Surfing

Whiskey Militia - We tear them away from finding deals for an interview

Many of us surfers are Whiskey Militia addicts. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about: where have you been? Whiskey Militia is like the DailyStoke.com of its kind or something like that.) If you’re not as surf gear savvy, Whiskey Militia has a knack for finding great deals on surfing gear (mixed with other kinds of board gear and clothing) that interests surfers. So what’s the big deal? I scored a pair of 5mm Rip Curl winter surfing gloves that regularly show up in the surf shops for $45 for a whopping $15. (So very, very stoked.) We recently interviewed Luke Cudney at Whiskey Militia, and he provided us with some sweet insight into what’s shaking…in Denver, where Whiskey Militia operates from.

“We’ve always looked for areas in the market where there is an unanswered need,” says Cudney, “and then we set out to become the best at answering that need. We saw a huge opportunity in the surf and skate market and no one owing it.”

And own it, Whiskey Militia does. Says Cudney: “Whiskey Militia was and is built around people that love Surfing, Skating, Snowboarding and In-n-out burgers! There is a ton of laughter amongst the people that breathe life into Whiskey Militia. We love what we do, and I think that shows!”

Whiskey Militia will find great wholesale deals with your suppliers and buy them at bargain prices. Unlike many other online surf shops, Whiskey Militia maintains inventory, and doesn’t drop ship (ie. doesn’t send directly from the manufacturer to you. That’s a pain when you want to do a return). Says Cudney: “We work very hard to partner with our vendors. We can offer a ton of great avenues to help companies out of tight situations or to help them build capital in tough economic times. But first and foremost we think of our customers. It’s about placing ourselves in our customers position and asking ‘what would I want if I could get a deal’? Then we do everything in our power to make it happen responsibly.”

When it comes to great deals - something really hot - it flies off the proverbial shelves. Recently, Cudney says, they sold 400 watches in about 20 minutes. “That’s about 20 watches a minute for 20 minutes straight.” Very good math, and it’s gotta be pretty profitable too.

Sometimes, of course, they’ll get a shipment of kookness. “Some companies seem hell bent on resurrecting the kooky hats…remember those fleece jester hats that kids used to rock with their neon back in the day? [Yes. Blech.] We’ve been seeing a scary resurgence in puppet hats,” laughs Cudney.

That said, as any regular who follows their daily alerts knows, Ryan Kenney, the guy who picks the gear for sale everyday, is damn good at what he does. Says Cudney: “He’s been in the scene for years and he’s just dialed in to what customers want, because he wants the same stuff. He’s also always trying to mix it up, keep things fresh, and his #1 goal is, and will always be, making our customers happy.”

As a surfer, I’d be even happier with more surfing gear at great prices, even though wetsuits, boards and board bags always pop up. “Wetsuits are one of our top sellers,” Cudney explains. “We work hard to find wetsuits that will work on the site’s current discount model. We do not purchase anything that doesn’t have a size run that a broad group of our customers can buy from. We try extremely hard to continue growing our product offering.”

So why should surfers keep coming back? One reason, says Cudney: “Look for some new boards and board bags and wetsuits in the very near future.”

Now, as for my 5mm Rip Curl Gloves…I ordered them last Tuesday morning (a week ago) when I got the Whiskey Militia alert. I sent them by the cheapest alternative I could find, which was $7 via slow train/mule, thinking they would arrive just after the water gets warm. They showed up on schedule today, and I was stoked, despite being separated from a few more parking meter quarters than I was hoping. In response to my plea, Cudney explained that they’re “always working on better shipping options and other ways to sweeten the deal.”

We’ll be following Whiskey Militia closely as they keep scoring wicked deals and keeps surfers stoked.

Check them out today to find a great deal on a board bag.

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