Too Good To Be True

If you missed it, apparently Sears was offering the new 16GB, wi-fi only version of the iPad 2 for the low, low price of $69 online. That's an amazing 86% off the SRP of $499. The 32GB, wi-fi only model was also priced at an unbelievable price of $179 or 70% off the SRP of $599. So what's the catch with these unbelievable offers, you ask. Well, as it turns out, these offers was posted in an online ad by mistake, says Sears. Apparently a third-party seller, GSM On Sale, is being blamed for this mistake.  In response to this third-party seller's mistake, Sears issued the following statement on its official Facebook page: 

Unfortunately, today one of the Marketplace third party sellers told us that they mistakenly posted incorrect pricing on two Apple iPad models on the Marketplace portion of the website. If you purchased either of these products recently, your order has been cancelled and your account will be credited. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Many of the customers who initially jumped at these offers, were extremely upset that neither Sears or GSM On Sale were willing to honor their orders at the mistaken price(s). So they did what everyone does in today's society, they turned to social media to vent their frustrations.

As it turns out, this mistake has affected GSM On Sale even to this day. When news of this mistake was first reported on Sunday, their website was already out of commission. GSM On Sale left the following message on its homepage:

Our online store is currently closed for maintenance. Please visit us again soon    

Now come the question of whether or not GSM On Sale or Sears can recover from this mistake in the eyes of their consumers. Only time will tell!

Cooming Soon: Cheesy Poofs to a Walmart Near You

If you haven't heard the news already South Park fans, Erik Cartman's favorite snack food is coming soon to a Walmart near you. That's right, Cheesy Poofs will shortly become the greatest thing since sliced bread.

As part of an extensive promotional campaign ("Year of the Fan") to observe the 15th season of the show, Comedy Central, which has been home to South Park since August 1997, is teaming up with  Frito-Lay to bring this snack to a Walmart near you. Thanks to this deal with Frito-Lay, 1.5 million packages of Cartman's favorite fattening snack food will be available at Walmart by the end of August, for the low, low price of $2.99 for 2.375 ounces of cheesy goodness.

For those of you who are reluctant to pay $2.99 for a 2 3/8-ounce bag of Cheesy Poofs can get a free bag at an exhibit, called the Ultimate South Park Fan Experience, that Comedy Central is sponsoring in conjunction with Comic-Con International in San Diego July 21 to 24. The exhibit, running 15,000 square feet, will also offer artwork, memorabilia, photo and tattoo booths, trivia contests and a station to create South Park avatars that can be uploaded to profile pages in social media like Facebook.  

Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods
Tags: SOUTH
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For those of you who forgot, Comedy Central is presenting the 15th season of South Park in two parts. The first part ran from April 27 to June 8 and the second is scheduled from Oct. 15 to Nov. 16. Also, the series has already been renewed for a 17th season through 2013.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened to an animated series. To help promote The Simpsons Movie in 2007, products like Frosted KrustyO’s cereal and Buzz Cola were sold in 7-Eleven stores; some stores were even temporarily converted to Kwik-E-Marts, after the inconvenient convenience store in The Simpsons.

So now comes the question, which promotional branding campaign will be deemed more successful. South Park's - Cheesy Poofs or The Simpsons - Frosted KrustyO's cereal and Buzz Cola at 7-Eleven stores. Only time will tell.