The Moleskine Saga
Part One
So I need a notebook because often I have good conversations and on topics about which I could blog, but by the time I sit down at the computer, I have forgotten the day’s discussions. I like the Moleskine notebooks, because they are hardcover and they have the elastic band to keep them closed. This rugged structure appeals to my constant need to beat up my notebooks.
However, the cost is prohibitive. Twelve dollars is at least three times what I’d like to pay for a notebook. Factoring in the neat features, I can see why it would be a little more expensive than a regular notebook, but the cost is still a bit outrageous. The cheapest I could find online was $9.39 at buy.com.
And ten dollars is too much for me. (It’s just a notebook!)
Part Two
During my day off, I went to Rhinelander, WI, about one hour away from camp. We went on a Wisconsin River Cruise, which was fun and peaceful, and we went to a waterskiing show at Hodag Park. Between these activities, Linda needed to go to Wal-mart to get some fabrics, at which point, I wandered off into the cake decorating section. Shortly after, I decided to check out the Wal-mart notebooks to see what they had in my price range.
Upon first glance (likely due to its shocking color), I noticed a bright pink moleskine-style notebook. It was made by mead, and it was only five dollars! But it was blank paper, not ruled, and it was bright pink. They also had a bright lime green version. Above these two options was a grid paper version in brown. But no ruled paper.
I called over a sales associate who told me that she thought maybe new ones would come in that evening. I didn’t explain that I had travelled one hour to frequent her establishment. Instead, on the way back to camp at the end of the night, we went to another Wal-Mart, in Minocqua.
Minocqua: same story as Rhinelander. They had the exact same options (fewer cake decorating supplies) and they didn’t suggest when new ones would come in.
Part Three
“No big deal,” I thought to myself. “I can just find the notebook online and buy it there.”
No dice. Here’s a quick rundown of the steps I took and their results:
- Checked Walmart.com – No mention of mead products. Or for that matter notebooks.
- Checked Mead.com – Nothing resembling the product I found at Wal-Mart.
- Checked Google, etc – Nope. Pretty sure I imagined this product. But I did learn about other Moleskine knockoffs that are even more expensive. Ridiculous.
- Called Rhinelander Wal-Mart – Now we’re getting somewhere! The friendly sales associate, Shirley, gave me the information on the graph one (the ruled ones are still not in stock), including the UPC number.
- Googled the UPC – Nope. Product not found in database.
- Called Mead – Tim, the customer service associate, told me that this is in the line of products that “Wal-Mart calls us and says ‘Make us this product. We’re a monopoly so it’s only ours.’” Thus, the only place to buy this product is at Wal-Mart.
- Called Wal-Mart Corporate – 1.800.WAL.MART. Lakisha told me that this is an in-store product only and that it’s not available online. She took my name and number, but didn’t sound hopeful that the notebook would ever end up in my hands.
- Called my mom to get her to check the Houston Wal-Mart – I don’t know why I thought that would work. She just laughed at me.
Conclusion
So that’s where I am. No notebook, feeling dejected. I’m just going to buy a cheapo one-dollar pocket notebook in the end. I mean, I don’t really need my notebook to remain in pristine condition. I just need it to record notes.
I have what I thought was a maroon moleskine notebook. I wanted to get another one, so I opened it up to see what the model was. I was shocked when I saw, “MEAD” in the inner cover. I have had it for months and had no idea it was a MEAD!
It has ruled paper just exactly like a Moleskine, I know because I have four other Moleskines. While searching for it online, I found your entry. I bought mine at my local Wal Mart. I’ll drop by in the morning and see if I can pick up some more ruled ones. If so I’ll let you know.
–
Phillip
They have a large stack of brown (I thought they were maroon, but my wife tells me they are brown) and black ones. They are very good moleskine knockoffs, and I beleive they even have much nicer paper than the originals do. Its better quality than most cheapo mead notebooks, so don’t let the “Mead” name fool you.
They are $9.98 each, which is probably too much for most notebook tasks, but for my daily note-taking tasks, the meadskines are perfect. I bought two more and would have bought more, but it seems like there isn’t a shortage of availability at my local wal mart.
For what it’s worth, the local target has some nice moleskine knockoffs by yet another manufacturer, that are also $9.95, and have very nice covers that appear to be alligator stamped leather.
Awesome! Thanks for the info. I guess they’ve remade and restocked them. Next time I’m at Walmart, I’ll take a look.