We are starting a new recurring feature today called “Thanks for Nothing.” It is designed to highlight offers that seem great on their face, but when you get down to the details, you’ll probably say forget it.
Example 1:
For Black Friday, Lowe’s advertised 60-watt LED bulbs for an amazing 99 cents each — the lowest price ever.
*MOUSE PRINT:
These bulbs only have an expected life of 2000 hours. That is about one-tenth the time the average LED bulb is expected to last. (See our prior story about LED bulb longevity.)
Thanks for nothing, Lowe’s.
Example 2:
Also during Black Friday weekend, online stores had some amazing deals. One that crossed our screen was this leather chukka boot for only $30 — quite a bargain at that price:
*MOUSE PRINT:
Upon closer examination, it says “vegan leather.” Huh? Is that like gluten-free leather? Who knows… so we asked the company whether this was man-made, and if so why they didn’t say so. They responded:
“It is man-made however, that is vegan friendly which is why they put vegan leather/suede.” — Street Moda, customer service
So if your dog is on a vegan diet and decides to chew on your chukka boots, he won’t be going off his diet, I guess.
And to the extent that this company is trying to mislead consumers into thinking that this is a form of real leather, thanks for nothing, Street Moda.
Example 3:
Also just ahead of Black Friday, Big Lots sent out an email with a seemingly very valuable coupon — “$10 off everything” it proclaimed in the subject. Since both Kohl’s and J.C. Penney offered similar $10 off coupons on anything, this seemed very plausible.
*MOUSE PRINT:
Oh, did you forget to list the minimum purchase requirement in the subject, Big Lots?
Thanks for (almost) nothing.
We welcome your submissions of other great “thanks for nothing” examples. Just email them to edgar(at symbol)mouseprint.org .