I know Wed. is supposed to be wordless, but I need to explain this picture...Why do stores put crap like this at the register?!! Do you know how impossible it makes the world for we with toddlers? This thing, which I think is a clever idea, costs $12 and is right in front of the register. The Little Man grabs it and starts to play with it. Now, my choice is...buy it to keep him from melting down, or take it away from him and watch the meltdown ensue. I just couldn't bring myself to pay $12 for this...so bring on the waterworks...So, I found myself cursing the marketing folks for forcing me to make these kinds of decisions on a daily basis. I can't buy everything the kiddos get there hands on just to keep them from losing it, right? I mean, I am right here, aren't I???
(for the record, I would have taken a pic. of this thing with my phone, but it was impossible to drag two screaming toddlers away from it and take a pic)
LOL! Don't ya just love the check out lane? Those stores know how to reel us in. Thanks for visiting mine
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
Supermarkets really do know the power of pester don't they? Happy WT/WW
ReplyDeleteYou did the right thing. I so remember. It's even worse now than back then. You can't let your kids dictate everything you buy. You did just fine. Have a great WW. :)
ReplyDeleteI hate those things. I simply can't buy everything the kids want (esp. with 4 kids!) and it makes checkout fun for everyone with a screaming toddler.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I know what you mean. Its not only at the checkout....there are many 'traps' all over malls. So these days, I have to walk in zig zags to get to where I want to go just so he won't see those things.
ReplyDeleteok, we have that ball - hubby bought it, he is a hoarder, equipment needy crazy buying man. i can NOT believe it costs fucking 12 bucks. i need to get him in control.
ReplyDeleteThe marketers are counting on you giving in. Not only does it get them that one sale, but it also helps gradually breed the next generation of consumerism - keeping them in a job. Way to take a stand and stick it to 'em!
ReplyDeleteWow, I just turned crazy "conspiracy theorist" on this comment...
I wish I had the money back for all the stupid junk I've bought at the register over the past 10 years of motherhood! Good for you for holding out.
ReplyDeleteThey bank on the fact that most moms will spend the $12 instead of pulling screaming kids away...that is why they do it. Jerks. What kind of choice is that for a mom?
ReplyDeleteWhy do they do that? I hate all of the candy in the checkout line. My little guy always has a meltdown for M&Ms.
ReplyDeleteI never cave. I'm the mean mommy. Of course, I do my best to never set foot in stores!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry! They don't stay that age. The more they get use to "no", the better the water fountain will get. IT GETS BETTER!! I promise
ReplyDeleteYou did the right thing! You can't give in to every little thing at the cash register or they will expect it. Every. Single. Time.
ReplyDeleteas hard as it is at the moment, you did the right thing. Doesn't mean much though when they are in meltdown mode and you are trying to pay, gather bags and kids, and get to the car.
ReplyDeleteI have been known to keep a mini bag of M&Ms as a bribe. I rarely have to pull it out....oh well, sometimes my sanity is worth a bit of chocolate.
BTW, check out my latest post....are your ears burning?
Poor mom, my daughter fights the meltdown at the checkout counter all the time.
ReplyDeleteI think my girls are getting tired of Dad's answer when they do that.
ReplyDelete"Nope. Don't see it here on the list. We can't get anything that's not on the list."
The last time the 4 year-old tried the waterworks, I started crying with her (not really), but you should have seen her face when she took a breath and saw Daddy crying too. Seems I'm not afraid of a little public crying for a good cause :-)
I know what you mean!!!
ReplyDeleteI was in that exact position today with another "toy" with my 1 and 3 year old. This tactic in marketing is quite annoying.
Have a great week.
Ugh. We have one of those. The husband bought it during a Babies R Us run, claiming our 1 month old daughter HAD to have it. It's floating somewhere at the bottom of the toy box and he's the only one that has ever played with it.
ReplyDeleteI usually make my kids behave in public, but this is one of my biggest pet peeves so I combat it with poorly behaved children. I let them play with all that check out crap and leave it all over the place and tantrum around it. Hopefully, some day a store will take notice and remove it. Until then it is open season on overpriced crap.
ReplyDeleteyou did the right thing!! Because you would have handed over $12, brought it home, your kid would have lost ALL INTEREST and you would have been kicking yourself for being such an idiot. So way to go.
ReplyDeleteI like tommie's suggestion. always good to have a packet of m & m's or some other awesome treat for things like that.
Oh man I so agree. I hate those check out lines. Takes us forever to get thru!
ReplyDeleteI walk through stores going "No....no....put it back....no....because....no..."
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. sometimes (not all the time) I'll let them pick something out cheap...or something I'd already planned on buying but they didn't know.
If it makes you feel any better, I also thought this looked clever and fun for my 6 month old, who was too little to ask for it. So I paid $12 voluntarily and he's never played with it!
ReplyDeleteYes. You are so, so right. I mean, I can barely tear myself away from the crap at the checkout! How can you expect a kid to?
ReplyDeleteYou just know that there are managers and other employees all gathered around the video screens watching as unsuspecting moms approach the checkouts. Heck, they probably wager as to which kid will have the biggest meltdown or which mom will freak out the most! Dang them . . .
I still shudder when I think of those days. You know those people who come up with that don't have children. You did the right thing.
ReplyDeletecrafty little merchandisers!
ReplyDeleteMarketing bastards.
ReplyDeleteI hate that part of shopping, usually because I have already had to talk my kids down from any number of things in the REST of the store.
I love those hollow ball things! I've been coveting them for years. But that price tap is so obnoxious that I still don't have one.....
ReplyDeleteOh yes... We have one of those things too - but we didn't buy it, my mom did. I try to avoid taking the kids to the store as much as possible because the never-ending barrage of "Can I have...?" and "I want!" drives me crazy. :)
ReplyDeleteI told my kids that the nice people put stuff there for them to play with and we needed to leave it there so we'd have something to play with next time. lol It worked sometimes.
ReplyDeleteIt's bad enough that Phil must slap candy bars out of my hands at the checkout.
ReplyDeleteIt's a conspiracy! A conspiracy, I tell you!!!
ReplyDeleteWe have the ball, too. My kid LOVES it. Ridiculously overpriced but. . .whatevs. . .no fair about the checkout line. I agree with the conspiracy people.
ReplyDeleteJust HAD to comment on this toy. We call it the "savior ball". Here's the story: when my oldest (now 5) was about 15 months old, we took a vacation to Mackinac Island. He was somewhat restless going through the stores so we found this ball. This ball kept him occupied for four days straight. To this day, it has remained one of the boys' favorite toys. So, I totally agree about the impulse buys in the checkouts...why do they do that?...but I think you will be happy with this silly little purchase.
ReplyDelete