Why do we buy compulsively? I've lost track of how many mornings I've woken up to an Amazon purchase that made no sense. Like who in the world believed we were gonna ZAP the fat away? (Apparently I did! Thanks vodka) So many of these random products have emptied endless bank accounts just because the sale was so enticing or because we saw it on 'Shark Tank'. Damn them. Hold onto your pennies people. Don't make purchases as sheep.
Redditor u/WeirdDude_95 wanted to know what useless things we shouldn't wasted our money on by asking..... What's the worst hyped up product you have ever used?Slap
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Slap Chop is absolutely useless. What the commercial doesn't tell you is that all the food just gets stuck in the blade. It's literally impossible to do multiple slaps in a row because you have to scrape the food out of the blade after each one. Just use a knife instead.
Face Issues.
Proactiv for cleaning your face. Meant to help get rid of pimples. But it didn't do anything. I counted the days I used it and I think I used it for about 200 days before finally realizing that the product is a waste of time and money.
No amount of topical product will get rid of hormonal or cystic acne. This is the only truth I've learned in my 30+ years of being alive and still dealing with occasional breakouts as an adult. They told me this crap would go away after puberty but monthly cycle hormones disagreed.
All for $60....
The original Hatchimal.
You give it to a kid who then has to be patient because it takes ages to hatch, then it hatches and that's it. Only hatches once and does nothing else exciting. All for $60. I worked at TRU when they were all the rage and hard to find. Just shook my head every time someone dropped that kind of dough on it.
Launch Fail
Anthem. This game killed the hype within hours of launch.
Let me put it this way... the one kind of interesting/novel (and specific) idea in the game, the flight? It was something an EA executive pushed for, and which the devs fought against including, and ultimately crippled.
Sort of sums up that game perfectly.
Jason Schreier did a couple of good write-ups on that game over on Kotaku if you want all the dirt.
Wow those Eggs....
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Costco sells Super Extra-Large Peanuts under their Kirkland brand. "Holy crap," I thought, "they must be the size of eggs!" When I got them home and opened the package, I was disappointed to find that they were approximately the size of peanuts.
The Rolling Revolution....
The Segway.
Edit: Not saying segways are terrible, but the older people here will remember the hype. It was supposed to "revolutionize" the way we travel. Now it's only used by mall cops or tour guides.
Big cities quickly banning it from sidewalks really crippled it. It is also the sort of thing that seems nice when you imagine you are the only one around with one and everyone gets out of your way, but imagine the congestion if the actually became popular.
Ah Snugs....
Consensus: if it's advertised using infomercials or a shopping channel, don't buy it.
Disagree. The Snuggie has been a great investment. Works exactly as they claimed and fills a need that I've always had (arms get cold while reading).
Ah yes the Snuggie! They were pretty cool. The exception that makes the rule
My thought on the Snuggie was that it was just a bathrobe worn backwards.
Skip the Beat....
Beats headphones. I totally fell for the hype. Twice. That is an absolute garbage product. Both sets literally fell apart and the sound quality was not worth it.
Thank you!! I had one pair and the sound was ok but the headphones themselves were super uncomfortable. I bought a pair of Sony headphones for about 1/3 of the price and they are 10 times better.
Google Fail.
Google glass.
The only person I've ever seen use one was this dude who dyed his beard pink and treated everyone around him, including wait staff, like crap. That guy was insufferable, and the Google glass didn't help.
The only person I've ever seen use one was a Google employee on the Google campus. He let me try it but I guess I didn't understand the point. It was just a tiny faint blue screen in front of one of my eyes.
Twinked....
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Twinkies, they seemed to be everywhere in the TV shows imported to the UK and so I always wanted to try one. When I finally did it tasted of disappointment and dust, worst Christmas gift ever.
Magic
When I was a young kid, I saw the Fushigi Ball commercial on TV. It claimed it was a "magic gravity ball". After begging my parents, I finally got it and it was more than just a disappointment. The only good thing I got was a lesson on how marketing works.
The Wizard...
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The Nintendo Powerglove.
Fred Savage's movie The Wizard really sold that junk as elite status gamer equipment. It didn't really work. Oh, for sure.
But most of us didn't want to admit it didn't work, so we just kept messing with arranging and resetting and recalibrating the little sensors that went on the corner of the TV. Hoping that if we just got it set up right this time it would work. And of course every now and then it would kind of almost work which would keep your hope going.
In the end most of us ended up just playing with the standard (backup) controller that was built into the wrist pad. At least it looked kind of futuristic.
Flames....
The Boring Company Not-a-Flamethrower. Damn trigger started breaking after one can of propane, so now it's finicky getting it to start/stop "throwing flame".
Spyra One. Seemed like it was going to be the best squirt gun ever made. It's neat, but far from the best thing ever. Maybe if they were cheaper?
Vicks Vap-o-Rub....
Head On - Apply Directly to the Forehead!
Crap was like a glue stick made of Vicks Vap-o-Rub. I've learned that headaches exist in countless forms and that everyone has their preferred method of dealing with them. I'm very sensitive to smells, so rubbing a cooling agent on my head like those has the opposite effect for me. In my case, I usually have some coffee as the caffeine really helps. I also take a nasal decongestant if they're really bad and that helps the throbbing go away.
Forget Madden
Madden 21. This game sucks big time.
Worst part is to NOT get the games cancelled or postponed you have to pay for the DLC, but it's EA so you should have been expecting that.
Madden is the same thing as FIFA, same game every year. Just it doesn't get made fun of as much.
Painful Feathers....
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Sock 'em Boppers. Turns out they are NOT more fun than a pillow fight.
They were painful! Imagine getting hit full force with a wet towel on your face. Thats how it felt. Forget those things.
make it rain....
Received a ridge wallet as a gift. Absolutely the stupidest most inconvenient thing I've ever seen. You know why every single wallet making company makes identical wallets? Because they work perfectly and require no improvement,and they hold coins, and you can see each one of your cards before you take them out, and you don't have to clip your cash to the outside of the freaking things so everytime you pull it out of your pocket you make it rain unintentionally.
The YT Generation....
Was a fan of this GTA YouTuber for a long time, and of course around Christmas time he made ugly Christmas sweater merch. His looked bad so I asked my mom to buy me one. 30 damn dollars, plus I think 12 for shipping. Comes in three days before Xmas Eve and mom lets me open it early.
It turned out to be literally just a normal red sweatshirt with the "Xmas sweater" design on the chest in a small square. Didn't even cover the full chest. Probably about 4" x 4.5" on the center of the chest part. About 45 bucks for just that. Next time I buy YT merch, it's gonna be a more popular one so the merch isn't so crappy.
Balloon Destruction
That machine that blew up a crap ton of water balloons at once, came out probably 6 or 7 years ago and I asked my mum for it and showed her the commercial and she agreed it looked real fun so she ordered one, and we got it and some of the nozzles weren't working so it probably blew up about half of what it said it would but still there were probably about 20 balloons tied and everything. It barely blows them up before tying them and i don't know what God awful rubber they used because getting hit by one was like getting hit by a freaking rock, then it would fall to the ground and break open.
I hate tickles....
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With my kids when they were little... Tickle Me Elmo. Sorry Elmo! I still love ya but... really? Day after Christmas, you were in the bottom of the toy box.
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When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.