You buying this?

"Hmm? Yes. What???"

I like to listen to commercials on radio and TV. I love the one where the woman is at the Southwest Airlines terminal and the Shaun Mendes song about treating you better comes on.

But I'm no air traveler so I can look at that spot and not have a nickel in it. I do buy cars from time to time, but we always go to the same dealer, because it's a dealership that does not have commercials that say "We sell BELOW factory invoice!"

Stop and think a minute. They are asking you to believe that the dealer buys a Flitebird from the Crankmobile factory for $33,000 and is willing to sell it to you for $30,000 because they are stupid??!?!

Madman Muntz

There is a precedent to this claim. There was a man named Earl Muntz, who sold cars, and television sets, and car stereos. He made a fortune and his secret was reducing machines or electronic gimcracks to their very simplest parts and mass-producing them for the public to buy. And his sales pitches were unique, as well. When he came out with a 14" TV set (considered huge in the early 50s) his commercials invited people to come buy one, and closed with "I wanna give 'em away, but my wife won't let me. She's crazy!" 

History does not record which of the seven (7) Mrs Muntzes this was supposed to be. Muntz also dated, but never got around to marrying, Phyllis Diller, so maybe he wasn't a total loon.

A guy who peddled fakey jewelry on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland once told me the secret to getting the people off the planks and into his little store. "Just hang up a sign that says '60% OFF!!!!' and they'll break down the door to get in," he told me. "And not a single person ever asks '60% off what?'" he added, unnecessarily.

It's possible to sell anything to anyone as long as they think they're getting a good deal, or getting over on the seller. People will even buy stuff they don't need, if the bargain is glitzy enough.

I'll tell you more when you stop around to see my new electron microscope.