The Most Pointless Products of all time [Archive]

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SillyJokes

13th October 2005, 20:58

I put this in Marketing and PR because I wanted to have a rant about products which have basically been invented by big business and then a market created by adverting to invent a desire, rather than filling an actual need.

Number one on my list is

Room Fragrances.

I mean, what the heck are they all about? The only time I ever noticed anyone actually using one, I had to unplug it because it was knocking me sick. The rest of the time it is a pointless excerise because no one even notices whether your room smells of floatly flowers or not.

They are just pumping unpleasant chemicals into the atmosphere. And they look hideously ugly and simply scream, "I have an unpleasant odour I'm trying to mask,"

They are pants. Just put some coffee on if you want a good smell.

Number 2

Toilet Wipes for Toddlers with wash mits for toddlers a close third.

This is just an attempt to monetise the period between the time you give up nappies and start having to use Tena Lady. These companies aren't satisfied if you no longer need their products. They simply thrive on the disposable society and as far I can see they have a deplorable contempt for the planet.

Loo roll is prefectly adequet to wipe any ones' bum and whats wrong with a flannel in the bath for god's sake? These products are just inventions to part fools from their money.

Pray continue

MorethanWords

13th October 2005, 21:40

The funniest/most pointless thing I can think of is a baby wipe warmer.

I saw it in Babies r us, and wondered who on earth would want to warm their baby wipes?!!!

So silly.

mumper

13th October 2005, 22:06

Eskimos perhaps? :D

chris1317

13th October 2005, 22:15

Electric pepermills annoy me, come on as if its hard to turn the top on a manual one.

Chris

SillyJokes

14th October 2005, 07:06

Electric pepermills annoy me, come on as if its hard to turn the top on a manual one.

Chris

My friend has a brilliant one of these that incorporates a torch so you can see your dinner while seasoning it.

It's probably good for people with only one hand free.

Baby wipe warmer - that's mad.

What about cleaning products for your dishwasher?

Desmond Brambley

14th October 2005, 07:37

SUVs - Stupid Ugly Vehicles - the most pointless product of all.

The_JinJ

14th October 2005, 07:51

Those innovation catalogues you get through the fron door are full of contenders for the Most Pointless Products of all time award.

Jayne

14th October 2005, 10:03

Hi,

The new disposable loo brush...

Mobile phones :lol: :lol: :lol:

Jayne

multilingual

14th October 2005, 10:23

I once saw a pair of slippers with a built-in torch on each.

I think the idea was to wake up at night and find your way to the loo without turning a light on.

Can you imagine such a product on Dragons Den?

JB

MarkPearson

14th October 2005, 12:43

SmallBizSoftware

14th October 2005, 13:01

pot pourri ... what the hell a basket full of old wood shavings and a pine cone!

SmallBizSoftware

14th October 2005, 13:03

god no .. pop socks or 'passion killers'

mumper

14th October 2005, 13:24

Does anyone remember the kids' shoes that used to have a compass in the heel and impressions of animal paw prints on the soles?

I think it was the 70s but not certain.

clickprofits

14th October 2005, 14:01

I got a catalogue from Lakeland this morning - very successful company and they have some great stuff - but an electric omlette maker!!? I had a cheese omelette last night and all I needed was a small frying pan - not sure how I coped without a big ugly electric machine taking up precious space on my worktop. :)

Agree on the plug in chemical polluters and SUV's too.

SillyJokes

14th October 2005, 14:07

So many of those kitchen gadgets are a waste of space.

You can't go wrong with a decent knife, a chopping board and a couple of reasonable quality pans.

However I could not live without my chocolate fountain.

creacom

14th October 2005, 14:11

Well,

When I lived in France ( remember the French are obsessed with dogs ! )
I once came across a dog lead that had....wait for it....................a mini screwdriver set built in !!!

You pulled on this little velcro pocket and you had 3 screwdrivers inside !!!

I mean we all need one of them when we are out walking the dog right ?
' Oh, stop Buster while I fix this stray plug in the middle of the street ! '

It cost about £15 too !!!!

Argentice

22nd October 2005, 05:18

I saw a goodie in the local co-op freezer section. Frozen micro-toasties.

Like making a toasted cheese sandwich takes far too long and takes far too much of your precious time! LOL.

Dread

22nd October 2005, 06:18

Maybe its because i used to be a chef.

But i think microwavable meals are the worst invention ever, however, most of my mates live off them, but they're all fat and unhealthy. LEARN TO COOK GODAMMIT!

Another thing that rubs me up the wrong way is bottled water.
"See that thing in the sink, its called a tap, turn it and magically water comes out."
"oh but this is filtered from the french alps"
"A: b*ll*cks. B: even if it did, its still exactly the same water as the water that comes out a tap".

As much as i hate bottled water ive gotta respect the person that managed to sell water to people with taps, i bet they also sold snow to eskimos and horse sh*t to stable owners.

Argentice

22nd October 2005, 10:13

Especially when it's water imported from Australia!

I've nothing against Australians, but I object to paying for water that's been shipped 1/2 way across the world when it tastes the same as tap water, or at lest the same as local spring water.

Cornish Steve

22nd October 2005, 15:26

Another thing that rubs me up the wrong way is bottled water... As much as i hate bottled water ive gotta respect the person that managed to sell water to people with taps, i bet they also sold snow to eskimos and horse sh*t to stable owners.

Two points to note about bottled water:

1) It costs more per gallon than petrol.

2) The most popular brand worldwide is NAIVE spelled backwards.

Dread

23rd October 2005, 01:58

haha, excellent.

silverpuresilver

23rd October 2005, 20:00

Hi goldctrsteve

No wonder your slogan is 'excellence in communication' when you come up with wonders like that!!!

One of my husbands friends was cursing the little machines in pub toilets that go 'pfft' every 5 seconds - his comment was that he actually preferred the natural smells that emanate from the stalls than the artificial rubbish that the air fresheners give.

Back to one of the first comments, apparently the water boards site the toddler wipes as the most problematic product to their systems.

Karen

visagephoto

23rd October 2005, 23:31

Does anyone remember the kids' shoes that used to have a compass in the heel and impressions of animal paw prints on the soles?

I think it was the 70s but not certain.

Yes they were called pathfinders ( I think) & they were around in the 60's.

I used to get a new pair of pathfinders every new school term. They weren't that good though, I often got lost on the way to school, but they helped me find my way back home at 3 o'clock.

Marina Stone

23rd October 2005, 23:57

Rob Holmes

24th October 2005, 05:21

ChrisSallis

24th October 2005, 06:39

But i think microwavable meals are the worst invention ever

I agree with this one. I once went to a pub for a sunday dinner and what was I served? a microwave meal, I couldn't believe it.

Dread

24th October 2005, 07:24

Has anyone seen those edible tooth brushes being sold in toilets.

In case you haven't they are the size of a 10p coin sphere, with prickly bits which you chew at the same time as moving it around your mouth to clean your teeth then you eat it... how disgusting is that?

Marina

Yeah ive seen those, out of my own curiosity i bought 2, (£1 coin buys you 2), damn expensive. They just have minty crystals in them and then the brush made of plastic, you chew it around a bit and then split it out when yer finished. Didnt feel a difference personally, so yeah, an absolute waste of £1.

JoyDivision

24th October 2005, 17:41

The electric car, I mean what do they solve? The energy still has to be produced so they still destroy the earth!

Another useless product? Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Cornish Steve

24th October 2005, 17:50

The electric car, I mean what do they solve? The energy still has to be produced so they still destroy the earth!

Hybrid cars, however, are quite clever. Petrol is used at high speeds whereas a battery is used at low speeds. Energy that's normally wasted when braking is used to recharge the battery.

One of my big dislikes is giant windmills. The Cornish landscape has been ruined in places because of these monstrosities, which always seem to break down. My wife and I visited California several months ago. In one area, there are thousands of windmills, but at least 20 percent of them were doing nothing.

Let me stir the pot a little and suggest that we need more nuclear power: clean, efficient, and comparatively inexpensive.

Argentice

24th October 2005, 18:55

I think the windmills are beautiful.

Another useless product I saw today. A car air-freshener in the shape of a mobile phone.

Just leave it casually lying around on your dashboard, park your car in town and see how long your windscreen lasts.

SillyJokes

24th October 2005, 18:59

To be honest I have got a cheek starting a topic like this.

I sell foam rubber bricks.

mumper

24th October 2005, 19:05

Nothing wrong with foam rubber bricks! - Kellog's Frosties - are they for people who are too lazy to put their own sugar on conflakes?

fastfences

24th October 2005, 20:04

Hi Steve

One of my big dislikes is giant windmills. The Cornish landscape has been ruined in places because of these monstrosities . . .

Quite ironic. I visited Cornwall for a weekend 2 weeks ago. I'd seen the windmills in photos, but never in reality. They are 'somewhat' huge, aren't they? What puzzles me though, is that they can be allowed to obliterate the landscape, yet if one wants to erect a little conservatory within their own property, they have to (nearly) go to the High Court to get approval!!

Interesting about that hybrid car - haven't heard of that, especially the braking energy being used to charge battery. Who's controling or marketing the project?
Cheers, Nigel

PS Had to edit to put in a quetion mark 'cause I knew you'd be after me for that!

Cornish Steve

24th October 2005, 21:37

Quite ironic.

It's very ironic: A supposedly environmentally friendly form of power completely ruins the landscape for miles around. I've heard of a scheme to put wind farms in the English Channel. Now, that's a better idea - but it's probably prohibitively expensive.

Interesting about that hybrid car - haven't heard of that, especially the braking energy being used to charge battery. Who's controling or marketing the project?

They are all the rage in the US, and the manufacturers can't produce enough of them. Currently, there's a three-month waiting list for any model. One of the reasons is that some states have tough laws that require a minimum number (maybe 10 percent?) of vehicles to run on alternative fuel sources. Also, the government gives a sizable tax rebate to anyone buying a hybrid vehicle.

Toyota came out with the first one several years ago now, and it remains popular (http://www.toyota.com/prius/). I saw some statistics recently that show that Toyota dominates the world market for hybrid vehicles. Honda has a hybrid version of the Civic. It's identical to the regular Civic except that, apparently, the battery consumes a good portion of the boot space. Both Ford and General Motors are developing hybrid cars and trucks (of course).

My wife was behind a hybrid car the other day. It's eerie because the engine appears to cut out when the car is waiting in traffic. In reality, it's switching to battery power. Budget Car Rental had a few Prius cars on their lots a while back. If I'd have known at the time, I would have rented one just to see what they're like.

Had to edit to put in a quetion mark 'cause I knew you'd be after me for that!

Now, you have to admit that I have been more relaxed about spelling and grammar in recent weeks. Oh, and by the way, you misspelled question mark. :)

MinuWeb

25th October 2005, 05:53

To be honest I have got a cheek starting a topic like this.

I sell foam rubber bricks.

Thats ok, they are good for people that want to build light houses :D

Rob Holmes

25th October 2005, 06:57

Thats ok, they are good for people that want to build light houses :D

Or bouncy castles!

:D

Rob

coxadmin

25th October 2005, 10:37

It's very ironic: A supposedly environmentally friendly form of power completely ruins the landscape for miles around. I've heard of a scheme to put wind farms in the English Channel. Now, that's a better idea - but it's probably prohibitively expensive.

Last time we went to Norfolk there was a large wind farm off the coast - I think it looks very elegant.

Cornish Steve

25th October 2005, 10:48

Thats ok, they are good for people that want to build light houses :D

Your light house is likely to suffer the same fate as a paper shop: It might blow away.

fastfences

25th October 2005, 15:49

Or be swept away in high seas after the 1000 Watt lamps have melted the foam!
Cheers Nigel

dagr

2nd November 2005, 09:08

I agree with the bottled water - if you live in Scotland or Cumbria, etc. However, have you ever tasted tap water in France or even London? You may not get ill, but you should see what they put in it so you don't get ill. I now know what metal tastes like.

On a side point, did you know that in most of Europe, Coca-Cola considers bottled water its biggest competitor, ahead of Pepsi et al.