I've Got Your Credit Fairy Right Here, Baby

Lately you may have seen some commercials on TV where someone is waiting for the Credit Fairy to show up to improve their credit scores.  If you believe these commercials, there is NO SUCH THING AS A CREDIT FAIRY!  *Gasp!*  I know, right?  What's next, the Tooth Fairy?  And to think I actually fell for this ad.  I thought to myself, "Darn, self!  Now you have to pay your bills on time and not use your credit card like it's going out of style.  That sucks!"  And I was all set to run out and buy that diamond encrusted refrigerator, too.  (Stainless steel is sooo five minutes ago.)  I guess this means I also have to stick to my much more modest shopping list from now on too instead of tossing in a few dozen impulse purchases as I meander down the aisles. 

But then it happened! On a recent grocery shopping trip to the Super Walmart, as I'm leaving the register with my shopping cart only partially filled with my meager purchases, I see it!  It's the Credit Fairy!  Cleverly disguised as Tinkerbell. 

While those TV ads try to make you believe the Credit Fairy is make-believe, this local bank is doing their part to set the record straight.  Apparently it was all just a big misunderstanding.  Turns out the Credit Fairy doesn't magically improve your credit scores.  But she can probably get you a credit card with a nice low rate!  That's got to count for something, right?  Now if you'll excuse me, I have some shopping to do. 

Soap Magic - The Dispenser for Morons!

Maybe you've seen this commercial. According to the makers of this product, we're too stupid to use regular soap dispensers or bar soap to clean ourselves or wash dishes.  But that's okay!  They're going to save us with this motion-activated soap dispenser. 

I really hate commercials like this.  First of all, I use bar soap plenty, and it NEVER looks all nasty and slimy like the one they show in the commercial.  And if I'm washing dishes and decide I need more soap, I'm smart enough to pick up the bottle with an empty hand instead of using a wet apparently-not-soapy-enough-sponge to grasp it.  Although I'd be willing to bet I could still pick it up just fine even with a sponge in my hand.  That moron in the commercial probably wouldn't have gotten splashed quite so badly with all that water if she hadn't been holding the bottle 2 feet above the water.  Who does that?  And then there is the bathroom scene with the pump bottle of soap that for some reason is all wet and covered in soap bubbles already.  What the heck?  Where do these people live? How would you get all that all over the outside of the bottle?  If there are any people out there who are that messy and sloppy that they actually have these kinds of problems, I don't think even Soap Magic can help them. 

Do they really need to make people look 100% incompetent in order to sell their product?  Are there people out there who see those commercials and think, "Say, I have that same problem every time I need soap!  What a relief that this product exists.  THANK YOU, Soap Magic!"

And another thing - that dispenser sure does dispense a LOT of soap.  Most soap they make now is super concentrated.  That's WAY too much soap! And what happens when you accidentally set off the sensor when you don't WANT any soap.  Like if you are rinsing a dish in the sink or something and the dispenser catches your movement - now you're going to have a big mess of soap on your counter.  And I bet that thing drips too.  They even claim that because kids will think it's "fun" they'll wash more often.  Not likely.  It may be fun the first couple times they play with it, but that won't last.  And if any kids think it's fun, that just means they're going to be playing with the motion sensor and getting soap all over your counter. 

I can't help but wonder how well the motion sensor works.  They've put all those motion sensor sinks, toilets, and even paper towel dispensers in public restrooms, and there's always at least one that doesn't work.  You have to wave your hands around all over to try to get it to turn on, and then if you're lucky it does.  Otherwise you have to work down the row trying to find one that does! Where's the magic in that?