Kmart Removes Fun, Leaves Bitter Disappointment for Young Children
It started with a trip to Kmart to replace the slip-and-slide that broke after two uses. My kids and I were so excited when we saw the Banzai Alligator Pool on sale! For thirty bucks it’s huge! Five children are playing on it! Look at the teenager lounging poolside like it’s spring break in Cancun! This is going to rock!
We could hardly wait to set it up. Soon after opening the box, though, my kids made a sad discovery. ”It looks a little small,” Emma said, her once-cheery face drooping with disappointment. That disappointment turned to dejection when we pumped it up.
Emma tells the whole sad story here:
So, instead of wet fun on a hot summer day, we spent the day inside writing this little story and learning about Photoshop. My children will need this skill if they’re going to compete in the new global economy!
This post has 31 comments
August 9th, 2009
Not sure which photo is funnier, the one on the box, or the monster sized children pic!
Emma’s got a bright future as a video journalist, must take after her mom…
I’d love to hear K-Mart’s explanation for the photo on the box showing 5 kids in that little pool!!
August 11th, 2009
Why is everyone blaming K-Mart? They did not make the product, they just sell it.
I have read similar stories about this Banzai company. It appears that they sell items in two different sizes but use the picture of the bigger one on both boxes.
August 12th, 2009
I know this will come as an immense shock to you, but sellers are wholly and completely responsible for ensuring that the products they sell are described correctly. Not the manufacturer, the VENDOR.
I’m sure you’re going to be flailing around now, trying desperately to find some reason to blame some eeeevil furriner and not your beloved Kmart, but why not just accept that you’re 100% in the wrong this time and chalk it up to a learning experience?
August 12th, 2009
I think companies that sell products should be responsible. They should know what they’re selling. Have opened at least one box of what they’ve ordered to check it out. I’m so tired of things like this. I’ve been very disappointed in products and most the time you don’t even take it back.
I own a small business and if I was selling something like this - everyone would hold me accountable. Why is it because it’s a big business then some people don’t they they should be accountable?!
August 15th, 2009
So weird. I don’t absolve K-Mart entirely, yet why are the two of you letting the manufacturer off the hook? It’s the manufacturer that was DELIBERATELY being misleading and knowingly Photoshopping a picture to make their product look much better than it is. K-Mart may or may not have known about the manipulation. As soon as they’re made aware of it, though, they should pull the product immediately.
The main guilt still lies with the people who set out knowingly to deceive.
August 19th, 2009
Simple, they bought it from KMart, not the manufacturer. If I get bad beef in a McDonald’s hamburger, I’m not going to track down the farmer.
August 10th, 2009
so funny, so sad.
August 10th, 2009
Brennan, that is so funny! I’m sorry for your kids dissapointment,but thanks for the laugh!!!
August 10th, 2009
That is UNREAL!!! I would send that right to Kmart!!!Grrrrr….
But VERY funny take on it!
August 11th, 2009
Bought this exact pool last year. And had the same exact response from my children.
They use the same miniature oompa loompas in adds for swingsets.
August 11th, 2009
You might also want to post one of these pics on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Six-Flags-Slide-Splash-Alligator/dp/B0000VSGTQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1250007908&sr=8-2
Another lesson for the kids - publicize!
August 11th, 2009
Good job guys! This kind of thing needs to be exposed.
I wish that there was a direct comparison photo of the kids in the same poses as the photo on the package to show just how deceptive the package is.
August 11th, 2009
well, i guess you’ve learned your lesson, not to trust slick box covers
August 11th, 2009
Very sad that this happened but a healthy mistrust of advertising is a good thing to have early on.
What a great way to handle the disappointment too!
Back in the 1970s, there were grassroots movements to help educate kids who were being assaulted with advertising.
Here’s a film that addresses that very topic from my school film archive made in 1976, Seeing Through Commercials.
http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/entertainment/watch/v1524539bM2gJP7m
August 11th, 2009
The Banzai brand is notorious for being deceptive and skirting the edges of what the FTC should consider illegal. Last year I purchased a pool from Walmart by the same company, and the results were exactly the same. Giant pool with little kids on the front. Absolutely deceptive and sleazy.
August 11th, 2009
Cry babies! That pool rocks.
August 11th, 2009
What a rip!
August 11th, 2009
The reason so many kids fit in the pool on that cover? It’s because - surprise, surprise - they’re all photoshopped in. Look closely at those kids on the slides, it’s pretty obvious they were comped into the image.
August 11th, 2009
Awesome job with the ‘not as advertised’ and lesson on Photoshop.
Next Opportunity - Smart Shopping…look up Conservation of Matter in the subject of Early Childhood Develoopment. How much pool do you really think is in that tiny box?
August 11th, 2009
Wow, talk about false advertisement……
If possible, is it okay if I feature this blog post on my blog. I am writing a post about False advertisement…..
August 11th, 2009
Everything is relative. Maybe the kids are so big that they will be stars in NBA or WMBA?
August 11th, 2009
…wow…and I thought false advertisement couldn’t get any worse! I guess I was wrong! LOL
August 11th, 2009
I loved what they decided to do. How creative! I know we have run into the very same thing before and I have NEVER thought of doing a youtube video about it. What an excellent idea! Great job Emma!
August 12th, 2009
We bought a different pool that was made from Banzai earlier this summer and had the exact same issue. Thankfully we were able to pack it up, bring it back to the store and return it stating the product was not nearly as advertised. Instead I stopped by Costco where they had their pool actually setup and grabbed that one instead. Banzai is the real issue here though retailers should require some level of accuracy on the packaging…
August 12th, 2009
What a learning experience for the kids!
We all need to be aware of this type of marketing and speak out.
Way to go Emma!
August 12th, 2009
Super funny blog entry … but SUCH a disappointment!!! Great photoshopping … ! Doesn’t seem like too much of an exaggeration though!
August 13th, 2009
Well, your sad story crossed over boundaries and arrived Brazil! It’s quite interesting the way you guys deal with this kind of situation over there. Haven’t you wonder go back and complain? I guess that’s what I’d do. But of course the way you dealed the situation with your kids was great!
*sorry if there’s any mistake, I just don’t use my English classes how I´d like to. =)
August 14th, 2009
So sad and disappointing. But I love the video and photos. Your kids have a future in consumer advocacy and vlogging!
I would still take it back if I was you.
August 17th, 2009
Tragic story. Not really, take the thing back and get a refund, move on with life. Why am I even wasting part of my lunch time responding to a non-event? It’s a cheap inflatable pool, it’s not a water park!!!! Wow.
August 27th, 2009
Same thing happened to us. In fact, on the Amazon link that a previous poster listed, that is MY picture under ‘customer photos’. LOL (although I didn’t get mine from Amazon).
September 16th, 2009
It may be unethical for Banzai to do this, but its definitely K-Mart’s responsibility to give the customer what they demand. Unfortunately, as long as we consumers continue to demand rock-bottom prices at big box stores, big box stores will continue to sell rock-bottom crap.
Its not my intent to point fingers here. Nor do I enjoy straying so far from the fact that this response is very comical and clever! But underneath this humorous situation lies a larger and pertinent issue which is that millions of consumers are showing that they are not willing to pay for quality. Yet we still complain about about quality. This topic runs long and deep with many more points, but I’ll stop there. But please; think about it! And think about your role in it. None of us are victims if we don’t use our buying dollars to tell distributors and producers what we really want. You can’t get something for nothing.
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