# Again with the annoying commercials! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** commercials-ads\ **Created:** [June 28, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089 "2017-06-28T22:06:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 353
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7047 "2026-01-16T20:42:47Z")
The annoying guy who wants you to stop being like your parents (_why?_) is back, and apparently you can’t ask the bagger to not put the canned goods on top of the bread- you have to suffer with crushed bread. And no chatting with the "peons’ at the Valet parking. Why not? Those guys can get bored, and why not be nice. Of course the “joke” the guy mentioned _was_ off key. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7048 "2026-01-16T20:48:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And no chatting with the "peons’ at the Valet parking. Why not? Those guys can get bored, and why not be nice. Of course the “joke” the guy mentioned _was_ off key. Remember, those in customer service positions are not human beings, and must not be pampered by being treated as people, lest they resist being treated like dog exhaust found on the bottom of one’s shoe by those of the “sucktomer” persuasion. What company was this with the ageism apparently taking precedence over basic common sense? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7049 "2026-01-16T21:03:21Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > What company was this with the ageism apparently taking precedence over basic common sense? Progressive with “Dr Rick”. You can watch them on YouTube if you like. > [@Seanette](#): > > Remember, those in customer service positions are not human beings, and must not be pampered by being treated as people, lest they resist being treated like dog exhaust found on the bottom of one’s shoe by those of the “sucktomer” persuasion. I totally concur. There is a line between being polite and friendly, and carrying on such a conversation that you distract them from their work, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7050 "2026-01-16T21:22:32Z")
What do these skits have to do with what they’re selling? I’ll never understand advertising. They come up with some stupid characters and repeat their antics so often that viewers are numb to how inane they are. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7051 "2026-01-16T21:26:03Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > There is a line between being polite and friendly, and carrying on such a conversation that you distract them from their work, of course. … and my dad constantly erred on the side of distracting everyone. Because his “hilarious” joking around was much more important. There are so many things (in those ads, and in real life) that I have to guard against doing. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7052 "2026-01-16T22:54:14Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > apparently you can’t ask the bagger to not put the canned goods on top of the bread- you have to suffer with crushed bread. See, I think they deliberately chose this example (along with making small talk with the valet driver) because it is something a typical person might say or do. It’s perfectly reasonable behavior, after all. The messaging being that, yes, **you** , dear viewer, are in fact exactly the person they are talking to. You’re sensible, and responsible, and reasonable. And so you really should be thinking about your insurance. It’s not fun, or exciting. It’s the kind of thing that middle age fuddy duddies do. But it’s also what _you_ do. Kind of like caring about crushed bread, or making small talk with the valet. … My complaint are the Allstate commercials during college football with the people who make bad decisions. The worst is the young guy who does the University of Georgia “barking” (I didn’t know that was a thing) at his boss as they sit around a conference table, since she has a Georgia Bulldogs mug. She sorts of reacts with horror, he looks up at the ceiling, and it’s not as smart as switching insurance companies. Except the boss is _talking to somebody else_ when he barks at her. He’s _interrupting_ her. Even if it wasn’t some ludicrous barking (coupled with pounding the table), he was being rude. Adding in the noises and he’s positively unhinged. I try to mute that commercial whenever it comes on. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7053 "2026-01-16T23:29:09Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > What do these skits have to do with what they’re selling? Nothing whatsoever. And it is ageist. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7054 "2026-01-16T23:52:12Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > you have to suffer with crushed bread. I’m not saying the commercials aren’t dumb, but I don’t think the guy is correcting the bagger for doing anything wrong; he’s preemptively telling the kid how to do his job. As if he doesn’t already know not to put the bread in the bottom, and requires these pearls of wisdom in order to function properly. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7055 "2026-01-16T23:54:00Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I’m not saying the commercials aren’t dumb, but I don’t think the guy is correcting the bagger for doing anything wrong; You can watch the kid putting the bread in first. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7056 "2026-01-17T02:47:42Z")
Target has a Stranger Things tie-in commercial, where the message is apparently “Shop at Target, where eldritch slime oozes off of the shelves, and the checkout teenagers will creep on your daughter”. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7057 "2026-01-17T14:17:49Z")
I almost saw a commercial for Finish dishwasher tablets, starring a disgusting person called “The Residude”. I covered my face to get away from it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7058 "2026-01-17T15:08:08Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The annoying guy who wants you to stop being like your parents (_why?_) is back… What is this in reference to? ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7059 "2026-01-17T15:16:26Z")
It’s crazy to me how many commercials these days (at least in the U.S.) are for drugs. And that are for the most _unusual_ things. No, I don’t have Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis. Is this _really_ a demographic that ad execs are trying to capture? It’s gotten so bad that they are advertising drugs to treat the side effects of other drugs you are already taking. Apparently, some anti depressants cause tremors, and there are ads for the pills that can stop those tremors. Be forewarned, though. Side effects include depression and thoughts of suicide. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7060 "2026-01-17T16:02:05Z")
I’m so glad that they have to list side effects. I’ve saved a lot on drugs by thinking “Suicide AND Explosive Diarrhea? I guess I can cope without a prescription.” SNL’s done a couple of similar ads, but I finally found the one I loved… https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7352560505703189765 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7061 "2026-01-17T16:05:25Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@DrDeth](#): > > > > The annoying guy who wants you to stop being like your parents (_why?_) is back… > > What is this in reference to? [Dr. Rick from Progressive Insurance](https://www.progressive.com/commercials-campaigns/dr-rick/). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7062 "2026-01-17T20:44:25Z")
Thank you. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Progressive with “Dr Rick”. You can watch them on YouTube if you like. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7063 "2026-01-17T23:26:33Z")
Thanks. My current ‘annoying commercial’ is for Corona. Corona commercials range from unoffencive, to really good. But this new one. ‘La playa awaits.’ The guy pronounces ‘playa’ the way Trump pronounces ‘Chyna’. It really grates. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7064 "2026-01-18T15:30:02Z")
The one with the oldster chatting away with inane comments to a younger guy at the gas station kills me. The younger one just stares daggers at the audacity! of an old guy (who probably lives alone and has no one to talk to days on end) daring intrude on his deep thoughts while pumping gas! A brief smile wouldn’t kill him, but he acts like he’s on the run for some crime and is afraid of being noticed, wants to be invisible. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7065 "2026-01-18T15:39:14Z")
Wait until you see the one where a couple is having dinner with another couple, and then a shopping cart begins to act like a dog, spills it’s food, then crashes thru a door to chase screaming kids, before crashing into their play structure. No, I don’t have a clue what’s being advertised by what company, and no, I am not tripping on magic mushrooms. WTF is going on with that one? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089/7066 "2026-01-18T16:19:40Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The guy pronounces ‘playa’ the way Trump pronounces ‘Chyna’ ? That’s how playa is pronounced. PLY ah [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089.md?page=352) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/again-with-the-annoying-commercials/790089.md?page=354)