How Woot! Is Keeping It Weird
Back in 2004, when we were all figuring out what a Facebook was and secretly very into Evanescence, a few friends got together and created what would become the original daily deals site. Woot! was — and still is — a lifestyle, a vision, a random pile of website code that never apologizes for what it is.
Fourteen years, and an Amazon acquisition later, Woot! is still here and still doing their thing. The deals are random, the interface can be crusty and employees aren't afraid to heckle. But by forgoing the typical trappings of a deals site, Woot! has so intensely endeared itself to users that they are the main reason the site is still singular and thriving. Wooters really, really love Woot! Just look to the forums. There are threads and threads of Wooters discussing their purchases and shenanigans. And even more threads of employees (lovingly) trolling users and users (lovingly-ish) trolling them back.
You see, it's never just about what you're buying, but the fun and frenzy that surrounds it. A commerce space that's not just about the money. Weird, right?
Tell Me More About These Shenanigans
Woot! is here for a good time, and, wow, do they have deals. There's a constant deluge of extremely-low priced products available. On top of that, there are the rare Bags of Crap — we explain all about those here — and the always-unpredictable Woot-Offs, which are day-long gauntlets of unannounced deals. But enough about the stuff, let's get back to the shenanigans. For example…
The trolling. Remember those Bags of Crap? And how you never know what you're going to get? Once, the Woot! team sent one lucky Wooter a pallet of 864 bottles of car wax. Eight-hundred-and-sixty-four-bottles-of-car-wax. That, friends, is committing to the bit.
For Woot!'s 10th anniversary, they turned their forums into the 'World of Wootcrrap' (y'know, like World of Warcraft) and split the forums into competing teams. They went so far as to even have a live stream. Wooters liked it so much that the forum is still alive four years later.
And the monkeys? Yeah, they're definitely a thing. Mortimer and Monte are the official Woot! mascots. They cause all kinds of mischief on the site, including forum chats, quizzes and coupon code scavenger hunts. Wooters love these monkeys. So much so, that when Woot! attempted to change their mascots, users said "over our cold, lifeless bodies." So they kept the old ones. Just think, it could have ended up being a real 'Planet Of The Apes' situation.
We're All In On The Joke
Woot! knows who they are, which means they know better than anyone how to make fun of themselves. Same goes for the Wooters. On Woot dot com, you've got snarkiness and silliness coming at you from all sides. Besides, everything's more fun when everyone's in on the joke.
Like when they announced they were being acquired by Amazon. Yeah, go on and watch the whole thing.
Or recognizing that they sell a lot of crap, but know where to draw the line. Again, just watch the whole thing. And then keep watching whatever next random Woot! video pops up. You've made it this far down the page, so clearly you've got some time to kill.
Humor! Deals! Shenanigans! Ready to join the fun? Come on in, the water feels great.
Woot! is the original daily deals site, founded in 2004 and snatched up by Amazon in 2010. Originally, Woot! offered just one product per day until they sold out. Today, they offer special daily deals and other limited-time offers across seven categories.