5.25% 3 Year Rate*

but at a closer look

5.25% 3rd Year Rate*

*...  yr-1 2.00%,  yr-2 2.24%. effective yearly rate 3.16%
(I don't have a small enough font to properly display this)

Why doesn't this big bank (and others) display the facts clearly? If an ad has fine print it must be about what they don't want me to know. Some print is so small it can't be read with average eyesight. 

A Penny connived is a penny earned
I have department store charge statements that are formatted, to what appears, to get me to pay less than the balance. Retailers sometimes show a profit on high credit charges, and not on selling merchandise, so that might explain things. 

In one example the bottom statement line reads This Month's Payment Due $10.00 and Minimum Payment Due $10.00 even though the account balance, shown above this, was considerably more. On some statements it takes a while to find the balance and on others the due date is somewhat camouflaged.

Groveling for a better price
Coupon clipping - mail in rebates - stupidity cards. Why don't they just reduce the price instead of trying to make me feel grateful? I don't feel grateful, I feel used.

Salt - Sugar - Fat
The 3 pillars of good tasting, fast or packaged food. For many in the food business it's a dilemma. This stuff makes the products taste better and sell better. The competition is doing it and making more money.

Promoting the sale of junk foods in schools appears to be a new low. It may make money for both sides, but at what long term cost to the kids?

I love the taste of this stuff too but know that it is bad for my health, except in reasonable amounts. I examine the ingredients where available and read: Nutrition Action Healthletter, a publication of The Center for Science in the Public Interest. www.cspinet.org

Advertised special?
The management has a sale and places prominent, brightly colored 'Advertised Special' tags on sale items throughout the store. They also place prominent, brightly colored 'Regular Low Price' or 'Great Buy' tags, which are not discounted but mixed on the same shelves. Advertising flyers use similar trickery, displaying items that appear to be on sale, when in fact only some of them are reduced. 

I am supposed to, and I have, bought things that I thought were on sale but weren't. This is deceptive but if it works, nobody complains, ethics isn't a concern, and it is 'entirely within industry guidelines'  .  .  .

Slalom through the cosmetic department
When at the mall I often walk through a department store cosmetic department to get to the parking lot. What a layout! The aisles are large triangles wandering around counter displays. There are even display tables at the corners to further restrict traffic. I suppose there is some retailing rationale that says the store will sell a bit more product by slowing passers through. But what about the majority of people that aren't interested in this, at this moment, that are in a hurry? What are they thinking?

Commercials are invading my home
Often when a TV commercial comes on my wife will say something like, "mute that thing, I can't concentrate!" Or, "I can't hear you, turn that off!" - "That's the idea dear! Don't read, think, talk, or do anything else. Pay attention to the commercial!"

I heard a national television broadcaster explain that the sound was not louder but it was enhanced to sound louder.  Hmmm.

Many commercials yell their message like a barker at a circus, to the beat of loud music. This intense and intrusive method is used to capture the viewers attention, and because others are doing it successfully. But what right does a broadcaster have to disturb anyone's privacy in this way, just to satisfy the advertiser?  I turn the TV off or mute the audio but I should not need to. This may not be fair to some in the industry, as programs must be paid for, but the good guys could complain to their 'self regulating' organization.

Optical Illusions
I'm looking at a display ad in a retail electronics flyer. It shows a Flat Screen TV. It is not a flat panel LCD or plasma TV, it just looks like one. The graphic is a three dimensional type but is drawn in such a way that it looks like it has no depth. Are Pure Flat, Real Flat, Perfectly Flat flatter than flat? If they have the old picture tube they are still thick and heavy.

What is the reasoning? Will someone traveling to the store be disappointed, but not upset enough to buy something else while there? Doesn't it just build distrust?

Mince Pie.  Not the kind grandma used to make.
Contains mince etc . . . .  natural and artificial flavors, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, potassium sorbate (preservative), carame (color),cellulose gum, mono and diglycerides,sodium citrate, palmitate, sulfur dioxide (preservative), mononitrate, propionate (preservative). 

Was this product outsourced offshore?  Reading the labels on products has become an important part of my food purchasing and has provided a lot of surprises.

New and Unimproved Product
If a company sells a particular item and everyone has it, and it still works well, what is it going to do to maintain or increase revenue and profits? If a new and much improved design is not available then a minor facelift and major promotion might work very well. Trouble is the upgrade is often worse with more useless features. Some software upgrades I have purchased have been uninstalled and the old version reinstalled.

Reverse Robin Hoods
I received a notice from a retailer stating the new annual interest rate charge is approximately 29%. At a time when interest rates are at 45 year lows! What's going on?

My guess: There are delinquent accounts that increase the cost of doing business. Most mid and higher income customers pay their balances off in full each month. The low incomers that are unable to make the full payment, are charged this exorbitant interest, which puts them further in debt. On top of that, they are encouraged to buy more. "Use your charge card and earn more rewards".

I need new runners and these are hardly worn
Actually I have several pairs that are in excellent condition except they are too scuffed to wear uptown. Most runners are designed patch like, with different materials, layers, multicolor, and porous textures. They dirty quickly and are difficult or impossible to clean. Is this design consumer driven or about selling more shoes? I know, throw them in the wash!

Kids: A marketer's gold mine
 I am dumbfounded at how smart marketers are in making us act stupid enough to wear their advertising and pay them for it! I see people, and now more and more kids (free little walking billboards), wearing clothes with the manufacturer's name boldly displayed across the chest. What a phenomenal coup for the clothing manufacturers.

Many children spend more time watching TV than they do in school. When watching thousands of commercials each year is it any wonder that they want more of everything and learning to believe that the best things in life can be bought.

Save now, pay later
The 'product' only costs $100 - how can they sell it at such a low price?
The refills cost what ? ? ? ?

Aren't lies that are obvious lies still lies?
From the newspaper ads
New Townhouses - Minutes From the Beach  By jet maybe.
Fresh Green Beans . . imported  ????
Fresh Peaches . . product of Chile  ????

Real estate oxymoron: Affordable luxury.

Loyalty cards annoying and worse
They add cost to the goods sold, which I guess is mostly borne by the shoppers that don't have the card (visitors). My searches turned up studies that show stores with stupidity card programs are more expensive places to shop. I don't look at these cards as saving money at the checkout. I consider the card price to be the normal price, but if I don't use the card I will be overcharged.

The collection of personal information is a concern to me. They only need to know product inventory data, not who I am and what I am buying. I hope they are not selling the data to others.

But then how much will it cost?

High Speed Internet
One year at $24.95 per month

Not only is the after cost not stated, but I believe there is a subtle hint that the service might be $24.95 per month for following years too. I think some of the major providers started this vague and somewhat deceptive technique and now it is very popular.

Buyer be wary
30% OFF  an item that is grossly overpriced, is overpriced. Some stores even inflate the price before the sale. A national department store in Canada recently received a large fine for this. And if the same stuff is on sale every second week what's it really worth? 

Shock and TV ratings
Perhaps you are alarmed about the progression of explicit television and perhaps not. I have wondered why it has increased dramatically in recent years and realize that many may be OK with this. There is another consideration. Curiosity and profit.

I heard a TV producer, on a national radio documentary, state that their television program ratings were dropping and that they decided to introduce more shock. And what more productive place to market entertainment this way than in the youth market, curious, looking for excitement and a change from what was. It's about money.

Burns my Butt Award
On my TV service, the Listings Guide channel has a split screen. A standard format now, they have told me. The left side awkwardly scrolls through the listings, while the right half continually blasts commercials at me. Unbelievable! But obnoxious advertising methods must work judging by their popularity.
 
Words that are true but may not mean what they seem to mean
Book jacket: BESTSELLER may refer to the author - not the book they want to sell.
Jam Jar Label: TRIPLE FRUITS was three kinds of fruit not three times the fruit.
Flight time was 4 hours 30 minutes. This did not include a 1-1/2 hour stop in between points, as we were not flying then. We received 'Top Brand Name Appliances' as stated in the sales brochure. While the manufacturer was a top brand name the appliances were their cheapest.

Self awarded awards
Some awards are quite vague, purposely.  They are sometimes part of a business self therapy group. I recall an advertisement touting an award from the Home Builders Association. It was not specified, but a listing of the awards elsewhere had one for best advertising brochure. Not what a new home buyer wants to know. 

On a related topic, what good is a self regulating body if the members all have the same goals and use the same methods?

Fishing for buyers
A product I had been wanting to buy was advertised at a bargain price. Only problem was, early on the first morning of the sale, they were sold out. Some stores do this on a continual basis with the intention that I will buy another model or product. Sometimes the bargain is for real but is a single low cost item, such as bananas in a supermarket, and everything else is over priced.

Reducing business costs without responsibility
Create a subsidiary with a new name, or contract it out. There are examples in various business categories: building, credit, service, manufacturing. Some corporations contract out to third world suppliers, removing themselves by distance from the methods used. The pressures to produce large quantities at low cost can result in the use of child workers or the requirement that men or women work extremely long hours in poor or hazardous conditions. 

A Tax by the Stupid
Lotteries have been called a tax on the stupid. Count me in, I like to gamble a bit. What seems terribly wrong is promoting the dreams that can come true, at extreme odds. " Good things happen when you play". For some of the poor, or gambling addicts, this is a last chance to make everything all right.

Perhaps our corporated governments should be allowed to have gambling as a source of revenue, but they should not promote it as a possible answer to making life gloriously wonderful. It seems unethical and perhaps cruel in some instances. Their efforts: "Call this help line if you have a gambling problem' is not justification for having already taken the money. Politicians show some conscience! Explain the odds and details - not the fantasy of winning!

Junk mail
I should not need to contact retailers that I do business with, to opt out of their direct mail marketing programs. Retailers should be required to contact me to opt into their mailing list, and should never put me on associate lists. I am a 'Dear valued customer', treat me like one! Usually there is a number to call to opt out, somewhere in the fine print. There are also free services to opt out of direct mail lists. See the links page on this site.

Annoyance: A successful marketing strategy?
This takes many forms. Previews ahead of the feature movie - put it at the back! Magazine indexes hiding behind a few pages of ads - put it at the front! My previous PC came pre-loaded with junky software and trial issues - leave it off altogether, even if you are making money on it! This is quite widespread now and I decided to have my new PC custom built for the same price. Then there is dinner time telemarketing, obnoxious repetitive TV commercials, SPAM, commercials on store PA systems and while waiting to talk to a live person. And so much more!

I wish our governments would help stop some of this insane marketing.

Here's what really scares me
Bad ethics in the food business! If the farmer, manufacturer, or retailer is unethical, what have I been eating?
 

If marketing ethics are deteriorating, why? One reason is probably the saturation of markets and therefore stronger competition. If deceptive, dishonest methods  are used by others to increase profit, what is a corporation supposed to do? To keep dealing straight with consumers may cause the company to lose market share, resulting in less profit. It may feel pressured to join the con games or get left behind. 

Then there is the passive consumer. By not complaining we tell the corporations that it's OK. This works. We just don't seem to care and even go back for more! 

Are some of these deceptive practices being taught in business administration courses? Even some larger corporations openly use misrepresentation in their promotion, with no care that we might think badly of them. 'We aren't breaking any laws', or ' we strictly conform to guidelines set out by our association', are typical responses.

It seems an addictive 'buy' disease is mutating through society orchestrated by creative, questionable corporate marketing methods. A cure is in order. I believe things will work out OK because there are so many things we can do in our democratic society, we just have to do them. Unless we complain, buy other products, or take our business elsewhere when we feel cheated, we will only promote unethical practices in retailing. 

And let's resist the pressures directed at us to buy more, more, more. The things that give us true happiness in life cost little or no money.
 

32 Keys: A Collection of Ideas About Life