When is a waitlist worth it?
It's a science. Or is it?
Every week, I get at least one pitch about a restaurant, a dress, a workout class, a wellness service that has a “waitlist.” But when is putting yourself on a waitlist actually worth it? Is it always worth it? Is it never worth it?
Let’s talk about the time I was number 160 on a waitlist for a pottery studio membership in my neighborhood. Or the countless times I’ve put myself on a wait list for a full yoga class. Most New York therapists have waitlists. My local eyeglass store even has a waitlist because appointments get booked up so far in advance. Colleges and restaurants, of course, notoriously have waitlists. Even marathons have waitlists, which is wild to me because I can’t relate to the burning desire to run one. It’s endless.
According to my inbox:
This DIME fragrance sold out and racked up a 5,000-person waitlist
A leather Dagne Dover tote had a 10,000-person waitlist
Lola blankets sold out over the holidays and had a 30,000-person waitlist at one point
There’s always a waitlist for Lollapalooza tickets (I’m still not sure why I’m on that email list)
There was a 200-person waitlist for a RummiKlub game night in LA at one point
And of course, some brands create “waitlists” to generate buzz. I don’t blame them — it works. When SKIMS launched its North Face collab last December, the launch dropped with a waitlist, and then the line, of course, was only available for a limited time. Combine the words “waitlist” and “limited edition,” and you’ll immediately have a captive audience glued to their phone and refreshing the page. (Admittedly, sometimes I’m part of that audience. My husband often jokes that there are few things in the world that I love more than something that is ~limited edition~ and he’s not wrong.) Case in point: Did I already set an alarm on my phone for the Rosie Assoulin x Target collab that’s launching on Saturday? Yes. Yes, I did. Did I buy several dresses from the UNIQLO x Cecilie Bahnsen collab? Again, yes.
I’ll be the first to admit that there’s a rush that comes with getting off a waitlist. Luck found you! It’s going to be a good day! You’re off the waitlist! Go skip through the streets!
Next time you find yourself wondering if a waitlist is worth it, ask yourself:
Is the waitlist real or completely manufactured to generate demand? A waitlist for a workout class you love, for example, is real because only so many people can fit in a class. A waitlist for a fashion collab could be real, but it’s also just a way to get people excited. Do you feel like it’s going to be impossible to snag what you want if you don’t immediately buy it when it launches? If this answer is no, don’t stress about it. Plus, you can always find it on the secondhand market for an offensively high price in a few months. I’m kidding. Kind of.
Do I actually want this thing? Would I still want it if it were in stock and without the fanfare? Ask yourself if the collab you’re obsessed with is cool because you know it won’t last for long or if it’s cool because it genuinely aligns with your style. If the answer is unclear, that’s okay, but it’s a good exercise.
Would I be genuinely disappointed if I never got off the list? If the answer is yes, put yourself on that waitlist. And if the answer is “I’d probably forget that I signed up in the first place,” move on.
One thing that will never have a waitlist? This newsletter. And I’m so glad you’re here.