I thought I’d give your readers a heads-up on how much Bank of America sucks, and why you should make all deposits to a bank teller and never, ever at the ATM.
annoying
What Goes Into A Foot-Long Toys R Us Receipt?
By 12.8.07
Toys R Us rewarded Greg’s purchase of a four-pack of Play-Doh with an 18-inch receipt. Greg tried to give the senseless printing an inch of meaning by breaking down the components of his massive receipt:
- Exciting Sweepstakes Offer: 4.5 inches
- Essential Purchase Details: 6.5 inches
- Gift Receipt Section: 7.75 inches
Greg did not purchase the Play-Doh as a gift and did not need a half-foot gift receipt. Huge receipts are not endemic to Toys R Us—Home Depot and Kmart also print to excess—but do they have any use other than as shredder fodder?
Marshalls Advertisting Proactiv Over The PA?
By 12.3.07
Have you ever heard a store advertising stuff they don’t sell over the PA? Reader Anne describes some weirdness she encountered at Marshalls:
I just returned from a trip to Marshalls where I was subjected to an ad for Proactiv over the PA system. It was really horrendous and must be addressed! The worst part is that I’m pretty sure they don’t even sell Proactiv at Marshalls, so it’s not like a blue light special informing us shoppers of a Proactive special in aisle 12.
Buying A "Black Friday" Guitar From Guitar Center's Website Is Extremely Difficult
By 11.28.07
I have a story to share about an ongoing problem I’m having with Guitar Center’s 20% off Black Friday sale. The sale was last Friday morning from 8am-10am. I woke up a little before 7am Friday, and had NO desire to go out at all. So I looked online and realized I could get the sale price on the Gibson SG I wanted (and free shipping) online. Perfect! Below is a brief rundown of what has happened so far (they still have not let me buy the guitar at the sale price):
10 Annoying Hidden Hotel Fees
By 11.20.07
Forbes Traveler has compiled a list of the top 10 most annoying hidden hotel fees. We’re not exactly jetsetters or anything so a few of them were news to us.
Many Shoppers Just Aren't Buying Christmas Stuff In October
By 10.12.07
Apparently a lot of U.S. consumers feel the same way as our readers do about stores putting up Christmas displays before Halloween—that is, they don’t like it. A new survey finds that despite early store displays, 40% of shoppers don’t plan on starting Christmas shopping until after Thanksgiving, an increase of 10% over the previous year.
Stores Know You Don't Like Christmas Marketing In October, But Don't Care
By 10.9.07
A “Christmas Creep” article in the New York Times gathered a bunch of quotes from retailers explaining why they feel the need to start marketing Christmas two holidays in advance. The verdict? They seem to know it irritates you, but they don’t really care.
Ads In Video Games: Annoying Intrusion, Or Welcome Dose Of Reality?
By 8.3.07
Advertisers are expected to quintuple the amount spent placing ads in video games over the next five years. Beyond mere brand placement, consoles with an internet connection are capable of displaying dynamic billboards that can advertise The Simpsons Movie today, and The Simpsons Movie Sequel: The Return Of Spider Pig, in two years. From the LA Times:
The player’s ability to don, kick, toss or use products is part of the appeal. In “Super Monkey Ball,” players try to get their monkey characters to collect Dole-branded bananas. And in “Tony Hawk’s Project 8,” players use Nokia phones.
After the jump, tell us whether you greet ads in video games with skepticism and disdain, or appreciate them as a dose of reality in an otherwise virtual world.
Comcast Does Away With “All Day” Waiting
By 1.25.07
Comcast has begun narrowing the window of time customers have to wait for technicians, says the Wall Street Journal.
TiVo Fast Forward Ads Are Back
By 1.15.07
- While not quite as bad as their original design, the fast forward ads are back. I was fast forwarding through the commercials of tonights episode of 24 and I noticed a still image applied over one of the commercials.
We don’t have a TiVo and we never have, but we understand that these ads annoy TiVo-ers. True?—MEGHANN MARCO
New Annoying TiVo Ads
By 1.10.07
- When I finished watching this weeks episode of Scrubs, I was prompted by a rather annoying TiVo message. “Are you done with this program?” But this was not the regular TiVo deletion prompt. I am usually given two options, “Delete now” or “Keep this recording”, this time I was given a third, “Get your BK Xbox games today!” followed by the Burger King logo.
Um, this is annoying and lame. —MEGHANN MARCO
Kmart: The 2 Item, 21 Inch Receipt
By 12.19.06
Reader David writes in with a complaint about Kmart. David went to his local Kmart where he bought a lamp and a light bulb for that lamp. David was then printed a receipt that was 21 inches long. He measured it. From his blog:
