The Power of Persuasion

[Deleted member 21102]

I've always considered myself a savvy shopper who won't spend a pound unless a penny will do, but I've been caught out by Q more than once and bought stuff that I would never have bought if I'd seen it on the high street. My latest wardrobe cull unearthed a flimsy, tacky polyester Nina Leonard maxi dress that is so hideous it makes me wonder what my state of mind was when I bought it. But the quality - terrible. Thin, grungey, unflattering - no way could I rescue it for any useful purpose whatsoever so it's yet another charity shop donation. I can't even remember buying the thing so it must have been in the days when I used to stay up for the next TSV, believe whatever I was told by the sales team and imagine I would look as good as the size 8 models did.

My point is that the power of persuasion can be very strong, but in the end reality sets in and we put up our own barriers, unless we're sadly so vulnerable that the comfort of acquiring something outweighs everything else. And it's people like I used to be who have made shopping telly the success it is - but how long will it last?

 

[donna255]

With the lockdowns, people are buying even more online. So QVC have and always will have a ready audience who will shop with them. Only look at their Facebook page and adoring shoppers who love them.

 

[iloveshopping]

Yes I was hooked when I first discovered QVC. Now I am less likely to buy stuff but still went for the Kochblume cloths the other day lus buying them as presents!

 

[merryone]

I've always considered myself a savvy shopper who won't spend a pound unless a penny will do, but I've been caught out by Q more than once and bought stuff that I would never have bought if I'd seen it on the high street. My latest wardrobe cull unearthed a flimsy, tacky polyester Nina Leonard maxi dress that is so hideous it makes me wonder what my state of mind was when I bought it. But the quality - terrible. Thin, grungey, unflattering - no way could I rescue it for any useful purpose whatsoever so it's yet another charity shop donation. I can't even remember buying the thing so it must have been in the days when I used to stay up for the next TSV, believe whatever I was told by the sales team and imagine I would look as good as the size 8 models did.

My point is that the power of persuasion can be very strong, but in the end reality sets in and we put up our own barriers, unless we're sadly so vulnerable that the comfort of acquiring something outweighs everything else. And it's people like I used to be who have made shopping telly the success it is - but how long will it last?

I could've written this myself, and like you it takes a good "cull" to see what crap you've acquired over the years, and clothes that have made you say "wtf was I on when I bought this?" Yes the power of persuasion is very strong, but thankfully I've learned to resist and only buy things I actually want or need! The last time this happened to me, was when I was caught out by a presentation for an Ashwood leather handbag. Ok, I was actually planning on buying a new bag, and had I gone proper shopping, I very much doubt I'd have picked out this particular bag. This is how they "got me" - It had been reduced to £45 down from £70, p&p was free (a rarity), and colours were selling out before my eyes. You can hear them now "Hurry up and secure the colour you want", " The tan's looking vulnerable!" , "Where can you get a genuine leather bag for this price?" I ordered it, and I'm still cross with myself for leaving it too late to return it. The colour wasn't as nice as it looked on screen, the quality of the leather was questionable, the bag was too small, even though they managed to make it look big enough. The fastener kept popping open when you put anything more than a single item in it. It was just a nasty bag and I fell for the spiel. It wasn't worth £45, let alone £70! On the bright side, it taught me a lesson and it's a mistake I've yet to repeat!
A lot of people go through phases of being persuaded to part with their hard earned money buying crap from shopping channels - but like me, a lot of us see the light. I think they'll always be people going through the buying phase, so they'll continue to thrive!

 

[maymorganlondon]

You now have me debating whether I should stick with my stay of execution on my Kim and NL dresses!

 

[stratobuddy]

I got completely caught up with the novelty when I first saw QVC, and then the hype selling.

Nowadays I am much more discriminating but they still show me things I can hardly resist.

But at least I now do a lot of googling to see if I can get things cheaper elsewhere.

The only reason I still watch them (although never live) is because they do introduce new items to me, such as the Ninja Foodi air fryer (I put a review up on this on the Q website). And it was a lot cheaper than anywhere else and had FREE pp too.

But I've also fallen for the Wonder Shovel, new feather pillows, more lock'n'locks, solar lights, Kochblume cloths, insulated totes (mainly to defrost my freezer and see what is inside the drawers jammed up with ice), mattress topper (after getting rid of my water bed), and Echo Studio speaker, all within a fairly short period.

Is there a "QVC Anonymous" that I could join?

 

[JFB]

Yes I was hooked when I first discovered QVC. Now I am less likely to buy stuff but still went for the Kochblume cloths the other day lus buying them as presents!

But they are good

 

[JFB]

I got completely caught up with the novelty when I first saw QVC, and then the hype selling.

Nowadays I am much more discriminating but they still show me things I can hardly resist.

But at least I now do a lot of googling to see if I can get things cheaper elsewhere.

The only reason I still watch them (although never live) is because they do introduce new items to me, such as the Ninja Foodi air fryer (I put a review up on this on the Q website). And it was a lot cheaper than anywhere else and had FREE pp too.

But I've also fallen for the Wonder Shovel, new feather pillows, more lock'n'locks, solar lights, Kochblume cloths, insulated totes (mainly to defrost my freezer and see what is inside the drawers jammed up with ice), mattress topper (after getting rid of my water bed), and Echo Studio speaker, all within a fairly short period.

Is there a "QVC Anonymous" that I could join?

I could so easily have written this. As just mentioned on another thread, I do think carefully about every purchase - that horrid "we know this is a considered purchase"; for me even the £8 fan was a considered purchase.. do I need it, will it make a difference, what is the impact on the environment, will I try the full 60 day guarantee period and then make my mind up (well at day 50). I will look elsewhere at pricing, but sometimes that 60 day means I get to try it 'risk free', except go above 50% returns, and you'll soon get a call and letter (I've had 2 in nearly 20 years). The 60 day is the biggest draw for me.

I am diligent about getting my returns sorted. No amount of faff is too much. I wont be put off by the effort. They rely on their buyers thinking oh it's too much hassle to return, or I don't want to make a fuss, it costs too much to return - I want to shout use Herms. I take all this as a challenge. I will return beauty products I have used and think "meh". I owe QVC nothing. I am just a number that generates them huge profits. The presenters are not there for our benefit, for the social (contact as via WhatsApp, it's all a community ) they're there to sell and increase profits and to be paid for that effort. I wish viewers would wake up and realise that. It's an Amazon, Argos with people there to sell stuff not to make their viewer's lives easier or more enriched. They choose what they know they can persuade us to buy.

Rant over!

 

[donna255]

QVC some years back pushed themselves as we are family. Yeah, right. Which of course went with the social media stuff. Many got sucked into that.

I admit I have never ever been brainwashed by them. The only times I returned stuff was because it broke, a pair of gold hoop earrings the gold was so thin you could nearly see through them, they bend when I tried them on. A lovely tanzanite ring in white gold way back only cost around £40, but a stone fell out.

Their fashion by passed me, apart from a few coats going way back Leather Elements one I still wear. I don't look at their fashion at all now. As no interest in shark bite, cut out shoulders etc.

Beauty products, many I used but perhaps dropped the brand as they changed, or my skin developed mild rosacea and I knew not to buy after that because of ingredients.

 

[merryone]

I could so easily have written this. As just mentioned on another thread, I do think carefully about every purchase - that horrid "we know this is a considered purchase"; for me even the £8 fan was a considered purchase.. do I need it, will it make a difference, what is the impact on the environment, will I try the full 60 day guarantee period and then make my mind up (well at day 50). I will look elsewhere at pricing, but sometimes that 60 day means I get to try it 'risk free', except go above 50% returns, and you'll soon get a call and letter (I've had 2 in nearly 20 years). The 60 day is the biggest draw for me.

I am diligent about getting my returns sorted. No amount of faff is too much. I wont be put off by the effort. They rely on their buyers thinking oh it's too much hassle to return, or I don't want to make a fuss, it costs too much to return - I want to shout use Herms. I take all this as a challenge. I will return beauty products I have used and think "meh". I owe QVC nothing. I am just a number that generates them huge profits. The presenters are not there for our benefit, for the social (contact as via WhatsApp, it's all a community ) they're there to sell and increase profits and to be paid for that effort. I wish viewers would wake up and realise that. It's an Amazon, Argos with people there to sell stuff not to make their viewer's lives easier or more enriched. They choose what they know they can persuade us to buy.

Rant over!

This is my new mantra, even though it's only come into force in the last year or so. The first thing I say to myself is "Do I want to buy this thing, or do I just want to try it" I think long and hard and ask myself "is this something I've been wanting to buy for a long time?" "Do I really need this"? If it looks good, and looks well made, and the reviews are good then yes - they've got themselves a sale. I look much harder these days, which includes looking at other retailers to see whether they can offer me a better deal or a better product.
Ok, if the product arrives and it's faulty or badly made of course it will go straight back to them for a replacement or a complete refund that will cost me nothing in postage. I let matters slip when I ordered the Gale Hayman liplift on the back of Q's beauty awards in which this product won "Customer's favourite product" - It wasn't faulty, or damaged, but the product was extremely disappointing. I had to open and use the product to find this out. I wouldn't have considered it too much of a "faff" to return it, but I did have to consider that I could be losing up to £10 in p&p just to have had what amounts to a few strokes of lipbalm. I kept it as it's still a useable lipbalm, just an overpriced one, and its presence serves as a reminder that I should be much more careful in the future. In hindsight I suppose I could've made sure that I used as much of it up as possible within the 60 days and got my money's worth - but that doesn't sit right with me.
I'd never buy anything with the idea of returning it, a sale's a sale. It will be returned if there's something wrong with it, or it doesn't fit, and for that reason I use retailers who do not charge for P&P or charge a minimal amount (per order, not per item) and returns are free, hence only buying from Q if I'm absolutely sure. I bought the Kochblume cloths because I saw what people on this site had been saying about them, and reviews from people that you trust are much more worthy and likely to be accurate. Love the cloths, thanks everyone!
So they can carry on trying to persuade me to part with my money, they can use every trick in the book, but nowadays I get more joy out of observing their sneaky ways and having a little giggle rather than getting myself sucked in!

 

[iloveshopping]

You now have me debating whether I should stick with my stay of execution on my Kim and NL dresses!

I still wear mine. They do spring, autumn and winter.

 

[Brissles]

First time since lockdown I ventured into Brent Cross (north London) shopping centre, and on my rare visits there in the past I would have spent a small fortune. this time I came home with a couple of cups and saucers from Fenwicks and a new eyeshadow.

My point is, the power of persuasion on the tele is huge. So easy to sit and hit the 'buy' button, but you think more than twice when faced with the product on the shelf in front of you. Spending £70 on a handbag and handing over cash/credit card can be a 'mulling over' process - you walk out of the shop and think about it, BUT your brain is wired differently for tele/online shopping - its not like you're spending anything.

I'm a much more discerning shopper now. Maybe its my age. No longer need formal clothing - have loads of stuff to wade through in the wardrobe. Same with shoes. Knick knacks are being shipped out wholesale to the charity shop, as are enough glasses to accommodate a wedding reception ! huge collection of cds that never get played are also on their way through the door; AND doesn't it make you feel so much better !

 

[stratobuddy]

First time since lockdown I ventured into Brent Cross (north London) shopping centre, a

huge collection of cds that never get played are also on their way through the door; AND doesn't it make you feel so much better !

Is Brent Cross near Brent Reservoir (Welsh Harp)? I used to live there (Neasden) but no shopping centre in those days.


BTW I still play CDs as they are much higher HiFi quality sound than MP3s or streaming.

I wish they were coming my way

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Most of my purchases are through sheer bordom but I’m much better now. I’ve bought a lot this last few weeks but several are things I need but never seemed to get around to ordering, an expensive bracelet which is being made as a big birthday/big anniversary which if I hadn’t Mr L would have bought a load of smaller things I wouldn’t have really wanted and yesterday a couple of dresses as possibles for a wedding I don’t want to go to and was sort of hoping the numbers allowed would have ruled it out!

 

[China Girl]

Q beauty awards and Customer favourites mean nothing to me.
I like what I like and that's that.

"20,000 people have bought this today"
So what?

 

[Brissles]

Is Brent Cross near Brent Reservoir (Welsh Harp)? I used to live there (Neasden) but no shopping centre in those days.


BTW I still play CDs as they are much higher HiFi quality sound than MP3s or streaming.

I wish they were coming my way

I haven't a clue Strato - perhaps someone in that London area could enlighten us. I live on the Herts/Beds border, so don't know that region very well.

CDs, ahhh well. (I don't do mp3 or streaming). They're being offloaded sadly because if I should pop my clogs, then the likes of Perry Como, Brenda Lee, Jo Stafford, plus an inordinate amount of rock'n'roll music, will not be appreciated by my Millenium nieces and nephews (who are they aunty ?), and my brothers won't want them, so what do you do ? I've kept my own favourites, but its just another 'clear out' job they won't have to do.

 

[merryone]

Q beauty awards and Customer favourites mean nothing to me.
I like what I like and that's that.

"20,000 people have bought this today"
So what?

Me neither, now but I thought that if something had been voted for by the people who have actually used the product that there must be something in it. Now with my eyes fully opened - Do they tell you how many actually voted? Are they given a specific list of items chosen by Q that customers are allowed to vote for?
I didn't consider any of this....I just thought wow...I've got troublesome lips and this is gonna be the answer to my prayers. At the time of purchase I was having a particularly bad flare up which didn't help! I ended up consulting the doctor who recommended a weeks worth of hydrocortisone cream which cost me a couple of quid and sorted it out, and I'm finding that a 99p lipbalm is doing a good job of keeping them smooth and moisturised - The GH does nothing really feels nice for about 5 minutes and as for the plumping effect - what plumping effect?!
Me too - I could give a $h1t how many people have spent their money...it's irrelevant!

 

[stratobuddy]

I haven't a clue Strato - perhaps someone in that London area could enlighten us. I live on the Herts/Beds border, so don't know that region very well.

CDs, ahhh well. (I don't do mp3 or streaming). They're being offloaded sadly because if I should pop my clogs, then the likes of Perry Como, Brenda Lee, Jo Stafford, plus an inordinate amount of rock'n'roll music, will not be appreciated by my Millenium nieces and nephews (who are they aunty ?), and my brothers won't want them, so what do you do ? I've kept my own favourites, but its just another 'clear out' job they won't have to do.

I would gladly have paid the postage to save them being dumped

 

[stratobuddy]

I've been suckered in AGAIN!

But it is something I will use if it is any good.

I have a chain across my private drive to stop people using my drive to turn around in, and the tarmac has been damaged by this.

But there are no street lamps so the chain is invisible at night.

I intend to wrap these around the chain and am hoping it won't look too naff, and that they will stay lit for long enough.

And they were on clearance

https://www.qvcuk.com/Garden-Reflections-LED-Bunting-Outdoor-Light-Strand.product.717168.html?sc=IROA

 

[merryone]

I've been suckered in AGAIN!

But it is something I will use if it is any good.

I have a chain across my private drive to stop people using my drive to turn around in, and the tarmac has been damaged by this.

But there are no street lamps so the chain is invisible at night.

I intend to wrap these around the chain and am hoping it won't look too naff, and that they will stay lit for long enough.

And they were on clearance

https://www.qvcuk.com/Ninja-Foodi-Dual-Zone-Airfryer-AF300UK.product.809908.html?bvnotificationId=55bb327f-dafb-11eb-b81f-120b37fe7e25&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=yahoo.com&

Wrong link Strato lol!