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February 26, 2009 10:06 PM

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Without seeing the commercial it's hard to say, but it looks to me like the proportional dimensions are what's doing it. The cup pictured above, left has the proportions of what looks like a 12-16 oz cup. The cup pictured above, right has the proportions of what you'd actually expect 10 oz to look like.

In short, it's using a familiar shape against you. Unless the cup pictured on the left is actually a larger cup. If that's the case, it' not misleading; it's false advertising. I see some fine print at the bottom of the screen... did any of it say \"product may differ from those shown here,\" etc?

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your new nemesis

February 26, 2009 10:17 PM

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As long as the commercial says 10 oz, I wouldn't think there is any more deceptive than the pictures of, say, the cheeseburger pics vs the actual product at fast food restaurants. I am willing to bet that even if not expressley stated, the ad has that fast tlking legal speak explaining to see the store for terms and conditions etc.

3 replies

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February 27, 2009 8:04 PM

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Agreed. Same sorta thing with almost every car commercial:

\"Get your new Nissan Maxima for only $24,998!\"

Fine print:

\"Car shown as equipped: $38,543.\"

So I guess Dunkin's showing the $2 model and talking about the $1 model.

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Changed my name to \"I like potatoes\"

February 26, 2009 10:38 PM

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@skizsrodt:
You mean pics like these:
[www.thewvsr.com]

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ludwigk

February 26, 2009 11:01 PM

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@changed my name: The Sausage McMuffin, and the BK Enormous Omelet Sandwich look like a decent representation of the ad version.

The melted cheese on the Wendy's Chicken Club is downright nauseating in that light. The Arby's sandwich and MD's Fillet o Fish are also tragically mangled in their true form.

Of course, staring at ANY of those fast food offerings after stuffing myself silly on indian food makes me feel slightly queasy, and a bit disappointed in knowing that I've eaten pretty much all of those. That includes the KFC \"Bowl of Gravy\", which was just as horrifying when I ate it as it is depicted here.

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savdavid

February 26, 2009 10:18 PM

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If you ever watch KFC and other \"specials\" being advertised you will notice they zoom in very close to the product so you have little relative other things to judge the size on. Also, watch when Subway or any sandwich shop advertises a sandwich as a great deal. They usually have the actors holding the sandwich with two hands as if it is so large one hand just couldn't manage. Also notice that one hand will usually cover the bottom of the sandwich so you don't know how long it is.

2 replies

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Zorantor

March 1, 2009 9:04 AM

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@savdavid: While their ads are annoying, I can't say too much bad about Subway. It's hard to misrepresent their sandwiches' appearance, since they're always made to order.

And yeah, their sandwiches are certainly too big to eat one-handed.

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February 27, 2009 3:38 PM

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@savdavid: I don't know about you, but I sure can't eat a 6\" subway sandwich one handed until I'm nearly at the heel of the bread. Darn things fall apart if you try that.

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Mauvaise

February 26, 2009 10:25 PM

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Not to mention that in the picture on the left, the 10oz cup is photographed in a misleading manner. If you look at the surface the cup is resting on combined with the reflection, it makes the 10oz cup look a lot taller.

2 replies

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TakingItSeriously is a Technopile

February 26, 2009 10:36 PM

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Yes@Mauvaise: Yeah it uses the fact that the color of the 16oz cup matches the background color of the reflective surface, and the smaller cups reflection \"stands out\" so it looks to be larger than it is.

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nbs2

February 26, 2009 11:05 PM

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@TakingItSeriously: Beyond the color, they also use the smaller Dunkin font logo in the ad, making the cup look larger.

Another example of perspective throwing you off are the fast food sandwiches. The best is the KFC Snacker. Wide mouth to take a bite, but only a nibble disappears. Viewer walks away with a 5 bite sandwich expectation, thinking great value for the money, and gets a bit of popcorn chicken on bread.

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triscuitbiscuit

February 26, 2009 11:03 PM

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The red cup seems to look like it's taller than the green one which looks short and fat. I am sure that this was done purposely (the use of a taller, but thinner cup). So while it may not be legally wrong, it is pretty ethically wrong.

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ShachiAssaracus

February 26, 2009 11:22 PM

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Oh, Dunkin' Donuts....this only deepens my dislike for your company (I emailed DD after the Rachel Ray keffiyeh kerfuffle to let them know I'd never buy anything from their company again. And you know what...I haven't. I've found a new friend in 8 O'Clock Coffee...although it seems they're about to undergo a package redesign that might rival Tropicana's failed effort).

2 replies

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TheGuinnessTooth

February 26, 2009 11:46 PM

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@ShachiAssaracus: You seriously stopped going to D&D because of the wardrobe worn by a D-list celebrity in an ad?

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ShachiAssaracus

February 27, 2009 1:38 AM

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@TheGuinnessTooth: No, not because of the wardrobe worn by a D-list celebrity in an ad, but because of DD's cowardly capitulation to the vocal, but non-sensical protestations, of small group of what I believed to be wingnuts.

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tcolberg

February 27, 2009 4:58 PM

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@ShachiAssaracus: Perfectly respectable position, especially since it has put you in the direction of what is apparently the best consumer coffee out there (according to CR).

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TheGuinnessTooth

February 27, 2009 12:39 PM

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@ShachiAssaracus: Oddly enough, I can actually respect that decision. Personally I was more offended by the fact that the media made such a big deal about it, but I respect your decision knowing your reasoning.

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February 27, 2009 4:39 AM

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@ShachiAssaracus: huh?

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cmdrsass

February 27, 2009 2:16 AM

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@ShachiAssaracus: Sounds like you spend too much time worrying about inconsequential things.

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bria

February 26, 2009 11:30 PM

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\"Wait, so you're saying your wife is upset because she was led to believe she'd get a larger size, and it's smaller than she'd anticipated? Oh HO!\"

So... why did you call this woman a ho?

2 replies

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February 27, 2009 2:20 AM

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@bria: I thought you were joking, but it looks like you're not based on your comment below. Just to set the record straight for everyone, it's not \"ho\" as in slang for \"whore,\" but \"ho\" as in \"Oh Ho!\" As in a hearty exclamation of successful implied mockery.

Surely you've read enough of my posts to know I don't make misogynistic jokes. If anything, it was misandronistic, because it was a faux-frat-boy joke about the OP's penis size. Or, from another angle, a \"bad innuendo\" joke along the lines of Eric Idle in the Monty Python \"Nudge Nudge\" sketch.

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February 27, 2009 2:22 AM

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@Chris Walters: Any further comments about this joke should be taken offline and emailed directly to me or one of the Executive Editors. Thanks!

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Trai_Dep

February 27, 2009 8:27 AM

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@Chris Walters: But where do I direct my outraged letter regarding your slandering poor ol' Saint Nick?

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Anonymous

February 26, 2009 11:53 PM

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If you look closely, the 10oz cup in the commerical is the same size and shape as the picture on the left. By putting it closer to the camera and using a reflective surface to make it appear taller it creates the illusion that it is almost as big as the 16oz. If you look at the beans surrounding it you can see where the bottom of the cup is. Deceptive but not 'false' advertising.

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SabreDC

February 27, 2009 1:10 AM

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\"My wife has bought them too but she now knows why she feels disappointed every time she gets one.\"

Wait, \"gets\"? This may be a dumb question, but why does she continue getting them if she knows she'll be disappointed? Maybe it's just me, but if I know for sure that I'll be disappointed with a purchase, I just don't buy it...

I am glad that someone pointed out the reflection on the surface. I never would have noticed that but now it looks so purposely misleading. Tsk tsk Dunkin' Donuts. First you hire Rachel Ray as a spokesperson and now this...

1 replies

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Tito151

February 27, 2009 1:32 PM

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@SabreDC: That just goes to show you the addictive power of Dunkin'!

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February 27, 2009 1:42 AM

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I don't know what reflection you guys are talking about, but the hot latte cup on the left (the one in the screen cap) extends all the way down to the fine print--the bottom 25% of the cup is not a reflection of any sort. It's hard to tell from the perspective so I can only guess, but it looks to be *almost* the same height as the 16 oz cup, but a little shorter and a little thinner. (But not 6 oz shorter/thinner.)

3 replies

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SabreDC

February 27, 2009 3:49 AM

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@Chris Walters: I think you're right about the cup. This monitor that I'm using now is brighter and it looks big, but the other monitor I was using was darker and it did look as though the cup might have been reflecting off the surface. But I think you're right now that I look at it again on a brighter monitor.

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bria

February 27, 2009 2:08 AM

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@Chris Walters: What about the ho comment?

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February 27, 2009 2:21 AM

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@bria: Okay, I've replied above.

For everyone: any further comments about the joke should be taken offline and emailed directly to me or to Ben or Meg.

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bria

February 27, 2009 2:26 AM

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@Chris Walters:
Sorry, I just assumed it would be okay to ask you a question as you were commenting... not sure how I would take the comments \"offline,\" but I got it.

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bria

February 27, 2009 2:28 AM

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@bria:
Woops, I hadn't seen the other comments until after I replied. Thanks for answering!

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bria

February 27, 2009 2:31 AM

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@bria:
Sorry for the triple comments, I probably look really annoying. I'm really not used to this nested comments thing yet (even though I should be) so I'm easily confused.

On topic: the commercial is definitely deceptive.

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February 27, 2009 3:11 AM

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@bria: Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the nested comments either.

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Brian Johnson

February 27, 2009 2:23 AM

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Different type of cup? The one on the left looks taller but skinnier.

Or maybe since the 10oz cup is in the foreground to the 16 oz cup, it looks deceptively large.

Plus, I would need to see a pic of a person holding the 16oz cup.

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February 27, 2009 10:10 AM

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McDonald's advertises its 'Sweet Tea' as 32oz--even giving it to you in a giant cup--when it's really only 16oz of tea, and the rest is a mountain of ice cubes.

That can prove it easily. You just need a 16oz beverage, like a bottle of Snapple, and the cup of Sweet Tea. After you drink the tea, pour in the Snapple, and it fills right to the top.

I wouldn't mind paying $1.07 for 16oz of Sweet Tea - without ice. I just wish they would advertise it as 16oz and not give me an oversize cup.

2 replies

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Tito151

February 27, 2009 1:29 PM

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@MooseOfReason: You could ask for little or no ice. My McD's has complied with requests like that.

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February 28, 2009 5:47 AM

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@Tito151: True, but they'd probably even it out by giving me less tea.

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February 27, 2009 2:05 PM

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Both cups shown in the ad are 16oz cups. This is clearly deceptive advertising.

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February 27, 2009 6:02 PM

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the ad says ten oz, would you feel better if they put the 10 ounces in a larger cup for you?

what's next, complaining that they arent putting it in a cup that says \"Latte\" on it just like the commercial?

Besides, there is no reference to compare the cups to anyway, they could be really tiny or they could be 6 feet tall, theres no way to tell by that picture.

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Anonymous

March 14, 2009 5:16 PM

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Early Friday morning, March 13, 2009, on my way to work, I tried to purchase 3 donuts. They were .99 cents each and I tried to use a coupon for $1 off any purchase. I was told by the counter person That I could not use the coupon because the donuts were less than a dollar each? Iwas told that if I purhased something else that cost more than a $1, I could use the coupon. The store is located in Coram, NY.

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AWB31052

October 25, 2009 9:20 PM

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I went to two different stores, one in Menands NY and one in Watervliet NY. At both stores, I was the only customer in site. Also, at both stores, I was told that I needed a coupon (?) that was supposed to be mailed to me. At the first store, I was told that the offer was only good after 6:00 PM. I did get them at the 2nd, only because the clerk was tired of explaining the policy to everyone. Unfortunately, I had to settle for caramel, because they had no pumpkin. Is it any wonder why Dunkin Donuts is going down the tubes??

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