Vinegar Syndrome’s Black Friday 2022 Primer

Vinegar Syndrome
7 min readNov 1, 2022

We always love to hear from our valued customers, but during our Black Friday sales we receive (literally) thousands of emails with various questions and concerns. In an effort to minimize the number of emails we receive during this hectic time, we have compiled the following list of answers to some of our more commonly asked questions. Remember, every email that we have to take time to answer is time taken away from our ability to ship out more packages. So, help us help you get your package quicker by taking a few minutes to read the following. We hope this helps make your ordering experience with us as smooth as possible and we thank you in advance for your order.

When, where and what is the sale?
Black Friday (BF) at VinegarSyndrome.com is a yearly tradition for fans of genre film! The sale will begin at exactly 12:01am EST on Friday, November 25th and will end on Monday the 28th at 11:59pm EST. Nearly everything in our extensive home video catalog will be 50% off SRP. We will also be unveiling two secret Vinegar Syndrome releases, two brand new Vinegar Syndrome Archive releases, four limited edition catalog/variant slipcovers and so much more!

Please note: our website will be placed into maintenance mode Monday the 21st (around noon) to prepare for the sale. Our online checklist (vschecklist.com) will still be available during this down period.

What titles will be on sale?
Every VS, VSA, Peekarama and Partner Label title with a release date prior to July 2022 will be discounted 50% off SRP. Titles with release dates beginning in July will NOT be discounted. Special note: VSU and VSP releases, titles in our Staff Picks section, Merch, Clothing, and certain older Partner Label titles currently under distribution by another company may not be discounted.

I placed an order during the flash pre-order event OR have recently pre-ordered ROAD HOUSE, what do I need to know?
Congrats on easily your best purchase this year! You might already think you have everything you need, but you couldn’t be more wrong… Add additional orders to your package for free, using the “Add to my existing sale order” shipping option. If you purchased the ‘Everything’ flash pre-order bundle, you will receive the following: THE INVISIBLE MANIAC, HOME GROWN HORRORS VOL2, BURNING PARADISE, plus the two secret Vinegar Syndrome releases. If you are still confused, check the individual products pages once the sale goes live to see what’s include in the Everything package.

I’m a current subscriber, what do I need to know?
Thank you for taking the plunge with us so far in 2022! Here’s what is already included in your 2022 subscription: THE INVISIBLE MANIAC, HOME GROWN HORRORS VOL2, BURNING PARADISE, plus the two secret Vinegar Syndrome releases. The new Vinegar Syndrome Ultra release of ROAD HOUSE and the two new Vinegar Syndrome Archive releases are not included, but you have your special subscriber discount on those titles. If you are still confused, check the individual products pages once the sale goes live to see what’s include in your subscribership.

Also, don’t forget that BF2022 is your perfect opportunity to stock up on our extensive back catalog of VS and Partner Label releases. Use your free subscriber shipping option to add additional purchases to your November package. And finally, due to your elite subscriber status, your BF2022 order(s) will be first to ship following the sale.

Subscribers: see below for more info on Partners Only month in December.

How do I become a Subscriber?
This is hands down our most asked question of all time. You only have one opportunity to become a 2023 Subscriber, and that is during Subscriber Week! We are changing things up this year in regards to selling 2023 Subscriptions. We will no longer be selling Subscriptions during our Black Friday sales. Instead, 2023 will see the introduction of what we are calling, Subscriber Week! The first seven days of the new year will be a celebration of all things VS (especially since it will mark our 10 year anniversary!). We will be offering 2023 Subscriptions during this seven day period, along with all kinds of other goodies and deals. The Subscription itself will be just as awesome as ever. Watch for more info to come!

December is Partners Only month!
We are thrilled to continue the Partners Only tradition that was introduced last year. December is now a Partners Only month (meaning: no new VS releases). Why? Well, logistically, combining pre-orders with sale orders has long been an extremely complex process that gets more and more difficult every year. Therefore, as a means of easing our burden and also giving the Partner Labels themselves a time to shine, we’re dedicating two months out of the year specifically to them.

Normally following a big sale, our website closes down completely for about a month while the orders are shipped out. During the ‘Partners Only’ month of December, ordering VS titles will be disabled, BUT all Partner Label releases will be fully available and shipping. Including some incredible new releases launching on December 1st!

When does Partners Only month start and end?
December 1st at 12:01 PM EST thru December 28th at 11:59 PM EST.

I’m a Subscriber, how does Partners Only month affect me?
There will not be any new VS releases in December, but you can still order Partner Label releases! Use your free subscriber shipping option and the Partner Label releases will ship to you in the month of December for free. Pretty cool, huh?

What are your BF2022 shipping policies?
If you are a Subscriber, placed a flash pre-order or pre-ordered ROAD HOUSE — you qualify for FREE shipping during the sale and should use your free shipping option at checkout (see above). Otherwise, our BF2022 shipping rates will be:

$6 Economy (FedEx Ground, FedEx Smartpost or USPS First Class depending on package size & location)
$12 Priority (USPS Priority)*
Canada = $8 (ships from within Canada via Canada Post)
International = $17 (FedEx International)
All free shipping thresholds will be disabled during the sale.

*The term ‘Priority’ refers to the 2–3 day shipping service provided by USPS. It does not mean your package will ship out any sooner from our warehouses.

I paid for Priority shipping, why hasn’t my order shipped yet?
The term ‘Priority’ refers to the 2–3 day shipping service provided by USPS. It does not mean your package will ship out any sooner from our warehouses.

When will you begin shipping orders?
Subscriber orders will begin shipping out immediately after the sale ends. All other orders will begin shipping out on Monday, December 5th.

How long will it take for my BF2022 order to ship?
We continue to make significant improvements to our order fulfillment operations, and as always, we will do everything possible to ship out orders ASAP. That being said, please give us extra time due to the volume of orders.

Where is my package?
Each year we get numerous emails from customers asking when their order will ship out. While we are always trying to improve our ability to ship out orders faster, we ask that you please be patient with us. If at any point you are unhappy with the amount of time it is taking for your order to ship, simply ask us to cancel your order for a full refund. If you need to cancel your order for any reason, send us an email and we will refund the order, no questions asked.

My order is stuck ‘In Transit’ and the tracking number has not updated for a few days, what should I do?
If your order has been sitting at a carrier facility and has not updated, don’t worry, it should still be getting to its destination. We can assure you that once you receive a tracking number, your order has either left our building or will be leaving the following day. If there has been no movement on your package for longer than normal please reach out to your local post office or FedEx facility first. They will be able to track down your package for you. Once packages leave our building they are out of our hands and are the responsibility of the mail carrier. If your package has been ‘stuck’ for 30 days or longer, then you can reach out to us and we can figure out a solution for you. Otherwise we please ask that you give your package ample time to get delivered to you.

Can I place multiple orders during the sale?
Absolutely! Since you already paid for shipping with your initial order, select the ‘Add to my existing sale order’ free shipping method on any additional orders. We will ship everything in one large package.

Do you have quantity limits on Limited Edition releases?
Yes. Limited Edition releases (including slipcovers), are generally limited to (2) copies per customer. Certain Limited Edition releases will be limited to (1) copy per customer. Please check individual product listings for more info.

Item X has sold out, can I call dibs via email in case you have any extra stock?
No. After everything has shipped out, if we have additional inventory on items the were previously “sold out”, the additional inventory will be re-listed on our website once the site fully relaunches on January 1st, 2023.

Can we pick up our orders at your retail stores in Connecticut or Colorado?
The Archive locations in Bridgeport, CT and Aurora, CO will have all the new VS related releases in stock starting Friday, November 25th. For the time being, the ‘Pick up at The Archive’ shipping option on our website has been disabled. Please make all purchases in person at the stores.

For more information on Black Friday sales at The Archive retails locations, please visit www.browsethearchive.com and/or follow the various social media accounts. Feel free to contact the stores for additional information.

Think we missed something? Still have a question? Contact us at orders@vinsyn.com and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

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