# Kmart "Big gas savings" commercial **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2013, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203 "2013-05-24T09:16:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/1 "2013-05-24T09:16:46Z")
Remember the [“Ship my pants”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL4lSavSepc) commercial from Kmart? Now they have [big gas savings](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1yir-p68xM), too. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/2 "2013-05-24T14:16:48Z")
Desperation makes for desperate measures. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/3 "2013-05-24T17:15:57Z")
What’s desperate about it? It’s funny and people are talking about it. It’s effective. When I saw it, I went down to the quarry and threw stuff in it. “Hey, Dad, look at that big gas truck!” “And that big gas man.” “Hello, big gas man.” ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/4 "2013-05-24T17:37:00Z")
Loved it! Totally made me Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there! ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/5 "2013-05-24T18:09:33Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Desperation makes for desperate measures. I thought it was a pretty funny concept entertainment-wise and effective marketing-wise (it got K-Mart back to being discussed). Pretty far from desperation. If you want to see desperation in action, consider the pathetic attempt to make some weak expression substitute for an acronym. K-Mart’s advertisers got people to smile a bit and pay attention. Compare that to the general trying-to-hard failure that makes most people cringe at the sad. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/6 "2013-05-24T18:12:03Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > I thought it was a pretty funny concept entertainment-wise and effective marketing-wise (it got K-Mart back to being discussed). Pretty far from desperation. If you want to see desperation in action, consider the pathetic attempt to make some weak expression substitute for an acronym. K-Mart’s advertisers got people to smile a bit and pay attention. Compare that to the general trying-to-hard failure that makes most people cringe at the sad. I totally did not get what you meant until I read the rest of the thread. Then I … well, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/7 "2013-05-24T18:18:59Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Loved it! Totally made me Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there! Still? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/8 "2013-05-24T19:03:38Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > What’s desperate about it? It’s funny and people are talking about it. It’s effective. When I saw it, I went down to the quarry and threw stuff in it. > > “Hey, Dad, look at that big gas truck!” “And that big gas man.” “Hello, big gas man.” Didn’t say it wasn’t funny. But K-Mart has had better economic days (a local Big K just closed down the road from here), and these commercials smack of desperate attempts to raise the bottom line. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/9 "2013-05-24T19:53:49Z")
Next: The “GO TO HELLo kitty help desk” commercial. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/10 "2013-05-24T20:00:00Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > these commercials smack of desperate attempts to raise the bottom line. Aren’t most commercials attempts to raise the bottom line? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/11 "2013-05-24T20:05:22Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Next: The “GO TO HELLo kitty help desk” commercial. They should get Helen Hunt to star in the next one. Then they can tell people, “Go to Helen Hunt (hell and hunt) for it.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/12 "2013-05-24T20:06:56Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Still? 20 minutes is longer than you think. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/13 "2013-05-24T20:17:10Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there! Creed? You got away from the cops? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/14 "2013-05-24T20:20:10Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > They should get Helen Hunt to star in the next one. Then they can tell people, “Go to Helen Hunt (hell and hunt) for it.” 😃 On a You Can’t Do That on Television skit, someone was in front of a firing squad for using “hell and rude words.” But it turns out that a writer for the show was Helen Rude so the character was actually using “Helen Rude words”. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/15 "2013-05-24T20:26:16Z")
SNL did it first with their Sofa King commercials. > **[Watch Saturday Night Live Highlight: Sofa King - NBC.com](https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/sofa-king/n12138)** > > Watch Saturday Night Live highlight 'Sofa King' on NBC.com ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/16 "2013-05-24T20:45:18Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > On a You Can’t Do That on Television skit, someone was in front of a firing squad for using “hell and rude words.” But it turns out that a writer for the show was Helen Rude so the character was actually using “Helen Rude words”. Cool. Do you know what episode that was? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/17 "2013-05-24T20:54:37Z")
Lol. That totally made me go down to the quarry and fart in it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kmart-big-gas-savings-commercial/659203/18 "2013-05-24T22:48:19Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Aren’t most commercials attempts to raise the bottom line? Okay, I surrender.