Sold Out! The Schlep Bag, Handbag or Purse By Roots Canada Ltd.

SOLD OUT!

Well, they were made in Toronto of beautiful Gerbera Italian leather and they were numbered and signed. Roots calls this bag "the grown-up sister-tote to the playful Peace and Love totes." The Schlep features a smooth and slightly shiny exterior and a raw leather interior. It is 19 inches deep and 11.5 inches wide. It would be a versatile bag -- perfect for carrying what you need to work or for when you run errands. You could even throw your gym clothes in it.

That's right. It is too late. You cannot buy it. You can only want it. A smooth marketing maneuver on behalf of Roots Canada Ltd. that is being performed by companies throughout North America right now.

Yes, believe it or not, only ten of these bags were made...Buy now. Before it is too late! The idea being to make you really want something...to elevate that something in the eyes of the consumer to be even better and even more desirable than it might be otherwise.

Other manufacturers have had promotions like this. Think of the controlled release of the Nintendo Wii and the Wii Scream it has caused around the world. Lack of availability made consumers want the Wii and all the resulting media frenzy was priceless advertising for the video game console.

Think of limited sale items like items marked down deeply and put on sale 'while quantities last.' Traditionally these kind of tactics were used on days like Boxing Day but with tough times and consumers spending less, retailers are trying new ideas to get people spending.

That brings us back to Roots Canada. This company was built on marketing success stories like this one from the very first item that sold out as fast as they could have it manufactured -- the Negative Heel Shoe. Do you remember it? When they first started making them in Toronto, they made about 40 pairs a day but from the very beginning there was a line up of people wanting to buy them and demand was there for 100 pairs a day. These shoes sold out from the very first day they were available.

The Schlep Bag is another success story, I think, for Roots. Wouldn't you like to see what all the fuss about this bag is about and just how much do you think Roots would have had to pay for all of this free publicity?

I have only seen one price reference. It said that The Schlep Bag Retailed for $178 U.S.

Roots has announced that they will feature a similar but different product online in the next two weeks. As a result, they are going to have people actively watching their website. That is good marketing, isn't it? If the next limited edition item is something you want, don't let it get away!