People Are Calling Out The Everyday Products We're All Guilty Of Buying But Are Really A Scam
Nowadays, there are so many targeted ads telling us (and making us believe that) we NEED something when, in reality, we actually don't. Sometimes we do fall victim to these ads, I'll be the first one to admit it. I came across this thread of people sharing common things most of us own that they think are total scams. Here is some of what they shared:
Note: Some of these responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
1."Flushable wipes. They do not break down in your plumbing. They just wad up and clog your pipes!"
2."Third-party food delivery. The restaurant gets paid much less than the list prices, the customer pays far more than the list, and the driver gets paid next to nothing. The 'delivery company' does next to nothing and pockets a huge portion of the money."
3."College textbooks. $300 for a book I’ll use once, only for the professor to say, ‘Actually, we won’t be using it this semester.'"
4."Just me personally, but all the shit women are supposed to pay for to be 'beautiful.' Makeup, hair extensions, plastic surgery, waxing, laser hair removal, etc. I know every woman is different, and all power to women who feel confident with these things, but it personally drives me up a wall. I put on makeup once in a great while and look hotter when I do, but I’m so resentful of the idea that we should have to spend thousands of dollars just to be acceptable. And for the most part, if you just take care of your health, you’ll look better than any of these products can do for you. And personally, if someone isn’t going to love me because I don’t wax all my hair off every month, that’s just not my person."
5."'High-end' AV (audio-visual) cables. The number of times I’ve seen people buy $40 'gold plated' or 'high speed' HDMI cables, my GOD. It's all the same cable. It doesn’t matter if it’s $5 or $100. It’s an HDMI cable. There is zero difference other than 'build quality.'"
6."Vagina deodorant. Girls, you're just making it worse. You need to go to the doctor if it's that bad. If it's normal, the marketing is just people telling you it's bad when it's not. This is a gross example of marketing creating a problem that doesn't exist so that they can sell their 'solution.'"
7."The trendy, high-end water bottles. The mid-range ones work just as well. I get some are fashion accessories, but people who think their $40 Yeti cup is way more effective than the $20, more generic one — it isn't."
8."Diet pills that 'burn fat.'"
9."Himalayan salt lamps. They do absolutely nothing, but they do look cool."
10."Ear candles. The residue left behind didn’t get pulled up out of your ear. It’s the melted/burned wax that coats the paper funnel."
11."Anything that claims to 'boost your immune system.' It doesn't do jack, entirely a waste of money."
12."Fabric softener. Have fun paying money to cover your clothes with wax and gradually ruin your appliances. They keep getting away with it because people think strong perfume = clean."
13."Timeshares are the biggest scam ever, and they've generated a whole industry (lawyers) to get people out of them."
14."Printer ink costing more than a new printer."
15."Hyper-gendered deodorant, like a pink Lady Speed Stick that smells like cherries vs. a blue Old Spice deodorant that smells like a lightning storm? Weird."
16."Green powders."
17.And finally, "Newer versions of the iPhone."
Is there anything else you consider a scam? Share it with me in the comments below.
