SSE member catalog
 

Does SSE still send out a printed catalog with membership? (the phone book format) If so, when does it normally arrive. I seem to remember it was in January but it's been a few years since i have been a member so maybe things have changed.

Thanks for any info!:)
Steve

[QUOTE=Heritage;618290]Does SSE still send out a printed catalog with membership? (the phone book format) If so, when does it normally arrive. I seem to remember it was in January but it's been a few years since i have been a member so maybe things have changed.

Thanks for any info!:)
Steve[/QUOTE]

Steve, I was going to put a thread about this in General discussion, but you beat me to it.

Yes, as an SSE member you should get the large what I call paper yearbook.

And this is THE latest that I've gone since I joined SSE in 1989 without seeing it delivered, so what the problem is I don't know.

But I have to call SSE to ask some other questions and give some help, so I'll see what the situation is with respect to the paper 2017 Yearbook.

Carolyn

I just found out that a friendof mine in IL got the paper catalog last Thursday.

Carolyn

Thanks Carolyn! :)

Steve

Neil L. is lucky one as always)
I expect mine later in February - early in March as always...

I received mine a week ago.

Got it yesterday

[QUOTE=ilex;619708]Got it yesterday[/QUOTE]

Thanks for sharing since I'm much closer to IA than you are.

But I called my local Post Office just to be sure and they said they now have drones and that it was being sent via a team of huskies pulling a sled that was full of the paper catalogs headed East.;):)

So now I wait, and wait, but of course can ask Neil to look things up for me,and he has, so that's great.:)

Carolyn

I called SSE today,called the general number and a robot lady went so fast no one could write down anything, so I just waited and was then turned over to Customer Service,which was good.

She told me that in the Fall Heritage magazine if you wanted a yearbook you had to contact them to let them know, I hadn't seen that.

Is that one way of thinning the herd so that SSE makes more money saving on shipping costs? And I ask since when I joined SSE in 1989 I paid for a Lifetime membership so I wouldn't have to pay the annual fee and always get what they sent out and at that time it was just the 4 Heritage magazines. No e-mails as they do now, but yes,still the annual public catalog for anyone,SSE member or not/.

She confirmed all that I said and said they would send one out to me and it would probably arrive next week. Then I get an e-mail with an invoice, but thank heavens I owed nothing.

One of the main reasons I wanted it is b/c I'm still working on the seed offer and need to know the basic traits of each variety,especially for the seeds produced by my seed producers this past summer since so many of them are new ones such that one couldn't just go to Tania's website or Google them to find out more,no way. But my SSE listed members who are also seed producers were listing them in the Yearbook withwhat I wanted to know.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it and to say I was upset would be an understatement.

I wonder if there are others who didn't get theirs for the same reason since that would impact not just the listed members in the US but those who are listed members from other countries as well.

Carolyn, where a heavy snow squall just came through, temps down to 3F tonight, same for tomorrow and then back up again. The buds are out on lilacs,so no lilacs this year, buds out on apple trees,gone,RIP and where I live it's big time orchard country.

Dear Carolyn,
How would they know you still wanted a catalog? Expecting one sent at their expense without you specifically requesting one when there is a paperless option seems strange to me.
how can the shipping people at this big company possibly know that you want one, are still at the same address or are even still be alive for that matter unless you tell them.
Paper catalogs will be a thing of the past for every seed company eventually as so many people request expensive printed paper catalogs that never place an order.
More and more catalog sales companies of all kinds are going paperless, garden catalogs are one of the last holdouts in my observation and that is likely due to a rural and older audience overall. This is changing slowly but surely as Internet is better and almost everyone has access to a computer these days.
KarenO

[QUOTE=KarenO;622975]Dear Carolyn,
How would they know you still wanted a catalog? Expecting one sent at their expense without you specifically requesting one when there is a paperless option seems strange to me.
how can the shipping people at this big company possibly know that you want one, are still at the same address or are even still be alive for that matter unless you tell them.
Paper catalogs will be a thing of the past for every seed company eventually as so many people request expensive printed paper catalogs that never place an order.
More and more catalog sales companies of all kinds are going paperless, garden catalogs are one of the last holdouts in my observation and that is likely due to a rural and older audience overall. This is changing slowly but surely as Internet is better and almost everyone has access to a computer these days.
KarenO[/QUOTE]

Karen,you've said the same thing over and over.

I was not the only one who missed the notice in the Fall Heritage magazine.

Your assumption that everyone has a computer re SSE issues is not what I know,I could list many who are not oldsters who still refuse to use computers,their choice, whether at home or in a nearby library such has we have in our own local library.

I hope you didn't miss my own issue of not being able to see what those of my seed producers, who are also listed members, listed which would help me a lot in terms of a seed offer.

Yes my seed producer group has a spreadsheet off of which they chose what they want, there's also a germination page that goes with that, but as to performance and specifics,no,they don't indicate that,well a few do via group e-mails.

Two years ago Glenn Drowns at Sandhill gave up sending out catalogs except in those circumstances where one was justified,again,his choice,due to the increasing costs of printing,binding, postage and mailing.

I used to get many catalogs since I preferred sitting in my recliner chair rather than sitting at my computer, but after you don't order anything for a few years,off you go from their mailing list.

Examples for me include Johnny's and Baker Creek and the one up in Maine, owners name is Tim, I haven't been sent that one recently since I hadn't ordered. No need for me to list the ones I still get since most of them I do order from and that includes replacements for perennial flowers,or interested in trying something just out,or whatever

I use catalogs primarily as a research tool to help answer questions here at Tville as well as at idig, and for those who just e- mail me out of the blue, which has been happening more frequently.

You wrote

(How would they know you still wanted a catalog? Expecting one sent at their expense without you specifically requesting one when there is a paperless option seems strange to me.
how can the shipping people at this big company possibly know that you want one, are still at the same address or are even still be alive for that matter unless you tell them.)

Nothing strange about it at all since as I said above I was still getting all the publications,not being sent back to sender, and it's all about my being a [B]LIFETIME SSE member[/B]r since 1989.

Carolyn

such a paradox. not one positive word about them but can`t live another minute without the catalog. Best wishes.
Not another word from me except this:
have a look at what Neil L wrote in the catalog about my Zenàs gift tomato and then, if you are inclined have a look at my online listing with photos and description and the story and see why I think as I do.

KarenO

[QUOTE=KarenO;623009]such a paradox. not one positive word about them but can`t live another minute without the catalog. Best wishes.
Not another word from me.
KarenO[/QUOTE]

But another word from me since you've forgotten that my seed producers who are also listed SSE members do list what they get from me as one contribution.

But,in addition when I was told that last year there were about 700 listed members and for this year only 400,that raised alarm bells for me and for other members who are still good friends and always will be .

Fact is that SSE has changed considerably in recent years,I enumerated those changes in another thread here at Tville.

Carolyn

Deleted as it just wasn't constructive or positive. :)

[QUOTE=JohnJones;623027]Deleted as it just wasn't constructive or positive. :)[/QUOTE]

Correct since what I got was your original post sent to me at home and was about to respond to you when I saw you had changed what you wrote.

Carolyn

I got my yearbook at least a few weeks ago.

I received my catalog last month as well. I believe that I also received an email saying that I will be asked to pay $8.00 next year, if I would like the yearbook. I am a younger generation, listed member and (despite certain issues that I think need to be resolved to make it more user-friendly) I love the online system but I love the yearbook as well. So I hope they keep both options available. I am willing to pay for the cost.

I've got my printed 2017 Yearbook as well, but they've made a big mistake by including all my listings from all the years even those which are unavailable right now...

I think that the online system needs some improvement. I couldn't update my listings properly as well.

[QUOTE=Andrey_BY;623137]I've got my printed 2017 Yearbook as well, but they've made a big mistake by including all my listings from all the years even those which are unavailable right now...[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Andrey_BY;623137]I've got my printed 2017 Yearbook as well, but they've made a big mistake by including all my listings from all the years even those which are unavailable right now...[/QUOTE]

What???

You joined here in 2006, I've been getting seeds from you for I can't tell you how long, and ALL of them were listed in the 2017?

Much worse than the year they forgot to list 18 of my varieties, Joanne apologized, but what was,was.

I do like your new picture,if that helps a bit.:)

Carolyn

No, Carolyn. You can find in 2017 Yearbook not all vegetable varieties from my total seed collection, but only from all SSE Yearbooks since I've been started to list there. I've already asked SSE stuff to make all the nessesary changes at least in online base.
I really miss Joanne Thuente times. She was much more accurate with database and a really nice person sheself:) Do you know where is she now?

Carolyn, I like this photo from our forest as well. But there are no tomatoes, home pets or famous persons on it like people like to use on avatars :D

[QUOTE=carolyn137;623221]What???

You joined here in 2006, I've been getting seeds from you for I can't tell you how long, and ALL of them were listed in the 2017?

Much worse than the year they forgot to list 18 of my varieties, Joanne apologized, but what was,was.

I do like your new picture,if that helps a bit.:)

Carolyn[/QUOTE]

My 2 c's on this, for what its worth...

The first thing is that the Yearbook is not a[I] catalog[/I] - it is a membership publication. Paperwork reduction is sensible in business, but the Exchange side of SSE is not a business - it is a [I]service[/I] that the non-profit is obligated to provide to its members. In the case of Carolyn & other Life Members, this is a service they have already paid for in advance, and they deserve to be treated in good faith.

There was a lot of initial confusion regarding the policy change. The Fall notice stated that members would only receive a print copy of the Yearbook if they specifically requested it - and then only if they had subscribed at the $50.00 level. Another notice (I think it was an email) stated that Listed Members would still automatically receive a print Yearbook. I too contacted SSE, they verified that I would be receiving a copy (which arrived last month).

Comparing the print Yearbook to the online exchange is problematic, because it is not an apples-to-apples comparison. To me, the print version is a permanent record of past exchanges, to which I often refer when researching the history of a particular variety. Thus far, the online version has proven to be unreliable in that aspect... wish that were not the case. As has been demonstrated in recent years, print is permanent, digital is too vulnerable to sudden & complete loss. To resolve this issue, SSE should offer the Yearbook as a .pdf (or some other downloadable format) which would remain regardless of any IT issues SSE may have in the future.

There are other problems with the Yearbook this year. Much of the previously-entered source info has simply disappeared. It appears that the 'source' field in the online exchange is now absent - and the print version derives from the digital version. SSE has also decided to change its listings from the crop type which has always been used (TOMATO 1234) to accession numbers, which will create an added wrinkle when following chain of custody.

[QUOTE]But,in addition when I was told that last year there were about 700 listed members and for this year only 400,that raised alarm bells for me and for other members who are still good friends and always will be .

Fact is that SSE has changed considerably in recent years,I enumerated those changes in another thread here at Tville.[/QUOTE]

Jaw dropping. :shock: The older founding members have been slowly dropping out, but that doesn't account for such a steep decline. The constant instability, and loss of rapport with the membership, are obviously having an impact.

Thanks for an excellent post.

What really bothered me,which I alluded to above and said I'd posted about it elsewhere was this

(Much of the previously-entered source info has simply disappeared)

What is meant by that is that in ALL previous yearbooks there was kind of indication of whose hands the seeds had passed through so that if the current lister got it and it was wrong,one could trace back and see where a not true variety probably happened.

It would go like this

John,who got seeds from...give SSE code, in which year, who got it from Samantha,who got it from....SSE code in X year,and on and on.

Until now I've had SSE friends who do have their 2017 yearbooks check for me, both the paper as well as the online. And in the other thread I posted even more.

MY 2017 is supposed to come this week so I won't have to ask others to check this and that for me.

Carolyn

I wonder how it`s working out for growers of the hundreds of other plants listed besides tomatoes. I believe there are in the range of 13000 members.

KarenO

[QUOTE=Andrey_BY;623287]No, Carolyn. You can find in 2017 Yearbook not all vegetable varieties from my total seed collection, but only from all SSE Yearbooks since I've been started to list there. I've already asked SSE stuff to make all the nessesary changes at least in online base.
I really miss Joanne Thuente times. She was much more accurate with database and a really nice person sheself:) Do you know where is she now?

Carolyn, I like this photo from our forest as well. But there are no tomatoes, home pets or famous persons on it like people like to use on avatars :D[/QUOTE]

Just answering the question about Joanne. I think it was two years ago when she retired but when I asked the person at SSE about my yearbook, I asked about her and she said that she still comes in several days /week to help where needed.

I'm telling you now that she knew more about tomatoes than anyone elseat SSE,probably other crops as well and that was when every one had to send their sheets in for one per variety.
She would then have to upload from those sheets to what would go in the Yearbook.


With the tomatoes if she saw something that didn't look right to her,she would send me an e-mail asking about it and most of the time I was able to help.

Lastly, expect an e-mail which I'll send out later today.:)

Carolyn

[QUOTE=carolyn137;623425]Thanks for an excellent post.

What really bothered me,which I alluded to above and said I'd posted about it elsewhere was this

(Much of the previously-entered source info has simply disappeared)

What is meant by that is that in ALL previous yearbooks there was kind of indication of whose hands the seeds had passed through so that if the current lister got it and it was wrong,one could trace back and see where a not true variety probably happened.

It would go like this

John,who got seeds from...give SSE code, in which year, who got it from Samantha,who got it from....SSE code in X year,and on and on.

Until now I've had SSE friends who do have their 2017 yearbooks check for me, both the paper as well as the online. And in the other thread I posted even more.

MY 2017 is supposed to come this week so I won't have to ask others to check this and that for me.

Carolyn[/QUOTE]

And my yearbook came today,priority mail and was sent by the person who tried to talk me out of deleting all my listings, then kept asking me if I would consider donating my seeds to SSE.

The yearbook is HALF the size of all the yearbooks I've received in the past maybe 20 years.

I read just a bit and some real surprises,for me primarily,none that would interest most folks in this thread.

I don't know when I'll get a chance to read more since my seed producers are after me to get the newest seeds onto a spreadsheet so they could each chose which ones they wanted.

No, I don't create the various spreadsheets we use, that's beyond me, but then I'm supposed to fill in the lines,but was told if I just sent a list of the varieties someone else would do that.So that was another couple of hours I spent looking for info from the envelopes that had been sent, but luckily they are all in one place to the right of my computer.And that for growout this summer.

Then a neighbor stopped by whom I haven't seen at all since last early Fall,she has had, still does,some problems to deal with, that I knew, bearing a bowl of fresh fruit as an apology.Then we talked,oh how we talked,lots to catch up on.

So goes the day.

Carolyn