Tuesday, April 29, 2008

How About A Nice Divorce For Mother's Day?


For whatever reason, I started getting emails from Splash Car Wash when I got arm-twisted into signing up for a "frequent washer" card.

I don't know why I bothered. I hate that minivan so much, it's lucky that I let it stay in the garage and feed it as much of the hideously expensive engine juice as I do.

I get the thing washed approximately once a year, usually the day after this happens: I'm pulling into the parking lot at work, late (as usual) for a 9:30 meeting thanks to an ill-timed kid tantrum at morning dropoff.

Nattily attired in some summer white pants, I get out of the car and proceed to drop my lunch box, which breaks and scatters my food rather spectacularly across the parking lot. As I'm bending over to pick up all my crap I brush up against the filthy car door, which leaves a gigantic, black, oily, Texas-shaped Rorschach Test on my ass all day for the entire office to contemplate.

But I digress, as usual.

The above image on the left is the email that Splash sent out. And while I applaud their use of a timely theme and their marketing chutzpah, I could not help but say out loud, "I don't effing think so."

Manager Dad has been duly forewarned that if he also happens to be the mailing list, and this is the best idea he can wring from his overtired and overtaxed grey matter for a Mother's Day present, I will swiftly implement a unilateral year-long laundry embargo in retaliation.

Digg this

18 comments:

Amanda said...

But I don't understand why they put a picture of a blender up to advertise their car wash. Is it supposed to be like Moms can really use blenders & carwashes?

meg said...

i think splash saw me drive by one too many times in my dinged up, dirty vehicle with extra large donuts delite coffee in hand and a screaming baby in the back seat. that's what prompted their pathetic email campaign. sorry jennifer!

Manager Mom said...

mmmm.....coffee....

Mrs. G. said...

What's the word I'm looking for, um, LAME.

Ice Cream said...

I don't mind my husband gettting this for me, as long as it means he will take it in to have it cleaned, that he will vacuum it for me, fill the gas for me, and get the oil changed for me for a whole year too. Now THAT would be a nice gift.

Saucy said...

Am I too high maintenance or would it be wrong of me to be offended by a CAR WASH CARD for MOTHER'S DAY? Is that code for "fancy bracelet store" or "free martini card at nice bistro"???

Caffienated Cowgirl said...

I am really laughing about this. Being from the marketing world in my previous life, this is one of those "I'm not sure this is a good cross-marketing plan" ideas. Thanks for the laugh...and thanks for visiting my blog. I will be back to yours :)

Karen Jensen said...

I'm with Amanda. Why a blender?

Kevin McKeever said...

The blender is an example of a gift she really can't use. You know the rule, never by your female love appliances for a major holiday. That's the premisis of the postcard. Pfff ... marketers!

Jen - I just got back from Chicago where Dunkin' Donuts coffee is as much as 35 cents a cup cheaper than in these parts. When will you be putting in a transfer to Quaker?

Madge said...

car wash? blender? could we expect more from the car wash people? or from the blender people? probably not. only mothers should be in charge of mother's day. chocolate, flowers and alone time are the only acceptable options.

Manager Mom said...

Pedicures are OK too.

Sojourner said...

The world of marketing is all too weird to me. Which is why I am not such a flying success at selling stuff. And not being a "Real" mom, and not being close to my mom, Mother's Day is a wash to me. However, I agree- Mom's shouls be in charge of the gifts- and give mom gifts of LOVE, not usefullness. Chocolate, flowers, pedicures, breakfast in bed (including the clean up). Those things speak of love to me- but what do men know of such things, really?

Anyway, thanks for stopping by my blog, Jennifer. Nice to meet you. I will be back to see yours.

Jenny, the Bloggess said...

I'm still giggling at this.

And I just shared it with the world: http://blogs.chron.com/goodmombadmom/2008/05/bs_sunday.html

PS. Don't get too excited though. "The world" equals about 18 people.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to tell Victor that Jenny wants a car wash for her birthday (and a blender).

Biddy said...

hahahaha amen girl! i hate my jeep, therefore it gets a bath maybe twice a year...

i'm thinking of giving it a bath...in the middle of the lake

PunditMom said...

An ex-boyfriend once bought me coffee maker for my birthday AFTER I told him I would drop him like a hot potato of he did.

Yup, he went there, claiming I had never said any such thing. To prove his stupidity, the next (and last) gift he gave me was a set of kitchen knives.

Need I say more?? ;)

Woman with a Hatchet said...

Hah! This is exactly what I asked for on Mother's Day because I figured I'd actually GET IT!

Not a car wash from this particular place, I actually asked the Husband and Eldest Child to wash my car. They did, too.

No breakfast in bed. No uninterrupted sleep. No lack of dishes to wash or children to wrangle, but DAMMIT! I got my car washed and vacuumed. Best they could do.

Maybe next year I'll get something more fun. Maybe. Sniffle!

Threeundertwo said...

Wash the car?! I only do that when somebody throws up in it.