CARIBBEAN FOOD & CARIBBEAN PRODUCTS: Jamaican, Trinidadian, Barbadian

Sam's Caribbean Turns 14, Offers Free Shipping to US Troops

Sam's — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 16:07:00 GMT

With the Christmas shopping season approaching, one New York-based Caribbean food retailer is giving United States military personnel something to cheer about. Sam's Caribbean Marketplace, based in Hempstead, Long Island, is celebrating its fourteenth anniversary by offering 14 days of free shipping to members of the US armed forces. Sam's Caribbean Marketplace will foot the freight charges associated with all packages shipped from Sam's to any US military address, beginning Black Friday, November 23, through Friday December 7, 2007.

Hempstead, NY October 6, 2007 -- Sam's Caribbean

Marketplace celebrates 14 years as a New York-based Caribbean food retailer by launching 14 days of free shipping to members of the United States Armed Forces. The offer kicks off at the start of the Christmas shopping season on Black Friday, November 23, and extends through Friday December 7, 2007.

"When we examined the customer data for www.sams24-7.com, our online Caribbean store, we discovered that nearly twenty percent of our patrons were US military personnel," says Andrew Morris, President and CEO of Sam's Caribbeans Marketplace. Mr. Morris pointed out that over 68,000 foreign-born men and women serve in the US armed forces, of which 40 percent are from the Caribbean and Latin America. "Cognizant of those facts, we committed ourselves to doing something special for our troops as part of our anniversary celebration, in time for the Christmas shopping season."

Janice Julian, Customer Service Manager for www.sams247.com and Sam's Caribbean Marketplace, says the offer is open to all US military personnel and their loved ones who ship to them. "It's really quite simple: Any member of the US military and anyone purchasing for a family member or a friend who is in the military qualifies for this generous offer. We only require a shipping address that is obviously a military base, an APO, an FPO and so on." Ms. Julian says customers have three options to place their orders: "The most convenient is to call our toll-free order line at 1-877-U-GO-SAMS (1-877-846-7267). For the more computer savvy, visit our virtual Caribbean store at www.sams24-7.com. Finally, customers in New York City and Long Island can hop over to our retail store located in the parking lot behind 43 Main Street, Hempstead, New York.

"I should also point out," says Ms. Julian, "military customers who shop online will notice a shipping charge on the checkout page. However, we do not charge anyone's credit card online; we charge only when we ship. So we will make sure that those apparent charges are not passed on to any military shipments during the fourteen-day period."

Andrew Morris, a native of Jamaica, founded Sam's Caribbean Marketplace in 1993 after two exhaustive years of research and planning, and another two years minting an MBA from Columbia University. Although he had no prior experience in retail, he crafted a business plan and braced himself for the challenge. "Because of my preparation, I felt quite confident and excited, but not everyone shared my exuberance. I remember showing my business plan to a SCORE councilor. He struck an X through almost every page and said bluntly, 'Don't you see that this is garbage? There's no market for this Caribbean stuff! This will never work. Go find yourself something else to do.' As I left the building I muttered, 'This guy just doesn't understand. He really doesn't get it.'"

Over 1.4 million customers later, Sam's Caribbean Marketplace currently markets about 2,000 Caribbean products through its single 1,578 square-foot retail location and its ecommerce website. According to Mr. Morris, "Many of our Caribbean products appeal to consumers who have never even been to the Caribbean. Our two top-selling products, our Jamaican Beef Patties (http://www.sams247.com/Patties-howto.aspx) and our Jamaican Black Castor Oil (http://www.sams247.com/jamaican-black-castor-oil.aspx), for example, have great mass appeal.

"We pride ourselves on being the Jamaican patty king of Long Island and of the web because we offer over a dozen varieties of Jamaican-style patties. Both Caribbean and non-Caribbean nationals love our Jamaican patties for their low prices, hearty flavors and versatility. You can eat paties on the run or on a plate, and they come spicy or mild and with a range of fillings such as beef, curried or jerk chicken, vegetable, shrimp and soy. We even carry three flavors of miniature Jamaican cocktail patties, which are perfect for parties and get-togethers."

The 47-year-old entrepreneur says that Sam's Tropic Isle brand Jamaican Black Castor Oil is almost as popular as the Jamaican beef patties, but for obviously different reasons. "Our unrefined Jamaican Black Castor Oil, or JBCO as some aficionados call it, is perhaps the purest form of Castor oil available: it's salt-free and contains no other additives. Hair enthusiasts around the world sing its praises on internet forums such as Black Hair Media Forums and Long Hair Care Forums (http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116889). Our castor oil is produced in small quantities by a few elderly Jamaican women who rigorously adhere to an ancient Maroon formula. The oil has a variety of curative properties, but it's best known for thickening the hair and expelling wastes and toxins from the skin."

Besides patties and oils, Sam's Caribbean Marketplace sells hard-to-find herbs and spices, dangerously hot Scotch Bonnet pepper sauces, a multitude of authentic jerk seasonings and sauces, breads and spice buns, exotic teas and Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, black fruit cakes laced with over-proof white rum, herbal remedies, jams and jellies, gift baskets, black dolls dressed in brightly-colored Caribbean flags, and Calypso and Reggae CDs and DVDs (http://www.sams247.com/foods2/02Foods_Caribbean_Products.aspx). The majority of Caribbean products marketed by Sam's Caribbean Marketplace are manufactured in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Discount for Mother's Day

Sam's — Thu, 10 May 2007 22:38:00 GMT

15% Discount for Mother's Day

During this time of year when we celebrate Mothers, www.Sams247.com is offering all our valued customers, both male and female, a 15% discount on purchases at .

It's easy to redeem your coupon. Now through Tuesday May 15, shop for the items you need, and then on the Checkout page, insert the following in the "Coupon Code" box: 0507. Click the Apply button to obtain your 15% Mother's Day discount.

The Mother's Day coupon is valid on all our products, except for items that are currently on sale.

Please feel free to pass this coupon along to friends and relatives. They'll thank you for it.

Don't forget, this offer is valid now through Tuesday, May 15, 2007.

As always, thanks for your support.

www.sams247.com

Hot Deals on Caribbean Products: Save Up to 20%

Sam's — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 22:40:00 GMT

Hot Deals on Caribbean Prodcts
A Happy New Year to you.

We wanted to help you start the new year on a happy note by offering you three valuable coupons worth up to 20% off your merchandise purchase at Sams247.com.

1. Save 10% when you spend over $29.99. Just type the following code in the COUPON CODE box on the CHECKOUT PAGE: 0107-10. (Note: The period is NOT part of the coupon code. Please do not type the period.)

2. If you spend over $49.99, you will save 15% by typing the following code in the COUPON CODE box on the CHECKOUT PAGE: 0107-15.

3. Or, spend over $99.99 and get a whopping 20% off your merchandise purchase by using coupon code 0107-20. In other words, depending on the value of your merchandise, you'll save at least $20 instantly!

This offer is effective immediately and expires on January 15, 2007. You or your relatives and friends may use these coupons as often as you wish before the expiration date. Please remember, though, that these discounts are not automatic: you must use the coupon codes to receive these discounts.

Take advantage of this offer today by clicking on any of the categories in the left column..

Thanks for the opportunity to serve you. We appreciate your business.

SUMMARY:

Spend       Save      Coupon Code
$29.99      10%       0107-10
$49.99      15%        0107-15
$99.99      20%        0107-25

Customer Appreciation Week at Sams247.com

Sam's — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 03:00:00 GMT

Shop Sams247.Com, Shipping Only $5.99

The week of July 10 through July 18, 2006, marks Customer Appreciation week at Sams247.com. During this week, all orders shipped to USA addresses will enjoy a super-low rate of $5.99 for ground shipping.

No matter how many items you purchase, you will pay only $5.99 to have your products shipped anywhere in the 48 contiguous United States. Whether you're in Hempstead or Los Angeles, you'll pay only $5.99, and not a penny more.

So go ahead and shop; we'll worry about the shipping!

We haven't forgotten about our overseas customers. Since you cannot participate in our $5.99 shipping special, we will send you a 20%-off coupon towards your next purchase!

Hurry, this offer ends next Tuesday!

Please note that Jamaican beef patties require overnight or second-day shipping.

We're Getting Better...

Sam's — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 20:35:00 GMT

Improvements For www.Sams247.Com

In its bid to become the best Caribbean website on the internet, sams247.com has embarked on a number of improvements to enhance your shopping.

LIVE PERSON HELP: Sams247.com has added Live Person Help to assist its customers as they navigate the website. Now, help from a real human is just a click away. Simply click on the LIVE HELP button to begin a live, interactive chat session with one of Sam's helpful customer service representatives. Can't find a product? Have questions about a product's packaging or ingredients? Whatever your concern, turn to LIVE HELP for assistance.

PAYPAL PROBLEMS: Sams247.com is pleased to report that it has successfully resolved its Paypal issues. Heretofore, some orders paid with Paypal would not get recorded in our system, and we had no way of knowing what the customer ordered. We would then be forced to contact the customer to find out exactly what was ordered.

Fortunately, we were able to resolve the issue on Sunday July 9, 2006, by upgrading our shopping-cart software. Now customers can choose the Paypal payment method and be assured that their orders will arrive in our back office for prompt processing.

STREAMLINED CHECKOUT: Anyone who has used (or attempted to use) Sam's checkout system will be happy to learn about two soon-to-be-installed software. Sam's Caribbean Marketplace is in the process of aquiring an add-on software that will streamline the checkout process, reducing the number of checkout pages from four to two. With this feature, no sign-in is required to make a purchase.

In addition to a less cumbersone checkout process, shoppers can now obtain estimated shipping rates with the click of a button. This add-on will allow customers to check shipping rates from any html page on our website, and even in emailed advertisements

Click here for a preview of our future checkout pages.
Our enhanced checkout will take effect by the end of July, 2006

Digicel Introduces CaribFlex at Sam's

Sam's — Tue, 30 May 2006 04:32:00 GMT

Digicel & Jamaica National Launch CaribFlex at Sam's Caribbean Marketplace

It Reach?: Customer calls Jamaica and is impressed at how quickly CaribFlex applies credit to Digicel phones.

Credit, Please: One of the first customers to "top-up" a Digicel telephone at Sam's Caribbean Marketplace.

Time Out: NY radio personality Squeeze takes a break during the launch of CaribFlex at Sam's Caribbean.

Easy Like ABC: Enthusiastic Digicel representatives explain how easy it is to add talk-time to Digicel handsets in Jamaica.

On Friday May 26 an entourage from Digicel Jamaica and Jamaica National Building Society converged on Sam's Caribbean Marketplace for the launch of CaribFlex. CaribFlex makes it quick and easy for consumers to top-up, or add talk-time credit, to a Digicel phone at many Jamaica National Money Transfer locations throughout the world.

The web-based process takes about a minute to complete, and any Sam's Caribbean customer can now easily and quickly add funds to Digicel cellular telephones owned by their loved ones in the Caribbean. Customers who travel to the Caribbean and purchase Digicel handsets there will also benefit from this new product. They can now keep their SIM cards active by adding a small amount of credit to their account every couple months. Customers may purchase as little as US$2 in credit.

The program launch at Sam's Caribbean Marketplace included a live two-hour radio broadcast with "Squeeze," from New York's LinkUp Media, on 93.5 FM, as well as give-aways of Digicel-branded prizes. One lucky customer walked away with a new Motorola Razr handset.

Carib Flex is available at Sam's six days per week, during regular business hours. The credit is applied instantaneously to the recipient's Digicel handset.

www.Sams247.com will offer CaribFlex to its worldwide customers in the near future.

Head Cooks: Managers from Jamaica National and Digicel Jamaica join Sam's CEO, Andrew Morris (far right), for the launch of CaribFlex.

Have Your Say

Sam's — Wed, 24 May 2006 22:24:00 GMT

Your Caribbean Blog!

We thought it would be nice to have a Blog for all our customers and friends who visit sams247.com.

This is your Blog. Feel free to have your say. Tell everyone about your experience shopping at www.sams247.com. Tell us about your favorite Caribbean food, or share the Caribbean recipe you got out of Grandma's old cookbook.

Wanna learn how to prepare a certain Caribbean dish? Ask! Looking for some hard-to-find Caribbean products? Perhaps its a Reggae music cd or a Soca music cd you're looking for! Whatever it is, maybe we can help you find that special Caribbean product.

This is your space--your Caribbean blog. You decide what you want to do with it and where you want to take it.

We and thousands of others will be listening to you, so have your say!

Remember to visit our online Caribbean store, where you can shop for hundreds of Caribbean food and other Caribbean products that you've been longing for: www.sams247.com/Caribbean_store.aspx

CARIBBEAN FOOD & CARIBBEAN PRODUCTS: Jamaican, Trinidadian, Barbadian

Sam's Caribbean Turns 14, Offers Free Shipping to US Troops

Discount for Mother's Day

15% Discount for Mother's Day

Hot Deals on Caribbean Products: Save Up to 20%

Hot Deals on Caribbean ProdctsA Happy New Year to you.

Customer Appreciation Week at Sams247.com

Shop Sams247.Com, Shipping Only $5.99

We're Getting Better...

Improvements For www.Sams247.Com

Improvements For www.Sams247.Com

Digicel Introduces CaribFlex at Sam's

Have Your Say

Your Caribbean Blog!

Hot Deals on Caribbean Prodcts
A Happy New Year to you.