500 CDC/CDCR Custom Spinners SOLD OUT in less than 3 hours at the 2017 CCPOA Conference in Reno, NV.
While we were preparing for the 2017 CCPOA Conference in Reno, NV; we played with the idea on joining in on the Fidget Spinner craze. It took us some time in finding a manufacturer that would take this task on and after some more trial and errors, we finally had everything worked out.
We didn't want to create another Fidget Spinner just to get in the game, we wanted something that was different and of high quality. I admit, it was a little bit of a gamble to make them without seeing a sample before offering it to our clients, but we were very confident that our manufacturer could produce the quality we expected. After all, they had made so many other products for us before that were excellent.
The Custom Spinners arrived at our hotel room in Reno the day before the conference started and we were thrilled as to how great they turned out. We took them to the floor the next day and they sold like hot cakes and we sold out of them in less than 3 hours.
When we returned to our room that night, we found that we had left 2 cases (80 Spinners) behind. The next day those 80 sold out in the first hour. On the third day of the conference we sold the samples (about 10-12) that had been setting on our display tables. Butler's Uniforms placed an order that day for 200 spinners and on Monday raised the order to 400 spinners and have been a steady customer since.
Over the next 3 days we took another 3,000 orders making the spinner a viral product for us.
These Fidget Spinners are custom made by us for CDC & CDCR and are considered a novelty item.
As soon as we got home, we started working on a CHP Version of the Spinner and they too have sold thousands for their charities and to raise funds for their Explorer Program.
Since then we have added several more spinners including a new "Old School" CDC Spinner and a Generic Law Enforcement Spinner. All now come in Gold or Antique Silver Finishes.
I always said that as long as the sale stayed up, we would never sell them at the suggested price of $24.95, so they are $19.95 on line and $14.95 at all conferences.
As I look back, I remember designing the spinners and being told that it was not a good idea, nor did any of our factories want to manufacture them for us because we were asking for the quality of a Challenge Coin with the workings of a high end Fidget Spinner that could be disassembled for cleaning and able to upgrading the bearings. I was told that I was attempting to marry two separate companies for a new item that had never been made. What we got was the highest quality bearings and the best spinners in the world. I was worried that I would not even get my initial investment back and what I got back in return was much greater, a new gadget that has put "Miles of Smiles" on the faces of kids and adults across the nation. And that is "PRICELESS."
YOU CAN NOT FIND THESE SPINNERS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AS THEY ARE AN EXCLUSIVE ITEM TO CUSTOM PINS AND BUCKLES ONLY.
News report updated on January 19, 2019 by Paul "Doc" Nigh