Columnist Muriel Stevens: Confronting the alluring TV pitch

Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2000 | 9:16 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' shopping column appears Wednesdays. Her dining column appears Fridays. Reach her at muriel@vegas.com or 259-4080.

Relaxing at home watching television may not seem like material for a shopping column, but these days it is -- unless you're watching a commercial-free movie.

It's easy to be seduced by the TV pitchmen and -women. How many of you still own one of those small glass ovens that were all the rage just a few years ago? And where is it now? Surely not on top of the kitchen counter where you once used it.

If you haven't given it away, it's probably gathering dust in the back of a closet. It was from that small appliance that I learned the power of the picture and the pitch.

I was doing a daily call-in cookery show at the time. There were dozens of calls asking my opinion about those ovens. I'd never used one, but I certainly had an opinion about this expensive toy. From seeing it on television I knew it was too small to be taken seriously.

Where was the insulation to keep the heat in and to prevent burns? And what could this oven do that the oven you already had in your kitchen couldn't do?

No one cared, least of all my audience. Consumers bought many thousands of the ovens. Before long they were in stores everywhere. And the prices were less than on TV and there was no shipping fee. Today you can find many of the original ones in thrift shops and flea markets.

The ovens were just one of many kitchen items sold this way -- plastic pasta machines, food-drying machines, vacuum sealers, cleaning agents, pots and pans. The list is endless.

No one, including me, is immune from these persuasive hawkers, although I seldom order what I see on TV. I prefer to wait until the stuff makes its way to our stores before buying.

When those intriguing press-on lights first appeared, like everyone else I was captivated by the idea of being able to light up any dark area without having to call in an electrician. But I had a lot of questions that the pitch didn't address.

Did these lights use batteries? Could the bulbs be replaced? If so, what kind of bulb did they use? If not, how long would the lights last before having to be discarded? And how did they stick to a surface? Was it the kind of stickum that took the finish with it when it was removed? Just recently the lights started to appear in local stores. But they're so popular I have yet to find any. The stock is always sold out, so I still don't know the answers.

What I did find and buy, during a recent channel hop, were "magic" wallets made of black leather. For $14.95 plus postage and handling you got a slim, credit card-size wallet and a bonus car wallet sized to hold the registration and insurance info.

A second card case was just $5 more and the postage and handling were included. Of course I bought a second one. I'll do most anything for the sake of research.

I resisted additional pitches by the phone rep who, when I placed the order, offered me more cases at $10 each and half-price shipping, auto insurance and other "great buys." Each time I said "no," another offer came. There were at least six more items, and each evoked from me another no.

The quest for the lights continues and the magic cases (just like the ones found in magic shops) are on their way. If anyone knows where I can find the lights, please let me know.