What is the point of shopping telly?

[stratobuddy]

I've just watched this item, a solar umbrella..

The presenters just sat under it, and said you can turn the handle to move it up and down, you can tilt it, you can control the lights, and it has a solar panel on top.

I was waiting for the demo of cranking it up and down, a demo to show how low it will go, a demo of how to fold it down into the closed position (and re-open it), a demo of how you tilt it, a demo of the control to change the lights, and a demo of what the solar panel looked like.

NILCH !

And the photos on the website were useless and told you nothing either.

But for all the NON-information the costly TV transmission gave you, they needn't have bothered.

Surely the whole point of selly-telly is to DEMONSTRATE items, otherwise they could have just shown a still photo for 5 minutes and saved the cost of 2 presenters.

Utterly pointless waste of 5 minutes - - - what a shambles!

https://www.qvcuk.com/Innovators-27m-LED-Solar-Parasol.product.519895.html?sc=IROA

 

[donna255]

They can sit looking glamorous chat with each other and get free stuff.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

You wouldn't have heard anything useful anyway as it’s K Taylor presenting - who by the way is sporting some tan for someone who has been in hibernation due to illness.

More free tanning products as surely it’s not from a holiday!

 

[stratobuddy]

I've made similar comments about the pointlessness of the demos of cooking items eg frying pans, saucepans, casserole pans, etc.

They waste £££££s of food, showing that you can use them for cooking in, whereas we ALL know that you can cook food in them.

What I REALLY want to see is, when they say you can use metal implements in a non-stick pan, that they get a metal fork and scrape it all around the pan, then show a close-up of the non-damaged coating.

That'll be the day (to quote my favourite singer).

 

[Grizelda]

I've just watched this item, a solar umbrella..

The presenters just sat under it, and said you can turn the handle to move it up and down, you can tilt it, you can control the lights, and it has a solar panel on top.

I was waiting for the demo of cranking it up and down, a demo to show how low it will go, a demo of how to fold it down into the closed position (and re-open it), a demo of how you tilt it, a demo of the control to change the lights, and a demo of what the solar panel looked like.

NILCH !

And the photos on the website were useless and told you nothing either.

But for all the NON-information the costly TV transmission gave you, they needn't have bothered.

Surely the whole point of selly-telly is to DEMONSTRATE items, otherwise they could have just shown a still photo for 5 minutes and saved the cost of 2 presenters.

Utterly pointless waste of 5 minutes - - - what a shambles!

https://www.qvcuk.com/Innovators-27m-LED-Solar-Parasol.product.519895.html?sc=IROA

I've been disappointed like this. It's frustrating. You feel like shouting at them through the telly.

 

[stratobuddy]

What I REALLY want to see is, when they say you can use metal implements in a non-stick pan, that they get a metal fork and scrape it all around the pan, then show a close-up of the non-damaged coating.

I bought the 2-set TSV of Le Crueset non-stick aluminium pans, because they said you could use metal utensils in them.

When they arrived, the instructions said to never use metal utensils in them!

 

[SisterBliss]

I've made similar comments about the pointlessness of the demos of cooking items eg frying pans, saucepans, casserole pans, etc.

They waste £££££s of food, showing that you can use them for cooking in, whereas we ALL know that you can cook food in them.

What I REALLY want to see is, when they say you can use metal implements in a non-stick pan, that they get a metal fork and scrape it all around the pan, then show a close-up of the non-damaged coating.

That'll be the day (to quote my favourite singer).

You are so funny, Uncle Strato.

 

[SisterBliss]

You are so funny, Uncle Strato.

Don't be cross if I'm not meant to laugh. I have a very dry/unique/sophisticated/insert other SOH.......Not much makes me laugh, but you so often do.

 

[Brissles]

I agree Strato. I'm in the market for a new electric toothbrush, and balk at the space age prices that these space age toothbrushes cost. I might live alone, but I like to have 2 brushes - one on charge and one to use. (I don't have a p/point in the bathroom, so they're on-charge in the bedroom).

I digress, this morning I watched as there was an offer of £99 for 2 Silk N whatever sonic brushes. Yes, there was plenty of waffle about how to brush your teeth, but I was more interested in the charging base. This was never commented on. Was it a wi-fi standalone, or a plug in job. Who knows ? They're all getting like Lee Holbein, all waffle and hot air, without actually telling you anything.

 

[Silver Fox]

I have just received my latest copy of Which.In the article ‘ Where to buy your bathroom essentials’ the best and cheapest health and beauty stores where does QVC rate?
Well 84%, 3rd on the list.Comments included ‘customers were full of praise for its guarantee & after sales service’.One customer said ‘ you can try the product and return it if it is no good within 60 days’ Some 62% of shoppers chose QVC thanks to the cost of products.
What is not taken into account that the cost of try & return is around £10 in P&P + return costs.Some product costs are good provided you know the product and factor in the P&P. i.e I recently bought a duo pack of Elemis Toner, much cheaper for 2 of a product I know and wanted.Many of these are duo offers but you wouldn’t want 2 unless something you liked and didn’t want to try and return.There must be a percentage of shoppers that try and don’t bother to return plus what about the dreaded letter?

 

[merryone]

There's literally no point in shopping telly any more. When I first discovered the joys of it in the late 90's you'd see really innovative products, and generally stuff you'd not readily find on the high street. I remember, the George Foreman grills, the magic bullets, vacuum packed space bags, gravity walkers, ahh bras, memory foam toppers...and so much more...Now you can get all these things (and usually much cheaper) elsewhere. The innovation has gone. Informercial channels pretty much sell matresses and not a lot else, maybe the odd exercise gadget (which again can be bought anywhere these days). Shopping channels have dwindled down to literally 2..one that is like an depleted department store that sells only expensive stuff and the other mainly sells horrible watches. If there is a point in shopping channels these days..it's this place...long may it live!

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I agree Strato. I'm in the market for a new electric toothbrush, and balk at the space age prices that these space age toothbrushes cost. I might live alone, but I like to have 2 brushes - one on charge and one to use. (I don't have a p/point in the bathroom, so they're on-charge in the bedroom).

I digress, this morning I watched as there was an offer of £99 for 2 Silk N whatever sonic brushes. Yes, there was plenty of waffle about how to brush your teeth, but I was more interested in the charging base. This was never commented on. Was it a wi-fi standalone, or a plug in job. Who knows ? They're all getting like Lee Holbein, all waffle and hot air, without actually telling you anything.

We are exactly the same as you, one on charge and one being used (separate heads of course) and in the past bought duo ones but these became hard to replace so now I just buy 2 separate ones at the best offer I can get. And I just get the basic ones as I think those black ones costing hundreds is for metro males who are only interested in something that looks as if it is an attachment to their Porsche. The basic oral B ones range from £20 to £40 which IMO is enough everything else is just up selling for no good reason.

 

[Deleted member 21102]

If the sales people would just do what they're supposed to do, ie demonstrate all aspects of whatever it is, how it works, how you use it, what it can and can't do, how it will wear etc etc, then there would be some point to it. If they're not doing that, then they really can't call themselves "presenters" as in "I'm a television presenter" because they're not presenting the whole item, only the bits they think will sell, which is why I think they're sales people, not presenters. If it's clothes, give us close-ups of the way it's finished and let us be the judge. A few of us have actually made our own clothes so we know a good finish when we see it, so don't treat us like village idiots.

 

[Sooze]

I remember the QVC selection hours when you never knew what you were going to get and you’d see what ever they were touting used, measured and fully reported on. Didn‘t get clap trap, look at me, inane drivel talk over the expert twaddle you have to put up with now! I don’t watch anymore but do look at the online clips of anything that interests me, more often than not I’m still non the wiser after watching

 

[stratobuddy]

We are exactly the same as you, one on charge and one being used (separate heads of course) and in the past bought duo ones but these became hard to replace so now I just buy 2 separate ones at the best offer I can get. And I just get the basic ones as I think those black ones costing hundreds is for metro males who are only interested in something that looks as if it is an attachment to their Porsche. The basic oral B ones range from £20 to £40 which IMO is enough everything else is just up selling for no good reason.

Sorry for the one-upmanship, but I have 4!

3 on charge, and one in use.

But I am not bragging, it's because I've had them so long that they don't hold their charge for long.

BTW I did buy one from QVC a long time ago, the shaft snapped in half!

 

[stratobuddy]

And I still dream about how good Tim Goodwin was for demonstrating tech, and Anthony Heywood was also very informative.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I remember the QVC selection hours when you never knew what you were going to get and you’d see what ever they were touting used, measured and fully reported on. Didn‘t get clap trap, look at me, inane drivel talk over the expert twaddle you have to put up with now! I don’t watch anymore but do look at the online clips of anything that interests me, more often than not I’m still non the wiser after watching

I used to love the bargain hunter at 9pm

 

[Evie]

They can sit looking glamorous chat with each other and get free stuff.

That’s exactly what it’s become. The sales staff inhabit a deluded world. They go into work believing they have special talents and celebrity status. Yes, I know it’s a joke. They have a self adoration fest and leave with hundreds of pounds worth of freebies which allegedly they need to do their job. Nonsense. How long this will carry on? I don’t know but when it ends nobody will remember them for long. Their selling skills will not be remembered nor will their books etc. Their houses will be cluttered with tat and they will need therapy to deal with actually buying things.

For me the presenters have ruined my QVC experience which I used to enjoy. I like to think that perhaps all this faux celebrity nonsense will end but I doubt it.

 

[Toril]

The majority of shopping telly is a substitute for a comedy show.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I would love to put them into a real life selling situation (shop) for a week to see how they get on.
Freebies = out of date bacon
Footwear = if not a uniform then the most comfortable ones you can get and certainly not sparkly/white boots
Clothes = if not uniform a fleece to stop that wind blowing through automatic doors opening and closing continuously
Holidays = 2 weeks to be taken when your rota says so and if that means a wet week in Skegness so be it.
Boss = an actual person on your back all day not a group of airheads who let you run the place like you own it

And worst of all the customer = someone who expects you to do your job not listen to your wonderful family/holiday/this week’s freebie