Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Talk Show Product Deals Weariness

Photo: The Talk
Have you noticed? Product deals have become a major feature of morning and afternoon talk shows. Called "Steals and Deals [NBC], MorningSave [CBS], or "View Your Deal [ABC]," lately it seems every talk show has a daily segment devoted to so-called bargains. But, why are all the talk shows hyping products? 

Product placements provide a steady income stream by driving product sales. Retailers benefit by reaching a wider audience, and television networks rely heavily on advertising revenue to pay for the production of their shows, which is why we are subjected to TV commercials.

Photo: GMA

Nowadays television hosts including news readers, meteorologists, and medical doctors regularly join product promotors in the demonstrations of 5 or 6 products claimed to be offered at a discount during the show.

If viewers buy the featured products the talk shows get commissions (a cut of each sale) or affiliate sales revenue for driving viewers to buy the products.

Yet, I have to confess, I'm getting tired of them. It's beginning to feel like the home shopping network is taking over talk shows and I'm seeing infomercials disguised as program segments. The featured products are fairly random from skincare to cooking or exercise equipment and clothing. Usually, we're given 24 hours to go to a specially set up website for the network (which tracks the sales) to grab a deal.

Photo: The Today Show
Although I understand the appeal of some of the products, I've never taken the bait because I'm not an impulse buyer. I can see getting caught up in the enthusiasm of the promoters who are hawking discounts, but I wonder how many viewers have buyer's remorse after receiving their goods? The prices seem reasonable enough, but if consumers wait a beat, would they still need or want the merchandise in the 1st place? 

Let's discuss further:

Are television audiences bombarded by sales pitches coming into their living rooms spending more than they should?

And lastly, is the line between journalists and promotors on GMA, CBS Mornings, and The Today Show getting blurred?

What are your thoughts?


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Monday, December 2, 2024

5 Things I Love But Won't Buy


THE SAVVY SHOPPER is a lifestyle blog that focuses on good decision-making on a budget. It requires that we ask ourselves, do we need the item or simply want it. Why are we tempted to buy it? When an article makes our lives happier, easier, or better, often we should buy it. But if what we have works, maybe we should let "it" go. Moreover, sometimes we should buy the top of the line, and at other times we could settle for good enough to have funds left to cover emergencies or more important things in life.


I'm always tempted by compact, lightweight, or newer things even if what I already own works and is good enough! Let me give you a few examples:

1) The Ankarsum Original Stand Mixer (see top image) - It's a Swedish-designed mixer that is powerful and well-made. But I can't justify spending a whopping $749.95 for a mixer when my 2024 Hamilton Beach 6 Speed Hand Mixer does everything I need it to do. My hand mixer for less is compact and powerful too, and I can't claim that holding it is inconvenient or tiring. So I think it's the idea of a stand mixer being so compact that entices me. But at the end of the day, my hand mixer will hurt less to replace when one day in the future, it dies, so I prefer to admire rather than own the Ankarsum mixer. (BTW: A 30-year-old $12 Black & Decker handheld mixer would still be running strong if I hadn't stuck a fork in cake batter that snagged and broke one of the beater holders.)

2) Uniqlo's Seamless Down Coat - Regular readers of this blog know I love Uniqlo's basics and the Seamless Down Coat is no exception. I already own a different Uniqlo coat, the Ultra Light Down Long Coat which keeps me warm and toasty in winter so the reason I'm passing is I just don't need a new coat. I can't buy clothes every time I see something I love as there'd be no room in my closets. Both Uniqlo coat styles are beautiful coats for the money. The Seamless is a tad warmer for those of you who live in Boston or Chicago. The Ulta Light Down Coat is warm enough for New York City winters. On the coldest below zero day, I wear a sweater underneath mine. Still, the Uniqlo Seamless Down Coat is sooo gorgeous that the id in me wants to run right out to buy one!

3) I love lean tall leather boots with flat heels for comfort like these Stuart Weitzman boots. Already I have at least 5 pairs of boots of different heights that I don't wear much, therefore, I have put myself on a boot diet! Boots always catch my eye when I'm in a shoe department. Always tempting me, but once I own them I find them to be more constricting than other shoes and don't reach for them. Sometimes you just have to know yourself and stop collecting! Five is my boot limit to stop buying them!

4) Don't get me started on Apple devices. Not cheap and we can't keep up with the newest and greatest operating systems. So I don't replace my laptops, iPads, or iPhones until what I already own coughs and dies. Enough said.

5) Corelle Dinnerware - A topic I addressed in a previous blog. With a do-over, I'd buy a set of 8? or 12? Corelle dinnerware to save space in my cupboard instead of the heavier stoneware I have. I've become addicted to maximizing space, yet not enough to replace a perfectly good set of dishes for a new set of Corelle Dinnerware.

What are you tempted to replace that you know you shouldn't?


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