Irritating host interruptions
I am sure that this has been mentioned in the past, so my apologies in advance if my post is repetitious. I rarely watch the presentations on air, preferring instead to use the website. However, I do make a point to watch the Marla Wynne presentations; I enjoy it when she talks about her fabrics, inspirations, colors, etc. Her two hours just ended, and although I was entertained by Marla’s remarks, I find myself so irritated by the constant interruptions by the host, that I may never watch live presentations again. I have endured this every time I’ve watched, but today it seemed particularly bad.
Let me say that I appreciate how difficult it must be to “carry a show” alone, with the designer on video, so I am trying not to be overly critical. My complaint is that I do not want to hear constant inventory updates, ever, much less at the expense of rudely interrupting Marla, literally in the middle of a sentence. It seemed like just when Marla was talking about something I was really interested in, Helen butted in with something like “we are sold out in the (whatever color)”, then started the litany of “we still have small, large and 2x”. Repeatedly. Really? Although Marla was gracious about constantly being cut off, it ruined the presentation for me. You go through the trouble of setting up these Zoom things, then proceed to reduce the time that the designer gets to speak by obnoxiously ignoring what she is thoughtfully trying to explain. To be fair, this sales tactic may come from the producer/director, with the host having to do what she is told, but the effect on the viewer is the same. It makes me want to turn off the TV and not buy anything. Oh, and it does no good to be told what size the host is wearing if I don’t know her weight or her height.
While I am on the subject of things that irritate me, for the life of me, I cannot understand why the hosts (and this is universal) cannot spit out the color names of the very few garments they are presenting within one show. How hard it it to review and remember maybe 20 color names BEFORE the show? The hosts even have “cheat sheets” attached to the clothes racks, and somehow manage to create dead air while they stumble through naming the colors, to the point of asking for confirmation from the control booth. No matter what you are selling, you prepare. Lack of preparation shows indifference; diligent preparation shows professionalism. So I guess I am suggesting more professionalism from HSN.
-
I noticed this too about Marla Wynn being interrupted. I wonder if she is just so long winded and is not getting “social cues” because it is on skype. Marla was long winded in person also – this is part of her sales job. I can remember other hosts cutting her short in person. If you notice, some of the hosts prompt her to talk about the fabric or whatever, like guiding her what to say. Marla tends to say the same thing over and over about her clothing. Same old speech but of course, there are new viewers. And I think it is hard to constantly talk about one’s designs and fabrics over and over, nothing is really new, and they are on the show several times per day sometimes. I suspect the designers and hosts go on auto-pilot.
-
My memory is terrible but there is a guy who sells Italian jewelry who is blonde. I can’t remember his name or product but I’m sure some of you know who I am talking about. He is so interesting. He gives the history of the pieces he is selling and such interesting commentary. My complaint is the hosts who interrupt him and won’t let him finish what he is saying. I want to hear what he is saying. Otherwise, he might as well have not even been there. I won’t name the host(ess) who did this the last couple of times I saw him but I got so exasperated. Please let your vendors talk!!!
-
I believe you are talking about Paul Woods, he represents Bellezza and Absolute jewelry on HSN. He is scheduled to be on today with Lynn Murphy. I also enjoy listening to him speak about the pieces he is presenting. He is very knowledgeable and always has very interesting stories to share.
-
Thank you. Yes, that’s him. Thank you for the head’s up.
-
-
I am so with you on everything you just noted. Marla is by far one of my favorites and she is always so gracious, funny and so interesting to listen to. And her style is like no other. And when you have a host like Helen (one of my least favorites) constantly interrupting, it does nothing for the presentation besides displaying her rudeness.
And as far as the hostess not knowing the colors, it is unexcusable. It shows the lack of preparation for their job, which I must say they get paid well for.
With this continued behavior, HSN will lose viewership. They certainly are losing mine.
Conversation Info
Posted in Talk Among Yourselves
6 Replies
03.08.21 3:01 PM
5 Participants