There are two kinds of people in the world.
Those who get sucked into infomercials and those who don’t.
If you are in the “don’t” category, you haven’t heard the siren call as you were flipping channels and been wooed by her call to some aspect of the good life in two or three easy payments. I don’t understand you.
To say I never met an infomercial I didn’t want to watch might be a bit of an overstatement, but I do love them.
Sometimes walking down the street in China can be like walking past a live infomercial. Sucker meet seller, seller meet sucker.
Unless.
Unless the gadget really IS useful!
Saturday my friend and I had been researching church bells (more later, that truly is more valuable than this, but it needs some time to percolate) when we passed a woman selling self-neck massagers. And she knew a sucker when she saw one! I looked back and kind of took a step towards her, in all fairness.
{I do have chronic back and neck pain due to a car accident about ten years ago. The neck pain manifests itself by affecting nerves in my left wrist and makes sleeping and typing painful. I happen to need to sleep and type.}
She let me try it out and 25 rmb later (or about four dollars), I was the proud owner of this wonderful contraption:
The yellow parts can be rotated to hit different pressure points. All it takes is a little squeeze, squeeze and you are in business.
As with any true believer, I’m sure my neck will be changed forever! If not, as my friend said, it can’t make it any worse. Right?!
Let’s take a poll, do you watch infomercials?
I don’t watch infomercials but do like to read reviews of “As Seen on T.V.” Tell Jo I might need to have one of those neck thingies…..I’ll be interested to hear what you think of it!
Jo did mention you might need one! You were thought of on the streets of Harbin :) AND I’m sorry you have neck pain. It is NO FUN!
Rats. I knew I should have bought one for you. I’ve never seen them before, but I will now be on the look-out for one.
No! Quite often they give me a headache. Please enjoy them on my be half. :)
It depends on what the infomercial is about. If it is something I would want/need I will take the time to watch. If I see no use/benefit for the product, I will change the channel
A friend and I were talking about this at lunch … how some things suck us in, but others hold no interest!
Watch (when I actually watch TV [read: someone with cable]) and am oh so almost tempted. Almost.
Regardless, I think you have found some perfect Christmas gifts. Ooops, I hope I didn’t give anything away! ^o^
You are too funny!
Very funny! I have a little arthritis in my neck, maybe it will help me…
Seriously, I can’t sit still long enough to watch infomercials. But your blog is enjoyable.
Amy, you should consider it for Christmas presents for all the people you give to who are over 30. :-) BTW – I’m not an infomercial person.
Kim, this honestly surprises me. I would have pegged you as one :)! Seriously. Just goes to show, better to ask good friends than to assume!
No, I don’t watch them. However… a couple years ago when I was recovering from surgery and wide awake at an hour I haven’t seen in decades… there was this lotion. magic, I tell you. It removed at least 10 years of wrinkles in 90 seconds. I lie not! They showed it, so it must be true. I called the number, I asked if I could buy a case. I could sell this stuff, seriously. Nope, wouldn’t sell me a case. It only lasted 8 hours then you go back to your pruney self. Great for professional life, but you could seriously scare the bejeezus out of your husband first thing in the morning if you met him with a smooth face at the end of each day.
I console myself with the thought that it probably burns really bad. Since I couldn’t sell it by the case to recoup my money for that tiny tube, i didn’t buy it. Plus, I didn’t feel like being depressed every time my super powers wore off.
Love the story!
I am NOT an informercial kind of a person, but that is one interesting gadget you have there. Maybe it will help my neck too!
I might have to get one of these units! Found it on ebay for more that $4, but less than a ticket to China!! I love infomercials but don’t watch them because of the potential damage to the wallet. Plus, if you ever watch them with a child, you will see how effective they are. “Mom, we HAVE to get that!”
I’m chuckling just thinking of watching with a child. Not pretty :)