineering, physics and chemistry news sites to advertise our services. There is an argument that I could turn the tap off on advertising as I've got more work than people currently but it allows me to cherry pick the more interesting tasks as I review this stuff myself and who doesn't want to do the fun jobs?

 

For all of Google's side ventures, they remain an advertising business and it must make sense else people wouldn't do it.

Edited 5 August by Zear0

[The Bear]

2 hours ago, leicsmac said:

Sheer weight of numbers of ads out there and people seeing them getting the company across the line even though the vast majority aren't interested, then? Plausible. 

Advertising is all about visibility and association with that product. Even if the vast majority hate the adverts, just that brand name being in people's minds increases sales overall.

[leicsmac]

2 hours ago, Zear0 said:

Long story short for context my business undertakes independent assessment for power system safety justifications.  I started this when I stropped off from my corporate overlords when I found out a sub-contractor was on more than I was as a product chief engineer.  When I began I was simply doing work for known contacts within organisations I'd previously worked with.  It was obviously a very constrained list of customers which was why I went down the advertising route.  Since then I've spent £x on advertising which has had a significant increase in contracts that easily exceeded the advertising costs.  Most of the adverts were web based on engineering, physics and chemistry news sites to advertise our services. There is an argument that I could turn the tap off on advertising as I've got more work than people currently but it allows me to cherry pick the more interesting tasks as I review this stuff myself and who doesn't want to do the fun jobs?

 

For all of Google's side ventures, they remain an advertising business and it must make sense else people wouldn't do it.

 

6 minutes ago, The Bear said:

Advertising is all about visibility and association with that product. Even if the vast majority hate the adverts, just that brand name being in people's minds increases sales overall.

Fair enough - it appears the shotgun approach is much more effective than I thought it was. 

 

Learned something today, thanks guys. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

7 hours ago, The Bear said:

Advertising is all about visibility and association with that product. Even if the vast majority hate the adverts, just that brand name being in people's minds increases sales overall.

It's why you get really annoying adverts, which aren't just you, most people you know hate them too. Things like Go Compare, Safe style UK ("you buy one, you get one free!").

 

They know you'll remember them. It doesn't matter the reason why; just that the brand name sticks in the head.

[The Bear]

13 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

It's why you get really annoying adverts, which aren't just you, most people you know hate them too. Things like Go Compare, Safe style UK ("you buy one, you get one free!").

 

They know you'll remember them. It doesn't matter the reason why; just that the brand name sticks in the head.

Yep. Simples....

[Parafox]

On 05/08/2026 at 17:32, The Bear said:

Advertising is all about visibility and association with that product. Even if the vast majority hate the adverts, just that brand name being in people's minds increases sales overall.

I mute ads on TV and look at SM instead, where I get bombarded with ads. 

[Parafox]

Went to Costco earlier today and there were people bulk buying bottled water. Why?

[The Bear]

2 minutes ago, Parafox said:

Went to Costco earlier today and there were people bulk buying bottled water. Why?

I see it in my local Lidl too. People buying one or more 12 packs of bottled water. Boggles my mind tbh. Though Burton is a hard water area so the taste of tap water round here isn't optimum. 

[leicsmac]

I would have surely thought it's much more cost effective to just get a water filter jug if you live in a hard water area?

[Parafox]

22 minutes ago, The Bear said:

I see it in my local Lidl too. People buying one or more 12 packs of bottled water. Boggles my mind tbh. Though Burton is a hard water area so the taste of tap water round here isn't optimum. 

There were people dragging trolley loads of about 40-50 crates of 24(?) bottles and stacking them into vans and cars. Obviously some were corner shop businesses but even the obvious family buyers had multiple packs.

 

I go to Costco about twice a month and I've never seen the likes of this before

Edited 7 August by Parafox

[The Bear]

3 minutes ago, Parafox said:

There were people dragging trolley loads of about 40-50 crates of 24(?) bottles and stacking them into vans and cars. Obviously some were corner shop businesses but even the obvious family buyers had multiple packs.

 

I go to Costco about twice a month and I've never seen the likes of this before

Purely just the heatwaves I think. Makes people do stupid stuff. 

Edited 7 August by The Bear

[Parafox]

2 minutes ago, The Bear said:

Purely just the heatwaves I think. Makes people do stupid stuff. 

But water comes out of the tap.

 

Still, at least there's plenty of bog roll.

Edited 7 August by Parafox

[Zear0]

1 hour ago, Parafox said:

Went to Costco earlier today and there were people bulk buying bottled water. Why?

Thurmaston Costco is so grim now I've had to stop going.  Can't park and as you say, it's just people buying gallons of f**king water.

[worthosoriginals]

1 hour ago, Parafox said:

Went to Costco earlier today and there were people bulk buying bottled water. Why?

Because toilet paper is available unlike  the last facebook rumour panic early in covid.

[Grebfromgrebland]

4 hours ago, Parafox said:

Went to Costco earlier today and there were people bulk buying bottled water. Why?

Despite the propaganda maybe drinking water isn't as safe or good for us as we thought it was?

 

Lots of new information has come to light in the last 3 years that mean we have to reassess what we think on virtually all aspects of life.

[Trav Le Bleu]

On 07/08/2026 at 23:52, Grebfromgrebland said:

Despite the propaganda maybe drinking water isn't as safe or good for us as we thought it was?

 

Lots of new information has come to light in the last 3 years that mean we have to reassess what we think on virtually all aspects of life.

A lot of bottled waters are actually little different from mains water. Spring or mineral water has to be sourced from a natural spring though.

[Trav Le Bleu]

On 07/08/2026 at 19:59, Parafox said:

There were people dragging trolley loads of about 40-50 crates of 24(?) bottles and stacking them into vans and cars. Obviously some were corner shop businesses but even the obvious family buyers had multiple packs.

 

I go to Costco about twice a month and I've never seen the likes of this before

They're stocking them so they can thoughtfully rehydrate their postie when they call at their house.

[Zear0]

4 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

They're stocking them so they can thoughtfully rehydrate their postie when they call at their house.

On the rare occasion they bother you mean? 

[Unabomber]

On 07/08/2026 at 19:34, Parafox said:

Went to Costco earlier today and there were people bulk buying bottled water. Why?

Insane when we literally have water coming out of taps. So annoying when people say “I don’t like tap water”. Grow up 

[Parafox]

49 minutes ago, Unabomber said:

Insane when we literally have water coming out of taps. So annoying when people say “I don’t like tap water”. Grow up 

I don't want to stir the pot but... I'll ask the question anyway, do the Asian population of Leicester not trust tap water?

 

As I said before, I go to Costco twice a month and have done for years and I've never seen the like of bulk buying of bottled water that I saw on Friday.

 

Is it down to the next heatwave? Is there a problem with water supply?

 

 

[Parafox]

5 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

A lot of bottled waters are actually little different from mains water. Spring or mineral water has to be sourced from a natural spring though.

Del boy's bottled water scene - Google Search

[Kopic]

1 hour ago, Parafox said:

I don't want to stir the pot but... I'll ask the question anyway, do the Asian population of Leicester not trust tap water?

 

As I said before, I go to Costco twice a month and have done for years and I've never seen the like of bulk buying of bottled water that I saw on Friday.

 

Is it down to the next heatwave? Is there a problem with water supply?

 

 

Think its down to tiktok. There was a video the other week (not in Leicester) of people absolutely devouring a pallet of water before the poor bloke could even drop it, and it seems to be spreading with absolutely no reason.

[leicsmac]

1 minute ago, Kopic said:

Think its down to tiktok. There was a video the other week (not in Leicester) of people absolutely devouring a pallet of water before the poor bloke could even drop it, and it seems to be spreading with absolutely no reason.

... the more time passes, the more the Chinese approach to social media makes sense. 

[Samilktray]

Got engaged to my partner yesterday so today she’s started looking at venues & everything else, the prices are absolutely bonkers over here but a lot of people say getting married abroad is much better value for money. I’ve been looking online and I can’t seem to find any websites where you can look at prices for wedding packages abroad without somebody calling you to discuss which sounds horrendous tbqh.

Does anyone have experience of booking weddings abroad and can point in the right direction of where to look to get a feel for prices and venues?