Sunday, July 1, 2007

What in the world?

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something else pops out at you.

Yesterday afternoon my mom and I spent the day having lunch together and shopping for Amira’s upcoming birthday party. We went to a retail chain called The Dollar Tree, which is known for selling their merchandise for $1.00 or less. It’s a great store for getting party favors and supplies.

When my mom and I were ready to check out, at the cash register area the store has all types of last minute products or as my friend calls it “impulse buying” products that are displayed right by the cashier. We were checking out at the cash register closest to the door, and with nothing better to do as we had already unloaded our items on the conveyer belt, I was glancing at the commodities. Standard stock would be gum, cigarette liters, batteries, small snacks, and trinkets for the kids, but to my absolute shock and surprise they had the follow (below) item for sale.

My mom said, “OH MY GOD!”, then said, “I wonder how accurate it is for $1.00”?

Very good question, Mom.

Makes me wonder a number of things:

1-Why is this product in the “impulse buying section” rather than the pharmaceutical section?

2-Why is it on a display case at the check out counter for kids of any age to see and buy?

3-How can the Dollar Tree sell it for $1.00 when every other retailer sells it for more than 600% that price?

4-How accurate is the test?

5-If they are going to sell that right there, then why are they selling condoms as well?

6-Why are all commercials on the U.S. television relating to feminine products shown? (i.e., panties, bras, feminine monthly products, pregnancy test kits, birth control remedies, shaving solutions, itching, and the latest item is a lubricant product by KY that gives the viewers a sense that it’s designed for a woman to entice a man)

7-What products do they promote and show for men? Besides Viagra

19 comments:

PH said...

OK these are smart alec answers, off the top of my head, so nobody bite me for them :p :

"1-Why is this product in the “impulse buying section” rather than the pharmaceutical section?"

because its a dollar store so having a pharmaceutical section would cost more and reduce profit ?

"2-Why is it on a display case at the check out counter for kids of any age to see and buy?"

whats wrong with kids seeing a pregnancy test kit? if they don't know what it is it won't affect them, if they do its too late to do anything about it......

"3-How can the Dollar Tree sell it for $1.00 when every other retailer sells it for more than 600% that price?"

Its probably either not an original brand or its nearly expired ( I'm assuming here they do expire since they probably have a chemical component in them ).


"4-How accurate is the test?"

based on my answer to the previous question I would say not so accurate.


"5-If they are going to sell that right there, then why are they selling condoms as well?"

Condoms, I've been told, don't always work.
And both products won't necessarily be sold to the same couple, right?

"6-Why are all commercials on the U.S. television relating to feminine products shown? (i.e., panties, bras, feminine monthly products, pregnancy test kits, birth control remedies, shaving solutions, itching, and the latest item is a lubricant product by KY that gives the viewers a sense that it’s designed for a woman to entice a man)"

Women care more than men, relatively speaking, about their looks so they'll spend more on it, or so it seems.....even though men have started to follow suit, but they are still lagging .....


"7-What products do they promote and show for men? Besides Viagra"

Products for baldness, weight loss, hair dying products, sports equipment, cars..........

a_akak said...

I am as shicked as you are, but when $$$$$$ comes into the equation anything is possible.....so be it selling pregnancy tests right next to chewing gum, as with all shops they think "as long as their is no law against it then its ok" and why put it in the impulse section? i think it is pure genius!! as if you think about it, you have an unsure girl wondering if she should check or not, then BANG!!! i am checking out and i find what might be the solution and not many people will notice me buy it so why not?

Crazy world? i think its just starting ;P

Fe Aman Allah

Anonymous said...

Oi, achei teu blog pelo google tá bem interessante gostei desse post. Quando der dá uma passada pelo meu blog, é sobre camisetas personalizadas, mostra passo a passo como criar uma camiseta personalizada bem maneira. Até mais.

Anglo-Libyan said...

salam ibeebarbie
we have many £1 shops in London that sell all sorts of things but I have never seen products like that!
these pregnancy tests are usually very accurate if you buy them at chemists but at $1 im not sure they are!!

lol at ph :oD cars @ $1

men do not usually get special treatment or products, its usually more for the ladies.

Romana said...

1$ pregnancy kit??? thats funny, u're there, buying chocolate from the "impulse buying section" and u say, hey what the heck,pregnancy kit for 1$, i'll buy!!! what the hell?!

"gives the viewers a sense that it’s designed for a woman to entice a man)"
cos we are always portrayed as sub-servers whose mere existance is for their pleasure and comfort, why else Ibee? lol
if it wasnot for the feminist revulotion, we'd still be at the mercy of men to buy us pregnancy kits! and now they are selling it over the counter at the dollar store... dont know what to say... something new keeps popping out every now and then! lets wait and see what else there is!

ibeebarbie said...

Salam PH,
LOL@the sarcastic tone in the responses. LOL@condoms don't really work, but at least kids could fill them up with water and have water balloon fights.

Salam Ahmed,
LOL@no one will notice her/him buying the pregnancy test kit at the "impulse buying" section---except for the cranky judgmental elder standing behind them who will certainly voice an opinion or sound loud enough for the person to hear. Maybe the store people could make it a more fun event for themselves, and when a youngster picks it up have a little song go off or something.

Salam Rodrigo,
Sorry person, have no idea what you said.

Salam Anglo-Libyan,
Call me old fashion, but I still don't know why feminine hygenie products have to be advertised to death on the TV.

Salam Ramona,
LOL@hey, what the heck I'll buy it. For women, getting a good deal is important, but as tempting as the offer was neither my mom nor I bought it. However, now I'm considering going back and getting it, just to see. Who knows, if it comes back positive I'll change my name to Mary. LOL@back in the days when men were buying pregnancy tests? When was that? I want to go back to THOSE days. I hate buying any feminine products. Of course, when you check out you have to look all the registers over to make sure there's no man working the register and for a short line, then dash right through---hopefully. I think I just get more irritate at the fact that all these advertisements generally make women look shallow and like little sex kittens--as if a woman has no other thought in her head.

Romana said...

ibee LOVE U MAN, love the feminist in u.. im so totally with u... i hate that too and i hate the women who let themselves get this far... ohhh im cute plz take me, ohh im sexy plzz plzz think im sexy and hot too, or else i wont! there sense of worth is decided by men! y?! i understand lookin nice soemtimes to attract the prey,lool, but u do it for urself at the 1st place, mish for them...

THANKS GIRL!
xxx

ibeebarbie said...

LOL - Romana-what are the odds that our post would be some how inter-related today. I'm hearing the song - "I'm too sexy for myself". Maybe the $1 store will eventually sell a "do-it-yourself" plastic surgery kit, and impulsively I'll buy it and try it out. :-P

Romana said...

hahahah if u'll buy it, then i'll buy it! lool hehehe let's self mutilate ourselves... at least we did it to ourselves eh! lool

ibeebarbie said...

hahahah if u'll buy it, then i'll buy it! lool hehehe let's self mutilate ourselves... at least we did it to ourselves eh! lool

Well I'm all about taking accountablity for one's actions, so it's a deal. Well "improve" ourselves through "impulse buying". Besides, after all the money Michael Jackson spent on his team of experts how could we do any worse?

PH said...

loooooooool @ romana + ibeebarbie ,

then you complain about ads targeting you :P ......... looooool

ibeebarbie said...

LOL@PH
Now tell me, do you enjoy watching tv while eating dinner and hearing about feminine itching? Or hearing about feminine monthly products? Thank God they don't actually demonstrate these things.LOL

Mixed Up Me said...

Nothing ever surprises me at the Dollar Store!! Great picture!! I guess I failed my mission :)

I hav ehtese questions thought . . .First, what is labotory testing? Second, can you not take other pregnancy tests any time of the day?

ibeebarbie said...

Hi Mixed Up Me,

No, you didn't fail on the mission---I just found myself possessed in getting this post out there. :-)

Good questions, by the way.

PH said...

"Now tell me, do you enjoy watching tv while eating dinner and hearing about feminine itching? Or hearing about feminine monthly products? Thank God they don't actually demonstrate these things.LOL"

I'm a guy I'm not good at multitasking :p. I actually can't watch TV while eating dinner I only eat during the ads :D so I never notice what they're saying on them ...... but if I did I'm sure I wouldn't like it ...... lol.

Lebeeya said...

Pregnancy kit for $1.00? lol... I guess the logic behind it is, why spend more on something your gonna pee on... if you are planing on having a baby you better start saving now :P

I wouldn't be surprised if they had ovulation tests for $1.00 too.

Home pregnancy kits aren't 100% certain, its always better to have a proper lab check done.

But ofcourse we live in a world that is all about business and it doesnt really matter how safe or efficant the tests are as long as there is profit flowing in.

How about the stores that have lingerie lined up right by the door? that is so embaressing!!!

LadyCroc said...

You were shopping for your friend at a DOLLAR STORE???????
What did poor Amira do??

mani said...

hehehehe its really refreshing to see women discussing women's issues like this :)if it werent for some interesting philosophies of some, I would have stayed out lol..

Romana - "if it wasnot for the feminist revulotion, we'd still be at the mercy of men"

really? :)

"I understand lookin nice soemtimes to attract the prey,lool"

uh huh.. so its either you look nice because you are the prey (in the eyes of men) or we men are the prey (in the eyes of feminists)?

maybe the women here can chip in with their views on these two points :)

im gonna wach his space very carefully ll .. salams bros and sis's

ibeebarbie said...

Salam PH,
First of all you are one of my hero’s for continuing down this perilous path of femininity. AND, the fact that you admit to not being a good multi-tasker even ranks you higher.

Salam Lebeeya,
LOL@the logic behind the price of the product. Why don’t they worry more about the size of test strip you have to attempt to aim at when conducting the test?

Oh my goodness – I forgot about the lingerie shops displaying their junk in front of everyone. Excellent point – and yes very embarrassing. How come they don’t display men’s Speedo’s or g-strings on a plastic male mannequin in the middle of the mall?

Salam Safia,
LOL, no I wasn’t shopping for a friend. We were picking up party goods, plates, forks, napkins, and cups, etc. for Amira’s birthday party. Thank goodness Amira wasn’t with us. She was spending the afternoon with Grandpa. Thankfully though my mom has a great sense of humor and played it off beautifully.

Salam Mani,
LOL! Was wondering if you were going to join in.