The clueless shopper

When the image above popped up in my Facebook feed, I had absolutely no clue what the doohickey Amazon wanted me to buy was.

Nor did I know why I might need this thingy.

And what in the Sam Hill is this tube and why is there a smartphone next to it?

Facebook, Amazon, Google, you may think you know me, but you really don’t.

Or maybe you do. I have to admit that when I see a product and can’t identify it, my curiosity often gets the best of me and I have to click to find out what it is for. Which takes me, of course, to Amazon or whatever company posted the ad in the first place. Which then somehow keeps a record of my “interests” and more specifically targets future ads.

Which is why, I suppose, I get ads for women’s incontinence products, gourmet cooking tools, and hockey equipment. I also get spam emails with the names of older men who I might be interested in dating. What the hell website did I visit to get me on that list?

My usual shopping strategy is to drive to and wander aimlessly in my local Target, Walmart, and Home Depot, not find what I am looking for, and then wind up in my recliner ordering it from Amazon anyway. And then being disappointed in the item when it arrives. You’d think that at my age, I would somehow have mastered the art of buying stuff.

Happily the holiday “shopping” season will soon be over. My family will have to like what I got them or just suck it up.* Oh, one piece of advice: money always fits and is the right color.

*The best Christmas gift I give  is still the family calendar I make each year. I’m lucky to have such photogenic relatives.

Comments

[Elena Williams]

Good to hear you are still alive and kicking!