I don't know what it is, but there still is a stigma attatched to using the shopping channels. I think people still associate them with "orange" presenters selling overpriced tat, and sad souls bankrupting themselves by ordering millions of parcels that sometimes they don't even bother to open! I must admit, I used to sneer at this way of shopping before I got sky tv.
It was "SHOP!"....(How I miss that channel!) that first drew me in, not only was the presentation on that channel extremely friendly and entertaining, I thought the demos were informative and useful. My first purchase was a bread maker, it was about £45 and I was able to have 3 months interest free credit as well. I was really pleased with my purchase and haven't looked back since, especially with their one lot of £2.95 p&p per order!
I know a lot of people prefer to look at/try on stuff before they buy, but for me the other conveniences with the shopping channels pretty much outweigh trawling the shops, unless you actually enjoy doing that, which I don't! P&P's my only real bugbear. I've got some great things I would be without thanks to shopping channels....Stylees, the only thing I've ever found that will hold my thick long hair up without falling down, Miche bag, everybody I've shown it too have been really impressed with it, Scarflaces, sorry...but I've got some lovely ones, none of these available on the high street. I've even got some QVC clothes (print fusion dresses) that always bring me compliments when I wear them, and it is nice to know that unlike the high street you're unlikely to find about 10 other people wearing the same outfit when you go out!
I've had my share of disasters though, which were annoying at time, but make for a funny conversation afterwards. I bought something called Air o Dry back in the day. It was supposed to dry, and iron your clothes at the same time....it did neither, a telescopic window cleaning device in which the head used to fly off every five seconds..how I didn't do some serious damage to the cars in my street is a miracle, and a vacuum cleaner that you filled with water, it had little or no suction power, made a horrendous noise, was heavy, cumbersome and impossible to store due to its size and shape and cleaning it after use took the best part of half an hour! Most recently, some extremely poor quality make up, and a tanzanite ring (over £100) that looked like a real sparkler on screen but turned out to be a piddling array of minute wishy washy stones set on a piece of wire!
I'm happy to shop with QVC et al, I quite enjoy being laughed at tbh. I reckon I'm getting the last laugh as I'm beating the queues/crap weather/extra money spent on bus/taxi fares, pitstops in Starbucks etc whilst I'm tapping away at my computer in the comfort of my own home, wearing my pj's. As I say, P&P's my only real bugbear.
