Christmas Commercials - For The Rich?

[WiffenPoof]

Okay....maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a heck of a lot of car commercials during this holiday season. I mean, the cars are pictured with big bows on them sitting in driveways with happy people on Christmas day.

I'm not poor but I'm certainly not rich. Who can afford to buy these "Christmas gifts" for their spouses and relatives? Are these among the top 2% we speak about? Do these car companies sell a lot of cars during this time of year?

I just don't get it. Who has the money for this???

-PLA

[bighughdiehl]

1. I noticed this....

for a couple years now. I think it is mostly aimed at the
top 2%, and maybe 10-20% who might buy such a huge
christmas gift a couple times in their life.
In either case, pretty taacky in a still struggling economy
with 10% UE and double food stamp rolls in the last couple years.

[WiffenPoof]

5. So, This Has......

...actually been going on for a couple of years now.

-PLA

[gmoney]

18. Relax. It's been going on for ages...

SNL did a funny fake ad back in the Phil Hartman days "advertising" the company that makes giant ribbons to put on the car you're giving as a gift. (the parody being them showing a lot of cars with giant ribbons on them, just like all the ads)

It was even used in the movie version of "Slaughterhouse 5" but I think it was a birthday gift, and that was 35 years ago?

I think auto makers just play along with all the advertisers this time of year that now's a great time to buy, and make it a super special gift, etc.

I'm guessing that a fair number of purchases are made by couples who say "rather than spending a bunch of money on sweaters and jewelry this year, let's put the money towards the car we've been meaning to get." I know a lot of couples who justify major purchases as their "Christmas Gift to themselves."

http://www.giantbows.com/

[louis-t]

2. Mercedes as Christmas presents....

or the one I saw this morning, "I just bought Mom a new washer and dryer!". The Mom is ooh-ing and ahh-ing at her new frontloading appliances that look to be about $3,000 for the pair.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Cars, and diamonds . . . . .

[Johnny Noshoes]

11. The car ads...

The car ads are bad but the DAMN ads for the jewelry - especially those friggin Jared ads. I really love the MUTE button this time of year.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

16. We still have to get through Valentine's Day with Jared...

and yes, here's to the mute button!

[hobbit709]

46. If I never see another Jared ad it wiil be six months too soon.

All these women sitting around practically wetting themselves because "He went to Jared{"

[lildreamer316]

4. I think this very thing all the time.

I mean, it really pisses me off. They act like we all have unlimited credit and no kind of collapse ever happened. Who do they think has that kind of disposable income? It's really grating. It would be nice if some of them would recognize where some of us are in reality.
Ah well.. :shrug:

[WiffenPoof]

6. Well...

...you said it beeter than I could. Maybe that's why it pisses me off.

-PLA

[jberryhill]

7. I got each of the kids a Mercedes and my wife is getting a diamond mine lease

I figured I'd go all out this year

Me? I'm holding out for Santa flying in on a Norelco electric razor

[a la izquierda]

45. would you mind adopting me as your 2nd wife?

:)
my husband and i bought presents for the rest of the families, and are doing small stuff for each other this year.

[katnapped]

8. That's really business 101

Target those with the money, not those without. They're advertising towards Buffy, teenage daughter of the rich, who wrecked the "old" Mercedes and wants a new one for Christmas.

[Newest Reality]

9. Why watch television anymore?

Especially when the annoying commercials start to rub your financial obsolescence in your face?

There's nothing like flaunting a major victory in the Class War while the collateral damage, post-consumers watch in shock and awe.

It's so, 'Nah-nah, na-nah-nah-ya! You lost!"

[David__77]

10. Financing?

That's how a lot of the pseudo-rich do it.

[Initech]

12. The sad thing is - most people can barely afford to buy one of those giant bows.

But seriously - expensive cars, fancy jewelry? You ever wonder why people hate rich folks?

[treestar]

13. It's Christmas, so every ad is couched in terms of it

They still want people to buy cars and put cars in people's minds.

end of year can be a good time to get a good price on a new car of this year's model.

[WiffenPoof]

15. Will You Be Buying A Mercedes This Christmas? n/t

[treestar]

21. No and likely never

But Mercedes ads are for the rich all year long.

[Hardrada]

48. I used to own one. It was little jewel of a diesel Mercedes

but was noisy to start and was scarily underpowered. (I did not buy it new) but it was a classic compared to the clunky looking costly vehicles of today.

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. I hate those commercials

[TheKentuckian]

17. drives me up the wall and the unending diamond ads make me a lil foamy about the mouth

[WiffenPoof]

19. Yeah...I forgot...

...about the diamond commercials.

-PLA

[Manifestor_of_Light]

29. Jewelry stores are a total ripoff. Take it from me.

The Gemological Institute of America teaches classes in gemology. They have a campus in NY and one in California. Sometimes they travel around the country and teach classes.

I have GIA certificates in diamond grading and colored stone grading. Each class was a week long, and consisted of alternating between staring thru a microscope and listening to lectures. I thought it was very interesting. Scientific because of crystal structure, RI and dispersion, and artistic because of color and shape and settings.

I also worked in a lease department in a major department store selling "fish gravel" and "lumps of coal" that weren't worth carrying out of the store. I was ashamed of the stuff. Jared, Zales and Gordons are full of crud.

One clue it's bad is that it either has no clarity grade on it, or if it does,it's SI1 or SI2 or I1 or I2. Those stand for "Slightly Imperfect 1 & 2" and "Imperfect 1 & 2".

Now those do not sound that bad, but in GIA grading, those are trashy, full of flaws, the lowest grades. I said they should die and go to heaven and come back to earth as a grinding wheel.

The markup in dept. stores is two and a half to three times.

One lady said, "This diamond has black spots on it. Does it need to be cleaned?". I was so ashamed. I had to tell her those black spots were carbon that didn't get squeezed in the volcano long enough and hard enough to be transformed into a diamond crystal structure.

The only good thing about the junk I sold was that I could find all sorts of flaws (like included crystals) I learned about in my GIA class. I was flabbergasted when none of the other sales people, nor the manager, knew what a ten power loupe was. That's what you inspect diamonds with. They didn't know, and all they had was a big magnifier like you'd use on a book. Their diamonds were so bad that they only sold round ones. Square and rectangular ones would have parallel facets that would show how crummy their diamonds were.

I got my wedding set at a wholesaler at the Gem Show that travels around the country, intergem.com

The retail section is a good place to get pearls and beads of all sizes and shapes and prices, and you can string your own necklaces and bracelets and save a lot of money. I learned to do it out of a book.

Diamonds are OK but other colored stones are a lot more interesting IMNSHO. :D

[Odin2005]

32. Very interesting post, thanks! I find colored semiprecious gems prettier than diamonds.

Funny, because Diamond is my birthstone.

[Raine]

33. VERY interesting ... THANKS

for sharing your first hand knowledge and experience. :hi: I don't care that much for diamonds they seem kind of bland and boring ... I'm with you I like colored stones best. :-)

edit: typo

[Twinguard]

42. Thanks for the interesting post.

Just out of curiosity, where would be a good place for an average consumer like me to look for "better than Jarod, Kay, etc... quality" stones? I'm not in the market for any gems, I'm just curious.

I got my wife's wedding and engagement rings from a local jeweler. This jeweler sat me down and spent some time (about an hour and a half!) educating me on the ins and outs of diamonds, let me look at some through her magnifying lenses, and answered all of my questions. I shopped around a bit more, but ultimately went back to this jeweler because she spent the time to make sure I knew what I was getting-- and I told her exactly that. I always go to her first if I'm interested in any kind of jewelry.

Is this the type of place that you would recommend, or are there even better types of places for finding good gems at reasonable prices?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

44. If you know what you're looking for, pawn shops are good.

If you've been trained. That is very good that the jeweler sat down and showed you the differences in quality.

If not, I would find somebody with a wholesale ID (Sales tax license) and go to the International Gem & Jewelry Show to the wholesale dept. Or take that person with a sales tax license to a wholesale jeweler. On the good stuff the markup is about double.

I have a wholesale tax no. because I occasionally string beads and sell them and make other artwork (silk painted pillows at my website) http://lavidacountry.wordpress.com

I got my wedding set from Berj Kouyoumjian of L.A. who has the most gorgeous stuff in the wholesale dept. at the gem show. I have an emerald with diamonds around it and they are all Asscher cuts which are square and deeper than a regular emerald cut. I did not know Asscher cuts are hip now, until the saleslady told me.

[Twinguard]

50. Thanks.

:)

[Bucky]

20. It's called economic hourglassing

squeezing the middle

[Warpy]

22. Nobody's got the money for it any more

but they're trying to con people who still have decent credit ratings into taking on that kind of debt.

I always thought those commercials were pretty stupid.

[Raine]

23. There always has been, it's nothing new

I guess lots of people do buy cars at this time of year going way back for years. It's probably a large amount of people who were planning on getting a car and wait till the end of the year maybe they do get a better deal. Personally I think it's a dumb time cause who needs to run around looking at cars during such a busy season but that's just MO ... each to their own.

[Petrus Romanus]

24. Corporate profits are through the roof. Wages aren't. Do the math. nt

[sammytko]

25. My sister and BIL purchased new cars for daughter and grandson. Not rich

Just very frugal. They r giving them things they need now instead of waiting til after they are gone.

[L0oniX]

26. New car is chump change. WTF do you think that Obama/Bush tax break money is going for?

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. They've been a staple for over two decades

and most people buy them the same way most people buy them, finance them.

[DawgHouse]

28. The car commercials are a great source of amusement around here

because they are so over the top ridiculous. Still, the commercial that gives me nightmares is from Kay, The Storm Commercial. It's been around for a while but I was surprised they brought it back for the holidays because most people I know agree it has a high creepy factor!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltA50HKyM14

[WorseBeforeBetter]

41. I'm not afraid of storms so I guess I'll have to come up with something else...

to get crappy jewelry from Kay's.

LOL @ "Dont let go..... ever motherfucker , or ill take all this stupid jewelry youve bought over the years and sell it for pennies on the dollar if im lucky..." (Stupid but amusing comments on YouTube...)

[Exilednight]

30. I always say the same thing about the New York Times. I open up and read the paper and

always seem to find full page spreads for watches worth thousands of dollars, cars worth tens, sometimes hundreds, of thousands of dollars, and bottles of perfume that cost more than weekly grocery bill.

I look at it this way, they're keeping the cost of my paper to $2.00 a copy.

[lunatica]

31. It's the media hypnosis making you think everything is OK

It's been going on much longer than just this Christmas season.

[u4ic]

34. The more you love someone, the more you'll spend

If your SO/spouse buys you a sterling silver chain, they don't love you as much as someone who would buy you a 24k gold chain. And if they REALLY loved you, they'd buy you a car. If they REALLY, REALLY loved you, they'd buy you a Mercedes. Isn't that the way it goes?

:sarcasm:

It's not just at Xmas, the message is there throughout the year. It just gets thrown in our faces more this season.

[JVS]

35. Too expensive, and even if it were affordable I think my family members would shit a brick...

if given a car and not consulted about make, model, and options.

[Arugula Latte]

36. Those ads have been bugging the crap out of me!

What the hell?

Also, is there some "giant bow for car gift" store somewhere?

P.S. Reminds me of all those investment commercials from a few years ago where everybody apparently bought a vineyard the minute they retired. :eyes:

[tabasco]

37. CONSUME! SHOP!

or you are a loser!!!

[blueamy66]

38. I agree.

Who the hell can buy a Lexus these days for their spouse?

Shit, my guy is getting a remote control helicopter. :-)

[jillan]

39. At the same time children are asking Santa for a jacket or shoes, we are being inundated with those

ads.

[Donnachaidh]

40. They may be running lots of car ads, but the car lots are overflowing in my area

And for all the *the consumers are spending* propaganda being pushed ad nauseum -- it's NOT happening all that much in my upscale area. The stores are still loaded with stuff, and people aren't going crazy shopping. :shrug:

[2Design]

43. Not new - every year they have these and the diamonds ads

[jimlup]

47. You mean you aren't getting a brand new LEXUS this Christmas?

I'm so sorry. My wife and I give one to each other every year. :sarcasm:

(Honestly, I'm seriously planning to go looking for a matchbox Lexus that I can give her. We joke about it every year and it would make a fun joke this Christmas morning.)

[iwillalwayswonderwhy]

49. Everytime I see the surprise car for Christmas ads

I think about how annoyed I would be if my husband chose a car for me to drive without consulting me. I would want to be in on the decision of what kind of car I am going to drive.

What's wrong, don't you like your new Lexus?
I wanted a Mini Cooper.

[stuntcat]

51. the diamond commercials send me over the edge every time

I don't even watch but 1 or 2 hours of tv a day, yet I've somehow seen like 20 of them. Only backward-minded monkey people are low enough to care about diamonds' meaning. At this point, the only good a diamond has is in a vault.. on a hairless ape it's just a shameful reminder how we haven't evolved.