Halfway to Black Friday 2023 - FAQUpdated 13 days ago

We always love to hear from our valued customers, but during our Halfway to Black Friday sale we receive (literally) thousands of emails with various questions and concerns. In an effort to minimize the number of emails we receive during this hectic time, we have compiled the following list of answers to some of our more commonly asked questions. Remember, every email that we have to take time to answer is time taken away from our ability to ship out more packages. So, help us help you get your package quicker by taking a few minutes to read the following. We hope this helps make your ordering experience with us as smooth as possible and we thank you in advance for your order.

When, where and what is the sale?
Halfway to Black Friday (HBF) at VinegarSyndrome.com is a yearly tradition for fans of genre film! The sale will begin at exactly 12:01am EST on Friday, May 26th and will end on Monday the 29th at 11:59pm EST. Nearly everything in our extensive home video catalog will be 50% off SRP. We will also be unveiling two secret Vinegar Syndrome releases, two brand new Vinegar Syndrome Archive releases, the first Vinegar Syndrome Labs box set, some limited edition catalog & variant slipcovers and so much more!

Please note: our website will be placed into maintenance mode the morning of Wednesday the 24th to prepare for the sale.

What products will be on sale?
Every VS, VSA, Peekarama and Partner Label title with a release date prior to January 2023 will be discounted 50% off SRP. Titles with release dates beginning in 2023 will NOT be discounted. Special note: certain VSU and VSP releases, Merch, Clothing, and a few older Partner Label titles currently under distribution by another company may not be discounted.

I placed an order during the Flash Pre-order event and/or pre-ordered SHOWGIRLS, A BLADE IN THE DARK or THE BOOGEYMAN, what do I need to know?
Congrats on easily your best purchase this year! You might already think you have everything you need, but you couldn’t be more wrong… During the HBF sale, add additional orders to your package for free, using the “Add to my existing order” shipping option. If you purchased the ‘Everything’ flash pre-order bundle, you will receive the following: SHOWGIRLS, A BLADE IN THE DARK, THE BOOGEYMAN, VILLAGES OF THE DAMNED, plus the two secret Vinegar Syndrome releases. If you are still confused, check the individual products pages once the sale goes live to see what’s include in the Everything package.

I’m a current VS Subscriber, what do I need to know?
Thank you for taking the plunge with us so far in 2023! Here’s what is already included in your Subscription: A BLADE IN THE DARK, THE BOOGEYMAN, VILLAGES OF THE DAMNED, plus the two secret Vinegar Syndrome releases. The new Vinegar Syndrome Ultra release of SHOWGIRLS, the two new VS Archive releases and the new VS Labs box set are not included, but you will have access to your regular Subscriber discounts. If you are still confused, check the individual products pages once the sale goes live to see what’s include in your Subscription.

Also, don’t forget that HBF is your perfect opportunity to stock up on our extensive back catalog. Use your free shipping option to add additional purchases to your package. And finally, due to your elite subscriber status, your HBF order(s) will be first to ship following the sale.

How do I become a VS Subscriber?
This is hands down our most asked question of all time. You only have one more opportunity to become a subscriber this year, and that is during Halfway Subscriber Week, July 1st - 7th. More information on this will be posted soon.

June is Partners Only month!
We are continuing the Partners Only tradition! June and December are Partner Label Only months (meaning: no new VS releases). Why? Well, logistically, combining pre-orders with sale orders has long been an extremely complex process that gets more and more difficult every year. Therefore, as a means of easing our burden and also giving the Partner Labels themselves a time to shine, we’re dedicating two months out of the year specifically to them.

During the ‘Partners Only’ month of June, ordering VS titles will be disabled, BUT all Partner Label releases will be fully available and shipping!

When does Partners Only month start and end?
Thursday, June 1st at 12:01 PM EST thru June 28th at 11:59 PM EST.

I’m a Subscriber, how does Partners Only month affect me?
There will not be any new VS releases in June, but you can still order Partner Label releases! Use your free Subscriber shipping option and the Partner Label releases will ship to you in the month of June for free. Pretty cool, huh?

What are your HBF shipping policies?
If you are a Subscriber, placed a flash pre-order or pre-ordered SHOWGIRLS, A BLADE IN THE DARK or THE BOOGEYMAN — you qualify for FREE shipping during the sale and should use your free shipping option at checkout (see above). Otherwise, our HBF shipping rates are as follows:

• $5 Standard (USPS Media Mail or First Class depending on package size & location)
• $10 Deluxe (USPS Priority or FedEx)
• Canada = $10
• International = $18 (FedEx International)
• All free shipping thresholds will be disabled during the sale.

When will you begin shipping orders?
This year, HBF orders will begin shipping out on Monday, June 5th starting with Subscribers, then Flash Pre-order customers, and then all other orders. 

How long will it take for my HBF order to ship?
We continue to make significant improvements to our order fulfillment pipeline. We will be shipping orders from multiple warehouses with a full time shipping crew of over 20 people. We have hands down the best shipping crew in the business and we will do everything we can to get through the fulfillment backlog as quickly as possible without sacrificing on quality and service.

Where is my package?
Each year we get numerous emails from customers asking when their order will ship out. While we are always trying to improve our ability to ship out orders faster, we ask that you please be patient with us. If at any point you are unhappy with the amount of time it is taking for your order to ship, simply ask us to cancel your order for a full refund. If you need to cancel your order for any reason, send us an email and we will refund the order, no questions asked.

My order is stuck ‘In Transit’ and the tracking number has not updated for a few days, what should I do?
If your order has been sitting at a carrier facility and has not updated, don’t worry, it should still be getting to its destination. We can assure you that once you receive a tracking number, your order has either left our building or will be leaving the following day. If there has been no movement on your package for longer than normal please reach out to your local post office or FedEx facility first. They will be able to track down your package for you. Once packages leave our building they are out of our hands and are the responsibility of the mail carrier. If your package has been ‘stuck’ for 30 days or longer, then you can reach out to us and we can figure out a solution for you. Otherwise we please ask that you give your package ample time to get delivered to you.

Can I place multiple orders during the sale?
Absolutely! Since you already paid for shipping with your initial order (or pre-order), select the ‘Add to my existing sale order’ free shipping method on any additional orders. We will ship everything in one large package.

Do you have quantity limits on Limited Edition releases?
Yes. Limited Edition releases (including slipcovers), are limited to (2) copies per customer. Certain Limited Edition releases will be limited to (1) copy per customer. Please check individual product listings for more info.

Item X has sold out, can I call dibs via email in case you have any extras stock?
No. After everything has shipped out, if we have additional inventory on items the were previously “sold out”, the additional inventory will be re-listed on our website once the site relaunches.

Can we pick up our orders at your retail stores in Connecticut or Colorado?
The Archive locations in Bridgeport, CT and Aurora, CO will have most of the VS related releases in stock starting Friday, May 26th. For the time being, the ‘Pick up at The Archive’ shipping option on our website has been disabled. Please make all purchases in person at the stores.

For more information on Black Friday sales at The Archive retails locations, please visit www.browsethearchive.com and/or follow the various social media accounts. Feel free to contact the stores for additional information.

Think we missed something? Still have a question? Contact us at [email protected], reach out via the Help Center or use the chat feature on our site and we’ll get back to you ASAP.