From The “You Get What You Pay For” Department…
During my trip a few months ago to New York City, I picked up some “I Heart NY” t-shirts as souvenirs. After some haggling at one of the hundreds of tourist shops near Times Square (cheap enough so I felt like I didn’t have to take the subway to Chinatown), I happily packed up about 10 of them, brought them home, and doled them out to family and friends.
This is what they looked like after one washing:
See anything missing? Caveat Emptor!
By Jonathan Ping | Frugal Living, Funny | 12/4/09, 1:09am
December 4th, 2009 at 1:42 am
The words are not even aligned to the center of the t-shirt!
December 4th, 2009 at 2:40 am
I know… I think they keep the properly aligned ones on the top, and I just bought a stack of them!
December 4th, 2009 at 3:14 am
I don’t know, I think you’ve got something with this. Now you don’t (verb) NY, NY is a verb itself. You’re cutting-edge!
December 4th, 2009 at 4:37 am
lol This is what being offering inside the world now. Expensive prices for goods that aren’t in a marketable way. Food products aren’t even different as well. You purchase a bread and by the time you reach home there is something wrong with it. Short hand is the way in business now.
December 4th, 2009 at 4:46 am
You could resell it as a “fill-in-the-blank” shirt. I know some baseball fans in Boston that might buy them!
December 4th, 2009 at 6:31 am
Mit den Hemdchen haben Sie Dich echt betrogen!
December 4th, 2009 at 6:48 am
I love that it’s STILL a registered trademark.
Hey, this could work – make a few shirts with some bland saying that turns really nasty after one wash! Could be a winner.
i.e. “I love banalities in Essex”
December 4th, 2009 at 6:51 am
Oh irony, how I thee.
December 4th, 2009 at 7:12 am
Oh, no, they all did that after NY voted down the marriage equality law this week. Your shirt is functioning properly.
December 4th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Jonathan, have you seen this Woot tshirt? Your post made me think of it.
http://shirt.woot.com/Friends.aspx?k=9472
December 4th, 2009 at 8:27 am
That sucks!
If I were you I’d try one of the following:
It would make for great conversation…
1.) See if a local T-Shirt shop could find a heart to iron one.
2.) Have a free giveaway on your blog, I’d try for one just for the story…
3.) use them as rags, or at least dirty work shirts (changing the oil in the car), etc…
4.) Hmmm, the commenter “DK” might be on to something there… Then post them on Ebay… that actually might work. Either way it would be a fun experiment, maybe even give them so options decals.
5.) You can always give the to charity and take the tax deduction.
Thanks for the warning!
December 4th, 2009 at 8:47 am
What I see missing is the reason why the T-shirts were bought in the first place? Who even wears those shirts?
(Sorry about the missing heart)
December 4th, 2009 at 11:22 am
that’s AWESOME!
you can definitely sell is as one of a kind
December 4th, 2009 at 11:31 am
http://www.zazzle.com/womens_i.....0777129745
December 4th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
@Amy – That’s funny, I like it!
@Baughman – Are you talking about my t-shirt or your own heart? Ha! Just kidding. (Nephews and nieces loved them.)
I was trying to think of a good t-shirt design that would be (1) attractive to a tourist initially, but then (2) after a wash something would fall off and the shirt would be subtly different but have a completely different (and disruptive) meaning.
December 4th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
You should parcel these t-shirts to either Gov. Patterson or Mayor Bloomberg along with an angry letter. Any reply would make a nice blog post.
December 4th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
kinda reminds me of this:
http://www.tshirthell.com/imag.....02_001.jpg
December 4th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
you could add a “T” or “SH” to make it spell Tiny or Shiny. =p
December 4th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
LOL, I can’t even think of a good comment for that shirt.
December 4th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
That’s so funny. I went to New York a few weeks ago and I didn’t really purchase any of these I heart NY… Although I doubt you could find a lower pricefor $5/each ..
I guess sometimes you might think you are getting a bargain price, while you end up purchasing trash… My investment in GE before 2008 reminds me of this
December 4th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
You don’t love New York anymore you were just “IN NY”
December 4th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
My mom went to China and picked up some clothes for my kids. One pajama top had the words Hell Kitty on it. Can you spot where the missing “o” should’ve gone? Fortunately my daughter cannot read yet.
December 5th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Yeah that’s the point… When you got home you found out that you had left your “heart” in New York
December 5th, 2009 at 10:25 am
You should’ve got the t-shirts from Chinatown because it’s likely that ALL the words are going to fall off on theirs after one wash and you will then have 10 plain t-shirts.
December 7th, 2009 at 12:04 am
I want it! I want it! Where did you get it? The irony is fabulous.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:16 am
LOL, never mind, it make your shirt special from others.
December 7th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Hey, are you on facebook? I’d love to be a “facebook friend” or a “facebook fan”
December 12th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Did you drop by in San Francisco before going home? Maybe you left it there.