“TV Karts” keep kids happy, quiet, and kinda stupid so parents can enjoy shopping
A better shopping experience is coming to a store near you via the exciting, reliable, and safe TV Kart.
The shopping cart, developed by Cabco in New Zealand, has a special child’s seat with a “steering wheel, interactive buttons on the dashboard, and a 7-inch TV monitor on which children watch selected TV programs.”
(Cool 3-D presentation of the TV Kart here.)
The purpose of the TV Kart is, of course, to keep your children entertained while you are trudging through your weekly shopping.
The cart caught my eye because I think it is a great example of a common question I hear: What’s so wrong with having a little peace and quiet while shopping? (Variation A: What’s wrong with buying Disney Princess toothpaste? Now my daughter loves to brush her teeth! Variation B: What’s wrong with watching a Bob the Builder video? It teaches cooperation!)
And the answer is: Nothing. There is nothing wrong with any one of these things. Individually.
But unfortunately, marketers make sure that kids are not just targeted a single time. Or twice. Or eight hundred times. A day.
So your child is sitting in their TV Kart, watching Dora the Explorer, which, by itself, is a fine show for kids. But what happens when you hit the ice cream aisle and your child glances over and sees the Dora ice cream?
Nickelodeon, who owns Dora, has a $3 billion consumer products division and 150 licensing partners. Nickelodeon characters are sold through “every channel of retails distribution.” And Nickelodeon Recreation reaches 22 million consumers annually through theme parks and hotels.
And what about the research on children and screen time?
– Early exposure to television (at ages one and three) is related to attention problems at age seven;
– Television viewing affects sleep efficiency in school-age children;
– Excessive television viewing is associated with overweight preschoolers; and
– Excessive television viewing has an adverse affect on long-term educational achievement.
Wouldn’t stores who really care about the well-being of families use carts that, say, have puzzles built into them? Or perhaps offer a stack of books when you walk in?
Of course, it’s not just the kids that the advertisers are after:
New technology in TV Kart will allow powerful mobile advertising and promotional messages to be presented directly to shoppers as they make their product selection. These messages will be played to them from a new 7 inch monitor while their children are still happily entertained, on the inside of the TV Kart, watching their favorite programs from the monitor inside the TV Kart.
Here’s something to do with your young child next time you are shopping: Count the number of times you spot Dora on a product. Or Shrek. Or Scooby-Doo. Explain to your child that corporations do that so little kids like them will want to buy something that they really don’t need (and is, more than likely, bad for them). Tell them that they are smarter than the corporations.
And you are, too.
December 11th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
I want to ask Cabco, the makers of Cart TV, “What’s wrong with talking to your kid while you’re shopping?” You can show them why you purchase what you do; help them learn about nutrition; explain the value/price ratio on brand v. non-branded items (or store branded items) teaching them financial literacy, etc. I can’t tell you how many people I know in the 20-28 age bracket that have NO IDEA how to shop well! I’m not much older, but I shopped a lot with my mom as a kid, and I learned a lot by doing so.
That said, I agree that sometimes it’s nice to just have the time and peace to shop alone. That’s why I also love my local grocery chain, Wegmans (www.wegmans.com). I usually don’t promote stores, brands, etc., but this company is doing something right and more people should expect this kind of commitment. Not only are they consistently a top employer on the Fortune 100 best companies list, they are also on the list of most ethical companies, they actively market local produce, they are #2 on the Consumer Reports list of supermarkets, they were named the “Most Family-Friendly Supermarket in America” by Child magazine in 2003, and they won the first Food Network (2007) “Foodie” award for the grocery store that has changed the way we shop. What do I love the best? On site child care!
December 12th, 2007 at 8:13 am
Great post. You’ve really hit the nail on the head by pointing to the system, and away from the instance. Laughably, though, part of me was left wondering if this gad awful invention might not be a net loss in marketing exposure given the aggressive marketing to children in the aisles of grocery stores. Is that a sorry commentary or what?
December 12th, 2007 at 11:39 am
MBGITH, I am so glad you mentioned Wegmans. When I was writing the post I had the fleeting thought — why wouldn’t a grocery store offer an on-site sitting service? — but I dismissed it as too crazy.
I also thought about the numerous learning activities you could do with your child while at the grocery store, just as you mentioned. I’m going to look around to see if I can find any such activities online — I’m guessing that homeschooling families just might have some suggestions.
Mom, perhaps a net loss in marketing exposure, but a huge gain in the quantity of shoppers with kids. Or so Cabco claims.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Wegman’s is heaven, but also a bit like “The Firm” — valet parking, dry cleaners, photo center, video store, florist, restaurant. From a consumerist standpoint, I’m not crazy abou the mini shopping carts that the kids can push around behind you and fill themselves, but my daughter sure does love them. She used one once when we were visiting relatives (we aren’t in a Wegman’s city) and she still comments on it.
December 17th, 2007 at 6:14 am
What an interesting post! I find it very difficult to tolerate the marketing of childrens’ characters on consumables. My two year old daughter is delighted to recognise things out in the world, it thrills her to see something she knows and can identify for you, so the wiggles yoghurt or the simpsons chips or the winnie the pooh nappies are irresistable to her and it is very challenging to explain to her that just because something has a character she knows (and likes) on it doesn’t mean that we will like the product and should buy it. It frustrates me that an otherwise harmless trip to the supermarket has to turn into one tantrum after another as I seperate her from these products. It has forced me to have conversations about being a thinking consumer earier than I planned, which is the only good thing about it.