Caught by an Infomercial

Have you ever found yourself buying an item from a TV infomercial? I had a lot of trouble falling asleep when I was in high school. One night I was up late when an infomercial for a sandwich maker came on TV. This red-headed woman cooked hot dogs, eggs and bacon, miniature quiches and brownies all within this tiny triangular shaped, metal heat device. It might have been my age, or my aversion to learning how to cook, honestly I’m not sure, but I immediately wanted one.

When my parents woke up the next morning I asked if we could buy one. At the time they said no, but a few months later when stores began selling them, my mom purchased one. She must have asked me twenty times if I really wanted that device. I think it cost $50 at the time, which was a lot of money for my folks. I said I really, really wanted it, and she bought it for me. That thing was the worst piece of junk and after one or two uses I wanted to throw it out. Actually, we lucked out at the time, because the electrical cord was fraying, and my mom took it back to the store a few days later for a full refund.

Since then I am proud to say that I have never been duped by an infomercial, but every once in awhile when I’m up late I find myself watching one. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sitting through an hour long infomercial, but I have watched five or ten minutes of a show. Infomercials seem to involve three main categories of products: health, beauty, and food. It’s pretty funny when you think about it. You’re lounging on your sofa trying to fall asleep while advertisers try to convince you to start working out, start cooking, or start applying makeup. I wonder how successful advertisers are at getting tired people off their couches to reach for the phone. I wonder how many people have been duped by an infomercial. I am sad to say that I was convinced enough to buy that sandwich maker so many years ago, but to help me sleep better at night, I pawn that purchase off on innocence and youth.