Y2KMart claims Y2K: the Movie responsible for 3X sales volume.

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CNN link At least one company was profiting from Y2K panic.

Y2kmart in Dexter, Maine -- a purveyor of gas masks, dehydrated food and other Y2K supplies -- said its sales tripled in the days after NBC began broadcasting promotional spots for the film. This I didn't expect.

-- lisa (lisa@work.now), November 22, 1999

Answers

the promos must have had more effect than the movie

-- ratings dump (it@was.ok), November 22, 1999.

I'll just bet they did. There were adds running here along with the promo's for the movie and during the movie for Y2K supplies.

Considering the sales had gone down to next to nothing, and the prices were slashed because of that, it wouldn't take much to triple them. Amazing that the sales tripled as the prices were slashed to next to nothing.Which just happened to be at the same time the promo's for the movie were airing!

-- Cherri (sams@brigadoon.com), November 22, 1999.


Now if the same thing happens at the real K-Mart, then the party has begun.

Got shoulder pads?

-- semper paratus (always@ready.now), November 22, 1999.


"...wouldn't take much to triple them"

unless they are talking about product volume and not $$$.

-- C. Hill (pinionsmachine@hotmail.com), November 22, 1999.


Unless one counts the commercial where someone is stashing McDonald;s food in the basement, there were no ads in central North Carolina for anything related to Y2K food or supplies.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), November 22, 1999.


How does Y2Kmart avoid being sued by Big Kmart? Maybe they've found a way to defer the legal action until next year. I ask because a local feedstore named "Hay Mart" was forced to change its name because the sound was too close.

-- Slobby Don (slobbydon@hotmail.com), November 22, 1999.

Not sure who Y2kmart is, but the company in Dexter Maine is known as watertanks.com, and yes it does sell gas masks and other preparedness supplies. Recent newspaper story (Bangor Daily News, link has expired, sorry) indicated its business was booming even without the movie, and the owners had up to 12 people taking phone and computer orders.

-- Cash (cash@andcarry.com), November 22, 1999.

I wonder if sales at Y2kmart dropped off after the movie was aired? I thought the trailers were MUCH scarier than the movie itself. The movie reminded everyone that there will always be a hero to solve any crises just before it becomes a catastrophe ;D

-- Arewyn (isitth@latealready.com), November 23, 1999.

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