Post Axth3l65GqgxDbyNP6 by NatureMC@mastodon.online
(DIR) More posts by NatureMC@mastodon.online
(DIR) Post #AxtUndKRBfXZ2eENlo by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-05T11:10:52Z
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The most frequent shoppers on Temu are over 59 years old. That wasn't what I expected. Based mostly on their marketing, which often seems to involve younger female influences I would have thought they were selling to young people but this isn't the case. The people they are making money from are old. Much like those "dial 1800 commercials" for civil war chess sets from decades ago.
(DIR) Post #AxtUvxz2HEc5PzC5gm by noplasticshower@infosec.exchange
2025-09-05T11:12:21Z
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@futurebird they replaced QVC
(DIR) Post #AxtV4vv1K5lbcXajce by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-05T11:14:00Z
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I remember an episode of "hoarders" where most of what packed the house of a deceased elderly woman were products bought mail order from "dial 1800" commercials. Almost nothing was even opened... but even unopened and brand new all of the junk was still too worthless for the distressed children to even bother with selling. By the time the items arrived she often didn't remember what she ordered.Their mother died in debt buried in worthless junk.Call your mother. Call your uncle.
(DIR) Post #AxtVAclJSYkRwelT04 by BobLefridge@mastodon.nz
2025-09-05T11:15:01Z
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Sounds like the same audience who buy from infomercials. "Ring within the next ten minutes and you'll receive a second objectively useless gadget absolutely free."@futurebird
(DIR) Post #AxtVHv43oIJajh0oyW by noplasticshower@infosec.exchange
2025-09-05T11:16:21Z
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@futurebird we are dealing with that situation now. Not the crushing debt part, but the worthless pile of unopened junk part.
(DIR) Post #AxtVcdArWMgbKc4NqC by mhoye@mastodon.social
2025-09-05T11:20:05Z
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@futurebird I’ve been thinking that there’s a lot of overlap between dirt-cheap discount-good dropshippers and llms in code, in that they sell you something that’s superficially similar to what you want, about the same shape as an answer to your problem that ultimately won’t stand up to real-world use.
(DIR) Post #AxtX5c8QZ1WQSbJaiG by jhavok@mstdn.party
2025-09-05T11:36:32Z
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@futurebird I help people request return authorization from Temu quite often. I've noticed the same thing. Maybe that's why the return request process is so convoluted.
(DIR) Post #AxtXEJXD5YbtNY3Ufo by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-05T11:38:08Z
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@noplasticshower Have you made any positive progress? Their app, and I also didn't know this, is "gamified" it has timers that say "buy now or miss the deal" it has lootboxes and reward points. It slurps up your contact list from your phone and tries to rope in everyone you know like Farmville or one of those Maffia Boss facebook games. Gambling addict treatment programs ask that their participants abstain from Temu because it's got gambling elements and can trigger people.
(DIR) Post #AxtXHNUGqj9aVS8pTE by uguisubari@m.ai6yr.org
2025-09-05T11:38:40Z
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@futurebird Side note, I randomly visited the Franklin Mint in 1995. They had a small store filled with every wacko chess set and commemorative plate. I still feel lucky for having the experience.
(DIR) Post #AxtXhOIgRtIkYc7qqm by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-05T11:43:24Z
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@uguisubari I would have enjoyed that. Such an odd business, though I did have a moment when I was about 13 and got convinced that we needed to get that "Swords of History" subscription bugging my poor mother until she gave me a lecture about advertising. Apparently the quality of their products varied wildly. And in some ways they almost seem quaint and honest compared to Temu. But, they did pave the way for the "business model"
(DIR) Post #AxtXxZb8DF1UEHTFM8 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-05T11:46:19Z
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@uguisubari I'm really susceptible to ads and so is my husband. I suspect this is true of many people but what makes us rare is we are willing to admit it? It's one of the things we bonded over. Show me a shamwow commercial and I'm amazed. "Look at all the things it can do!" And just 19.99! (for three installments, plus shipping, terms and conditions may apply)This is why I avoid ads whenever possible. They work. Even if you watch them thinking "this is trying to manipulate me"
(DIR) Post #AxtYE3987VsYVOEJbE by Ehay2k@mastodon.social
2025-09-05T11:49:16Z
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@futurebird @noplasticshower I had no idea about this. 🤯
(DIR) Post #AxtYP3cogErFAxMeYa by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-05T11:51:17Z
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@uguisubari The human mind evolved to listen to and mostly trust other people. I don't really think the average person is set up or well placed to be the sophisticated research-driven type of person you'd need to be to be immersed in advertising all day without being influenced and at times tricked. The simplest way to avoid being tricked or manipulated is to not see ads whenever possible. ... I still kind of want those "Swords of History" ... *eyes ebay furtively*
(DIR) Post #AxtYTOioBYUBlREjk8 by uguisubari@m.ai6yr.org
2025-09-05T11:52:02Z
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@futurebird Oh wow, that is amazing. A sword subscription! Imagine that in the middle ages. If I can dig up a photo I’ll post it. On a related note, did you ever see the ads for “mint” bags of coins that ran in local papers in the 90s/2000s? Intense elderly funds bait. But, the writing style of the ad copy was VERY reminiscent of the writing style of current political sales jobs. Gee-wiz and pushy at the same time. I will find one if I can, super-instructive.
(DIR) Post #AxtYWYgnaBL1Xxntp2 by uguisubari@m.ai6yr.org
2025-09-05T11:52:38Z
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@futurebird LOL!
(DIR) Post #AxtYnC0HBIWK6vqVou by Tallish_Tom@mastodon.scot
2025-09-05T11:55:38Z
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@futurebird If you do want to make an intervention please work out what is actually going on. Hoarding and Compulsive Shopping are different and usually have different roots. I know several hoarders and none of them shop, in fact many are extremely thrifty. Shoppers may not mind having a clear out but hoarders may literally _never_ forgive you. So please take care and get professional advice.
(DIR) Post #AxtYpTOFVcTac799GK by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-05T11:56:05Z
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@uguisubari I think they were 1/3 scale size swords, so kind of silly and pointless, but if you let them upsell you enough they'd send you a stand so you could mount them all on your wall and each one came with a little booklet about it's role in history.Why do I remember all of this?I should bring it up when I see my mom again just to see the face she makes LMAO.
(DIR) Post #AxtYu2amZPegwwBeaW by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-05T11:56:53Z
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@Tallish_Tom Excellent advice Tom.
(DIR) Post #AxtZ31Zdj4hWOgw6dc by JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange
2025-09-05T11:58:28Z
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The thing I've gotten in the habit of that slows my susceptible nature basically amounts to I can't click buy now right away if my credit card is in my purse in the other room. Then ADHD makes me forget all about it after I walk through a door twice anyways.@futurebird @uguisubari
(DIR) Post #AxtZ3rRyqnTJHzkiv2 by DrorBedrack@mastodon.social
2025-09-05T11:58:31Z
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@futurebird @uguisubari it's good to buy some junk from time to time. Just to get the bug out.
(DIR) Post #AxtZD86wHBINZFKXS4 by ehproque@neopaquita.es
2025-09-05T12:00:16Z
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@futurebird @uguisubari that's a very dangerous thing to admit on the internet!
(DIR) Post #AxtZiP21PoTx1UwUUK by peachfront@toot.community
2025-09-05T12:05:55Z
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@futurebird @uguisubari if you remember it after all this time it seems like a harmless thing to me to look for it on Ebay or wherever as long as you have the room for the displaywhen i was a young person fresh out of college setting up my first home full of empty rooms & shelves i bought a set of Franklin mint plates to display on empty shelves... after all these years i still have the set on display & should really sell them since empty hasn't been the case here for a LONG time!
(DIR) Post #Axtakmh8VVkgwjsBA8 by uguisubari@m.ai6yr.org
2025-09-05T12:17:34Z
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@futurebird I found a good example of the scammy newspaper coin ads on Reddit. I would read these and marvel at the person who wrote the copy. Shameless, but they knew their marks and how to get under their skin. Join the coin bag Illuminati or you’re a fool. The guy in the ad is wearing a WWII veteran hat! We went from this to forwarded emails to social media and now LLMs. “Remember this, we cannot stop collectors from buying up all the unsearched bags of coins they can get in this special advertising announcement. And you better believe with each bag being loaded with nearly 3 pounds of Gov't issued coins we're guessing they're going to go quick," said Lynne.” The use of run-on sentences in these ads is fascinating.
(DIR) Post #Axtamq6MoMOa5lecca by noplasticshower@infosec.exchange
2025-09-05T12:17:59Z
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@futurebird fortunately the olds do not have a smart phone or net. Their main deluge of garbage pipes in through a landline. QVC was all prompted over TV. (We plan to install net and a camera if our long term solution is not executed.)We made very good progress before the FIL died and slightly more progress has been made since. We have total financial control. The house is under maintenance (ignored for 8 years). Only internal family disagreement on a long term care solution lingers. BIL is signing himself up for stupid depressing work...we have made our position very clear.
(DIR) Post #AxtbBOoHPzrqghuBNI by baconandcoconut@freeradical.zone
2025-09-05T12:22:24Z
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@futurebird @uguisubari One of my exes avoided a lot of popular culture because she didn't like the way the music was emotionally manipulating the audience. Now I always pay attention to it, but it still often works! It also occasionally makes me mad when they try to get you to sympathize with an unsympathetic character.
(DIR) Post #AxtbRVJezpxlV2GKqO by rbairwell@mastodon.org.uk
2025-09-05T12:25:16Z
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@futurebird @noplasticshower Is it possible to block the Temu/Aliexpress domain names at the router or us something like Nextdns? Not a perfect solution (as other sites exist) but might just add enough friction
(DIR) Post #Axtc29LfdNYO5Cg1PU by quizzicus@mastodon.online
2025-09-05T12:31:56Z
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@futurebird @uguisubari My thought when seeing ads is usually, "why are they talking to me like I'm six years old?" But they're designed to grab your attention, and it takes energy to filter them out.
(DIR) Post #Axte1nrzguPdNOl56G by intumescentProvocateur@troet.cafe
2025-09-05T12:54:17Z
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@futurebird ¿who is Jesus Christ?
(DIR) Post #AxtfBPzdQ2h8AqTsR6 by paulc@mstdn.social
2025-09-05T13:07:13Z
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@futurebird @uguisubari Yes, avoiding ads is the best defense. Lord, protect me from temptation. This is why I avoid browsing through Kickstarter. I am susceptible to Kickstarter campaigns. Thankfully only 2 that are open. The Tariffs situation is getting me to avoid Kickstarters because even the US based ones depend on manufacturing outside the US.So some ads just fly buy me and ads related to my hobbies make me a sucker. I suspect most people are vulnerable to ads based on subject.
(DIR) Post #AxtfSMcxBc2Oeqx6Uy by jorny@mastodon.social
2025-09-05T13:10:16Z
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@futurebird This post made me think of a scene I viewed while on vacation in Germany last spring. We were at the shopping mall at the train station in Potsdam. My partner were taking our little son to the toilet. I waited outside with the stroller. There was this vending machine near where I sat that sold unclaimed packages, probably all from the usual chinese suspects.
(DIR) Post #Axtfi6eSLrA5k9A5LM by stellarsarah@mastodon.world
2025-09-05T13:13:07Z
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@futurebird I dated a guy whose mom was like that. She wouldn't open things she bought because she wasn't supposed to be buying them so she would hide the boxes in the basement. She'd also always answer the house phone because she was getting calls from collection agencies about the secret credit cards she wasn't supposed to have and everything.
(DIR) Post #AxtgJ4MdoomHMcSDmi by Phosphenes@mastodon.social
2025-09-05T13:19:49Z
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@futurebird @uguisubari I'm like that with the product placement of food. TV kid eats ice cream, I want ice cream. Don Draper gets a beer, I go get a beer.
(DIR) Post #AxtgVuWPivZ2bR9GWu by NatureMC@mastodon.online
2025-09-05T13:22:07Z
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@futurebird Here in Europe, it's a question of poverty: Temu makes people believe that they can finally afford everything they couldn't otherwise afford. Women are most affected by poverty in old age. Thanks to patriarchy in the professional world.It's not the people, it's the system.
(DIR) Post #Axth3l65GqgxDbyNP6 by NatureMC@mastodon.online
2025-09-05T13:28:15Z
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@futurebird Yes, they were already fined several times by the European Union. Consumer protection advocates are issuing strong warnings about this.@noplasticshower
(DIR) Post #AxthxbIsrzzT3qaU08 by michael_w_busch@mastodon.online
2025-09-05T13:38:20Z
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@futurebird @uguisubari I once encountered that scam from a martial arts supplier.Over 15 years ago now; I bought a set of training blades for kendo, which I am unlikely to need to ever replace, and then got added to a marketing list.Before I removed myself from it; they tried to sell me a subscription to a new katana every quarter - all very slightly different from one another in ways that do not matter.I understand similar tactics are used by sellers of guitars and other instruments.
(DIR) Post #AxtitSVfisYIaF9qQy by Lazarou@mastodon.social
2025-09-05T13:48:47Z
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@futurebird everything New is Old.
(DIR) Post #Axtivl9HOYbmyCmTsu by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-05T13:49:15Z
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@jargoggles That sucks. :(It must be hard to deal with that.
(DIR) Post #Axtj3mzERgTSzFuUMa by Lazarou@mastodon.social
2025-09-05T13:50:40Z
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@futurebird @uguisubari I find my Depression protects me from a lot of Advertising"Everything is shit and I'm trapped on a Late Stage Capitalist World" Does wonders for your pocket!
(DIR) Post #AxtjbYr9UKEH0aEbUO by oldrup@mastodon.green
2025-09-05T13:56:46Z
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@futurebird My mom has dementia and purchased shit on Temu all the time. Packages that were never picked up, cause she forgot, of course. After half a year trying to mitigate by uninstalling Temu, closing accounts, installing ad blockers, I had no other choice but to close her Facebook account where all the ads and other scams she fell for originated.The Internet is not safe for people with cognitive impairment, at all.
(DIR) Post #Axtl4GtPSHiXeCXooa by twipped@twipped.social
2025-09-05T14:13:03Z
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@futurebird temu’s app gamifies shopping in a way identical to how casinos work. The user is bombarded with messaging that drives gambling behavior. The elderly are the most susceptible.
(DIR) Post #AxtliI98DJSb7PyuGm by etchedpixels@mastodon.social
2025-09-05T14:20:23Z
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@futurebird sounds right to me. Whilst there is good stuff and prices to be found the whole thing is set up like a casino game. Even when there is actual useful stuff it's gamed, put it in a cart wait a week and it magically finds the same item far cheaperJust as disturbing though is how much unsafe or plain illegal crap they pedal. Liability needs properly pinning on people like Amazon and Temu for illegal and unsafe goods
(DIR) Post #Axtnl22mjpTBxHRnLE by sb@metroholografix.ca
2025-09-05T14:43:15Z
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@futurebird My mom is a Temu addict :'(
(DIR) Post #AxtsPky7WnCQgdwKqu by stevegis_ssg@mas.to
2025-09-05T15:35:26Z
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@futurebird @noplasticshower I feel very lucky that I have a friend who's into sustainable fashion, who made me think about the question, "What had to happen to get you that product at that price, or more to the point, whom did it have to happen to?" BEFORE the rise of Temu, so that I was preinoculated to see their whole approach as exploitive and offputting.
(DIR) Post #Axu3mFIuWOX6dXagHg by ghosttie@mastodon.gamedev.place
2025-09-05T17:42:47Z
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@futurebird @uguisubari a few years ago I was having a conversation with someone about how one of those Gordon Ramsay shows kept trying to convince us that Walmart sold really high quality meat, when their reputation is the exact opposite And their reaction was "oh I didn't know Walmart sold good meat"The advertising worked on them second hand, even though I was only telling them how ridiculous it wasI was shocked at how susceptible they were!
(DIR) Post #AxuApUJFt3VBivFEzg by Kerplunk@mastodon.scot
2025-09-05T19:01:46Z
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@futurebird The most frequent shoppers on Temu are over 59 years old. Expected, that is when poverty really cuts in to our lives.
(DIR) Post #AxucJXOZfyjSkBHnou by hopland@snabelen.no
2025-09-06T00:09:45Z
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Unethical UX is the bane of the digital world. I get so mad about manipulative, exploitative and downright predatory designs. There should be laws against these things.But you make a great point, @futurebird. It's not anything new. We had "TV Shop" in Norway and it was also mostly overpriced junk.Shopaholics need someone to confront them with the issue, because if they don't seek therapy and deal with their addiction, it becomes a huge problem - as you so aptly stated.
(DIR) Post #AxukqDUbUhfYCqCRwe by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-06T01:45:15Z
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@david @thefalcon @revndm @noplasticshower If you'd like to take used clothing up a notch, buy it a little large and get it tailored. For pants this could just be hemming and a waist adjustment. Shirts are harder. I'm a big advocate to going to lengths to get clothing that fits, this is what makes it look good and feel good.
(DIR) Post #AxvIlBdeMCnRRvCisi by tricotfeelya@woof.group
2025-09-06T08:05:20Z
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@futurebird 59 is old?
(DIR) Post #Axvx6MyNPM2SqkYRDU by kinsale42@mstdn.games
2025-09-06T15:37:24Z
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@futurebird I'm super lucky that one of my mom's favorite hobbies is organizing things so she periodically goes through a closet and gets rid of stuff even if there's no pressing need to.
(DIR) Post #Axwtmbn4V8KwJH71CS by LukeAlmighty@gameliberty.club
2025-09-07T02:35:02Z
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@futurebird Nah,May she find love in one of these boxes 🤣