Edgar (aka MrConsumer)

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Thanks for Nothing – Fall 2025

Every few months we spotlight offers from companies that are real head-scratchers, are actually less generous than they appear, are just plain outrageous, or may simply elicit a chuckle. Here’s the latest crop.

T-Mobile Free iPhone 17 Offer

Those of us of a certain age remember the FEDEX commercials where John Moshitta rapid-talked his way to stardom. It seems that T-Mobile found their own new rapid-talker to disclose all the catches involved in their offer for a free iPhone Pro 17.

Listen to the last 17 seconds of this commercial — mostly unintelligible for the average person.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Thanks for nothing, T-Mobile.

High Beef Prices

MrConsumer did a double-take a few weeks ago when he saw this $38 price tag on a three-pound chuck steak at his local supermarket.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Chuck Steak $11.99 /lb

When I was a kid, chuck steak was 39-cents a pound on sale! Now it’s $11.99. High demand and shrinking supplies they say is to blame. With prices like that for the cheapest type of steak, demand is sure to fall.

But perhaps we should be thankful for the relative bargain that chuck steak is compared to three pounds of Wagyu steak at Costco at ten times the price:

Wagyu steak

Thanks for nothing, Stop & Shop, Costco, and all the other grocery stories charging outrageous prices for beef.

Home Depot Free Tool Offer

An email from Home Depot made a tempting offer right in the subject line promising a free Milwaukee expansion tool (whatever that is). When you open the email, the recipient is probably surprised to learn there is a $3,000 minimum purchase necessary!

*MOUSE PRINT:

Free tool

Thanks to David B. for this submission, but thanks for nothing, Home Depot.

Gizmodo Charger Offer

On Gizmodo’s deal page recently they promoted a three-port phone charger as “almost free.”

Almost free charger

However, when you scroll down, you learn the charger isn’t anywhere near “almost free.”

*MOUSE PRINT:

Not almost free

Thanks for nothing, Gizmodo.

Walmart Mayonnaise Price Rollback

Everyone knows when you see a rollback sign at Walmart, that signals a price drop.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Walmart rollback

This must be the new math. Thanks for nothing, Walmart.

Groupon Deal at AMC Theatres

It looked like quite a deal at AMC to get a movie ticket and a snack for only $5.03 with a Groupon discount.

Groupon AMC deal

*MOUSE PRINT:

It turns out that only the drink was $5.03. The movie was an additional $12.

Groupon discounted drink

Groupon discounted movie ticket

Thanks for nothing, Groupon.

If you find an offer suitable to be called out here, please send a copy of it to Edgar(at symbol)MousePrint.org . Thanks.

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Tide Drops Ounces, But Number of Loads and the Dosing Caps Remain Unchanged

Tide has once again downsized some its bottles of detergent. The venerable 100-ounce bottle of original Tide that was reduced to 92 ounces in 2014, and then to 84 ounces last year, now has just gone down again to 80 oz.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Tide 84 oz to 80 oz

But miracles of miracles, it still provides enough detergent for 64 laundry loads, they say. Some water was probably removed.

We also discovered last week that the dosing cap fill lines seem to have remained the same on both the new and old bottles.

Tide caps

MrConsumer immediately thought “those sneaks” at P&G are tricking people into using more detergent than is necessary given the new formulation which should allow you to use less. One of our readers, Mitch M., also discovered the cap issue, but figured out what the company actually did.

In the tiniest type on the back label of the bottles, enlarged below, P&G changed the dosing instructions.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Tide dosing instructions

Rather than redesign a new cap, they just changed those unreadable instructions to use a certain amount less than the actual lines on the bottle. The old bottle, for example, said for medium and large loads to fill the cap to just below the line, and the new bottle says to fill it 80-percent of the way up the line. Amazingly, both the old and the new bottles had inaccurate fill lines on them.

How crazy is that? So we asked P&G why they didn’t update the cap with accurate fill lines each time they downsized Tide. The company did not respond.

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AT&T’s Free iPhone Pro 17 Has a High Price Tag

All the major cell carriers are offering free deals on the new Apple iPhone 17 Pro cellphone to get you to switch to them.

Particularly obnoxious is the AT&T offer.

They make a point of saying that you don’t have to enroll in their most expensive plan in order to get the free phone… great!

most expensive plan not required

The almost unreadable fine print even on a 55-inch TV, enlarged below, discloses the real deal.

*MOUSE PRINT:

min $75.99 plan required

Looking at the various plans offered by AT&T, their $75.99 plan (before taxes and fees) is not the most expensive. It is the second most expensive plan!

*MOUSE PRINT:

second most expensive plan

Given that you can get unlimited plans for between $25 and $30 without a “free” phone at some carriers, thanks for nothing, AT&T.