Temu

[Phoebe]

Are you bombarded on a constant daily basis by ads from Temu? Apparently they've decided they can ship cheap Chinese merchandise to the US better than Amazon (or Walmart or Target etc) can, and are trying to break in and seize market share. They'll send you unbelievably low discounts and then you have to wait a couple weeks to get your cheap stuff.

Perhaps this was based on the legit observation that Amazon has declined significantly in quality, and is using its distribution network and market dominance to sell very cheap Chinese goods at a high price! Apparently someone decided if they could consistently beat those prices, winning would be a no-brainer.

But wrong! They seem in desperate need of marketers who understand the American consumer better. We are well trained by our market overlords, so there's a reason why most of the searches about Temu question its legitimacy. We don't know it and it sounds foreign and it sounds for sure like we're going to be getting super cheap stuff from China. We don't like to know that fact even when it's true. We like to pretend that company whose brand we are familiar with is giving us something better. In some cases this even turns out to be true: both the yoga mats are made in China, but the brand you recognize really does have a mat of higher quality because they're trying to protect their brand, unlike Amazon which will sell you a terrible piece of foam in a bid to have the cheapest yoga mat in the listings. This is just one example but it's a common situation.

The appeal of Amazon was initially that things would be a buck or two cheaper, and super convenient to order without having to shop around. The holiday season deals were stupendous. They had interesting things not available elsewhere.

But now that I have to buy prime to keep my shipping cost low and preserve the convenience of the arrangement, as well as watch one show every 3 months, Amazon seems less and less like a bargain. Target has preserved an incredibly convenient drive up system for ordering on your phone app, so I find myself using that more and Amazon less. The fact that they're being boycotted by ding dongs also makes me slightly more brand loyal to them even than before.

Meanwhile, most people are shopping at Walmart, and into this mix Temu brings a company that offers the kind of merchandise you're annoyed to see invading the Amazon search results every time, and none of the convenience of snapping your fingers and it showing up at the door.

The ads are also *uniquely terrible*. They should pay me a stipend simply to review the ads and send back editorial comment. I would be willing to do it as a side gig for cheap. Call me people and meanwhile, I'm buying Target stock when it gets to the end of this dip.

[Mike]

The ads are very bad. Twice I've been sucked into looking at their products and was immediately repulsed by the deceptive listings. They must have a photo studio with a miniature house inside, with 5 foot ceilings and 4 foot doors so that all the items look huge. Fuck Temu.

[Kyle]

I've seen a bunch of their ads, but have never been inclined to click on them. But to answer the initial question- yes, I'm inundated with their ads.

[Kyle]

Like, for real, Temu... what the hell is this?



What's with the mouth? And the padded undergarments with reprints of the Family Circus on it (I assume).

[Phoebe]

I don't want to know why they think you want these items. The list I get is not much better. I am asked to live like a billionaire by wearing bright lime green no name brand running shoes, because apparently that's how the billionaires do.