She writes:
Dear Consumerist,I purchased a Black & Decker food processor from my local Walmart store. When I opened the box for the first time, I found a religious pamphlet with the other paperwork (user’s manual, etc.). The pamphlet has an “American Idol” theme. I’m not sure if it was put there by Black & Decker or a Walmart employee or customer. The box was sealed with a strip of packing tape but I noticed when I removed it that the box is so glossy that the removal of the tape left no mark on it. Here are scans of the pamphlet. I hate these things. I’ve emailed Black & Decker and Walmart. Do you have any suggestions for me, aside from the action I’ve already taken? I’m totally creeped out.
Jessica
PS. Scans of the pamphlet are attached. Sorry the quality is so poor, not sure why.
Seems like the best way to get back is to take into your heart the belief that you will win American Idol. Share this belief with others.
Faith aside, if the food processor works then you can ask for an open-box discount, but not much more. If it only works for true believers, then bring it back and ask for a refund and a non-proselytizing appliance. We hear KitchenAids are fabulous and accepting.
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OK, I’m with IrisMR. What the heck are Chick Tracts?
@Rectilinear Propagation:
Good point there, too. If it was a religious tract on the shelf, she likely wouldn’t care. This implies that someone had their grubby hands in your food-handling equipment.
@Rectilinear Propagation:
[www.chick.com]
Warning: May not be suitable for individuals with brains.
Oh come ON. This is worthy of complaint and an article?
Can I get my name on here the next time someone puts a flyer on my windshield?
Sheesh.
@AngrySicilian: Those are some sexy names Cuisinart gives their products.
@failurate: Probably not, although I’m not a fan of leaving tracts around somebody else’s property, regardless of the message. But, since somebody started the conversation by leaving a tract, I thought I would add my own voice to the conversation by “altering” the tract. Ya know, in the interest of open communication.
@RvLeshrac: So every Saturday you have fanatics at your door?
I realize you are exaggerating, but since when did people become such panzies that they can’t just tell other people (politely) to go away?
Now most people seem to expect compensation (in blood) whenever they are presented with people and information they don’t agree with.
Jessica, you violated rule number one: Never buy anything at Wal Mart!
When I worked at *national bookstore chain*, this was a regular occurrence. People would come in and slip their little cards and pamphlets into every kind of book, journal, bookends, etc. You know, it’s one thing to litter every copy of the Kama Sutra, but it’s something else entirely to put the hellfire brochures into the kids books. (It happens.)
And don’t get me started on the people who would come in after church on Sunday and hide the Bible translations they disagreed with…
Paper is thin and can be slid through a small gap in the box. I say planted by a customer. Either one that was putting it in boxes as evangelism or a customer that had received one from someone (perhaps outside the store) and didn’t want to bother throwing it away.
I get crap like that all the time in my mailbox. Just throw em away and let them burn their own money printing those ads.
@speedwell:
No, you just pointed out your own small-mindedness. Churchie propaganda, hippie save-the-world propaganda, it’s all unwanted and unsolicited when I’m buying an item. I don’t want nor need your (general you, not specific you, unless you are a shopdropper) viewpoint when I’m forking over my money for items.
Also: “More narrowly, the shopdropper are likelier by far to effect positive social change in the world, and the zombie morons don’t even want to be part of the world.”
Shows some hostility on your part. I don’t want anyone proselytizing at me, whether it be for their god, their planet, or their art. I find the type of person who does shopdropping to be just as much “zombie morons” sold on their One True Way Of Saving The World as the churchies. They both think they’re doing something for the greater good.
@Rectilinear Propagation:
The ones who just put stickers on items aren’t quite as bad as the ones who open stuff, since at least they aren’t touching the merchandise, but there are plenty who do open items to insert their propaganda, and they were equally cheered, as well. The only time I remember any being castigated was the time that a guy bought an ipod for his kid and got an empty package with just propaganda.
its creepy BECAUSE someone has tampered with that item. its also creepy BECAUSE yet another christian is trying to convert someone to their way of thinking, by tampering with an item in a store. how exactly is this NOT creepy?
A reader emailed the tipline to let us know that the CEO of Black and Decker, Nolan Archibald, is a Mormon and was the defendant in a 2005 lawsuit that accused him of making two decades’ worth of improper company contributions to the Mormon church.
/Totally irresponsible speculation
@bilsemon: Hey, why don’t you quit sitting here bitching about what other people write and GET A LIFE!?!?!??!
Nyah.
Now most people seem to expect compensation (in blood) whenever they are presented with people and information they don’t agree with.
@failurate: We don’t know that the OP is looking for any compensation.
@MyCokesBiggerThanYours: I don’t hate faith. Respect and celebrate it, actually.
It’s the shove-it-into-everyone’s-face part that’s annoying.
The fact that it’s usually the people that have made a mess of their life until finding a narcotic that’s less harmful (Jabezus) is even more so. Hey, *I* didn’t make a wreck of my life until stumbling into a church: don’t assume I need what you did.
These religious people leave these little pamphlets all over the place. On shelves at the grocery store and tucked between books at the library. It wasn’t the B&D company. One time I purchased a sheet set from some fundie off E-Bay. I opened my package and neatly tucked between some pillow cases and a fitted sheet were 4 religious pamphlets.Needless to say she got neutral feedback because of that.
Why is this on here?
This is the same weirdness as those little books they leave laying around at ATMs and Pay Phones.
This is not a consumer issue — it’s a crazy people issue.
“creeped out” – get a grip woman. There’s nothing creepy about the information. Obviously someone stuck it in there; it’s not a part of B&D’s normal packaging.
My religious tract experience came when I was selling a house from my Dad’s estate. On the final check-through before heading out the door for the last time I found one of those pamphlets sitting by the stairs, in what should have been an empty house. Like this story, I had no idea how it got there inside my own premises. I guess the surreptitious behavior is what makes it genuinely creepy.
I’d be annoyed that I was being preached to when purchasing the product. But I’d be a lot more pissed off that it means the store had foisted off a refurbished/returned/opened item on me for full price. I’d return and demand a partial refund for having received an obviously “used” item.
Sounds like an employee slipped it in.
I wonder how many of these claims are BS. It makes it harder on those who actually have weird stuff happen to them.
I was in a CompUSA in Anchorage Alaska some years back browsing the PC games and saw what looked like a folded twenty-dollar bill in the middle of a display shelf. I actually exclaimed, “Asshole!” rather loudly when it turned out to be a tiny pamphlet proclaiming the “Lawrd” as the only true path to (presumably spiritual) fortune.
I found the same thing in a waffle maker.
I was totally creped out.
@speedwell: What sweet, sweet ironyahol… we just had this discussion two and a half months ago:
[consumerist.com]
it’s a scary and annoying world out there, so don’t you dare have any opinion on things you come in contact with! get on with life and don’t open your eyes or listen to anything because if you don’t like it and actually speak up and say it creeps you out then you are an overreacting retard! WTF guys really? I hate religious propaganda and get creeped out anytime I come in contact with overzealous religious people and/or material. Why don’t you get on with life and not post comments lol.
if youd just find jesus, you wouldnt be disturbed by His great presence in your low-end appliances.
perhaps the real issue here is, “Jessica, why does Jesus creep you out? Have you left your faith in the food processor?”
Wow. I should really write this shit for a living! Amen!
I am a “fundy” by many people’s use of the word. I consider homosexuality to be a sin.
At the same time, I do not at all appreciate this tract. It is completely contrary to the teachings of Christ.
Having said that, “Jessica” needs to grow up. Her childish, immature whining really, really annoys me. Get over it “Jessica”. Actually, make that… Get over yourself “Jessica”.
@bohemian: That seems like a bit of an over reaction doesn’t it? A neg because they sent along a piece of paper you didn’t like?
Here’s the Real Deal……….
Many moons ago, i was a night/stock-crew manager at a grocery store and we would find these things hanging out of the top of cake mixes/hamburger helper,etc.
These are, what i’ve been told are religion “tracks” that certain denominations use.
The seal on the product is not broken as this is not their intention, but, rather to “get-the-word-out” to the non-believers as i took it.
We also used to find them on the counters in the restrooms as well.
No harm intended, they just wanted to “spread the word” of what they believed in….though probably WAYYY to much, in my opinion.
Got a lot of pissed-off customers bringing stuff back because of it; guessed they saw things different!!
By the way, this was 20 years ago!!
LMAO!!
@22rifle: Because they sent along multiple pieces of paper, printed with a very specific and not generally desired message, specifically for a purpose that (at best) presumably annoyed (and more than likely offended) the buyer, and which also presumably had absolutely nothing to do with the item?
I’d covered a lacrosse game about a year or two ago, where one of the home team’s (I’m guessing) boosters asked me a few questions about the visitors, and in the process, handed me a pamphlet. Yup, a bunch of lacrosse players attesting to their specific faith. As soon as I saw it (after I got away from the guy, who was bothering me because I was trying to do my job, not because of the pamphlet) I tossed it. But guess what, I’m not there to be saved, I’m there to write about two high school teams.
These pamphlets are advertising a product that’s gotten a very bad reputation in a lot of eyes because of a few vocal idiots, and, let’s face it, one’s faith is considerably different from your favorite brand of food processor. Generally, you’ve made up your mind on your beliefs, and if you’re not actually looking to be swayed, you’re not going to appreciate it.
@drjayphd: Guarantee, if it had been a pamphlet explaining how evolution was correct and creationism was from the Dark Ages you would not have left a neg. Don’t bother denying it. You would be the one in a million if your denial was true.
Buyers like you disgust me.
Almost as much as sellers who put religious propaganda in the packages they send out.
@22rifle: Find me a pro-evolution pamphlet that’s designed and distributed like these. Secondly, no, it wouldn’t bother me as much because I’d agree with it. If this is all about the message… well, that’s exactly it. Messages you don’t agree with being stuck, without your consent, in items you’re buying on eBay. If you were in Jessica’s position, buying the food processor, would you care about the flyer? What if it was a pro-evolution, pro-gay marriage flyer? Would that bother you any more?
Also, how did I become the buyer again? Take that up with @bohemian.
@drjayphd: oh, did I have you mixed up with someone else on the eBay thing? sorry man.
no, that flyer would not bother me any more than one I agreed with. because I would just shrug and toss either one with slight disgust.
thanks for being honest that you are a hypocrite. that is refreshing and I respect you for it.
Yeah, it would creep me out too. I won an eBay auction recently that included a note that read “Jesus Loves You!” and that creeped me out too. But I just tossed the note, left positive feedback and enjoyed my item.
And yeah, I’m an athiest too. Raised Catholic. Whee.
@edicius: seriously? you were actually CREEPED out by a piece of paper that expressed a belief system that you disagree with?
what is up with all these fragile psyches?
it boggles my mind.
Jesus saves….by shopping at Wal-Mart!
@22rifle: Eh, my original comment was more of “yeah, I could see how this would be annoying”. I wouldn’t leave negative feedback either, honestly. Thought the debate was about being bothered at all, not bothered enough to leave the -1.
There is enough space between the box flaps to squeeze a paper through.
Just fold the paper and use a paper creaser.
Flat paper. *slip* In the box.
Lesson learned.
BEWARE OF VIRTUE…