The Impulsive Buy » Announcement

ANNOUNCEMENT: Subway Gift Card Winner!

Marvo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:55:57 +0000

Here’s the winner of last month’s Subway gift card prize drawing:

Congratulations, Christian! Twenty-five dollars will buy you a lot of tuna on wheat with mustard, lettuce, tomato, green peppers, cucumber, and extra hot peppers.

Thanks to everyone who participated and be on the lookout for a new prize drawing later this month.

PRIZE DRAWING: Because I Want One of You To Eat Fresh

Marvo — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:04:28 +0000

In February, Subway will bring back their “any regular footlong for $5″ promotion. So I think this month would be a good time to give away a $25 Subway gift card.

If my math is correct, you can get five $5 Subway footlongs with a $25 gift card. Unless you live on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where you can only get four footlongs because we pay six dollars.

To enter The Impulsive Buy’s Subway gift card drawing, leave a comment with THIS post. I don’t care what you say in your comment, but it would be nice if you described completely your go-to Subway sandwich (i.e. type of bread, what veggies and sauce you put on, whether you get it toasted).

Please don’t forget to fill out the email field because I’ll be emailing the winner for his or her mailing address. The Impulsive Buy will stop accepting entries on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time. Only one comment allowed per person, and it’s only open to U.S. residents who are at least 18 years old.

For those of you who have a Twitter account, you can get an additional entry by tweeting the following by Tuesday, January 31, 2012 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time:

@theimpulsivebuy If Subway is where winners eat, I need to win a Subway gift card so I can eat there.

So just copy, paste, and tweet. Only one tweet per Twitter account.

Good luck!

Fine Print: Subway is not affiliated with this prize drawing. The Impulsive Buy promises your email address will not be used to send you emails about how you can save money on TurboTax. The Impulsive Buy also promises your mailing address will not be used to send you ValPak coupons or Valtrex coupons. Bribes will not be accepted. The Impulsive Buy will not be responsible for lost mail, damaged mail, or you getting lost in Jared Fogel’s old pair of pants.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Walmart Gift Card Winner!

Marvo — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:59:00 +0000

Here’s the winner of last month’s Walmart gift card prize drawing:

Jen

Congratulations, Jen!

Thank you to everyone who participated in last month’s prize drawing. Be on the look out for another prize drawing soon.

THE YEAR IN REVIEWS: The Top 10 Most Popular Impulsive Buy Reviews in 2011

Marvo — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:34:12 +0000

I know. The year isn’t over yet, but the likelihood of this list changing sometime during the last days of 2011 is pretty much nil. So here’s a list of the top 10 most popular Impulsive Buy reviews posted in 2011. This list is based on traffic numbers from Google Analytics. So here they are in a particular order:

10. MiO Liquid Water Enhancer

MiO is a great water enhancer, but it also makes a great white t-shirt enhancer.

9. Wendy’s Berry Almond Chicken Salad

According to the internets, Wendy’s is positioned to overtake Burger King and claim second-place in fast food chain marketshare sometime next year. That’s nice, but perhaps they could speed up the process by building a few more Wendy’s locations here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I’ve got three Burger King locations within a three mile radius, while Wendy’s closest location is six miles away.

8. Domino’s Artisan Pizzas

Domino’s has been busy during the second half of 2011. First, they released these fancy Artisan Pizzas and then late last month they introduced their Stuffed Cheesy Breads. They’re trying really hard to make people forget how crappy their pizzas used to be. I still think bringing back the Noid will help.

7. Subway Oven Crisp Chicken Sub

This sandwich will probably show up again as a $5 Featured Footlong. My psychic powers tell me it will come back in May 2012. (Note to people from Subway Corporate who may or may not read this: Please bring the Subway Oven Crisp Chicken Sub in May 2012 so I don’t look like a total boob.)

6. McDonald’s McCafe Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

I remember the brain freeze this gave me. And for some reason, it also gave me the urge to buy a lava lamp.

5. McDonald’s Rolo McFlurry

I hope McDonald’s releases more McFlurrys using Hershey’s least popular candies with names that are fun to say. I’m looking forward to either the Whatchamacallit or Thingamajig McFlurry.

4. Burger King California Whopper

Every year, Burger King should release several Whopper varieties commemorating states, just like the US Mint did with quarters.

3. Ben & Jerry’s Red Velvet Cake and Clusterfluff

Clusterfluff is one of my favorite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream names ever. Sadly, according to my sources, they had to change it to What A Cluster. I really hope, in 2012, Ben & Jerry’s makes a flavor honoring Samuel L. Jackson called, I Have Had It With These Motherfudging Cakes On This Motherfudging Plane!

2. McDonald’s “New” Chicken McNuggets Sauces

Still order Hot Mustard with my McNuggets. I’ve also started ordering a McChicken without mayo and paying an extra 25 cents for Hot Mustard container to replace the mayo.

1. McDonald’s Mango Pineapple Real Fruit Smoothie

This is the second straight year a blended McDonald’s product has ended up at the top of our year in review list. Man, I remember when McDonald’s used to be known only for their burgers, French fries, and that purple blob Grimace. Times are changin’.

PRIZE DRAWING: Because Sam Walton’s Ghost Won’t Leave Me Alone Until I Give Away A Walmart Gift Card

Marvo — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:38:49 +0000

This month, The Impulsive Buy will be giving away a $25 Walmart gift card.

Yup, I’m going to walk into a Walmart, flash a fake smile at the senior citizen-aged Walmart employee who greets me, walk defensively through the store to avoid unsupervised children and shoppers who should never be allowed to drive shopping carts, wait in a long 8 items or less express checkout line behind a couple of jackasses who each have a dozen items, purchase a $25 Walmart gift card, and flash another fake smile at the senior citizen-aged Walmart employee who thanks me for shopping at Walmart.

To enter The Impulsive Buy’s Walmart gift card drawing, leave a comment with THIS post. I don’t care what you say in your comment, but it would be nice if you shared your most memorable moment in a Walmart. Now when I say “memorable”, I mean crappiest. But, if you don’t have a crappy Walmart memory, your most awesome memory would suffice. Mine was getting hit by an impatient Walmart shopper driving a motorized shopping cart.

Please don’t forget to fill out the email field because I’ll be emailing the winner for his or her mailing address. The Impulsive Buy will stop accepting entries on Friday, December 30, 2011 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time. Only one comment allowed per person, and it’s only open to U.S. residents who are at least 18 years old.

For those of you who have a Twitter account, you can get an additional entry by tweeting the following by Friday, December 30, 2011 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time:

@theimpulsivebuy I wish Walmart would bring back the rollback prices smiley face because I want to make out with it.

So just copy, paste, and tweet. Only one tweet per Twitter account.

Good luck!

Fine Print: Walmart is not affiliated with this prize drawing. The Impulsive Buy promises your email address will not be used to send you emails about how Bill Gates is going to give you money if you forward the email to a dozen of your friends. Seriously, some people are really gullible. Go look up stuff of Snopes.com before you forward stupid emails like that. The Impulsive Buy also promises your mailing address will not be used to send you coconuts. Bribes will not be accepted. The Impulsive Buy will not be responsible for lost mail, damaged mail, or walking out of Walmart with more than you intended.

Image via flickr user CMG0220 / CC BY SA 2.0

ANNOUNCEMENT: Kmart Gift Card Winner!!!

Marvo — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:10:45 +0000

Here’s the winner of the $25 Kmart Gift Card:

Kellie Wilson

Congratulations, Kellie!

I’d also like to thank everyone who entered by leaving a comment and/or participating on Twitter. Be on the lookout for another prize drawing later this month.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Support The Impulsive Buy This Gift Giving Season

Marvo — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 02:36:34 +0000

This holiday season, if you’re planning to purchase something from Amazon for your family, friends, co-workers, or lover(s), might I suggest when you do so, you use The Impulsive Buy’s Amazon link below or in the right sidebar.

The Impulsive Buy’s Amazon link

By using The Impulsive Buy’s Amazon link, you’ll get closer to getting your holiday shopping done without having to find parking at the mall, wait in long checkout lines, or listen to children cry while sitting on a mall Santa’s lap, and The Impulsive Buy will get a small kickback to help pay our writers and cover web hosting ~~and help me buy Harlequin romance novels on the Amazon Kindle~~.

Thank you, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!

Marvo
Editor-in-chief
The Impulsive Buy

ANNOUNCEMENT: Happy Thanksgiving!

Marvo — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 20:42:39 +0000

Even though I believe Thanksgiving is a made up holiday devised by chickens who want to thin the number of turkeys in existence so that they can have an advantage when the Great Avian War begins in 2012*, Happy Thanksgiving!

*That’s what the voices in my head tell me.

Image via flickr user black_throated_green_warbler / CC BY 2.0

PRIZE DRAWING: Because It’s About Time You Stepped Into a Kmart Again

Marvo — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:37:31 +0000

Last month, I was a little mean to Kmart, suggesting Kmart stores dream about being Target stores. To be honest, I haven’t stepped into a Kmart in at least two years, so maybe they’ve improved and stores aren’t depressing anymore.

So to make it up to Kmart, The Impulsive Buy will be giving away a $25 Kmart gift card to one lucky reader, forcing him or her to go to Kmart. Although, I guess the winner could also sell the gift card on eBay or give it to a relative for Christmas.

To enter The Impulsive Buy’s Kmart gift card drawing, leave a comment with THIS post. I don’t care what you say in your comment, but it would be nice if you take a few moments to come up with something nice to say about Kmart, even if you don’t mean it. For example, shopping at Kmart brings a joy to my soul that I thought could only be achieved by riding a unicorn up a rainbow.

Please don’t forget to fill out the email field because I’ll be emailing the winner for his or her mailing address. The Impulsive Buy will stop accepting entries on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time. Only one comment allowed per person, and it’s only open to U.S. residents who are at least 18 years old.

For those of you who have a Twitter account, you can get an additional entry by tweeting the following by Wednesday, November 30, 2011 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time:

@theimpulsivebuy Kmart is the greatest store ever and I’ll punch you in the face if you say otherwise. #kmartrules

So just copy, paste, and tweet. Only one tweet per Twitter account.

Good luck!

Fine Print: Kmart is not affiliated with this prize drawing. The Impulsive Buy promises your email address will not be used to send you emails about business opportunities in third world countries. The Impulsive Buy also promises your mailing address will not be used to send you Kmart circulars. Bribes will not be accepted. The Impulsive Buy will not be responsible for lost mail, damaged mail, or you being seen stepping into Kmart.

Image via flickr user daysofthundr46 / CC BY SA 2.0

VIDEO: 2 Girls 1 Candwich + Me

Marvo — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:17:44 +0000

Nonstop Honolulu is a local lifestyle/nightlife blog and I had the opportunity to meet one of their food bloggers, Melissa Chang. Not only does she write about local restaurants, but she also does videos with her fellow food blogger, Mari Taketa, for video blog posts called M&M Eats.

Anyhoo, when I met with Melissa, I half-jokingly brought up the idea of eating the Peanut Butter and Jelly Candwich for one of their videos. She was not half-joking when she agreed to do it.

After several weeks of delays, which I was fine with because I believe the Candwich is best experienced when matured a little and closer to its expiration date, we shot the video in the lobby at the Sheraton Waikiki, next to a water fountain. So while watching this video, you may get the urge to pee.

I also brought them Cinnamon M&M’s and Caribbean Gold Pepsi from Japan to try.

Because nothing pleases me more than feeding people I hardly know foods they may find disgusting and want spit out, I’d like to do more videos with them and you’re going to help me make that happen. If you folks are able to get the video above to 1,000 views, I’m going to tap into TIB’s budget and buy unusual things for them (and me) to consume (and possibly spit out into a napkin).

Maybe, if I can get my hands on it, Cheeseburger in a Can. Or, perhaps, corn soda. Or some weird Japanese KitKat flavor. I think by getting to 1,000 views it might convince them to do more videos with me. So go forth and watch…again and again and again.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Target Gift Card Winner!

Marvo — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:10:12 +0000

Here’s the winner of The Impulsive Buy’s Target Gift Card Prize Drawing:

Lindsey Cota

Congratulations, Lindsey!

I’d also like to thank all of you who participated, whether it was leaving a comment or tweeting “I wonder if Kmart stores dream about being Target stores.” Be on the lookout for another gift card prize drawing later this month. Where will the gift card be from? Let’s just say it’s not as good as a Target Gift Card.

PRIZE DRAWING: Because I Love Target, Even Though They Have Slightly Higher Prices Than Other Big-Box Stores

Marvo — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:32:34 +0000

I go to Target a lot.

I know my nearest Target store so well that you could tell me a product to find, blindfold me, and I’ll bring that product to you within 10 minutes, while causing hundreds of dollars in damages and probably accidental groping as my hands feel what’s in front of me.

I have a deep fondness for Target because I can almost always find something new to review, I love their clearance shelves, and they have sexy, curvy red carts. Sure, Target is a little pricer than other big-box stores, but it’s the only place I can buy Hello Kitty Duct Tape.

So to celebrate my love of Target, The Impulsive Buy will be giving away a $25 Target gift card to one lucky reader.

To enter The Impulsive Buy’s Target gift card drawing, leave a comment with THIS post. I don’t care what you say in your comment, but it would be nice if you tried to convince me I’m wrong about Target by saying something bad about it or support my belief that Target is 1,000,000 times better than Kmart.

Please don’t forget to fill out the email field because I’ll be emailing the winner for his or her mailing address. The Impulsive Buy will stop accepting entries on Friday, October 28, 2011 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time. Only one comment allowed per person, and it’s only open to U.S. residents who are at least 18 years old.

For those of you who have a Twitter account, you can get an additional entry by tweeting the following by Friday, October 28, 2011 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time:

@theimpulsivebuy I wonder if Kmart stores dream about being Target stores.

So just copy, paste, and tweet. Only one tweet per Twitter account.

Good luck!

Fine Print: Target is not affiliated with this prize drawing. The Impulsive Buy promises your email address will not be used to send you email asking if you’d like female enhancement. The Impulsive Buy also promises your mailing address will not be used to send you AARP mailings. Bribes will not be accepted. The Impulsive Buy will not be responsible for lost mail, damaged mail, or you having to shop at Kmart.

Image via flickr user Collin Anderson / CC BY 2.0

ANNOUNCEMENT: McDonald’s Gift Card Winner!!!

Marvo — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:33:41 +0000

Here’s the winner of the $25 McDonald’s Gift Card:

In case you were wondering, Jp would like to party with Grimace.

Congratulations to Jp!

Also, thank you to all of you who participated. For those of you who are disappointed you didn’t win, we’ve got another gift card prize drawing coming up later this month. So keep an eye out for that.

PRIZE DRAWING: Because I Impulsively Purchased A Gift Card While Waiting In A Slow Checkout Line

Marvo — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:51:25 +0000

While waiting in the checkout line, some people impulsively buy candy, gum, or a copy of the National Enquirer with an unflattering picture of some celebrity. I didn’t buy any of that. Instead, I impulsively purchased a $25 McDonald’s gift card and now I’m giving it away to a lucky Impulsive Buy reader.

If you happen to win the gift card, don’t thank me. You should thank the mother in front of me in the checkout line who requested two price checks and didn’t have her coupons out when she reached the cashier. If I didn’t have to wait in line for as long as I did, I wouldn’t have seen the gift card hanging above the checkout line’s gum and candy shelves, and the idea of a prize drawing wouldn’t have popped into my head.

To enter The Impulsive Buy’s McDonald’s gift card drawing, leave a comment with THIS post. I don’t really care what you say in your comment, but it would be nice if you told me which McDonaldland character you would most want to party with in Las Vegas. For those of you who need a McDonaldland refresher course, Wikipedia has a list of McDonaldland characters.

Please don’t forget to fill out the email field because I’ll be emailing the winner for his or her mailing address. The Impulsive Buy will stop accepting entries on Friday, September 30, 2011 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time. Only one comment allowed per person, and it’s only open to U.S. residents who are at least 18 years old. U.S.-only because the gift card can only be used in the U.S.

There’s one more thing. If you have a Twitter account, you can get an additional entry if you tweet the following before Friday, September 30, 2011 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time:

@theimpulsivebuy I’d like to party with (insert here the McDonaldland character you would like to party with the most) in Vegas. BIG MAC 4 LYFE!

So just copy, paste, insert the McDonaldland character you’d like to party with, and tweet. Only one tweet per Twitter account.

Good luck!

Fine Print: McDonald’s is not affiliated with this prize drawing. The Impulsive Buy promises your email address will not be used to send you email in Arabic. The Impulsive Buy also promises your mailing address will not be used to send you letters to encourage you to switch your car insurance over to State Farm. Bribes will not be accepted. The Impulsive Buy will not be responsible for lost mail, damaged mail, or anything you do in Vegas.

Image via flickr user Ricardo Ricote Rodríguez / CC BY 2.0

ANNOUNCEMENT: New Impulsive Buy Reviewer Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 01:19:06 +0000

Hello…there I said it. I don’t like saying hello.

I’m Jeff and what I do like is food found in gas stations, imbibing copious amounts of whiskey, and wearing blazers. I also like The Impulsive Buy. I came across this site when I was trying to track down Creamiscle Oreos and discovered their review. Ever since then, I make it a daily habit of mine to check the site and brush my teeth. I am also the newest member of The Impulsive Buy’s ensemble of reviewers.

I am one of sixteen people living in Central Florida who do not work for Disney or Universal.

I work in the legal realm so you can trust me because I wear a suit, a tie, and listen to smooth jazz. My writing career consists of angry drunk texting, random scrawling on bathroom stalls, and the occasional legal memorandum. I also sweat more than the average person because of my penchant for said blazers. As a child, I grew up in my family’s restaurant business so food has always been a passion of mine. I try everything at least once, except for brown rice sushi (if you eat that stuff, you are a jerk).

While other “foodies” are foraging for mushrooms or herbs in those creepy forests, I can be found at the neighborhood 7-Eleven scavenging the aisles for that elusive limited edition release. The wafts coming from a seldom cleaned bathroom at these places never discourage me. Speaking of toilets, you can be assured of one thing: I will risk a potentially horrible bowel movement just to get a review to you dear TIB Reader. Bad poops are a small price and besides I brush my teeth.

Donning shorts, a navy sports coat, and speeding at a dangerous 26 mph on my midnight blue Vespa, I am out looking for products awaiting judgment. I will be straightforward with you in my recommendations. They may not be elegant, but my reviews for TIB are going to be direct and to the point. I hope to maintain the high bar that you have all come to know from TIB. Expect me to inform you, help you, and, of course, brush my teeth. Just don’t expect me to say hello.